Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence [hk.coastaldefence.museum] is located in an old British fort overlooking one of the entrances to Victoria Harbour. On the eastern end of Hong Kong Island, the fort is high atop a hill and still has many of the original structures originally installed by the Brits in 1887.

Disappearing Gun at Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

The museum’s permanent exhibit features 11 small galleries describing the defence of Hong Kong from the Ming Dynasty, through the Opium Wars, British rule, World War II, to modern Chinese rule. Built in a modern steel and glass structure erected on top of the original fort, each of the small galleries can be seen in 5-10 minutes and includes stories and artifacts from each period. Outside of the main buildings you can look at some of the original structures including defensive strongholds and barracks which used to defend the fort. It was sobering to stand at those sites and consider that many people must have died on those spots when this fort fell to the Japanese in WWII.

Canadian Troops in the Battle of Hong Kong

Currently there is a special exhibit featuring the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles, two WWII regiments of the Canadian forces sent to protect British Hong Kong from Japanese invasion. These troops were rushed into battle without proper weapons and training for the terrain and suffered heavy losses. Nearly all the Canadians were killed or taken as prisoners of war.

Letter addressed to Canadian POW in Battle of Hong Kong

Walking down the hill to the water level you will find the torpedo station that the British built [hk.coastaldefence.museum] to test and launch torpedos into the channel before the turn of the last century. The Brennan Torpedo was the first that could be controlled to direct the torpedo at a specific target. You can still see the tunnel that torpedos were launched from running out into the harbour.

Torpedo Launch at Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

View of the Channel from Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

Located a short walk from the Shau Kei Wan MTR station [hk.coastaldefence.museum], the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is easily a half day excursion, although you will want to make sure that you stop for a snack near the MTR station [averagetraveller.com] afterwards..

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

This post was submitted to Travel Photo Thursday [budgettravelerssandbox.com], a weekly collection of travel photos hosted by Budget Traveler’s Sandbox. Be sure to check it out!

 

 

10 thoughts on “Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

  1. Very informative post – I’m Canadian and I had no idea that Canada had suffered such losses in Hong Kong in WWII. Coincidentally, my post this week is about a recent trip that our family made to Normandy to visit Canadian war sites.

  2. Interesting historical place to visit. Quite sobering to be where there have been so many deaths in war. Can’t imagine what it was like for those Canadian troops who were rushed into battle without adequate training or weapons.

  3. Thanks for sharing this very special and historic place with us. War memorials and forts always take an emotional toll when visiting but makes you appreciate all the heroes and victims too. What a powerful exhibit and a wonderful tribute to the Canadian warriors.

  4. Wow – I had no idea – thanks for the history lesson as well as the great photos.
    Have a great weekend! Would love to have you link up with us over at R We There Yet Mom’s Friday Daydreamin’ if you have a chance!

  5. Nice bit of history here. I really want to go back to Hong Kong (haven’t been since it was still a British colony). This museum would make an interesting stop.

  6. Really cool! This is a part of Hong Kong I have not seen before and actually didn’t know about either. Something to check out next time I’m there.

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