WWII Pillboxes Eyed as HK Educational, Tourism Assets

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. For those passionate about exploring Hong Kong's WWII PBs, built by both British and Japanese forces, the biggest challenge lies in the lack of clear and safe access routes to them.

Funded by the Hong Kong SAR Government's Public Policy Research (PPR) Funding Scheme, the University of Hong Kong's Department of Real Estate and Construction has completed a study on the relics of the territory's pillboxes (PBs), constructed by both its defenders and invaders during World War II (WWII). The research team found that many hill paths leading to these historical sites have disappeared for various reasons, thereby hindering access for prospective visitors. This has resulted in a significant waste of potential tourism and educational resources.

The research team, led by Professors Lennon H.T. Choy, Lawrence W.C. Lai and Daniel C.W. Ho with the assistance of Prof Stephen N.G. Davies, Dr Justin Y.H. Chan, Dr Nixon T.H. Leung, Mr Y.K. Tan, Dr Vincent N.H. Chan, Mr Stephen Y.H. Yip, Mr Stanley C.M. Au, and Dr Ken S.T. Ching and other friends and students, identified feasible paths to visit each surviving PB along the Gin Drinker's Line (GDL) in the New Territories, produced guides for visiting British PBs on Hong Kong Island, and for the Japanese PBs in the Northeastern New Territories.

The key outputs of this study are: (a) a full report to government (to be released to the public in the next issue of Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors' official journal Surveying & Built Environment); (b) a promotional documentary (in Chinese and English), (c) an article published in research journal Land Use Policy, (d) an e-book (in Chinese, English and Japanese[1]) titled A Short Guide to World War II Pillboxes in Hong Kong; (e) an article (in Chinese) published in Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly.

The full research report will be submitted to the government in December 2025. A Short Guide to World War II Pillboxes in Hong Kong e-book will also be published in the same month.

Hong Kong's WWII PBs are over 80 years old and can be categorized into three types:

(a) PBs along the GDL: Constructed by local contractors for the British Army across the mainland part of Hong Kong from the Clear Water Bay Peninsula (Port Shelter), through the Kowloon hills to the Tsuen Wan area (Gin Drinkers Bay). The GDL comprised at least 93 identified PBs with 59 surviving in various degrees of post-war use or ruination.

(b) PBs on Hong Kong Island: Built by local contractors for the British Army along the island's ridges and shorelines, only 24 remain of the 93 that have been identified.

(c) Japanese PBs: Built during Japan's occupation of Hong Kong (December 1941-August 1945) using forced labour provided by New Territories residents. These pillboxes are located in the Northeastern New Territories (Luk Keng, Shan Tsui, and Pak Fu Shan), Southeastern New Territories (Wong Chuk Yeung in Sai Kung, though completely destroyed), and Northwestern New Territories (Castle Peak Road opposite Lantau Island, all destroyed). Category (c) relates to the suppression of the partisan resistance connected with the East River Column and other resistance groups.

These three types of WWII PBs can be found in steep coastal areas and rugged countrysides at altitudes ranging from three metres near the high-water mark to nearly 500 meters up in the hills.

Hong Kong's PBs are internationally significant due to their unique designs, and the accumulation of scientific knowledge about them, particularly in oral history, mapping, photography, and surveying. They also hold value in academic and professional domains including dissemination, appreciation, and curatorship. Compared to other places, such as Singapore, Hong Kong's work in this field is more advanced.

Furthermore, Hong Kong's defensive structures might be the only fortifications built by the British during WWII that were used in combat. Their performance under fire offers valuable insights into how British anti-invasion defenses might have fared if Germany had invaded Britain during the war.

Even with the availability of hiking and heritage guides in recent years, and the presence of GPS-based maps on some military websites, visiting these sites in person still presents unexpected challenges. Despite their apparent proximity to major roads or well-known hiking trails, many PBs have been difficult to access due to lack of care for pathways, even though they are shown on survey maps.

The research team conducted fieldwork on the GDL and Japanese PBs in December 2024-May 2025. They identified in their field studies the latest accessible routes to the 59 remaining PBs along the GDL (see Figure 1) and 4 other Japanese PB sites that are safe for visitors.

They documented these findings in 63 information sheets with photographs and access paths marked on 1:1,000 large-scale survey maps indicating the difficulty levels of various paths nearby (see Figure 2). The maps were inspired by examples produced by foreign conservation organizations and are intended for consideration by the relevant government departments for heritage tourism management and planning.

Research Findings

The team discovered that:

(a) most PB relics along or close to popular hiking trails have not been given any tourist information;

(b) nearly all PBs, including those with known site information, are covered by vegetation, preventing easy observation by visitors;

(c) access to many previously accessible PBs is now almost impenetrable due to heavy undergrowth; and

(d) some PBs, like PB104, 108, 109, and 110, have become covered by thorny plants (such as the Four-finger Rattan Palm) as a possible result of climate warming. This has complicated fieldwork there.

The team also made new discoveries such as the right firing port of Pillbox 425 near the Shing Mun Redoubt, which was previously buried under soil and debris.

The team recommends that the government classify and grade these PBs for conservation purposes, construct viewing platforms at each PB site, integrate them with the hiking trail network, and routinely maintain and clear the resulting access routes.

Other recommendations to government include:

(a) Grade all three categories of PBs as significant built heritage;

(b) Construct standard viewing platforms above selected PBs;

(c) Annotate PBs along or close to popular hiking trails;

(d) Carry out, with the help of volunteers like Scouts or friends of country parks, regular seasonal clearing of paths to PB relics.

The team specifically recommends to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD):

• Along the MacLehose Trail, the four GDL PBs from east to west, namely PB400, PB401ab, PB402 and PB403, should be provided as soon as possible with tourist information on a par with GDL PB219, PB220 and PB 222;
• The four GDL PBs along Wilson Trail from west to east, namely PB313, PB126, PB123 and PB120, should be similarly treated;
• New route planning for other GDL PBs outside country parks could be considered for the coastal PBs: PB105ab, PB106, PB107, PB108, PB109, PB110ab and PB115 near the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
• The Japanese PB clusters at Pak Fu Shan and Shan Tsui should be given priority in government grading and path clearing, and provided with in situ information similar to that at Luk Keng.

Media guided tour photos can be downloaded at 6pm today.

Disclaimer: This research project (Project Number: 2024.A8.146.24B) is funded by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The project is still in progress. All opinions and analyses expressed in this report are those of the research team and in no way represent those of the HKSAR Government.

[1] The English and Chinese versions have already been published, respectively, in September and November 2025. The Japanese version is in print.