Hong Kong history

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?

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

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.

Although we're regular visitors to Chung Hom Kok beach, it was only this weekend that I noticed there's an old wartime pillbox over at the far end of the beach.

Here's the view along the beach, looking past the end of the second bbq-pit area.

Here are some ideas of where to look if you're interested in Hong Kong's history.

A couple of weeks ago we traced the history of the Admiralty area, and saw how the land between Kennedy Road and Queensway used to be the British army’s Victoria Barracks. This time we’ll take a walk through what used to be the barracks, to see what’s there today. There are also a few questions along the way, that I hope you can help me with.

Do you know that pointy junction on the edge of Wanchai? The one where Hennessy Road and Queen's Rd East merge and become Queensway? This one:

Come stand there with me for a moment, and look towards Admiralty. Notice anything different?

Join us on a walk around Hospital Hill in Wanchai, looking for signs of the air-raid tunnel network that was dug under this hill. The hill is currently the site of the Ruttonjee Hospital, but at the time of the second world war you’d have found the Royal Naval Hospital located here.

Since the first article on the tunnels under Kowloon Park, we’ve only looked at tunnels on Hong Kong island. So, time to head back to Kowloon side, and look at networks K4 and K5 near Hung Hom. I’ve marked their locations on the Google satellite picture below, along with the other networks in Kowloon.

You probably know the stone steps of Pottinger Street in Central, but how did it get its name, and what happened to its tunnel?