Geographical Importance of Nam Chung and the Greater Shataukok Region
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the area around Nam Chung was situated along a major transportation route. This was because the county seat of Xin’an County (i.e., where the county government was stationed) was located in Nantou City (南頭城) in the west of the county, which is the present Nanshan District (南山區) in Shenzhen, adjacent to Nam Chung. At the same time, Dapengsuo City (大鵬所城) in Mirs Bay East (大鵩灣東) was a substantial military base. Due to the natural terrestrial barriers, all the water and land transportation from different places traversed the Starling Inlet (沙頭角海) area. As for the villages in the south of today’s New Territories East, they also needed to go north to the market or the county town, so they often had to go through the vicinity of Nam Chung.
After the commencement of the British lease of the New Territories in 1898, the British colonial government still attached great importance to the Sha Tau Kok area, and successively built the Fanling-Sha Tau Kok Railway Extension (粉嶺沙頭角鐵路支線) and the Sha Tau Kok Highway (沙頭角公路). However, with the separation of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the focus of Hong Kong’s development shifted, with the agricultural and fisheries industries gradually declining, and Nam Chung gradually became a remote rural area.
During the Japanese occupation in World War II, Nam Chung was the first anti-Japanese guerrilla base established in Hong Kong. Many villagers joined the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade of the East River Column (東江縱隊港九大隊) to fight against the Japanese army, which led to round-ups by the Japanese military. The Japanese army forced the villagers to build a series of pillboxes and trenches on the nearby hills, the remains of which can still be seen to this day.
In the 1960s, the government constructed the Plover Cove Reservoir (船灣淡水湖) and the associated catchment area. To facilitate the construction works, Luk Keng Road (鹿頸路) and Nam Chung Road (南涌路) were built, which, although affecting the water resources, also facilitated the traffic in the area.
Photo: 1965 at Ha Ma Tseuk Leng. 1965. By Andrew Crampton (Gwulo.com)
