Name(English): Cenotaph
Name(Chinese): 和平紀念碑
Category: Historical
Address(English): Statue Square, Chater Road, Hong Kong
Address(Chinese): 中環遮打道
Address Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/U5SoNZf3YM8iHwRG6
Address longitude and latitude: 22.28164020919887, 114.1605709750491
Nearest MTR Station: Central Station MTR Exit J1
Nearest MTR Station Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/Qu9jrHdL7kxbSPo56
Nearest MTR Station longitude and latitude: 22.28129678600236, 114.1604893078562
How far from the nearest MTR Station: 2 min walk from MTR Central Station Exit J1
Opening Hours:
MON 00:00 – 23:59
TUE 00:00 – 23:59
WED 00:00 – 23:59
THU 00:00 – 23:59
FRI 00:00 – 23:59
SAT 00:00 – 23:59
SUN 00:00 – 23:59
Recommended Time to Visit: Daytime
Accessibility Note: Easy access
History gives us an opportunity to reverse past wrongdoings and reminds us not to let them repeat themselves, especially the harrowing battles in the past. Situated at Statue Square – “the territory’s finest site”, the Cenotaph is where remembrance lingers every year in November since 1923, commemorating “the Glorious Dead” of the two World Wars and the courageous souls who sacrificed themselves in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. The nearly-century-old granite monument serves its historical purposes by representing the city’s role as a freedom and justice seeker.
Being rested on a broad elevated base with four approaches in the ample space, the memorial is a replica of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. Apart from the laurel wreaths and the English inscriptions “The Glorious Dead” with the date 1919 in Roman figures, the sacrifices during the Japanese Invasion are honored in the Chinese inscription “英魂不朽 浩氣長存” on the side of the granite monument, literally referring to “The Heroes Will Live Forever, The Noble Spirit Will Shine in Eternity).
The Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days from December 8 to 25, 1941 was short but brutal. Japanese attacked Hong Kong on the same day of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the British took it very seriously since the colony, regarded as an outpost at the time, held its geographical significance in the Asia Pacific regions. After fierce fighting and 4,500 life losses, Hong Kong fell into the hand of Japanese on the Christmas Day 1941, known as the “Black Christmas”, and the latter 3 years and 8 months of Japanese Occupation was the darkest period of the city.
The spirits seem to carry on, as the Cenotaph has been transformed into a site of protests ever since the pre-handover period of the city, demanding forever-lasting freedom. Will the monument inspire the sense of justice and willingness to fight for change on a larger scale?
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