Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence Photo: VCG

 The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) will be converted into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance & Coastal Defence on September 3, the date marking victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). 

The museum will focus on educational activities with a view to strengthening patriotism and awareness among the public, in particular young people, about the history of the war of resistance, and paying tribute to the war martyrs, according to an amendment order published in the government gazette by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday.

Chan Yung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), revealed with the Global Times on Sunday that the museum conversion is just the beginning. In the long run, the government will establish a high-standard archives to promote more of the history of the Communist Party of China leading various sectors of Hong Kong in the war of resistance and patriotic history, and implement patriotic education, Chan noted.

According to Chan, who is also a vice chairperson of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, during the three years and eight months of Japanese Imperial Army's occupation of Hong Kong starting in 1941, the British army surrendered early, leaving only the group led by the Party and other anti-fascist camps to persevere until the victory of the war. 

The museum should restore the history of the war of resistance in Hong Kong, allowing every citizen, especially young people, to better and more comprehensively understand the heroic history of defending the homeland, so that generations can truly be proud of being Chinese and have a true sense of defending the homeland and national security, in order to ensure the long-term stability of HKSAR and better safeguard the principle of "one country, two systems," said Chan.

According to the press release of the HKSAR on Friday, the Designation of Museums (Amendment) Order 2024 was gazetted aims to convert the HKMCD under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence. The Amendment Order will be tabled before the Legislative Council on May 22 for negative vetting. 

The four existing exhibition galleries about the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the HKMCD cover different parts of war history such as the Japanese invasion of China, the fall of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column behind enemy lines and the fighters' contributions, and the surrender of Japan, said the press release.

While the gallery of "Military Presence under Successive Dynasties" highlights the history of defense in Hong Kong from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the exhibition gallery of "Unequal Treaties and the Cession of Hong Kong" provides a detailed account of the background of the three unequal treaties and the history of British forcible occupation of Hong Kong.

After conversion, the museum will launch a number of diversified public and educational programs, including lectures, historical study tours, workshops, roving exhibitions and interactive dramas, according to the press release.

It will use the special exhibition gallery to organize thematic exhibitions about the war of resistance on a regular basis by collaborating with cultural institutions on the mainland to allow audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the war of resistance. 

To further elaborate the relationship between Hong Kong and China's coastal defense history, the museum will also increase exhibition space to introduce China's coastal fortifications in Hong Kong and the Guangdong area, aiming to enhance the interest of citizens, students and visitors from the mainland and overseas in the history of China's coastal defense.

The first thematic exhibition, jointly presented with the Shenzhen Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, will be launched in September to introduce the deeds of the East River Column in their joint resistance efforts in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This exhibition is being organized by the Hong Kong museum, in collaboration with the Chinese Culture Promotion Office.

Located at 175 Tung Hei Road in Shau Kei Wan, the museum is free for admission. Opening hours of the museum will remain unchanged after the conversion, according to the press release.