Memorial Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs of Wu Kau Tang

Memorial Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs of Wu Kau Tang

The Memorial Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs of Wu Kau Tang was built in honor of the Hong Kong–Kowloon Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column. The original monument was erected in 1951 and relocated to its current site for reconstruction in 2009.

Wu Kau Tang Village is located behind Bride’s Pool Mountain but served as a base for the Hong Kong–Kowloon Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column during the Japanese occupation. The original anti-Japanese martyrs' memorial monument was first built in 1951 at the foot of a hillside in Wu Kau Tang. It was renovated in 1985 and relocated for reconstruction at the end of 2009, establishing the “Wu Kau Tang Martyrs’ Memorial Garden” near the entrance of the village by Bride’s Pool Road. The entrance features an archway, and inside the garden, the monument stands on a high platform. The base of the monument is inscribed with the words “Noble Spirit,” while the monument itself bears an inscription by Zeng Sheng, former commander of the Dongjiang Column: “Memorial Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs.” The monument also commemorates the events of the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1942, when Japanese forces surrounded Wu Kau Tang Village and forced villagers to hand over weapons and members of the Hong Kong–Kowloon Battalion. Eventually, the village head, Lee Sai Fan, refused to comply and died under torture.

The “Wu Kau Tang Martyrs’ Memorial Garden” is located beside Bride’s Pool Road. The entrance archway features a couplet: “In memory of the righteous passion of the virtuous of old; in honor of the immortal merits of the martyrs.” The memorial garden is not large, consisting only of a monument, two plaques, and towering trees that add to its solemn atmosphere. The main structure in the garden is, of course, the monument, which has a tall, pointed shape. Its front is inscribed directly with “Memorial Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs,” written by Zeng Sheng (1910–1995), former commander of the Dongjiang Column—the same person who inscribed the monument at Zhan Zhu Wan. The base is inscribed horizontally with “Noble Spirit.”

Next to the monument are two short plaques, one in Chinese and one in English, briefly describing the anti-Japanese deeds of the villagers of Wu Kau Tang. The gist is: On December 8, 1941, Japanese militarists launched the Pacific War and subsequently occupied Hong Kong. Villagers from the New Territories and the Dongjiang Column joined forces to “wage a moving struggle against Japanese fascism.” The Japanese military launched more than ten attacks of varying scales on Wu Kau Tang and surrounding villages. One such attack occurred at dawn on September 25, 1942, when Japanese forces surrounded Wu Kau Tang Village and forced villagers to surrender their weapons and reveal the whereabouts of guerrilla fighters. Village head Lee Sai Fan and others endured brutal torture, including waterboarding, burning, and trampling by military horses, yet remained steadfast and ultimately died as martyrs. Other villagers from Wu Kau Tang who sacrificed their lives in the Anti-Japanese War include Lee Yuen Pui, Lee Hin Sun, Lee Tin Sang, Lee Chi Wang, Lee Koon Shing, Lee Wai Man, Wong Koon Po, and Wong Chi Ying. They “live on forever, just like the mountains and rivers of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories.”