Lam Tsuen [????- ]

A very little known part of Hong Kong's history was the violent resistance to the British occupation of the New Territories in 1899. Dismissed by the British as a couple of scuffles the quoted article shows that it was much more than that. I have placed the account under the Ping Shan & Tai Po Police Stations, the Lam Tsuen valley & Sham Chun as these were the key locations during during the conflict

For the buildup to the battle- See here & here

Monday, 17th April, began quietly for the British at Tai Po. H.M.S. "Humber" and H.M.S. "Peacock" arrived during the morning and anchored off-shore. A conference was held on the matshed hill and General Gascoigne indicated that he hoped to establish a new base camp, in the Lam Tsuen valley, by Tuesday evening. These leisurely plans were not realized. Shortly after three o'clock Chinese forces moved onto a hill some 3,000 yards away and commenced firing. The British artillery returned fire and 250 men from the Hong Kong Regiment moved off in an attempt to dislodge the militia. 

The British force — Indian troops commanded by British officers — entered the Lam Tsuen valley and began to work to the southwest. The valley is about half a mile wide and two miles long. A narrow path ran down its centre and much of the level ground was devoted to rice. The militia of Kam Tin, Pat Heung, and Shap Pat Heung had taken up positions on the higher, wooded slopes. When the British moved into the valley, the militia opened fire. According to one British participant, they had "chosen their positions well, and if they had fired well, the British troops would have fared badly."  The Chinese had assumed their opponents would advance along the path down the valley and placed their guns accordingly. But immediately they came under fire, the soldiers abandoned the path for the hillsides and "drove back the enemy from hill to hill and working admirably, like true Indian Frontier fighting men, . . . took full advantage of cover . . ," 

In spite of their initial mistake, the militia fought well and vigorously. They "fired almost incessantly for one and a half hours, pouring in round shot 3&1/2 inches in diameter from muzzle loaders and dropping musketry fire all about our men. Fortunately the configuration of the country favoured cover and our casualties were few." But, "had this advance not been conducted with great care the loss to our troops must have been heavy." After fierce fighting the militia withdrew from the valley, leaving it by way of the saddle which gives access to the Pat Heung district. The soldiers followed and, having lost touch with the Chinese, bivouacked for the night at Sheung Tsuen, on the foothills overlooking the Pat Heung valley. 

The next afternoon a large force (subsequently estimated at 2,600 men), was seen approaching from a distance. It consisted of men from Ping Shan, Ha Tsuen, and Castle Peak and from four villages in adjacent Chinese territory, including Pan T'in. The British force took up positions and stood watching the militia, deployed in three lines, "advance across the open in excellent skirmishing order . . . ." The British Officer Commanding later conceded that it was "distinctly a determined advance for Chinamen." The militia began firing at long range and their rifle and jingal fire shortly became almost continuous. When the distance had been reduced to 500 yards the British tried a few ranging shots, moved forward under cover of a dry water course, and advanced into the open toward the on-coming militia. In the face of such a determined response, which now became a general advance accompanied by heavy fire, the militia broke and ran.  

Occupation of Sham Chun here

Source: Militia, Market and Lineage: Chinese Resistance to the occupation of Hong Kong's New Territories in 1899. R. G. Groves.  RASHK Vol 9 (1969) p.46-47 

Dr. Patrick H. Hase has written an excellent book about the fighting in the New Territories between the British military and the Chinese when the former took the N.T. It is entitled “The Six Day War of 1899; Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism.”

I was once privileged to be able to join Patrick Hase on one of his “battlefield tours” of the locations where some of this resistance occurred. Fascinating stuff!