ROUTE 1: SHING MUN 101 – CLASSIC LANDMARKS COURSE

The majority area of water gathering grounds of Hong Kong overlaps with the country parks. While the waterworks are handled by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is in charge of the country park management work. Point 1 of the Route is the Shing Mun Country Park Visitor Centre. Set up by AFCD, the Visitor Centre showcases the historical, cultural and biodiversity information of the country park – no worries even if your background research has not yet started!

The visitor centre opens only on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

Best known for its bumper harvest of pineapples in the past, the current saddle dam of Shing Mun Reservoir is also called the "Pineapple Dam". Time flies, notwithstanding no more pineapples could be found here, its role becomes more prominent by storing rainwater for the reservoir.

From here, the catchwater stretches out to collect water from streams even outside the natural water basin of Shing Mun River, like Ha Fa Hang, Sheung Fa Hang, Pak Shek Kiu Hang, Ngau Liu Hang, Tai Tso Stream and Tai Yuen Stream. The 9-km journey brings abundant water for storage in the Shing Mun Reservoir.

Where there is damselfly there is clean water. Dwelling only on the clear streams, damselfly is a live water quality indicator. We will pass through two to three streams in this section, where river water flows directly into the reservoir. The protected Shing Mun Reservoir Water Gathering Ground is free from pollution and so a variety of damselflies can be found here. Common Blue Jewel (Heliocypha perforata), for instance, is a common species which flutters in metallic magenta – dainty but eye-catching!

The towering Paper-bark Trees along the road looks like a pair of fencing walls. Welcome to the first instagrammable place for Paper-bark Trees (Melaleuca cajuputi)! And yes, there are more to come!

Walking towards the reservoir, a lesser forest of Paper-bark Trees perches on the shoreline. Vegetations in Shing Mun were devastated during the Second World War when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong. Large scale plantation work was carried out to prevent soil erosion and protect water quality in the post-war period, when Paper-bark Trees were widely grown.

The picturesque scene of Paper-bark Trees submerging in the eastern reservoir is seasonal exclusive. The wondrous view during the wet season never disappoints its visitors!

Before the construction of Shing Mun Reservoir, the Shing Mun Valley housed eight prominent villages. The dam was built vertically on the lower course of the valley, turning it into an enormous water storage tank. The old villagers were hence relocated from the valley. Here laid the old farms that grew grains, yet not many vestiges of the hamlets could be seen today, the submerged Cheung Uk is an instance.

Flowing along the old site of Cheung Uk is the biggest stream of Hong Kong – the Tai Shing Stream. Its inexhaustible flow creates a perfect water habitat for a wide spectrum of freshwater organisms. Take a close look and you can easily find various fish, shrimps and insects in the stream.

As is Tai Shing Stream, Tso Shing Stream is another major tributary which pours never-ending water into the reservoir. Notwithstanding its lesser size, there are countless water-dwelling organisms nurturing in Tso Shing Stream.

Fung Shui Woods are commonly found in Hong Kong's rural settlements. These woodlands were believed to convey auspicious meanings by villagers in the past thus well conserved and developed. As a result, many Fung Shui Woods become mature native woodlands that we have today.

The Fung Shui Wood here, which is home to a myriad of animals, is a witness of time and tide from the old Lo Wai period to present. Ancestors of Lo Wai were farmers of pineapples and paddy fields. Most of them were relocated to Kam Tin while a few of them resettled in Tai Po due to the construction of Shing Mun Reservoir.