Sacred Hill (Castle Peak) Beacon 聖山墩臺 [????- ]
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Submitted by tngan on Thu, 2013-06-06 01:44
The marker is marked based on the GPS coordinates of the Trigoman's Castle Peak 517m Trigo Station. If there are errors they are entirely mine. Thanks should be made to JW and his gang for the location and theory of this site, together with the Shek Lung Kung site.
The location is documented in 新安縣誌﹐ and some other documents. The discussions of JW and his gang concerning this Beacon and others could be located here. The discussions are generally in Chinese.
Photos that show this place
 2008 |
 2008 |
 2008 |
Comments
Sacred Hill Beacon at Castle Peak
Dear T
Excuse me that I was away from Gwulo net for some time and not involved in the beacon matters for years due to staying in China for a long period. Now I have come back to HK and is about to retire so I can get back to this field again.
The Sacred Hill Beacon is loacated at the 2nd highest peak of the mountain ridge (Castle Peak is the 1st highest). The existing location of the Beacon is in fact the trigon station itself which is housed in the mansonry structure of the Beacon and the mansonry stones becomes the outer body shell of the trigo station.
You have made a good blue markout on the map which should be the location of the Beacon. The Beacon is about 1.5m high. Welcome if you might find some time to go there and you would not miss that spot.
JW
Beacon at Castle Peak
Beacon at Castle Peak
Dear C
I had contacted AMO before, but they asked me to give evidence to support that my observed stone relic structures are the mentioned beacons established in Tsing Dynasty.
JW
Beacon at Castle Peak
Hi C,
It would be very difficult to present sufficient information information to any governing or advisory groups. I have read some pages of 新安縣志 (San On County Gazzette) with drawings. They did not give definite location of these beacons or other ancient military sites. Some such sites may have left behind a name somewhere but without any trace of the military essential. Say, 營盤下 (Ying Pun Ha Village) in Tai Po.
Back to the so called beacons. I have been to Shek Lung Kung multiple times and Tin Ha Shan once.
The site at Tin Ha Shan could be considered destroyed when they built the trigo station there. If you go there now you should still be able to make out some slabs of rocks one of top of the other but that was all about it. You could still hope somehow a sever lightning string could destroy the trigo station and reveal what's under it, bit the chance is very very small.
The one at Shek Lung Kun is in better shape, but a small tree had been growing in the fire pit. If the tree did not die out, when it took root and grow, the structure would be shattered from within in maybe 10-20 years. And yet we could not uproot the tree owing to current Country Park bylaws.
We could only wish for a lucky natural bush fire somewhere and then maybe trying to visit the aftermath when it is safe for possible structural and\or landscape clues.
Thanks & Best Regards,
T
Beacon at Castle Peak
Hi T,
>>The site at Tin Ha Shan could be considered destroyed when they built the trigo station there.
The trigo was built in 1991, before that the beacon would not be in good shape due to numerous hikers step on that summit. The summit is pretty windy so lighting smoke and fire should not be easy by the anicent beacon guards so an auxilliary circular beacon , which I have found about 200m away the summit and near the main hiking track, was found to have been built and to cater for windy situation, I believe.
To find out the undisturbed outlook of Tin Ha Shan and Shek Lung Kung Beacons, I have bought from Survey & Mappfing office of black and white old aerial photos which are dated back to 1950s taken by plane at the altitute of about 1500 ft, but the outlook if my wanted target sites are too small to be identified as beacons.
>>If the tree did not die out (Shek Lung Kung Beacon), when it took root and grow, the structure would be shattered from within in maybe 10-20 years.
The frustum of the beacon body is very tall which is about 6m high, if the top opening is destroyed by tree growth, the mansonry frustum can still be observed.
By the way, I would encourage you to go to Wo King Hill Beacon (Ma Jerk Leng), the basin area of the beacon is pretty large and should be the biggest beacons that I have met in HK. I had found some red bricks nearby the beacon and the bricks are adhered a layer of bonding agent which is looked like the glutinous rice (not cement mortar).
Regards
JW