Wong Nai Chung Gap

Wong Nai Chung Gap (Chinese: 黃泥涌峽) (Meaning: The gorge that yellow mud is gushing out of) is a geographic gap in the middle of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The gap is between Mount Nicholson and Jardine's Lookout behind Wong Nai Chung. Five roads meet at the Gap Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, Tai Tam Reservoir Road, Repulse Bay Road, Deep Water Bay Road and Black's Link. It is a strategic passage between the north and south of the island, though less so today since the opening of the Aberdeen Tunnel.

History

In the 1930s, the British army began installing defense structures at the gap in preparation for possible attacks by the Japanese army. On 8 December 1941, the Battle of Hong Kong started; the Japanese landed at North Point on Hong Kong Island on 18 December, and reached Wong Nai Chung Gap on 19 December. Canadian and Hong Kong troops defended the passage and Wong Nai Chung Reservoir, with more than 600 Japanese soldiers injured or killed. The gap fell to the Japanese on 19 December, followed by Mount Nicholson and Repulse Bay the next day.