Wong Mo Ying Village and the Sai Kung Base Area

The origins of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade are closely linked to Sai Kung. On 3 February 1942, the Brigade was formally established at Wong Mo Ying Village. Today, the village's Rosary Mission Centre is widely regarded as one of the most important surviving sites associated with the Brigade's early activities. According to information published by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) as part of the Greater Bay Area Dongjiang Column Heritage Trail, the Rosary Mission Centre served as one of the Brigade's command centres and operational headquarters. Local residents actively supported the resistance effort, while youth groups, militia units, women's associations, and other community organisations assisted guerrilla operations.

Sai Kung's importance stemmed largely from its geography. Its mountains, villages, bays, and coastal routes connected Kowloon, northeastern New Territories, Mirs Bay, and guerrilla-controlled areas in Guangdong. While these rugged landscapes proved difficult for Japanese forces to control, they provided ideal conditions for concealment, movement, supply distribution, and maritime transport.

As a result, Sai Kung became one of the most important centres of resistance activity in occupied Hong Kong and remains one of the most significant landscapes of wartime memory in the territory today.

The Only Organised Resistance
Force Throughout the Occupation

The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade is frequently described as the only organised anti-Japanese armed force that maintained continuous operations throughout Hong Kong's three years and eight months of occupation. This characterization appears repeatedly in Brigade publications and commemorative materials. The Hong Kong Museum of History, in its permanent exhibition The Hong Kong Story, notes that following the fall of Hong Kong, the Communist-led Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade carried out rescue, intelligence, and resistance operations that contributed to the wider Allied struggle against fascism during the Second World War.

The term organised is particularly significant. The Brigade was not a temporary self-defence group or an informal collection of local fighters. It possessed a defined command structure, operational responsibilities, intelligence networks, and territorial areas of activity. Its units were capable of carrying out military operations, gathering intelligence, conducting rescue missions, disseminating anti-Japanese propaganda, and coordinating support networks across both rural and urban environments.

For this reason, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade occupies a central place in the history of resistance in occupied Hong Kong.

Organisation and Areas of Operation

As the war progressed, the Brigade's structure evolved to meet changing circumstances. While initially formed through the merger of several guerrilla units, it gradually developed specialised detachments operating in Sai Kung, Sha Tau Kok, Yuen Long, Lantau Island, urban Hong Kong and Kowloon, and maritime areas. These divisions reflected not only geography but also operational requirements.

Mountainous regions such as Sai Kung and Sha Tau Kok provided ideal locations for base areas, intelligence stations, and mobile guerrilla units. Yuen Long and the northwestern New Territories played an important role in transportation and communications across the Shenzhen River frontier. Maritime units used islands and coastal routes to conduct transport missions, escorts, and naval operations, while urban teams focused on intelligence gathering, underground communications, propaganda, and sabotage.

This organisational flexibility reflected the unique conditions of resistance warfare in Hong Kong, where heavily garrisoned urban centres and limited territory made large-scale guerrilla base areas impossible.

Local Participation and Community Support

The Brigade's membership reflected both regional and local participation. While some personnel came from existing guerrilla forces in Guangdong, many others were Hong Kong residents, including students, workers, fishermen, villagers, and indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories.

According to Brigade historical records, the majority of its members were local residents who chose to participate despite significant personal risks. Joining the resistance—or even providing assistance—could expose individuals and their families to severe punishment by the occupation authorities. Nevertheless, many people contributed in different ways. Some carried weapons and participated in combat operations. Others acted as guides, messengers, intelligence agents, transport workers, or providers of food and shelter.

The history of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade is therefore not only the story of armed fighters. It is also the story of ordinary Hong Kong people whose support made resistance possible.

Resistance at a Strategic Crossroads

Hong Kong occupied a position of considerable importance within Japan's wartime strategy. Brigade sources note that the territory functioned as a transportation hub, naval staging point, and strategic link between Japan's campaigns in China and Southeast Asia. The Japanese administration established the Hong Kong Governor-General's Office, directly accountable to Tokyo, underscoring the territory's significance.

Because of Hong Kong's strategic value, the Brigade's activities carried significance beyond the local level. Operations targeting transportation routes, ports, airfields, warehouses, and communications networks directly disrupted elements of Japan's military system.

The Brigade also gathered information on troop movements, shipping activity, and military installations, providing intelligence that was shared with Allied forces. Its work therefore formed part of the wider international struggle against the Axis powers during the Second World War.

Beyond Guerrilla Warfare

The Brigade's activities extended far beyond armed combat. Its operations included guerrilla attacks, sabotage, counter-intelligence, propaganda, intelligence gathering, rescue missions, maritime transport, supply distribution, medical support, and civilian mobilisation.

Military actions relied upon intelligence networks. Rescue operations depended on transportation routes and safe houses. Urban intelligence activities required support from local communities, while maritime missions depended on fishermen, island settlements, and coastal contacts.

Understanding the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade therefore requires viewing it as more than a guerrilla force. It was a multifaceted resistance organisation that combined military, intelligence, transportation, propaganda, and civilian-support functions under extremely difficult wartime conditions.

Sacrifice, Commemoration, and Historical Legacy

The Brigade's activities came at a considerable cost. Many fighters, couriers, organisers, and civilian supporters lost their lives during combat operations, arrests, interrogations, and anti-guerrilla campaigns conducted by the occupation authorities. Today, this history is preserved through a number of memorial sites, including the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Memorial at Tsam Chuk Wan, the Wu Kau Tang Martyrs Memorial, and the Liu Chunxiang Memorial to Anti-Japanese Heroes.

According to the Antiquities and Monuments Office, the establishment of the Dongjiang Column Heritage Trail serves not only to document the sacrifices endured by members of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade, but also to preserve the spirit of perseverance, resistance, and the defence of home and country that characterised their struggle. Places such as Wong Mo Ying, Chek Kang, Wu Kau Tang, Tsam Chuk Wan, Sha Tau Kok, and Lung Kwu Tan are therefore more than geographical locations. They are places of memory that preserve the stories of resistance fighters, supporting villagers, and communities that endured the occupation.

Conclusion: A Pillar of Hong Kong's Wartime Resistance

The history of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade reminds us that life in occupied Hong Kong was not defined solely by suffering, silence, and endurance. Even after the collapse of the colony's conventional defences, resistance continued across mountains, villages, harbours, and city streets. Fighters, students, workers, fishermen, villagers, and underground operatives contributed in different ways to the struggle against occupation while maintaining connections between Hong Kong, China's wider war effort, and the global fight against fascism.

The significance of the Brigade lies not only in its military activities, but also in its deep roots within Hong Kong society. Its story reflects the courage, cooperation, and sense of responsibility shown by many ordinary people during one of the darkest periods in the city's history.

Today, remembering the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade is about more than recalling the name of a guerrilla force. It is about understanding a chapter of Hong Kong's wartime experience in which individuals chose to resist, protect their communities, and preserve hope in the face of adversity.

Fighting a Stronger Enemy

At the heart of guerrilla warfare was the principle of using limited resources to challenge a stronger opponent. Because direct confrontation with Japanese forces usually favoured the occupiers, the Brigade relied on ambushes, raids, sabotage, assassinations of collaborators, attacks on transportation infrastructure, and night operations. Typical targets included guard posts, patrols, transportation routes, collaborationist police stations, supply vessels, and temporary military installations.

The purpose of these actions was not necessarily to hold territory. Rather, they aimed to disrupt Japanese operations, undermine occupation authority, acquire weapons, protect local communities, and demonstrate that organised resistance remained active. Even relatively small operations could have significant consequences. A successful ambush might force the Japanese to alter security arrangements. A demolition operation could disrupt transportation networks. A raid on an occupation outpost might weaken local collaborationist control and boost civilian morale.

Land-Based Guerrilla Operations

Most land-based operations took place in areas such as Sai Kung, Sha Tau Kok, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Yuen Long, and Lantau Island. These regions offered a combination of mountains, villages, agricultural land, and coastal access, enabling guerrillas to move discreetly while receiving support from local communities. Sai Kung and Sha Tau Kok were particularly important because they connected Hong Kong to Mirs Bay and guerrilla-controlled areas in Guangdong.

The Brigade's opponents included not only Japanese troops but also collaborationist police, informants, local criminal groups, and other organisations that assisted the occupation authorities. Since Japanese forces could not effectively control every village and mountain path, they relied heavily on local collaborators and intelligence networks. Operations against these groups were therefore regarded not only as military actions but also as necessary measures to protect local communities and maintain resistance networks.

The Pistol Squads

One of the Brigade's most distinctive units was the Pistol Squad. These small, lightly equipped teams specialised in close-range operations. Their mobility allowed them to operate in villages, mountain regions, and urban fringes, often using disguise, concealment, and surprise to approach targets before launching attacks and withdrawing quickly.

According to The History of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade, the Sha Tin Pistol Squad was active in areas including Lion Rock, Cha Kwo Ling, Ngau Chi Wan, and Wo Tong. In the summer of 1942, members of the unit planned an attack near Sha Tin Reservoir. When they unexpectedly encountered Japanese forces while moving through an aqueduct, they concealed themselves and waited until the enemy approached before opening fire. The engagement resulted in casualties among Japanese personnel and the capture of weapons, demonstrating the Brigade's ability to exploit terrain and react effectively to changing circumstances.

The Kai Tak Airport Raid

One of the Brigade's most famous operations took place in February 1944. At the time, Japanese forces were conducting intensive searches for Lieutenant Robert E. Klier, an American airman who had parachuted into Hong Kong after his aircraft was lost. As Japanese troops intensified sweeps through Sai Kung and Sha Tin, the Brigade decided to launch an operation intended to divert enemy attention.

According to Brigade records, a team led by Liu Hei Zai infiltrated Kai Tak Airport, one of the most important Japanese military installations in Hong Kong. After eliminating a Japanese sentry, they planted timed explosives that destroyed an aircraft and damaged fuel-storage facilities. The significance of the operation extended beyond the physical damage inflicted. It demonstrated that resistance fighters could penetrate heavily defended military facilities and strike at key elements of Japanese infrastructure.

The Waterloo Road Railway Bridge Sabotage

Guerrilla warfare targeted infrastructure as well as personnel. On the night of 22 April 1944, the Brigade's Urban Squadron carried out a demolition operation against Railway Bridge No. 4 on Waterloo Road in Kowloon.

According to commemorative Brigade publications, the attack successfully disrupted Japanese transportation and forced troops that had been preparing operations in the New Territories and Bao'an area to return to the urban districts. The operation highlighted one of the distinctive characteristics of urban guerrilla warfare in Hong Kong. Rather than attempting to seize territory, resistance fighters concentrated on carefully selected targets whose destruction could produce wider operational effects.

Night Raids on Occupation Outposts

The Brigade also conducted numerous night raids against Japanese and collaborationist positions. Night operations reduced the effectiveness of Japanese firepower and enabled resistance fighters to approach targets under cover of darkness. Success depended on reconnaissance, intelligence, local support, and carefully planned withdrawal routes.

In October 1944, the Lantau Island Squadron attacked the collaborationist police station at Tai O, capturing more than thirty policemen and seizing thirty-nine firearms. The operation not only yielded valuable weapons but also weakened the authority of collaborationist institutions and demonstrated that resistance forces remained capable of offensive action even under occupation.

The Attack at Kwun Hang's Seven Saints Temple

In the winter of 1944, the Sai Kung Squadron launched an attack on a Japanese position established at the Seven Saints Temple in Kwun Hang. According to commemorative Brigade records, commanders Cheung Hing and Leung Chiu led the operation following careful reconnaissance. The attack eliminated the Japanese troops stationed there and captured weapons and ammunition.

The operation prevented the Japanese from strengthening their presence in the area and helped preserve freedom of movement for resistance forces and local communities throughout Sai Kung.

Maritime Guerrilla Warfare

Hong Kong's geography made maritime resistance particularly important. Surrounded by water and dotted with islands, the territory provided opportunities for unconventional naval operations. Using fishing vessels, hidden anchorages, and local maritime knowledge, the Brigade developed a distinctive form of guerrilla warfare at sea.

In the foreword to The History of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade, Tsang Sang noted that Hong Kong's limited land area and heavy Japanese military presence made conventional manoeuvre difficult. Consequently, the Brigade made extensive use of the surrounding waters and islands, employing small vessels to attack larger enemy craft, capture supplies, and protect resistance transportation routes.

Lung Kwu Chau and Sha Chau: The Cost of Resistance

Maritime operations carried considerable risks. In May 1943, Liu Chunxiang, commander of the Lantau Squadron, led six resistance fighters aboard a sailing vessel from Tung Chung toward Lung Kwu Tan in an effort to establish links between guerrilla areas in Bao'an and Zhongshan.

Near Lung Kwu Chau and Sha Chau, the vessel was intercepted by two Japanese gunboats. Outgunned and unable to escape, the resistance fighters engaged in battle before their vessel was sunk. Liu Chunxiang, six fellow fighters, and five members of the boatman's family were killed. Their sacrifice illustrates the dangers faced by those who maintained maritime communications and transportation routes under wartime conditions.

The Battle of Tai Long Hau

By the final stages of the war, the Brigade's maritime units had become increasingly effective. In early August 1945, shortly before Japan's surrender, the Maritime Squadron attacked a large Japanese vessel near Tai Long Hau.

According to Brigade commemorative records, more than forty Japanese personnel were killed, while substantial quantities of weapons and supplies were captured. Such victories were particularly valuable because captured supplies helped address chronic shortages of arms, ammunition, medicine, and food within the resistance movement.

Urban Guerrilla Warfare

Resistance also extended into the heart of occupied Hong Kong. The urban districts of Hong Kong and Kowloon were heavily controlled by Japanese authorities, making operations especially dangerous. Yet these same districts were crucial centres for intelligence gathering, communications, propaganda, and sabotage.

The Brigade's Urban Squadron was sometimes described as a "guerrilla force without guns." Unlike rural units, its members focused primarily on clandestine communication, intelligence collection, leaflet distribution, and targeted acts of sabotage. The significance of these activities lay in demonstrating that occupation was never entirely secure. Whenever intelligence flowed out of the city, propaganda appeared in public spaces, or strategic infrastructure was damaged, the authority of the occupation regime was challenged.

Results and Historical Assessment

According to incomplete wartime records, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade inflicted more than one hundred casualties on Japanese forces, over seventy casualties on collaborators and informants, and accepted the surrender or capture of more than six hundred enemy personnel. Brigade units reportedly destroyed one aircraft, captured more than five hundred firearms, over sixty machine guns, six artillery pieces, and numerous vessels, while sinking at least four enemy ships.

These figures, though incomplete, illustrate the scale of the Brigade's activities during the occupation. Yet the significance of guerrilla warfare cannot be measured solely in numbers. The Brigade disrupted Japanese operations, protected civilians, sustained morale, preserved links between Hong Kong and resistance forces in South China, and ensured that occupied Hong Kong remained part of the wider struggle against Japanese expansion.

Conclusion: A Battlefield That Refused to Surrender

The history of guerrilla warfare in Hong Kong reminds us that occupation did not mean the end of resistance. Even after major cities and transportation routes fell under Japanese control, resistance continued across mountains, villages, islands, harbours, and city streets. With limited weapons and resources, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade developed flexible and innovative methods of warfare adapted to Hong Kong's unique environment.

These operations may not have matched the scale of major conventional battles, but they repeatedly challenged the occupation system and kept alive the spirit of resistance. They remind us that wartime Hong Kong was not simply a city that endured suffering. It was also a place where individuals continued to resist, protect their communities, and preserve hope in some of the darkest years of its history.

Crossing the Blockade

The Great Rescue was far more than a simple evacuation. Those being rescued had to be moved through Japanese checkpoints, military cordons, bandit-controlled territory, and difficult mountain terrain before reaching guerrilla-controlled areas in Guangdong. Two principal routes emerged. The eastern route passed through Ngau Chi Wan, Kowloon Pass, Sai Kung, Kei Ling Ha, or Sham Chung Bay, before crossing Mirs Bay to guerrilla-controlled areas in Huiyang. The western route travelled through Tsuen Wan, Tai Mo Shan, Yuen Long, and Lok Ma Chau, before crossing the Shenzhen River to the guerrilla base at Pak Shek Lung.

The journeys were physically demanding and extremely dangerous. Many of those being rescued were urban intellectuals unfamiliar with long-distance travel through mountains and rural areas. Escort teams had to move discreetly, avoid patrols, provide food and shelter, and ensure that entire groups could travel without attracting attention. The success of the operation demonstrated the existence of an extensive and highly effective underground transportation network operating within occupied Hong Kong.

Saving China's Cultural and Intellectual Community

The significance of the Great Rescue extended far beyond the individuals involved. Among those evacuated were prominent figures such as He Xiangning, Liu Yazi, Zou Taofen, Mao Dun, Xia Yan, Shen Zhiyuan, Zhang Youyu, Hu Sheng, Fan Changjiang, and Liang Shuming. Many of these individuals would go on to play influential roles in Chinese politics, journalism, literature, education, and public life.

According to contemporary accounts, resistance operatives successfully guided these individuals through Japanese patrols, checkpoints, and dangerous terrain to safety in the Chinese interior. Writer Mao Dun later described the operation as "the greatest rescue effort since the beginning of the War of Resistance." For Hong Kong, the operation demonstrated that even in the earliest stages of occupation, the city was not completely sealed off from the outside world. Between its urban districts, villages, mountains, and coastal waters, hidden routes of escape and resistance continued to exist.

Rescuing Allied Personnel

The Brigade's rescue activities also extended to Allied servicemen. In January 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay Ride, who had escaped from the Sham Shui Po Prisoner of War Camp, received assistance from the armed work teams that later became part of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade. Through routes in Sai Kung and the New Territories, he eventually reached safety in Free China. According to commemorative publications of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade, the successful rescue of Ride and three companions helped establish cooperation between the Guangdong guerrilla forces and British military authorities.

The long-term consequences proved significant. Following his escape, Ride recommended the creation of a specialised intelligence and rescue organisation dedicated to assisting prisoners of war and gathering information within occupied territory. This recommendation led to the establishment of the British Army Aid Group (BAAG), which would become one of the most important Allied intelligence organisations operating in occupied Hong Kong and South China.

Intelligence Stations: X, Y, and Z

Cooperation between the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade and the British Army Aid Group gradually evolved into an extensive intelligence network. In November 1942, BAAG representative Li Yiu-Biu travelled to Sai Kung to discuss intelligence cooperation with Brigade leaders Choi Kwok-Leung and Chan Tat-Ming. The result was the establishment of three important communication stations: X Station at Sha Yue Chung, Y Station at Chek Kang, Sai Kung, Z Station in a grocery shop on Portland Street, Sham Shui Po

These stations served as centres for intelligence exchange, courier operations, personnel transfers, and clandestine communications. The Portland Street station was operated by Wong Cho-Mei, who maintained the appearance of an ordinary shopkeeper while secretly coordinating underground activities. After an Allied agent was captured and revealed information under interrogation, Japanese authorities destroyed the Z Station and arrested members of Wong's family. Following the war, Wong was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his contributions to the Allied cause.

Y Station at Chek Kang

Among these intelligence stations, Y Station held particular significance. Located within the historic residence known as "Tin Shui Lau Fong" at Chek Kang in Sai Kung, it became the only British Army Aid Group intelligence station operating within occupied territory itself. The station's security depended heavily upon protection provided by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade.

To reduce suspicion, many BAAG personnel stationed there were Chinese or Eurasian. Among them were Li Yiu-Biu and Tam Oi-Lai, a medical student from the University of Hong Kong. In addition to intelligence work, Tam helped train Brigade medics in first aid and assisted in the treatment of wounded resistance fighters. This cooperation extended beyond intelligence collection and reflected a broader partnership involving medical support, communications, logistics, and personnel assistance.

Intelligence Gathering and Allied Operations

Occupied Hong Kong held considerable military importance. Its ports, shipyards, airfields, ammunition depots, batteries, and barracks supported Japanese operations across South China and the Pacific. According to Tsang Sang foreword to The History of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade, the Brigade made important contributions to Allied intelligence by monitoring Japanese shipping movements, troop deployments, and military facilities. Information gathered by resistance operatives was passed to Allied forces and helped improve the effectiveness of American air operations against Japanese targets.

Such work required patience, discipline, and secrecy. In 1944, the Brigade reportedly established an observation post at Yue Lam Court in Hong Kong's Mid-Levels district, maintaining round-the-clock surveillance of Japanese naval activity in Victoria Harbour. Although these operations lacked the drama of open combat, they exposed intelligence personnel and their families to constant danger. Discovery often meant arrest, torture, or execution.

Reconnaissance and Allied Air Raids

The Brigade's cooperation with the British Army Aid Group also included photographic reconnaissance. According to The History of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade, BAAG requested assistance in photographing key Japanese military facilities throughout Hong Kong. Resistance fighters escorted Allied personnel to elevated observation points where they photographed Kai Tak Airport, ammunition depots, artillery batteries, barracks, and other installations.

Not long afterwards, Allied aircraft carried out attacks against several of these targets, including facilities at Causeway Bay, Kai Tak Airport, Lei Yue Mun, and the Taikoo Dockyard. These events illustrate how local intelligence gathered inside occupied Hong Kong became integrated into broader Allied military operations.

The Rescue of Lieutenant Klier

One of the most famous rescue operations involved American pilot Lieutenant Robert E. Klier. In February 1944, Klier parachuted into Hong Kong following an air operation connected to attacks on Kai Tak Airport. Japanese authorities immediately launched an extensive search involving more than a thousand personnel across Sai Kung and Sha Tin.

The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade responded by organising a complex rescue effort. According to historical accounts, Liu Hei Zai and his companions moved Klier between safe locations before hiding him in a cave near Shek Lung Tsai Village for two weeks. To divert Japanese attention, the Brigade launched a series of operations, including attacks on collaborators, the Kai Tak Airport raid, and the distribution of anti-Japanese leaflets in urban districts. Once the search pressure eased, Klier was escorted across mountain routes and eventually transferred by sea to the headquarters of the Dongjiang Column in Ping Shan.

The Legacy of the Klier Rescue

After reaching safety, Klier met with Dongjiang Column commander Tsang Sang before continuing to Allied-controlled territory. He later expressed deep gratitude to the resistance fighters who had rescued him and specifically praised Choi Kwok-Leung, Wong Koon-Fong, Liu Hei Zai, and Tam Tin for their assistance.

According to the Brigade's 80th Anniversary Commemorative Publication, the rescue of Lieutenant Klier also helped establish formal cooperation between the United States military and the Dongjiang Column. The operation demonstrated the Brigade's ability to combine intelligence gathering, concealment, transportation, diversionary attacks, maritime operations, and long-distance escort missions within a single coordinated effort.

Hong Kong and the International Anti-Fascist War

The intelligence and rescue work carried out by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade connected occupied Hong Kong directly to the wider international struggle against fascism. According to commemorative Brigade publications, the Dongjiang Column rescued 89 foreign nationals, most of whom were assisted by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade and its predecessor units. The Brigade also maintained extensive intelligence cooperation with Allied forces, contributing to military operations against Japan and supporting the broader Allied war effort.

This is an important aspect of Hong Kong's wartime history. Although Hong Kong fell in December 1941, it did not disappear from the Allied war effort. Through intelligence gathering, rescue operations, communications networks, and cooperation with Allied organisations, the territory remained an active part of the wider conflict. Hong Kong's wartime experience therefore belongs not only to local history, but also to the global history of the Second World War.

The Risks Behind the Network

Intelligence and rescue work often carried risks equal to, or greater than, those faced in combat. Participants included guerrilla fighters, couriers, translators, students, medical workers, shopkeepers, and villagers. Many never carried weapons, yet they faced the same possibility of arrest, torture, and execution.

The destruction of Z Station operated by Wong Cho-Mei illustrates these dangers. What appeared to be an ordinary grocery store concealed an important communications hub. Once exposed, entire families could become targets of Japanese reprisals. These stories remind us that resistance was not confined to battlefields. It also took place behind shop counters, along mountain trails, in fishing boats, and within ordinary homes.

Conclusion: Lifelines in the Darkness

The intelligence and rescue operations of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade ensured that occupied Hong Kong remained more than an isolated and controlled city. Even under strict Japanese rule, people continued to carry information across mountains and bays, guide refugees to safety, assist Allied personnel, and maintain communication with the outside world.

These efforts saved lives, preserved vital connections, and sustained resistance during some of Hong Kong's darkest years. Perhaps more than any other aspect of the Brigade's history, its intelligence and rescue work reveals the courage, ingenuity, and humanitarian spirit that allowed resistance to endure under occupation.

Communication Stations: The Nerve Centres of Resistance

Among the most important elements of the network were its communication stations. These facilities transmitted intelligence, relayed documents, received personnel, coordinated transportation, and distributed supplies. In many cases they also served as temporary headquarters, safe houses, or emergency shelters. Communication stations were deliberately concealed within ordinary locations such as village homes, grocery shops, fish markets, ancestral halls, and remote residences.

One notable example was the Lee Family House at Sham Chung. Historical records indicate that the Sham Chung station connected multiple routes throughout the New Territories, linking Yung Shue O, Kei Ling Ha, Shap Sze Heung, Mui Tsz Lam, Chung Mei, Chek Kang, Sai Kung Market, and Pak Tam. Large quantities of supplies passed through the station on their way to resistance forces in Guangdong, while intelligence gathered across Hong Kong was transmitted through the network to Brigade headquarters.

The Risks Faced by Ordinary Families

The operation of communication stations often depended upon ordinary households willing to assume extraordinary risks. The Lee Family House and its adjoining structures served as guerrilla accommodation during the occupation. Hidden passages allowed resistance fighters to escape into the hills during Japanese sweeps. Members of the Lee family also assisted in acquiring rice coupons and food supplies for the Brigade. According to historical records, Lee Yuen-Yuk and Lee Wah-San were arrested by Japanese authorities because of their assistance to the resistance and subjected to severe torture, including water torture.

Stories such as these remind us that resistance did not occur only on battlefields. It also took place in kitchens, grocery stores, fish markets, and village homes. Some people prepared meals for resistance fighters. Others provided shelter, delivered messages, or concealed fugitives. Their actions, though often overlooked, formed the foundation upon which the Brigade survived.

Village Communities and Local Support

Rural communities throughout the New Territories played an essential role in sustaining resistance. Villagers possessed intimate knowledge of mountain trails, water sources, agricultural land, and transportation routes. They provided guides, food, shelter, intelligence, and warnings of impending Japanese operations. When resistance fighters were wounded or ill, local residents often cared for them at considerable personal risk. Villages were therefore not merely the backdrop to resistance activities; they formed one of the central pillars of the underground network.

The costs could be severe. Japanese forces frequently employed collective punishment, intimidation, and torture in attempts to force villagers to reveal guerrilla positions. Many chose to remain silent despite the risks. This relationship between the Brigade and local communities gave Hong Kong's resistance movement a strong popular foundation. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade did not operate independently from society—it survived because of it.

Wu Kau Tang: A Village of Strategic Importance

Few places better illustrate the importance of rural communities than Wu Kau Tang. In February 1943, senior representatives of the Guangdong Provincial Communist leadership and the Dongjiang military-political leadership convened a meeting near Wu Kau Tang known historically as the Wu Kau Tang Conference. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade was responsible for logistical arrangements and security during the gathering. The conference demonstrates that New Territories villages served not only as guerrilla operating areas but also as centres of planning, coordination, and strategic decision-making. Wu Kau Tang was also associated with one of the most important communications links in South China.

Between April 1942 and March 1943, the only radio station connecting Communist organisations and anti-Japanese guerrilla forces in Guangdong with Yan'an was located at nearby Shek Shui Kan Village. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade helped select the site and provided its protection. In an era of occupation and isolation, maintaining such a communications link was essential to the wider resistance effort throughout South China.

Fishermen and Maritime Connections

Surrounded by water, Hong Kong relied heavily upon maritime transportation. Fishermen and boatmen became indispensable members of the underground network. Their knowledge of tides, channels, islands, and sheltered anchorages allowed them to transport people, supplies, and intelligence while avoiding Japanese patrols. Maritime operations often appeared less visible than combat, but they involved significant danger. Japanese gunboats, patrol vessels, weather conditions, and navigational hazards could all threaten an operation.

The sacrifice of boatman Leung Hak and five members of his family during the fatal mission that claimed the life of Liu Chun-Xiang near Lung Kwu Chau and Sha Chau illustrates that the risks of resistance were shared by civilians as well as fighters. Through their boats, experience, and courage, fishermen helped transform Hong Kong's coastal waters into an extension of the resistance network.

Merchants, Fish Markets, and Supply Networks

Life under occupation was marked by severe shortages. Food, medicine, fuel, clothing, metal goods, and transportation resources became increasingly difficult to obtain. Maintaining resistance operations therefore required extensive support from local merchants and business owners. One example was Tsui Koon-Sang, proprietor of the Muk Lei Fish Market in Sai Kung. According to historical accounts, Tsui initially intended to leave home and join the guerrillas directly. Instead, Brigade member Wong Koon-Fong persuaded him to continue operating his business, using it as a means of supporting resistance activities.

By maintaining commercial networks and relationships, individuals like Tsui helped acquire supplies, gather information, and facilitate communications under the guise of ordinary business activities. These examples demonstrate that participation in resistance took many forms. Remaining in civilian occupations often proved just as valuable as taking up arms.

Women and Youth: The Hidden Strength of Resistance

Women and young people played vital roles throughout the underground network. They served as couriers, caregivers, propagandists, guides, messengers, and organisers. In some circumstances, Japanese authorities were less likely to suspect women and younger individuals, enabling them to move more freely between villages, urban districts, and transportation routes.

These responsibilities were both dangerous and essential. Delivering a letter, escorting a visitor, or hiding an injured fighter could lead to arrest, interrogation, or torture. Although their contributions are often overshadowed by accounts of military operations, many intelligence, rescue, and logistical missions would have been impossible without their participation.

Ling Leung: "The Mother of the Guerrillas"

One of the most memorable figures in the Brigade's support network was Ling Leung of Ngong Wo Village in Sai Kung. According to historical records, she devoted herself to caring for resistance fighters and became affectionately known as "the Mother of the Guerrillas." Ling allowed her home to be used by the Brigade's quartermaster section and encouraged her two sons to participate in resistance work. In early 1943, she reportedly saved the life of resistance worker Leung Suet-ying using traditional remedies during a serious illness.

Her story highlights an often-overlooked aspect of wartime resistance: care. Wars involve not only combat but also sickness, hunger, exhaustion, and fear. Those who provided shelter, food, medicine, and emotional support made continued resistance possible. Ling Leung is remembered not because she commanded troops, but because she helped sustain those who did.

Religious Sites as Places of Refuge

Religious institutions also played a role within the underground network. Temples, churches, and ancestral halls served not only as centres of community life but sometimes as places of refuge, recovery, and clandestine meetings. One notable example involved Venerable Fat Ho, abbot of Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.

In 1944, during a Japanese sweep of the island, Brigade deputy commander Lo Fung was recovering from illness at the monastery. When Japanese troops searched the premises, Fat Ho disguised Lo as a monk and concealed him among worshippers attending religious services. Although Japanese soldiers later interrogated and physically assaulted the abbot, he refused to reveal Lo's whereabouts. The incident illustrates how religious figures and sacred spaces could become important protective barriers against occupation authorities.

Public Mobilisation and Community Organisation

The underground resistance network involved more than concealment and transportation. The Brigade maintained dedicated sections responsible for public mobilisation, propaganda, and community outreach. According to the 80th Anniversary Commemorative Publication of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade, the Brigade's Political Training Department included officers responsible for public mobilisation, propaganda, and united-front work, while local districts maintained their own community organisers.

These roles reflected an important reality of resistance warfare. Military operations alone could not sustain a long-term struggle. Public support was necessary to secure intelligence, food supplies, recruits, transportation, and protection. Through community engagement and political education, the resistance became not merely the work of armed units, but a broader social effort involving many sectors of Hong Kong society.

Trust, Secrecy, and Sacrifice

At the heart of the underground network lay trust. Couriers trusted their contacts. Villagers trusted the resistance fighters they sheltered. Guides trusted those they escorted. Shopkeepers trusted that secrets would remain hidden. Under the constant threat of Japanese searches, informants, and collaborationist networks, a single mistake could have devastating consequences. The network was both resilient and fragile.

It depended upon personal relationships, local reputation, and shared conviction. Many paid a heavy price. Some were arrested. Others endured torture. Families suffered reprisals. Many lost their lives. Most were not professional soldiers, yet they accepted risks comparable to those faced by combatants. The history of the underground resistance network is therefore also the history of countless ordinary individuals whose names often remain unknown.

Conclusion: Resistance Was Never the Work of One Person

The history of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade demonstrates that resistance in occupied Hong Kong was never carried out by armed fighters alone. It was sustained by a vast network of people, places, routes, and relationships. Villages provided shelter. Bays connected resistance forces to the outside world. Communication stations transmitted intelligence. Merchants secured supplies. Women and youth carried messages. Religious institutions offered sanctuary. Families accepted enormous risks.

Because of this network, the Brigade was able to continue operating despite intense Japanese control. The story of Hong Kong's resistance therefore belongs not only to battlefields, but also to village homes, fish markets, piers, temples, mountain trails, and city streets. The underground resistance network reminds us that defending one's home does not always require carrying a weapon. Sometimes it means guiding a stranger through the darkness, delivering a message, offering shelter, keeping a secret, or choosing solidarity in the face of danger.