Wineshark Go Hiking - 香園碉堡松園下

Difficulty: 1/5

Total Distance: 3.79 km

From: 79K 打鼓嶺 (松園下) 總站

To: 79K 打鼓嶺 (松園下) 總站

Date: 2 May 2020

Transportation:

• Take KMB No. 79K alight at Ta Kwu Ling (Tsung Yuen Ha) Bus Terminus.
• Return by KMB No. 79K to Sheung Shui Bus Terminus.

After getting off the bus, on the left is the new Liantong border and Heung Yuen Wai boundary control point. Continue along Lin Ma Hang Road, very soon you will reach the road leading to Heung Yuen Wai.

The village is used to be in the Ta Kwu Ling Controlled Area before 2016, but now it is no longer restricted. Walking into the village, soon there is a side road leading to Ha Heung Yuen. Going further we were stopped by a villager who said the village is restricted to any outsider. Her dogs also ran out to our side so we could only retreat back.

Returning to the main road we decided to proceed along to take a look at the old village house, featuring a guard tower to allow the villagers to monitor in case there were intruders. We did not go too far into the village to avoid being challenged again and return to Lin Ma Hang Road.

Continuing on the road soon there is a side road on the left, leading uphill to Pak Fu Shan, to look at the MacIntosh Fort. This grade 2 historic monument is one of the seven observation posts safeguarding the border against illegal immigrants. 

Built between 1949 to 1953, the Commissioner of Police Duncan MacIntosh decided to build a chain of such forts on prominent hilltops to strengthen the border security. It would be an interesting hike to try to discover all seven of them. 

Seeing on the other side of the border and the busy city of Shenzhen, one might wonder the ironic of those who tried their luck crossing the border then to find a better living here, but now it seems all the focus of growth is shifted back to the other side.

Returning to the starting point, this border adventure is finished.