Formerly known as the Museum of Coastal Defence, the sprawling complex in Shau Kei Wan overlooking the Lei Yue Mun channel was given a new lease of life as part of a Policy Address initiative last year to cultivate a stronger sense of national esteem and patriotism among society.
The first thematic exhibition, "Brothers in Arms: War of Resistance Activities of the East River Column in Shenzhen and Hong Kong", was a joint project between the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Shenzhen Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau.
Over 3,000 visitors have already passed through the turnstiles since the gallery was unveiled on September 4.
One of the curators was Terence Cheung, the director of the Museum of History, who said their aim was to create an immersive experience.
"Many of the veterans were less than 10 years old at the time of the war," he said.
"The youngsters of the same age today may not know why they have the bravery to take part in the War of Resistance, so we would like them to come to our museum to learn more about the veterans' experience."
The exhibition received rave reviews from visitors so far. One of them was history buff Mr Law, who was delighted with the museum’s new additions.
He believes the real artefacts and multimedia content will help students better understand the war.
Ms Leung, a community officer who arranged a visit for a group of senior citizens, said the participants were pleased to see young people showing an interest of history.
"Some of them may be seeing the content for the first time, but it brought back deep memories," she said.
Another visitor, Mr Tsui, said he is grateful that he didn't have to experience the war.
"The people who suffered the most were civilians. If you don't make this part of history public, our young people won't know about it and they will assume what they have now is a given," he said.
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'Farewell Hong Kong' video display
Visitors stepping foot into the gallery are immediately greeted by an upbeat soundtrack.
Cheung recalled a veteran singing to the tune during her visit.
"Many of the rescued civilians belonged to the drama community. To commemorate the rescue operation, they created a play called Farewell Hong Kong in 1943, and the theme song was actually very popular during the War of Resistance," Cheung explained.
Japanese Type 26 Revolver
Walking further into the museum, a genuine Japanese Type 26 Revolver is showcased on the wall.
Cheung said that guerrilla fighters often survived by salvaging weapons abandoned on the battlefield.
“The guerrilla forces used weapons produced in China also, but because of the limited [supply] … they would collect weapons left behind in the battlefield so that they can have more weapons to fight against the Japanese.”
Felt blanket
Another highlight is a brown felt blanket that was donated by a private collector.
According to Cheung, "It was actually used by members of the East River Column during that time because we can imagine that they would have some campaigns at night time in the countryside so they used the felt blanket to keep them warm."
Interactive video programme
Visitors were also able to hear the personal accounts of six veterans through an interactive display, with videos and recordings documenting their memorable missions.
One of the veterans was Lam Chun, a nurse who saved lives in hospital.
In the video, Lam recalled taking care of two soldiers whose eyes were wounded. She said she was saddened upon learning that the pair couldn’t regain their vision even after prolonged treatment.
Another veteran making a cameo was Liu Bingan, who collected intelligence in the field.
"The intelligence they collected would be written on a piece of paper, which were sometimes hidden in food items," Cheung said.
"When there was a risk of being discovered, they would swallow the piece of paper."
Miscellaneous memories of 100 Days in Dongjiang
Also on display are 10 cartoon drawings by artist Ding Cong, a survivor of the war thanks to the large-scale rescue operation by the guerrilla forces in 1942.
The original sketches are kept in Shenzhen Art Museum, but visitors wishing to check out the artwork are now spared a trip up north.
Cheung said his favourite drawing is of a man casually bathing in the open air during a time of chaos.
"The guerrilla forces tried to arrange different times of bathing so both men and women could bathe in an open air. I think that's quite interesting," he said.
The themed exhibition about the East River Column's heroics runs until July next year. Admission is free of charge, although the museum is closed on Thursdays.
