Hidden Spaces of a Forgotten Past - Revisiting the Air Raid Precaution Tunnels

We thought we knew our city.

Every day we travel to work on the same route, taking the same transportation, and very likely, meeting the eyes of familiar strangers for many weeks, months, or even years, without knowing their names. It has almost become a habit. The scenes, the surroundings, the sound, the people, nothing is out of place, and nothing surprises you anymore. Only when the old man who used to read his book on the bus every morning, or the girl with straight hair who always likes to make sketches at the upper level of the tram, are no longer seen will you realize their presence, and that you may never cross paths with them again. You thought you would have a chance to talk to the old man about the book he was reading or to take a closer look at what the girl was sketching, but that chance has disappeared.

When you take a stroll in the city, have you ever noticed mysterious locked up doors on the side of the hills? Or a vertical structure rising from the hillside with no indication of what purpose it serves? Have you ever questioned what they are and where they lead to? They may have stirred up your sense of curiosity once, but there are always matters that are more urgent, so as time goes by, you have stopped noticing their presence, as if they are just another nameless shadow on the wall.

Perhaps it is difficult for the post-war generation to imagine that the city was once a fierce battlefield some three-quarters of a century ago. People may have heard about the significance of the Pearl Harbour Attack by the Japanese Imperial Army on 7th December 1941, but on the same day within a few hours of the surprise attack, another branch of the Japanese Army, which already occupied Guangdong of mainland China at the time, marched over the border to invade the then British colony.

Prior to the Japanese invasion, war was looming over the colony for years, and the British Hong Kong Government considered it necessary to build up defence, in case a war eventually broke out. Anticipating heavy aerial bombardment, and on top of Air Raid Pen-Shelters in the city, the colonial government constructed tunnels deep into the mountains to protect civilians from bombs up to 500lbs in weight. These tunnels were known as the Air Raid Precaution (ARP) tunnels.

In Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island there are a number of ARP tunnel systems still in exist today: the tunnels at the base underneath the Ruttonjee Hospital, formerly known as Mount Shadwell; over on the other side of the road, at the base of Mount Parish, currently campus of Wah Yan College Hong Kong; and other extensive systems at Leighton Hill, Star Street and along Sing Woo Road in Happy Valley.

These tunnels were unique facilities specifically designed to protect civilians during wartime, with accounts and stories about how people spent their time there when the Japanese invaded. Yet, decades later, they were mostly abandoned and forgotten, unlike many of their counterparts in England or Singapore, where war relics were turned into sites with historical and cultural values as a reminder of the important chapters of our past.

Rather than leaving them abandoned to rot with time, is there not a better outcome for these unique spaces? Is it not better if these tunnels become a link to our past, a point of connection within the community to rediscover wartime stories, or even an example of adaptive reuse of historical sites?

To move forward, it is necessary for people to start talking about them again, to show interest, to conduct a comprehensive survey, if not already done, and if possible, to find people, who are likely in their 80s now, who can give first-hand accounts of life inside the tunnels.

Next time when you walk past one of these ARP tunnels, do not just ignore them, but take a picture, tell your friends and family, and try to recover a past episode that we may be soon forgetting. If there is enough interest in the community, I am sure these tunnels will find a new life, creating a new possibility in our city.