Lion Rock Summit. Kowloon East and Hong Kong Eastern District can be seen
Lion Rock's Head at Sunset on a clear day without smog
Lion Rock is noted for its shape.[4] Its resemblance to a crouchinglion is most striking from theChoi Hung andSan Po Kong areas in East Kowloon. A trail winds its way up the forested hillside to the top, culminating atop the "lion's head". The trail can be followed across the profile of the lion, eventually linking up with theMacLehose Trail. The rock provides a view of the city andHong Kong Island in the distance. The entire mountain is located withinLion Rock Country Park, south ofHung Mui Kuk, Tai Wai and is made passable by vehicles byLion Rock Tunnel, which connects Kowloon Tong and Tai Wai.
Lion Rock is near another famous rock structure, theAmah Rock. A road inKowloon City is named Lion Rock Road (獅子石道).
AfterWorld War II and Communists' victory in theChinese Civil War, many people who fled to Hong Kong from Mainland China lived in squatters in Kowloon, where the Lion Rock is clearly visible. The lives of the era, during which Hong Kong was rebuilt from poverty, was depicted by theRTHK in the 1974 TV seriesBelow the Lion Rock. The TV series featured some of the early work of now-famous film directors such asAnn Hui. Its theme song "Below the Lion Rock", sung byCantopop starRoman Tam, is considered to represent the spirit of the Hong Kong people. The name of the series and its eponymous theme song has since been connected to the "Lion Rock Spirit" (Chinese:獅子山下精神),[5][6] used to refer to Hong Kong as a whole.
The second version of the government-sponsoredBrand Hong Kong contains a silhouette of the Lion Rock. According to the brand, the Lion Rock represents "the Hong Kong people's 'can-do' spirit".[7]
A banner that reads in Chinese “我要真普選” (I want realuniversal suffrage) was hung up near the head of the 'Lion' on 23 October 2014 to show support for2014 Hong Kong protests.[7][8] The banner was removed by the government on the next day.[9]
On the east and west of Lion Rock, there have been two paths built in theQing Dynasty. The west path connects fromWang Tau Hom toShatin. The east path connects fromTsz Wan Shan toTsok Pok Hang. In the present, these paths are used by locals and hikers to get around.[11]
When the ban on human settlement of coastal areas of theGreat Clearance was lifted in 1668, the coastal defense was reinforced. Twenty-one fortifiedmounds, each manned with an army unit, were created along the border ofXin'an County, and at least five of them were located in present-day Hong Kong. 1) TheTuen Mun Mound, believed to have been built onCastle Peak orKau Keng Shan, was manned by 50 soldiers. 2) TheKowloon Mound on Lion Rock and 3) theTai Po Tau Mound northwest ofTai Po Old Market had each 30 soldiers. 4) TheMa Tseuk Leng Mound stood between present-daySha Tau Kok andFan Ling and was manned by 50 men. 5) The fifth one atFat Tong Mun, probably on today'sTin Ha Shan Peninsula, was an observation post manned by 10 soldiers. In 1682, these forces were re-organized and manned by detachments from theGreen Standard Army with reduced strength.[12][13]
Lion Rock is in the Red area on Kowloon Peninsula.
The manymountains in the Kowloon area, which include Lion Rock, are formed byGranitic rocks. This is in contrast to some of the highest mountains in Hong Kong that are formed by much youngerVolcanic rocks, such asTai Mo Shan (957 m, the highest mountain).[14] The lion head shape is due to weathering of the blocks of granite along edges.[11]
To the north of Lion Rock are the new towns ofTai Wai andSha Tin. To the west isBeacon Hill (457 metres (1,499 ft)), which has a civil aviation tower on its summit. To the south is theWong Tai Sin area, while to the west, there is another mountain calledTemple Hill (488 metres (1,601 ft)). The mountain has a series of steep cliffs that separates the Kowloon from the New Territories. This barrier formed blocks the southern monsoon from the New Territories.[11]
According to theHong Kong Government, the Lion Rock summit is one of 16 "high risk locations" for hikers in Hong Kong owing to its level of difficulty.[15][16]
A few parts of the trail are rocky and have no barrier fencing, so hikers are at risk of falling off steep cliffs.[17] Numerous signs are placed by the Government throughout the trail to warn hikers of this danger. It is not advisable to take selfies close to the edge of the cliffs on foggy or wet days,[18] or take shortcuts to the summit, as hikers have died needlessly trying to do so.[19][20][21]
A number of deaths have occurred on this trail.[19][20][21][22][23] Casual tourists who are not properly prepared should not attempt this hike.
On December 20, 1982, a 14-year-old British boy fell off a 30-meter cliff from the lion's head and died.[24]
On April 1, 2007, a 48-year-old woman lost her way while climbing Lion Rock with her companions, fell off a 100m-cliff and died.[25]
On September 10, 2008, a 26-year-old man fell off a 40-meter cliff and died while hiking on Lion Rock.[citation needed]
In November 2011, a 73-year-old hiker fell off a cliff at the top of Lion Rock and died.[26]
On March 12, 2016, when a 22-year-old man climbed to the top of Lion Rock alone to take pictures, he stumbled and fell 400 meters off a cliff and died.[27]
On October 5, 2019, a woman was found dead 20 meters under the western cliff of Lion Rock.[28]
On January 28, 2020, a man fell off a cliff from Lion Rock and was found on a slope 200 meters under the Lion’s head.[29]
On November 21, 2020, a 56-year-old woman accidentally fell 30 meters off a cliff while climbing on a treacherous mountainside trail south of Lion’s Tail. She was pronounced dead after a 4-hour rescue operation.[30]
Rocky sections of Lion Rock Trail – proper shoes are advisable
The Lion Rock trail, unlike tourist-friendlyVictoria Peak, is acountry park trail and has no street lights, roads or cable cars. It is completely dark by the evening. Some parts of the trail can be rocky, so when hikers go up or down the trail in total darkness, one should have a strong flashlight and backup batteries.
Hikers who go up or down in total darkness to catch the night views should try to go on this trail first during daytime, or go with someone who has gone up before.
Starting fromWong Tai Sin, close to the entrance of the Lion Rock trail preferred by the locals, hikers face a nearly 400-m elevation gain (from 100m to 495m) consisting mostly of stairs and rocks to the top. On a hot and humid summer day, bring as much water as possible.
There aremonkeys that may attempt to take away food from hikers as they recognize that plastic bags may contain food.[31][32] The monkeys are calledLongtailed Macaques and are descendants of pets released into the wild in the 1920s.[33] The government introduced these macaques to protect the trees that surround reservoirs near Lion Rock from a vine calledMikania micrantha, as the macaques loved to feed on this vine.[34]
Venomous snakes are active in the evening, especially in the late summer or early autumn just before hibernation. The venomous but rarely-lethalBamboo Pit Viper, among other venomous snakes, is seen in the area mostly at night, so try to avoid stepping into bushes or thick grass where they might be lurking.[35] The Bamboo Pit Viper accounts for over 90% of all snake bites in Hong Kong.[36]
^abcAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (17 October 2006).Central Ridge and West (in English and Chinese). Hong Kong: Cosmos Books Limited. pp. 58, 100.ISBN9882113273.
^"行獅子山 抄捷徑 女子墮崖死".Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived fromthe original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved31 August 2020.
^林振華, 蔡正邦, 賴雯心, 陳浩然 (30 May 2019)."【魂斷獅子山】73歲翁疑墮崖 GFS直升機搜索五小時尋回屍體".香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved31 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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