Remembering Those who Defended HK

Japanese troops take over Tsim Sha Tsui

Every year around this time when I wear a poppy, some Hongkongers ask me where I got the pretty flower, others suddenly remember that it's that day where you remember the war dead, other expats don't seem to care or notice. 

I wear it to remember the Canadian soldiers who died for us, and in particular, think of those who tried to defend Hong Kong from the Japanese during the Battle of Hong Kong from December 8-25, 1941. This year is the 80th anniversary, but there is nothing in the news to remind people.

Some locals remember having to wear poppies at school, but students today don't wear them.

Sai Wan War Cemetery above Chai Wan

Is this part of the government's efforts to quietly forget what happened 80 years ago? Is it because it was an embarrassing defeat? Soldiers from Britain, Canada and India rushed over to try to defend the then British colony, but were not well prepared, didn't have much knowledge of the terrain and were overpowered, leading to the surrender on Christmas Day, 1941.

Over 1,500 Indian and Canadian soldiers died in battle.

Then the rest were taken in as prisoners of war in camps in Hong Kong and Japan until the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

Attending the Remembrance Day ceremony at Sai Wan Military Cemetery in 2018 was a moving experience, seeing over 1,500 graves, many of them Canadian soldiers who died in a place they were not familiar with.

What happened 80 years ago is a part of Hong Kong's history whether Beijing accepts it or not. It must be remembered by generations to come. 

Meanwhile fast-forward eight decades later where the freedoms these soldiers defended have now given way to the national security law.

Statue of Canadian soldier in HK Park

Today a second person was handed a lengthy sentence, not for committing murder or causing injury to someone or destroying property. It was for chanting pro-independence slogans during the anti-government protests, violating the national security law on the grounds of inciting secession.

Former delivery food worker Adam Ma Chun-man, 31, was accused of promoting separatism on 20 occasions between August 15 and November 22 last year, using expressions such as "Hong Kong independence, the way out", "Hongkongers, build our country", and "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times",  a signature rallying call of the anti-government protests two years ago.

Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi said he found the national security law violation serious enough to warrant at least five years behind bars, as the defendant repeatedly incited others to separate Hong Kong from China, and failed to display even "the least bit of remorse" -- something Ma himself acknowledged.

Originally the sentence was set for six years, but Chan knocked off three months, saying Ma saved the court's time by agreeing to most of the prosecution's case.

However when the sentence was read out, people in the gallery shouted the sentence was "too long", and "insane".

While the defence counsel asked for a more lenient sentence, Chan refused, saying Ma's actions could have provoked others to resort to radical ways.

"Who knows? Maybe some of those incited would become another Adam Ma," said Chan.

Ma sentenced to almost six years in jail today

In a letter to the court, Ma wrote he was inspired by jailed activist Edward Leung Tin-kei, and felt he bore a responsibility to achieve the latter's aspirations for independence.

"Today is the 311th day I have been in jail," he wrote in his letter, dated September 28, the first day of the trial. "I have denied the allegation, but my mind is exceptionally calm, even with a bit of joy.

"Your Lordship, I do not feel any shame, nor do I have the least bit of remorse for what I have done in the past. I also promise that I will not display the slightest bit of weakness in the fight for democracy and justice," he added.

Amnesty International deputy secretary general Kyle Ward called Thursday's ruling "outrageous", and urged the Hong Kong government to stop criminalising "mere acts of expression".

"This conviction and sentencing clearly shows that restrictions on the right to freedom of expression in Hong Kong are dangerously disproportionate," he said.

While the outside world may be outraged, this is only the beginning. There are some defendants who are determined to stick by their beliefs to the end, even if the courts do not agree with them.

And they will pay dearly as we have seen today.

For them this is their sacrifice...

London: British Museum Treasures

After a security check, visitors can enter The British Museum

 

In recent years there has been a lot of debate about whether the British should have been allowed to take so many treasures from places like Greece, Egypt, Syria, and China, and some countries even demanding their priceless artifacts back.

The Rosetta Stone is a must-see

While it is understandable as a point of national pride for countries to want these precious items returned, but in some cases, they would not be kept in as good conditions as they would in The British Museum.

It was started in 1753 by an Irish scientist and physician Sir Hans Sloane who had his own collection, and the museum was opened in 1759 in Montagu House, on the site of the current building. In the following 250 years, it has collected some 8 million objects during the era of the British Empire and is the first public museum in the world. And free!

We were here for a short period of time, so we tried to be as efficient as possible.

The first stop was the Rosetta Stone which is near the entrance. It's very hard to photograph because it's behind glass, but a very important piece that helped archeologists figure out ancient hieroglyphics. On the black stone are carved Demotic, the everyday script of literate Egyptians, and the bottom is Greek, the language used by the government.

One of the many friezes taken from The Parthenon

At the time Egypt was ruled by a Greek dynasty and the Rosetta Stone records an event regarding Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the boy king.

And since we had been to the Parthenon in Athens, where about half of the real marble friezes were in The British Museum thanks to Lord Elgin, we had to see them in person. The marble pieces are housed in a long corridor and to be honest the details of the marble figures and animals are clearer here than in the Acropolis Museum, where they were already weathered down before being housed inside.

The musculature of the soldiers and the horses is evident, showing strength and grace. The robes people wore are detailed to show drapery. However seeing them one after the other numbs the brain's ability to appreciate every single piece. It's also worth remembering that these friezes were placed on the outside perimeter of the Parthenon and not facing each other in this room. Nevertheless to be able to look at them so close up is amazing.

Men holding onto an ox; the drapery is very detailed

One more Greek piece we had to see was the sixth figure that formed the Erechtheum Caryatid. At the Parthenon we saw the replicas, then five of the real figures in the Acropolis Museum, and now the sixth one in The British Museum.

All the figurines are columns holding up the building next to the Parthenon. They each have long thick hair that is plaited and falls behind their backs, and they wear short tunics. They also had baskets on their heads as part of the column.

And like the other marble pieces that Lord Elgin stole/took, this figure in the museum is very detailed from the plaiting of the hair, to the drapery of her tunic, though it's a pity her arms are missing and her face a bit weathered. There seems to be more detail of her hair at the back, but nothing of her feet.

The sixth figure from the Caryatids in Athens

Regardless, it was a thrill to finally see all six figures -- in one trip!

We also saw two Haida totem poles housed in the foyer from British Columbia that date back to about 1850, while we visited the China section, focusing more on the Tang Dynasty known for its porcelain.

One impressive piece is that of a statue of Buddha's disciple called a luohan. This one is in excellent condition, one of 10 found in a cave in the Yixian region of northern Hebei province in 1912. The statue is glazed in the sancai or three-coloured palette.

Another was of a figure who was the assistant to the judge of hell. A clerk carries a slim scroll, recording the names of those who have done good deeds in their lifetimes. The robes of the assistant are detailed particularly in the various layers of "fabric" denoted by the various colours and the draping is magnificent.

What a treat.

The assistant to the judge of hell

The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
britishmuseum.org

Picture of the Day: Angel of Victory

A bronze statue of an angel carrying a fallen soldier

On my way to Gastown to have drinks and dinner with friends, I walked past the Seabus Terminal and Waterfront SkyTrain station that are both in the former Canadian Pacific Railway Station.

Next to it is a bronze statue of an angel holding up a fallen soldier. The work is called Angel of Victory (1922) by Coeur de Lion MacCarthy. It was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway to commemorate its employees who died in World War I.

It stands on the far right of the former CPR building

The plaque says:

To commemorate those in the service of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company who, at the call of King and country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardship, faced danger and finally passed out of sight of men by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten.

What a wonderful commemoration.

Video of the Day: Chinese Bagpiper

A bagpiper playing tunes to solicit donations for poppies

Yesterday when I was coming out of the MTR in Central, I could hear the distinct sounds of bagpipes being played. What was that about?

When I looked out the window of the station I could see -- two young Chinese men dressed in tartan from head to toe and wore poppies for Remembrance Day and were soliciting donations for the local veterans.

One bagpiper decided to take a break and talk to some gweilos, while the other gave his rendition of Teresa Teng's The Moon Represents My Heart.

I'd never heard it played on bagpipes before!

And as my friend YTSL points out, where else will you hear that, but in Hong Kong!

True that.

It was really nice to see these young people engaging with people, who asked to take pictures with them and they immediately obliged.

Actually it's sad that hardly any Hong Kong people wear poppies on November 11 -- do they not know that Canadian, British, and Indian troops tried to protect the city from the Japanese, but failed in the Battle of Hong Kong December 8-25, 1941?

The soldiers were ill prepared and over 3,000 died. The city surrendered to the Japanese, who then occupied Hong Kong until 1945.

Nowadays Hong Kong people -- Hong Kong and mainland Chinese know November 11 as Singles Day (11-11) -- the biggest online shopping event of the year thanks to Alibaba!

Remembering the Fall of Hong Kong

Canadian soldiers on the lookout for the Japanese invaders in Hong Kong

Yesterday marked the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. For 17 days until Christmas Day, the unprepared Canadian troops tried valiantly to defend the British colony from the Japanese who had already invaded China.

Britain began to realize that Japan was a serious threat, having entered China in 1937, but the British thought Hong Kong couldn't be well defended and reduced the garrison size.

However in 1941 British planners changed their minds and asked Canada to send two infantry battalions and a brigade headquarter to strengthen the defenses with about 2,000 men.

The Canadian soldiers weren't prepared having only served garrison duty in New Foundland and Jamaica.

The day after the bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 8, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. They were more experienced and outnumbered the inexperienced defenders four to one.

Japanese troops marching along Queen's Road Central

In a short period of time the Japanese killed a number of defenders who surrendered and later tortured sick and wounded soldiers and civilian hospital staff at St Stephens College field hospital.

They day they surrendered, December 25, 1941 was known as "Black Christmas", as the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Mark Aitchison Young, surrendered in person to the Japanese headquarters that was located in the Peninsula Hong Kong hotel.

For the next three and a half years, British, Canadian and other Commonwealth soldiers suffered extreme brutality at the hands of the Japanese.

Of the 1,975 Canadians who sailed to Hong Kong, more than 550 never came home. Most were laid to rest at Sai Wan War Cementary in Chai Wan.