Vignettes of the World
Sunset Watching in Ha Pak Nai Ha Pak Nai is known for its views of beautiful sunset. Being on the westernmost coast of Hong Kong, the location offers unobstructed views of a sun setting over the ocean, and the view of Route 10 (the Shenzhen …
One must buy leather shoes in Italy, the boot-shaped country. And we did so in Lucca. And in Lucca, everybody biked. On our way to Pisa, we met some American tourists on the train. They suggested that we visit Lucca, so we bought the train …
It was quite a walk from the Pisa Centrale to the Duomo and the Leaning Tower. I would say at least 30 minutes. We stopped by a small delicatessen kind of restaurant and paid a ridiculous check for a simple pasta lunch. We paid €18 and we did not even order water.
All frustrations aside, the Pisa Tower was breathtaking. Prior to this visit, it existed in my mind in a variety of images. Some impressionistic, some realistic, and some cartoon-like. And here it is, the real Pisa Tower in full view, leaning against the azure of a bright summer sky. It looked quite bit smaller and shorter than I thought it would be.
And surely, the Duomo and the Dome next to it were nonexistent in my impressions of Pisa.
And the Pisa Tower becomes a solid memory for me as I headed up its stairs to its top. I came to appreciate that this is rather the point of a visit to Pisa, the feeling of gravity within a leaning structure. It was certainly not about the funny touristy photographs and not the food.
The hike up the Pisa Tower was almost excruciating for me. I would say there were more than three hundred steps. What kept me going was the hope that the view up on above would make it worthwhile. The tourists were much of an annoyance as well. The staircase was narrow, and you could only walk up continuously without taking breaks. The other tourists kept pushing behind me.
Now that I have seen the views on top of Pisa Tower, I would say the view was worthwhile, but more importantly, I had the experience of walking upon this leaning structure, step by step. I came to understand this wonder of the world from within its difficult inner intricacies, made of slabs with uneven surfaces. Maybe if I lean, the tower would fall.
When I reached the top, my knees nearly gave in. I have never known myself to fear height, but the openness up there, with few rails to guard the tourists, was very scary to me.
If not for the annoying tourists everywhere, it would have been the sweetest Tuscan dream for me.
Kowloon City is an old area in Hong Kong. Besides the famous heritage sites of the Kowloon Walled City, the Stonehouse Family Garden and the Hau Wong Temple, the area is also blessed with many long-standing businesses that have seen through the best of times …
In Siem Reap I wake up to astounding cacophonies of insects. Their singsongs accompany my journey throughout the day, from my waking at dawn to my resting at dusk. Thousands and thousands of them, each releasing its own distinctive sounds, perhaps by stridulating. There must …
The Aberdeen Battery has been on my bucket list for a while and I finally got the courage and motivation to go. It was not going to be easy to find it, and I did have an adventure there. Please see below on the details of how to find the ruins of the Upper and Lower Aberdeen Battery.
Photo: at the Upper Aberdeen Battery
The British constructed the Aberdeen Battery in 1939. It served the purpose of guarding the security of Hong Kong in the southwest. Located in the mid-range of Siu Yuk Kwai Shan, the battery overlooks the north of the East Lamma Channel, a key waterway between Ap Lei Chau and Lamma Island.
View of the East Lamma Channel at the Lower Aberdeen Battery
Do note that the battery is located at Siu Yuk Kwai Shan, not Yuk Kwai Shan, despite the fact that Yuk Kwai Shan is taller. Although at a lower altitude than Yuk Kwai Shan proper, this is a better vantage point to serve the battery’s intended purpose. Needless to say, the view there was unobstructed in those times and for decades after, until the Southern Horizons and all nearby housing estates were built.
The Aberdeen Battery belonged to a group of three improvised batteries in Hong Kong Island, namely the Cape D’Aguilar Battery and the Bluff Head Battery. The British built them during the 1930s and early 1940s specifically to counter the impending Japanese invasion.
Photo: inside the barrack in Lower Aberdeen Battery
The Aberdeen Battery did serve its defense purpose, and indeed it fought to the very end of the Battle of Hong Kong. On December 25th, 1941, the Japanese forces launched severe bombardment at the battery. They were trying to sink the fleets carrying Admiral Chak Chan to safety. Although then Governor Young surrendered Hong Kong in the same afternoon, the troops at Aberdeen Battery did not know the news and continued to fight. Officers at the Aberdeen Technical School tried to signal to the troops here by turning on all their lights. After confirming the news, the officers destroyed their guns, threw them into the sea, and abandoned the battery.
Due to the rising water needs in the vicinity, the government built the Yuk Kwai Shan Service Reservoir. The construction of the service reservoir caused the demolishment of many structures of the abandoned battery.
The Aberdeen Battery, despite its historical significance, has not yet obtained any grading as a historic monument. However, the Antiquities and Monument Office has already sought public comments for an assessment of the Aberdeen Battery. We should expect the decision in the future.
The Aberdeen Battery is yet to be graded as a historic site. The area in which it sits is very much in ruins. Good thing is, some volunteers have recently cleared out the area and put in some indication of where you will find the sites. It is still not for the faint of heart, however, because the site is not on Google Map, it is not on the hiking trail apps, there are no ribbons to follow, and it does not even have clear paths.
Map: the approximate location of the Aberdeen Battery. Source: Gwulo.com
I did manage to locate three sites of the Upper and Lower Aberdeen Battery.
Let’s first take the two nearby sites in the Upper and Lower Aberdeen Battery. Get off at the South Horizons MTR Station Exit C. On the street level, pass by the bus terminus and head onto Lee Nam Road. On Lee Lam Road, cross the street and turn left. Keep walking until you see this opening on your right, with a metal bar that prevents vehicular traffic. This is the way to Siu Yuk Kwai Shan. Head up the slope for about 10 minutes.
Photos: from the South Horizons Station, head out on Lee Nam Road, cross the street, make a left and keep walking until you see the metal bar (photos left and middle), then head up this way on a slope to get to Siu Yuk Kwai Shan.
Ten seconds before you reach the Yuk Kwai Shan Service Reservoir, you will see this opening on your right.
Photos: right before you reach the Service Reservoir, keep watching for landmarks on the right. The rail of the first photograph above (ten seconds before you reach the Service Reservoir) leads you to the first ruins. head onto the stairs (second photo), then onto the path (third photo), and very soon you see a part of trees on your right (last photo). Go through those trees and the ruins is right below it.
Photos: the first ruins of the Upper Aberdeen Battery
If you ended up at the Yuk Kwai Shan Sitting Area, that means you have way passed the ruins. They are in the vicinity of the Yuk Kwai Shan Service Reservoir.
After visiting this site, go downward from this following sign toward the direction of the ocean. You will see the next indication for the path to take.
These ropes will help you reach the Lower Aberdeen Battery on a steep slope.
As you finish this section, you may have to explore the vicinity a bit. The paths are not very clear, and neither is my memory, but the Lower Aberdeen Battery is somewhere around. It should be roughly on your right side (if you face the ocean direction), and the direction should be west to northwest.
This might have been a former kitchen at the Lower Aberdeen Battery
Photo above: carving that indicates the year this structure was built, in the kitchen of the Lower Aberdeen Battery
To return, head back the same way. Make your way back to the proper concrete road, and head up just about ten seconds further toward the Service Reservoir. When you do see the Service Reservoir, and look on your right, you will already spot another ruins of the Upper Aberdeen Battery. The way to get to this battery is also quite dangerous, therefore exercise caution.
Photographs: right at the Service Reservoir, you see the rail on the right. If you take closer look on the right at this point, you will already see the ruins of the Upper Aberdeen Battery (second photo). Get to the beginning of the rail and turn sharp right, and reach the battery by walking carefully on the aqueduct (third photo).
At the point of the rail in this picture, do not head forward on the path, but turn sharp right at the rail’s beginning, and you will see a small aqueduct. The other ruins of the Upper Aberdeen Battery is right there. Proceed with caution.
The structures of the Aberdeen Battery were built of reinforced concrete. The Upper Aberdeen Battery was a battery observation post. George Wilby commanded the Aberdeen Battery, and a platoon of the Hong Kong Voluntary Defense Corps manned this facility. The crew gave firing instructions to the gun battery at the Lower Aberdeen Battery. It also had the capability of communicating with the Admiralty Headquarters.
The Lower Aberdeen Battery is, relatively speaking, a more complete group of structures. You will first come upon the gun emplacement. Originally, two BL 4-inch Mk ix naval gun stationed at this gun platform. There is also a kitchen and two barracks there.
Photos Above: Phone booth for communication and giving firing commands (left); the ruins of Lower Aberdeen Battery (middle); the stairs of the Aberdeen Battery, also a ruins (right).
Photos above: the gun platform of the Lower Aberdeen Battery
The walk that leads to the Aberdeen Battery is not rigorous. However, do still prepare enough water with you, for finding the way is a bit of an exercise itself. The slopes there are steep, and therefore do not go on rainy days. Finally, the mosquitoes and the weeds are annoying. Bring mosquito repellent and it is better to wear clothes with as little exposure as possible to prevent scratches and mosquito bites.
Historic Descriptions On-site.
The Wikipedia on the Aberdeen Battery (Chin).
Gwulo.com, The Aberdeen Battery, Ap Lei Chau.
Chan Ping Yang’s Youtube Channel on the Aberdeen Battery, June 30, 2021.
Update as of February 2024 I have recently passed by the former site of Ka Lai Yuen and with some complicated feelings discovered that the restaurant has now reopened its doors since its disgraceful and abrupt closure in April 2023. I have not had a …
Photo credit: All close-up photographs of the pink dolphins on this entry are the work of Thomas Tue, aka Mr. Dolphin, of the Eco Association Limited. The Dolphin-Sighting Tour On this bright late summer morning I got up at 6:30 and headed over to Tung …
Post WWII Hong Kong was a place of booming industry and commerce. With that also came the problem of crime. The New Territories then was not unlike the wild, wild west, where hooligans and drug lords ran rampant. It was with this background that the colonial government saw the need for proper law enforcement in the New Territories.
The government decided to build the first New Territories Magistracy and it opened in 1861. As time progressed, more of other magistracies were established in the New Territories. This first one then became the Fanling Magistracy. In the same year, the colonial government passed a law to extend the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to the Fanling Magistracy. This would be a pivotal development in Hong Kong’s judicial history, as it ushered in the era of common law application in the New Territories.
The Fanling Magistracy was busy with trials in its earliest days. The first case on trail was a drug case, and thereafter other cases of gambling, traffic offenses and burglaries. Over the years, additional structures provided the necessary facilities for other judicial functions, including a duty lawyers’ office. Due to the growing workload and population, there was an increasing need for more support facilities, “such as public witness rooms, public consultation rooms, separate facilities for the reporters and lawyers, etc.” (Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme). The government built the new Fanling Law Courts Building on Pik Fung Road behind the Former Fanling Magistracy in the same block. The Former Fanling Magistracy finally completed its historic role in 2002.
The magistracies in Hong Kong have a limited criminal jurisdiction of two years’ imprisonment and $100,000 fine. The petty crimes are tried in open court in these magistracies. They also serve as the court of first appearance for serious and indictable criminal offenses. Therefore, all criminal proceedings begin at the magistracies in Hong Kong.
The Fanling Magistracy has retained its classic appearance even after it no longer served its judiciary purpose. During the time that it was closed between 2003-2010, it became the setting for a number of movies and TV dramas. The most well-known one is Internal Affairs II.
The Commissioner for the Heritage’s Office of the Hong Kong Government has included a description of the Former Fanling Magistracy’s architectural feature. I shall quote it here:
The double canopied projecting bay with storeys high vertical windows dominates the front facade and gives a simplified version of the neo-classical architecture. The side facades also feature neo-classical motif, corbel and moulded architraved doorways. The internal atrium lit by a central light well houses a grand staircase with ornamental ironwork balustrades leading to upper floors courtrooms. The court was built with more economical finishing materials of the era, such as terrazzo tiles, mosaic tiles, artificial granite tiles and stucco painting. (The Commissioner for the Heritage’s Office on Former Fanling Magistracy)
The Fanling Magistracy has the status of a Grade 3 Historic Building as the Antiquities Advisory Board has determined in 2010. The revitalization effort encompassed the group of five buildings on-site, including the Former Fanling Magistracy, the Duty Lawyers’ Office, the Annex Court Building, and two small blocks accommodating building services facilities.
As a heritage site, the Former Fanling Magistracy now hosts a small exhibition on its own history. It is also home for the Hong Kong Federation Youth Groups Leadership Institute. The HKFYG Leadership Insititue helped revitalize the building via Batch III of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. The revitalization completed in 2018.
The former detention cells now serve as the breakout meeting rooms for the Institute. The former setup does remain and visitors can still get a pretty good feeling of how it was like.
One courtroom has been preserved, and I took a look. It does give off this very classic feeling of the Hong Kong courts.
It is sad for me to report that the social enterprise coffee shop on-site, which has garnered a bit of popularity during its lifetime, has closed down in 2022. I do hope that there will be a new, similar tenant in the location. I hope that in my next visit I can have a relaxed afternoon there with coffee in my hand.
How to Get There
From the Fanling MTR Station, you may walk about 10 minutes to reach the Former Fanling Magistracy on Jockey Club Road. The address is No. 302, Jockey Club Road.
Outside of the Former Fanling Magistracy on Jockey Club Road, there is a bus stop with both minibuses and buses running between Sheung Shui and Fanling. Bus Routes 73, 79K and 373 stop there.
Sources
Historic descriptions on-site.
The Commissioner for the Heritage’s Office on the Former Fanling Magistracy.
Revitalisaing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme, Former Fanling Magistracy Resource Kit, Heritage Office.
The trail of the day is to hike from the Pokfield Road stairs to the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir. I have headed up the trails from the Pokfield Road stairs a few times. This time is no different. Next to the gas station of Pokfield …