Underground Hong Kong

You think you know everything there is to know about Hong Kong and then one night, you drunkenly stumble into a broken storm drain and realize that actually, there’s a whole other world out there. It’s just underground. As we scurry about our busy little surface lives, little do we stop to think that under our feet lies a network of tunnels, caves, pipes and tanks that have all played a part in the story of our city.

Indeed, as Hong Kong is so constricted when it comes to space, more than any other city in the world, we have found innovative and often downright bizarre ways to put the ground beneath our feet to good use. So in a bid to work out just what’s going on down there, we take a tour of Hong Kong’s major underground attractions…

Tunnels of Gin Drinkers Line

Access: Minibus 82 from Exit B of Tsuen Wan MTR Station to the Maclehose Trail; take the trail to rest station number 7; then climb up the steps until the tunnels come into view.
Many people complain that the history of Hong Kong has been wiped away to pave the way for modernization, but if you know where to look, there is still a very distinct souvenir of Hong Kong’s past in the hills behind Shing Mun Resevoir. An entire network of World War II tunnels still exists preserved and untouched, ready for exploration. They are part of Gin Drinkers Line, and were one of the last lines of British defense when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong in 1941. However, contrary to popular belief, they were not originally built for this purpose. As local historian and author of “Ruins of War: A guide to Hong Kong’s Battlefields and Wartime Sites,” Jason Wordie, explains, “The tunnels were originally built in 1938 as a new line of defense to protect the reservoir. When the Shing Mun reservoir scheme was initiated in the early 1930s, it was the largest water project in the British Empire so if it had been captured it would have been like turning the tap off.” The tunnels were named by First Battalion, Middlesex regiment. As they were Londoners, they developed their own system of navigating the tunnels by labeling them with the names of London streets, such as Shaftsbury Avenue and Oxford Street. This ingenious method meant the British troops could easily run through the complex network of tunnels in the heat of battle.

Unfortunately, their tactical maneuvers did not save the Royal Scots and Indian Units who were stationed in the tunnels when the Japanese invaded in 1941. The troops held the tunnels for just three days before being overwhelmed. Today, the tunnels remain open and well preserved and it is even possible to climb in. You can still see the names of the tunnels clearly marked on the walls.

Ma On Shan Iron Ore Mine

Access: Off the Ma On Shan Country Trail, Sai Kung Peninsula, New Territories
Hidden in the undergrowth off the Ma On Shan country trail lies the entrance to an abandoned mine. While Hong Kong might not be considered a mining hub, between 1953 and 1976, the Ma On Shan Mountain in the New Territories was home to a busy iron ore mine. As the demand for steel declined in the 70s, the mine’s fate was sealed along with its entrance, leaving a network of empty tunnels beneath the mountain. At its busiest, the mine employed over 400 workers and produced over 400,000 tons of steel a year, hauling the ore from the ground on an electric train.