An exhibition showcasing 100 rare items will be staged to tell the story of a group of unsung heroes who escaped from Hong Kong during Japanese occupation under the leadership of a Chinese admiral.
The exhibition, Escape from Hong Kong: The Road to Waichow, opens on Christmas Eve at the Museum of Coastal Defence. It will present more than 100 artefacts, diaries and documents of the group of soldiers who made the escape from Hong Kong led by Admiral Chan Chak after the British colony surrendered to the Japanese on Christmas Day, 1941.
Chan was sent by Chiang Kai-shek to help the city's British and Allied defenders. The journey began in Ap Lei Chau and ended 5,120 kilometres and nearly two months later in Rangoon, now called Yangon.
The exhibition was put together by the descendants of the soldiers who founded the Hong Kong Escape Re-enactment Organisation (Hero). The descendants, who plan to retrace the footsteps of their forefathers this Christmas, hope to commemorate their heroic acts and friendships between Chinese and British people that blossomed during the most difficult of times.
The re-enactment of the escape has also earned support from Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Some of the treasures included in the exhibition are the Honorary Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire medal awarded to Admiral Chan, who was one of only two Chinese people to receive the honour. There is also a photo album of Chan's documenting the escape; diaries of the escapers; and a crest taken from one of the torpedo boats used by the soldiers during the escape.
