Media

HKU Faculty of Architecture to release report on HK WWII Defense Structures and site visit

07 Dec 2011

The Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) will hold a press conference on the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong tomorrow (December 8, Thursday) to release findings of a comprehensive survey on the British and Japanese World War II military installations in Hong Kong.

The conference will be followed by a site visit to military constructions at "Tai Tam Gap East Brigade Headquarter".

The press conference is held with a view to arousing the public and the government's awareness and interest in properly utilizing historical heritage and to discuss the need of a proper conservation policy for the territory's military heritage.

An inter-disciplinary research team of the Faculty, in collaboration with experts and enthusiasts in the community, has taken years to conduct land surveys on key military structures including gun batteries, pillboxes, firing trenches and tunnels along the defense lines at war and at major battlefields. The military installations to be particularly presented are the battlefields of Shing Mun Redoubt along the "Gin Drinker's Line" and Wong Nai Chung Gap.

A 3-D animation video of the "Gin Drinker's Line" stretching across south of the New Territories with detailed locations of the pillboxes, and old and new photos of pillboxes and military structures in different part of the territory will be shown in the conference. Details as follows:

Date: 8 December 2011 (Thursday)

Press conference
Time: 11am
Venue: Room 531, Knowles Building, HKU
Chairman: Professor David Lung, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture
Project manager: Professor Anita Liu
Presenters: Dr. Daniel Ho, Dr. Ho Yin Lee, and Professor Lawrence Lai

Site visit
Coach departing HKU at 12:30pm 

Remarks:
-        Need good torches/headlights and lighting for camera/recording etc
-        Sports shoes
-        Long sleeves, facial masks (esp for those who have respiratory diseases or are allergic to dusts) and goggles to protect the eyes from allergy(swimming goggles should do).
-        bats inside
-        Not much walking but grassy and bushy, application of mosquito repellent advised

As only about 20 seats are available for the media in coach, those who are interested please call Tel: 2219 4316, or 2859 2606 to reserve a place.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hkor Ms Melanie Wan (Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk.