Hong Kong's Shing Mun Country Park

　　    Shing Mun Country Park (English: Shing Mun Country Park), designated on 24 June 1977, is a country park in Hong Kong, covering an area of 1,400 hectares. The park is located from Lead Mine Pass in the north to Shing Mun Reservoir Road in the south; from Tai Mo Shan in the west to Grassy Hill and Needle Hill in the east. The Shing Mun Reservoir, situated at the southeastern foot of Tai Mo Shan within the country park, is surrounded by mountains and boasts beautiful scenery, having long been a popular destination for outings. The Shing Mun Arboretum Special Area and the Tai Mo Shan Montane Scrub Special Area are both located within Shing Mun Country Park.

　　    History

　　    To meet the sharply increased demand for drinking water due to the rapid population growth in Kowloon, construction of the Shing Mun Reservoir began in 1933, and residents in the area were relocated to the New Territories. The project was completed in 1936 and, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the reign of King George V, it was also named the “Jubilee Reservoir.” During the Japanese occupation in World War II, many trees in the Shing Mun area were felled, but reforestation efforts after the war included species such as Taiwan red cypress, red ironwood, melaleuca, and Taiwan acacia, making this one of Hong Kong’s major afforestation zones.

　　    In 1971, the Hong Kong government allocated funding from the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation to establish a set of experimental recreational facilities for hiking and leisure, which were very popular with the public. Established in 1977, Shing Mun Country Park was one of the first batch of country parks in Hong Kong, along with Kam Shan Country Park and Lion Rock Country Park, which were also created around the same time.

　　    Additionally, to handle traffic between Mei Foo, Lei Muk Shue, and Kwai Chung to the eastern part of the New Territories and to alleviate congestion in the Lion Rock Tunnel, the government specifically constructed the Shing Mun Tunnel in February 1987, which was completed in April 1990.