Humen Town (), formerly Fumun, is a town in

Dongguan Dongguan,; pinyin: alternately romanized via Cantonese as Tungkun, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou t ...

city on the eastern side of the

Humen The Humen, also known as the Bocca Tigris or the Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta that separates Shiziyang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south. It is located near Humen Town in China's Guangdong Province. It is the site ...

strait on the

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region 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–Macao Greater Bay Area in official documents, ...

, in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

province, China. The former town of Taiping was incorporated into Humen Town in 1985. The population was 838,000 in 2023, making it the second most populous town ( zhèn) in China (after

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

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 ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

(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 a head of state (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty ...

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 has many consumer goods factories. These factories fueled population expansion from emigrating workers around the country seeking factory jobs. Humen is geographically advantageous for the factories due to its proximity to two large metropolitan cities and export harbors of

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and mainland China's

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

. Humen is an important gateway to south China. Going upstream, ships in 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-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

, 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 city, Guangdong province, 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 w ...

(), 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 ...

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

Convention of Chuenpi The Convention of Chuenpi (also "Chuenpee", ) was a tentative agreement between British Plenipotentiary Charles Elliot and Chinese Imperial Commissioner Qishan during the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of Ch ...

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, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

. Routes continue south by bus to Shenzhen's

Window of the World Window of the World ( zh, s=世界之窗, t=世界之窗, p=Shìjiè zhī Chuāng, j=sai3 gaai3 zi1 coeng1) 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 ...

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

Shenzhen Metro The Shenzhen Metro ( zh, s=深圳地铁, c=, labels=no) is the rapid transit system for the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, China. The newest lines and extensions which opened on December 27, 2024 put the network at of trackage. It cu ...

. There is a bus service from Humen Town to

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport — formerly Shenzhen Huangtian Airport — is an international airport serving the city of Shenzhen in South Central China’s Guangdong province. It is on the east bank of the Pearl River in Bao'an Di ...

. A ferry service connects Humen Ferry Terminal to

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...

's SkyPier.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