Dapeng Ancient City Unit

This guide to Dapeng Ancient City in Shenzhen follows Lai Enjue, born inside these Ming-era walls in 1795, who grew up in a fortress built in 1394 to guard the coast against pirates. It traces his path to command of the Dapeng Brigade and the tense 1839 standoff with British ships off Kowloon that opened with the first shot of the First Opium War, and the honors that followed, the title Baturu and command of the entire Guangdong Navy. Look for the mansion he built inside the walls, and the imperial plaque still above its gate.