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 of the Pearl River's discharge into the South China Sea. It contains the Port of Humen at Humen Town. The strait is formed by the islands of Chuenpi (Chinese: 穿鼻, p Chuanbi) and Anunghoy (Chinese: 阿娘鞋, p Aniangxie; also called Chinese: 威远, p Weiyuan) on the eastern side, and Taikoktow (大角头, p Dajiaotou) on the western side.[1] Since 1997, the strait has been traversed by the Humen Pearl River Bridge. Bocca Tigris was the entry to China's only trading city, Canton.
The Latinate Latin: Bocca Tigris is derived from the Portuguese Portuguese: Boca do Tigre, which is a calque of the Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese name Chinese: {{linktext|虎門, literally meaning "The Tiger Gate".[2] The name Bogue is also a corruption of the Portuguese Boca.
The name comes from the impression given by Tiger Island, situated about 3.2km (02miles) above the Hengdang Islands in the middle of the strait, of a tiger couchant[3] or at least of a tiger's head on its eastern side.[4] [5] [6] American Commodore Matthew Perry, who later played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West, noted that: "Although the resemblance is not at first very striking, it becomes quite obvious after examination".
Because of its strategic location as the naval gateway to the city of Guangzhou (Canton), the strait was strongly fortified during the Qing dynasty. It was defended by eight forts: Shakok (Shajiao), Taikok (Dajiao), Wangtung (Hengdang), Yung-an (Yong'an), Kung-ku (Gonggu), Chen-yuan (Zhenyuan), Ching-yuan (Jingyuan), and Wei-yuan.[7] Between September 1809 and January 1810, Portuguese Navy ships based in Macau defeated a group of Chinese pirates in the Battle of the Tiger's Mouth.
The first major battle of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China occurred at the entrance of the Humen in the First Battle of Chuenpi on 3 November 1839. The British captured the Bogue forts in the Second Battle of Chuenpi on 7 January 1841 and the Battle of the Bogue on 23–26 February. The forts were recaptured on 2 April 1847 during the British Expedition to Canton. In the Second Opium War, the British recaptured the forts in the 1856 Battle of the Bogue on 12–13 November.
The Port of Humen at Humen Town serves as the port of the industrial city of Dongguan and as one of the big logistic hubs of the Pearl River Delta. It extends on the east shore of the delta beyond the strait all the way to the Dongjiang River. It is divided into five port areas:
The port has 72km2 of territorial waters and 32km2 of jurisdictional area. The main navigation channel is 13.5m (44.3feet) deep, enough for vessels of 100,000 DWT.[8] Originally called Taiping port, the State Council approved it as an open port in 1983. It was merged with the Shatian port in June 1997 and renamed Humen port.[9]