城門水塘主壩
Shing Mun Reservoir is located in the central New Territories, surrounded by Tai Mo Shan, Needle Hill and Grassy Hill in Shing Mun Valley. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, Li Wanrong, a general of the late Ming Dynasty, fled to Hong Kong and built Shing Mun City (refers to “walled city”) in the valley to withstand the Qing army. Later on, Shing Mun Village, Shing Mun River and Shing Mun Reservoir were all named after it.
The construction of Shing Mun Reservoir commenced in 1923 and completed in 1936, which was the Silver Jubilee of King George V, therefore the reservoir was once renamed as the Jubilee Reservoir. A memorial stone is still on the side of the main dam to commemorate the history.
Shing Mun Reservoir is the first area developed for picnic and barbecue facilities in Hong Kong. Shing Mun Country Park, where the reservoir is located, is also one of the first designated country parks in Hong Kong. Paperbark trees are widely planted by the reservoir, they reflect in water when the reservoir overflows, which attracts many tourists to visit.
Although there is a forest road around Shing Mun Reservoir, the slope is quite steep in general. Wheelchair users who wish to visit could choose the flat road from Shing Mun Road to the main dam, or a relatively steep forest road on the west bank of the reservoir.
| Shing Mun Road | Reservoir Main Dam | Shing Mun Road | ||
Turn right from Shing Mun Road minibus stop, follow the driveway and pass through AFCD management station, then turn right to the sitting-out area. Later on, head back to the driveway through the pavilion, cross the barrier-free gate and go straight to the main dam. Then, retrace your steps to the minibus stop on Shing Mun Road.
Pick-up and drop-off area, pavilion, barbecue site, water filling station, barrier-free toilet
| Starting point | ||
| Taxi | - | - |
| Minibus No. 82 (Only suitable for people who can walk a little or with a foldable wheelchair) |
Tsuen Wan (Shiu Wo Street) - Shing Mun Reservoir (Get off at Shing Mun Reservoir) |
20 min |
| Bus No. 32 ． 36 ． 40X ． 46X ． 47X ． 48X ． 73X ． 278X (Low-floor buses are available for the above routes. After getting off at Ho Fung College, visitors will have to ascend along Shing Mun Road to the starting point. Please note that there is no barrier-free sidewalk along the way, the slope is steep and the traffic is busy.) |
Districts - Districts (Get off at Ho Fung College) |
- |
| End Point | ||
| Same as the above | ||
Water refill station and vending machine near Barbecue Site 5
- There are vehicles on the road in front of the gate, so visitors have to be careful.
- There are many macaques along the trail, in order to avoid macaques grabbing food, visitors should not eat or drink at where the macaques appear and should not feed the macaques.
The path to and from the main dam is flat and easy to walk, and there are sufficient barrier-free facilities along the way. Visitors at the dam can look up to Tai Mo Shan, while Lion Rock is at the back. It is a good location for short trip.
This was the first official barrier-free activity, so we were cautious with the route selection. The destination was the main dam of Shing Mun Reservoir. We visited the reservoir with City With Out Door and Happy Grannies - several elderly people who was born in 1930s and aged 80 years old in average. Everyone jumped for the group photo at the main dam, see how youthful we were, everyone is more energetic than me!
- 饒久才：《香港的地名與地方歷史下- 新界》。天地圖書有限公司。2012
- 漁農自然護理署：《群山覽翠》。郊野公園之友會 / 天地圖書有限公司。2006
- 漁農自然護理署：《郊野叁十年》。郊野公園之友會 / 天地圖書有限公司。2007