In this undated photo, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho speaks on the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / DEVELOPMENT BUREAU, HKSAR)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong intends to draw on its abundant wartime relics to boost the patriotic sentiments of city residents and their sense of national identity, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Wednesday. 

Answering a query at the Legislative Council, Linn said the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration will set up an inter-departmental task force to preserve and make good use of wartime relics and historical records to enhance the city’s sense of national identity and the effectiveness of promoting the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The Education Bureau encourages schools to arrange for students to visit wartime relics to know about the current conservation situation and learn about the deeds of anti-Japanese martyrs

“It is of great importance to introduce the stories of the War of Resistance and promote the related history and culture to the members of the public, which helps to enhance the cultivation of patriotic sentiments and national identity,” Linn said. 

Based on the preliminary findings of the Antiquities and Monuments Office, there are 76 items on the lists of declared monuments, graded historic buildings and items pending grading assessment that are related to Six-Day War in 1899, Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941 and the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column, Linn said.

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The Six-Day War in 1899 saw villagers in the New Territories resist the British in defense of their territories while Hong Kong defense forces staged a concerted and united action to resist Japanese aggression during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. 

The Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column doggedly resisted the Japanese army in Hong Kong during World War II.  

Linn said the city’s historic wartime sites include Tat Tak Communal Hall in Ping Shan and Kat Hing Wai, which were connected to the Six-Day War; School House of St Stephen's College in Stanley and Wong Nai Chung Gap Military Site that were related to the Battle of Hong Kong; and Rosary Mission Centre in Wong Mo Ying, Sai Kung and Law Uk, Shek Chung Au in Sha Tau Kok that were relevant to the Independent Battalion of Dongjiang Column. 

Apart from wartime relics, two major memorial facilities of the War of Resistance in Hong Kong-- the Cenotaph for Martyrs in Wu Kau Tang, North District and the Memorial Monuments for Sai Kung Martyrs During World War II in Tsam Chuk Wan, Sai Kung--have been incorporated into the List of State Facilities and Sites Marking the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. 

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Linn also said that the Citizenship and Social Development (CS), Chinese History and History in the secondary school curriculum both contain rich elements of experiential learning for students. 

The theme of "Hong Kong under 'one country, two systems'" in CS involves the preservation of wartime relics in Hong Kong and the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation in the War of Resistance, Linn said.

The Education Bureau encourages schools to arrange for students to visit wartime relics to know about the current conservation situation and learn about the deeds of anti-Japanese martyrs, she added.