Humen Town (), formerly Fumun, is a town in Dongguan city on the eastern side of the

Humen The Humen, also Bocca Tigris or Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta 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 i ...

strait on 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-Ma ...

, in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

province, China. The former town of Taiping was incorporated into Humen Town in 1985. The population was 577,548 in the 2000 census, making it the second most populous town ( zhèn) in China (after

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

in Dongguan as well).National Bureau of Statistics of China; Guangdong
Population of administrative units at the 2000 Population Census. Retrieved on 2010-04-25.

History

The history of Humen is linked to 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 ...

(1839–1842). It was at Humen that

Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was the head of states (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynas ...

supervised the destruction of large quantities of seized opium in 1839. Some major battles in the First Opium War were fought here and on the waters of the Bocca Tigris.

Economy

Humen is a thriving city crowded with consumer goods factories. These factories also fueled population expansion from emigrating workers around the country seeking factory jobs. Furthermore, Humen is geographically advantageous for the factories due to its proximity to two large metropolitan cities and export harbors of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

and mainland China's

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provi ...

. Humen has long been an important gateway to south China. Going upstream, ships plying the Pearl River can reach the eastern, northern and western regions of Guangdong and even parts of Guangxi province. The main port, Humen Port, is a first-class port open to foreign vessels.

Tourist attractions

* The "Sea Battle Museum", which has dioramas and displays featuring the First Opium War and 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#Britain's imperial ...

, may be reached by taking number 8A or 8B bus to its westernmost stop. * The Opium War Museum also known as the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum * Former Residence of

Jiang Guangnai Jiang Guangnai (; 17 December 1888 – 8 June 1967) was a general and statesman in the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, and was born in Dongguan, Guangdong. Defense of Shanghai He became a bodyguard to Sun Yat-sen and, in 19 ...

Several Qing dynasty forts, including: *

Weiyuan Fort Weiyuan Fort () is a coastal-defense fort, now in ruins, in Humen, Dongguan, Guangdong, China. The fort was constructed in 1835 and was in use during the Opium Wars. The fort is situated immediately under the Humen Bridge. There were 44 cannons t ...

(), located near the "Sea Battle Museum" and almost directly under the

Humen Pearl River Bridge The Humen Pearl River Bridge () is a bridge over the Humen, Pearl River in Guangdong Province, southern China. It consists of two main spans - a suspension bridge section and a segmental concrete section. It connects the Nansha District of Guan ...

* Shajiao Fort (); lit. "sand corner" fort), where the

Convention of Chuenpi Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

was signed in 1841 during the First Opium War * Eyi Fort () * Jingyuan Fort * Zhenyuan Fort

Transportation

Humen is located at the eastern end of the

. Humen is served by regular direct buses traveling south from

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...

. Routes continue south by bus to Shenzhen's

Window of the World Window of the World () is a theme park located in the western part of the city of Shenzhen in the People's Republic of China. It has about 130 reproductions of some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world squeezed into 48 hectares ...

theme park, from which it is possible to continue on to the Hong Kong border by bus or the

Shenzhen Metro The Shenzhen Metro () is the rapid transit system for the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, China. Extensions opened on 28 November 2022 put the network at of trackage, operating on 15 lines with 345 stations. Shenzhen Metro is the 6th ...

. There is a bus service from Humen Town to

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (formerly Shenzhen Huangtian Airport) is the airport serving Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It is located on the east bank of the Pearl River near Huangtian and Fuyong villages in Bao'an District, and is ...

. In addition, a ferry service connects

Humen Ferry Terminal Humen Ferry Terminal (虎门港澳码头) is a ferry terminal in the Humen Town of Dongguan, in the Southern China's Guangdong province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. It includes a passenger terminal for high-speed ferries connectin ...

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distingui ...

SkyPier Skypier () is a cross-border ferry pier integrated within Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is operated by Hong Kong International Airport Ferry Terminal Services Limited, a joint-venture company betwe ...

.Ferry Transfer
"

. Retrieved on May 8, 2018.

References

External links

Human government website

www.humen.com
* Chinese Wikipedia article about the destruction of opium in Humen
Opium War Museum website

{{Authority control Geography of Dongguan Towns in Guangdong