The Humen, also Bocca Tigris or Bogue, is a narrow

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

in the

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

that separates Shiziyang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south near Humen Town in China's Guangdong Province. It is the site of the Pearl River's discharge into the South China Sea. It contains the Port of Humen at Humen Town. The strait is formed by the islands of Chuenpi (, p ''Chuanbi'') and Anunghoy (, p ''Aniangxie''; also called , p ''Weiyuan'') on the eastern side, and Taikoktow (大角头, p ''Dajiaotou'') on the western side. Since 1997, the strait has been traversed by the Humen Pearl River Bridge. Bocca Tigris was the entry to China's only trading city, Kanton.

Name

The Latinate ' is derived from the Portuguese ', which is a calque of the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

and Cantonese name , literally meaning "The Tiger Gate".Taylor 1898, p. 70 The name ''Bogue'' is also a corruption of the Portuguese ''Boca''. The name comes from the impression given by Tiger Island, situated about above the Hengdang Islands in the middle of the strait, of a tiger couchant or at least of a tiger's head on its eastern side.Hawks, Francis L.; Perry, Matthew (1857).
Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan
'. New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 161. American Commodore Matthew Perry, who later played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West, noted that: "Although the resemblance is not at first very striking, it becomes quite obvious after examination".

History

Because of its strategic location as the naval gateway to the city of Guangzhou (Canton), the strait was strongly fortified during the Qing dynasty. It was defended by eight forts: Shakok (Shajiao), Taikok (Dajiao), Wangtung (Hengdang), Yung-an (Yong'an), Kung-ku (Gonggu), Chen-yuan (Zhenyuan), Ching-yuan (Jingyuan), and Wei-yuan. Between September 1809 and January 1810, Portuguese Navy ships based in Macau defeated a group of Chinese pirates in the Battle of the Tiger's Mouth. The first major battle of the

First Opium War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

between the United Kingdom and China occurred at the entrance of the Humen in the First Battle of Chuenpi on 3 November 1839. The British captured the Bogue forts in the Second Battle of Chuenpi on 7 January 1841 and the

Battle of the Bogue The Battle of the Bogue () was fought between British and Chinese forces in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong province, China, on 23–26 February 1841 during the First Opium War. The British launched an amphibious attack at the Humen strait ( ...

on 23–26 February. The forts were recaptured on 2 April 1847 during the British Expedition to Canton. In the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

, the British recaptured the forts in the 1856 Battle of the Bogue on 12–13 November.

Geography

*Eastern shore: Humen Town in Dongguan City *Western shore: the

Nansha District Nansha District and Nansha New Area is one of 11 urban districts and a state-level new area of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It is the home of the present-day port of Guangzhou, as well as ...

of Guangzhou City *Upper and Lower Hengdang Islands (), or North and South Wangtong Islands, in the middle of the strait * Humen Pearl River Bridge *Several Qing dynasty forts, including: ** Weiyuan Fort (), near Humen Town **Shajiao Fort (), in Humen Town *Nansha Pier (), in the Nansha District, south of the Humen Bridge

Port of Humen

The Port of Humen at Humen Town serves as the port of the industrial city of Dongguan and as one of the big logistic hubs of the Pearl River Delta. It extends on the east shore of the delta beyond the strait all the way to the Dongjiang River. It is divided into five port areas: *Shatian Port Area (): focuses on containers, chemicals, yard logistics, shoreline industry, and comprehensive trading services. *Mayong Port Area (): focuses on grain, vegetable oil, coal, construction materials, and break-bulk cargo. *Shajiao Port Area (): focuses on passenger transport, leisure boating, and coastal transport and cabotage. *Chang'an Port Area (): focuses on large-scale deep-water berths and the waterfront industry. *Neihe Port Area (): focuses on traditional waterborne transport services for the Dongguan industries. The port has of territorial waters and of jurisdictional area. The main navigation channel is deep, enough for vessels of 100,000 DWT. Originally called Taiping port, the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

approved it as an open port in 1983. It was merged with the Shatian port in June 1997 and renamed Humen port.Yeung, Godfrey (2001). ''Foreign Investment and Socio-Economic Development: The Case of Dongguan''. New York: Palgrave. p. 97. .

Notes

References

*Taylor, Isaac (1898).
Names and Their Histories: A Handbook of Historical Geography and Topographical Nomenclature
' (2nd ed.). London: Rivingtons.

External links

Satellite view of Bocca Tigris on Google maps
{{Ports of China Bodies of water of Guangdong Pearl River (China) Pearl River Delta Straits of China