Hong Kong military heritage researchers dismayed to find World War II relics in state of neglect
- A Japanese trench system with 14 pillboxes was found to be overgrown with vegetation and damaged
- Experts say the New Territories site has potential to attract visitors, and call for protection and upgrading
03:11
Neglected Japanese wartime military ‘pillboxes’ offer a window to Hong Kong’s World War II past
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong have called on the government to do more to preserve World War II relics after finding a cluster of Japanese fortifications neglected and exposed to damage in the New Territories.
The trench system with 14 pillboxes is on a 120-metre knoll in Luk Keng.
To reach the hilltop site on the fringe of Pat Sin Leng Country Park, hikers need to climb a long set of stairs with scenic views of the Starling Inlet and Shenzhen in the distance. Overgrown vegetation covers the pillboxes, some parts of which have been damaged by passers-by.
Professor Lawrence Lai Wai-chung, an expert in urban planning from HKU’s real estate and construction department, said this was the most well-preserved Japanese defensive installation in the city.
Although there is a bigger Japanese base on the Sai Kung Peninsula, all the pillboxes there were destroyed.