Leisure and Cultural Services Department - Antiquties and Monuments Office

Recent Archaeological Discoveries

Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Tuen Mun

Neolithic Period (circa 4,000 B.C. - 1,500 B.C.)

In Tuen Mun, Middle Neolithic remains have been found in Lung Kwu Chau, Lung Kwu Tan and Yung Long archaeological sites, suggesting the presence of Neolithic activities along the coastal sandbars. Artefacts such as the painted pottery basins with ring-foot, painted pottery pots and fine corded coarse pottery cauldron, as well as tools such as stone beaters, adzes, discs, etc., which all dated as far back as 4,000 B.C., have been unearthed. These artefacts bear features which are the same as those found in Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Gaoyao and Zengcheng. They show that during the prehistoric period, people living within the Pearl River Delta area shared the same cultural characteristics.

Many significant Late Neolithic artefacts and relics have also been unearthed in Yung Long, Tsang Tsui, Lung Kwu Tan, Lung Kwu Sheung Tan, Lung Kwu Chau and Sha Chau archaeological sites. For instance, several rows of postholes found in the Lung Kwu Tan archaeological site have suggested the presence of Neolithic pile dwelling structures. Relics such as firing hearths, postholes, workshops for manufacturing stone tools and burials have been unearthed in the Yung Long archaeological site, providing important materials for researches on Hong Kong's prehistoric past. Archaeological finds such as fine stone slotted rings and stone Yue (ceremonial axe regarded as symbol of power) suggest that prehistoric Pearl River Delta had cultural exchanges with not just the northern and eastern part of Guangdong, but as far away as the eastern coast of China.

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