I'd love to see some of the old buildings that have long ago been demolished - be able to look all around them, and get in close to see details. Which one would you choose?

In an article I wrote some time ago, I described a quest for ‘salvation’ pursued by means of receiving the best possible education. I also noted the disillusionment some of these seekers experience once they’ve summited their educational Everests.

My article presupposed that this ‘education as salvation’ theme is characteristic of Confucian cultures such as Hong Kong. But of course nothing in our world is so simple. A few weeks ago I came across another article that lays out the western equivalent. Titled 'The Disadvantages of an Elite Education', it's from the American Scholar, and it's by William Deresiewicz, a Yale English professor who finds it difficult to talk to his plumber:

To wrap up a very long series on primary school applications in Hong Kong (here are Parts I, II, III, IV and V), I’d like to do a couple of things.

First, I’ll add a postscript to the story of the Tall family’s own school search. I’d then like to step back and add a couple of observations about the whole experience in the context of school choice.

We've looked at the tunnels built by the British before the war [1], but how about those built during the Japanese occupation?

The Japanese dug a variety of tunnels throughout Hong Kong. Some, like the tunnel near Diocesan Boys School [2], were used to store ammunition and explosives. Others in the built-up areas [3] were likely built as air-raid shelters. Then out in the countryside, many smaller tunnels were dug into hillsides [4]. These were likely prepared against possible invasion, and would be used by Japanese soldiers fighting a guerilla war.

I expect the tunnels in the built-up areas have long been dug up, filled in, or just forgotten about. But out in the countryside they are often left untouched, and lie next to hiking trails. I'm hoping you've seen some that you can let us know about.

Here is a map of the tunnels I've seen - only four so far, so we definitely need some help to add more. (Each marker shows one Japanese tunnel in Hong Kong. Move your mouse over a marker for a description, or click the marker to see details of the tunnel. You can click the + and - buttons to zoom in and out, and use your mouse to drag the map around.).

Add another tunnel.

To add another tunnel to the map, click the 'add another tunnel' link above, and be sure to put japanese tunnel in the Tags: field. Then after you click the 'submit' button it will be added to this map. If you're adding a tunnel in the countryside, please include a description of how to find it in the Notes:, as it's not always easy to see where they are on the satellite image.

I'd also love to hear any stories or memories you have about these - who built them (POWs? local workers? etc), what the tunnels were used for, etc.

MrB

[1] Map of wartime Air-raid Precaution tunnels built by the British
[2] Japanese tunnels, Diocesan Boys School
[3] Japanese tunnels, Former Marine Police HQ
[4] Japanese tunnels, Buffalo Hill and Mount Cameron

A few weeks back I asked if our air pollution is getting better or worse, then answered myself: worse over the last 18 years, but possibly getting better slowly in the last one or two years.

Then I went looking for some more numbers to back this up, but found that ... well, see if you find them as surprising as I did.

I will warn you: this whole article is a cliché: US air travel bad; Asian air travel good. Those of you who have traveled in both hemispheres will know all about this, and no doubt have your own stories, but I can’t resist telling mine.

How did you get your first job in HongKong?

Some of the most popular pages on our site are about finding work in Hong Kong. So if you didn't already have a permanent Hong Kong ID before you started working in Hong Kong, how did you find your first job and visa? We're hoping your stories will help others who are looking for ways to move to Hong Kong.

MrB's story

You don't need a chemistry degree or expensive monitoring equipment to tell when the pollution is bad. When the view from the window shows the harbour shrouded in a smoggy haze, you know that whatever is in the air can't be good for us.

But how do you tell if it is getting better or worse?

I was surprised at how far the old RAF Kai Tak hangar was from what I thought of as the airport area. So here is a sequence of maps and aerial photographs over the last 100 years or so, showing how the area has changed.

Hello again, happy parents! In this installment of my series on applying to primary schools in Hong Kong I'll pass along some tips parents might find helpful in getting their children prepared for the actual interviews their children will be dragged to and suffer through -- uh, I mean, will accompany their smiling parents to, and participate in joyfully!