Podcasts about Lantau Island

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

Watch Us On YouTube! Announcing a new, ongoing benefit for annual subscribers of our Slack community. Annual subscribers receive a free Points Path Alerts subscription OR a 30% discount on Points Path Pro. It finally happened — Spirit Airlines is gone. This week on Miles To Go, Ed and Richard break down what the shutdown of Spirit Airlines means for travelers, employees, and the broader airline industry. From emotional final flights to stranded passengers scrambling for alternatives, the ripple effects are already being felt — and the response from other airlines hasn't exactly made things easier. So-called "rescue fares" sound helpful in theory, but in practice, they've offered limited relief for travelers trying to rebook last-minute trips. They also explore the bigger picture: what losing a major low-cost carrier means for competition, pricing, and access to travel — especially for families and budget-conscious flyers who relied on Spirit to make trips possible. Meanwhile, Delta is dealing with operational issues of its own, with an unusual spike in cancellations and reliability concerns that highlight how fragile airline operations can be. Plus, real-world travel frustrations — from rideshare chaos at Newark to the rising cost of simply getting to the airport — and why the overall travel experience keeps getting more expensive and more complicated. Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun Use my Bilt Rewards link to sign-up and support the show! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/ ✈️ What We Cover in This Episode   ✈️ What We Cover in This Episode ✈️ The end of Spirit Airlines Final flights and emotional send-offs What happens to employees and crews Why Spirit mattered more than people realized ✈️ The real impact on travelers Families and budget travelers losing affordable options Trips that simply won't happen anymore Why competition matters for pricing ✈️ "Rescue fares" that don't really help Limited availability and restrictive windows United, Delta, American vs JetBlue approaches Why this was a missed opportunity ✈️ Airlines scrambling to fill the gap JetBlue adding routes immediately Frontier and Breeze stepping in What happens to key markets like Fort Lauderdale ✈️ Delta's operational struggles Spike in cancellations compared to competitors Staffing and reliability concerns A noticeable shift from Delta's usual performance ✈️ Empty planes and shifting demand Surprisingly light loads on recent flights Capacity cuts vs soft demand What this could signal for pricing ✈️ The rising cost of travel $130 rides to the airport Why logistics are getting more expensive The hidden costs beyond airfare ✈️ Airline cost-cutting trends Cutting drink service on short flights Potential cuts to premium amenities How airlines are squeezing margins ⏱️ Episode 435 Timestamps  0:48 – Intro and quick travel recap 4:00 – Newark rideshare chaos and rising costs 7:52 – Points Path win: saving 60,000 miles 10:37 – Spirit Airlines officially shuts down 11:17 – Rebooking chaos and lack of real "rescue fares" 13:30 – Why airlines missed a big opportunity 15:57 – Empty flights and surprising demand trends 18:50 – Airlines moving quickly to replace Spirit routes 21:29 – Fort Lauderdale and shifting airline strategy 29:53 – Delta's cancellation spike and reliability issues             ⏱️ Episode 432 Timestamps 0:48 – Welcome back & rough week recap 5:20 – Planning the Hong Kong trip 10:00 – Upgrade strategy and long-haul flight experience 15:00 – Victoria Peak and how it's changed 20:00 – Big Buddha and Lantau Island experience 25:00 – Hong Kong Disneyland highlights and tips 30:00 – Comparing Hong Kong to past visits 35:00 – Why Hong Kong feels different today 38:30 – 6 flights in 3 days: brutal travel run 43:00 – Airline Wi-Fi failures vs Starlink success

Watch Us On YouTube! Announcing a new, ongoing benefit for annual subscribers of our Slack community. Annual subscribers receive a free Points Path Alerts subscription OR a 30% discount on Points Path Pro. Hong Kong, airline chaos, and one very rough travel week (scroll down for timestamps)! This week on Miles To Go, Ed and Richard are both back home — barely — after a pair of intense travel stretches. Ed recaps a family trip to Hong Kong, including Disneyland, Victoria Peak, and the Big Buddha… but also shares a deeper take on how the city feels different than it did years ago. From cultural shifts to increasing Westernization, it's a thoughtful look at a destination many travelers still have on their list. Meanwhile, Richard breaks down a whirlwind three-day, six-flight trip across the U.S. — complete with altitude sickness, broken Wi-Fi, and a reminder of why mileage-run style travel isn't as fun as it used to be. Plus, a surprising bright spot: Starlink Wi-Fi that actually works — and why that's becoming more important than ever. Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun Use my Bilt Rewards link to sign-up and support the show! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/ ✈️ What We Cover in This Episode ✈️ A Hong Kong trip with mixed impressions • Why the city feels different than before • Cultural shifts and changing traveler experience • Where it still shines (and where it doesn't) ✈️ Victoria Peak and modern Hong Kong tourism • A much more built-up, commercial experience • Unexpected Western influence at the top • When iconic attractions lose some authenticity ✈️ The Big Buddha and Lantau Island • Cable car experience (and aviation geek bonus views) • What makes it worth the trip • How to plan tickets and avoid long waits ✈️ Hong Kong Disneyland review • What's unique vs U.S. parks • Best rides and surprises • How to maximize your time (and money) ✈️ A tale of two Disney experiences • Classic Disney confusion vs top-tier service recovery • When things go wrong… and then very right • Why Disney still stands out operationally ✈️ Hong Kong vs the rest of Asia • Comparing to Japan and Taipei • Where it ranks today • Why you may want to visit sooner rather than later ✈️ A brutal multi-city travel run • 6 flights in 3 days across the U.S. • The realities of work travel logistics • Why these trips hit harder than they used to ✈️ Altitude, exhaustion, and travel fatigue • Aspen altitude effects (and a rough night) • Why travel stacking can backfire • Lessons for planning better trips ✈️ Airline Wi-Fi: still broken • Multiple flights with no connectivity • Why this matters more than ever • The real cost of losing a workday ✈️ Starlink shines where others fail • First impressions from regional jets • Streaming, reliability, and performance • Why this could change airline competition ⏱️ Episode 432 Timestamps 0:48 – Welcome back & rough week recap 5:20 – Planning the Hong Kong trip 10:00 – Upgrade strategy and long-haul flight experience 15:00 – Victoria Peak and how it's changed 20:00 – Big Buddha and Lantau Island experience 25:00 – Hong Kong Disneyland highlights and tips 30:00 – Comparing Hong Kong to past visits 35:00 – Why Hong Kong feels different today 38:30 – 6 flights in 3 days: brutal travel run 43:00 – Airline Wi-Fi failures vs Starlink success

Located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland is about is the smallest Disney Park in the world. Spanning between 68-100 acres -some might say it is smaller than the 100 acre woods. But what this park lacks in size it makes up for in charm! Known for its blend of traditional Disney Magic with unique […]

AI slop shownotes as per usual. Possible Episode TitlesBears, Budgets, and the Billion-Dollar InterfaceThe BOM Shell, Hong Kong Fires, and Pink Ball TacticsBamboo Scaffolds and Bureaucratic BlowoutsFrom the Kowloon Hills to the Gabba: Bears, Bombs, and BazballEpisode BlurbIn Episode 136, Jack the Insider and Hong Kong Jack connect to discuss a tragic week in Hong Kong following a devastating fire in the New Territories. The Jacks dive deep into the bureaucracy back home, tearing apart the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's "interface" upgrade that ballooned from $4 million to $94 million—a classic case of consultant heavy-lifting and public service decline.The conversation spans the globe, touching on the underwhelming COP summit in Brazil, the "shambolic" UK Budget under Keir Starmer, and the curious bonhomie between Donald Trump and his political rivals. Plus, there are bears attacking in Japan and "wrench attacks" in Vancouver.Finally, the boys turn their eyes to the Gabba for the Pink Ball Test. Can England bounce back? Is Travis Head the key? And who will take home the flag in the AFLW Grand Final?Show Notes & Timestamps[00:00:00] Tragedy in Hong KongHong Kong Jack reports on the devastating fire in the New Territories with a death toll nearing 100. The boys discuss the history of the apartment blocks, the use of bamboo scaffolding in construction, and the grim reality of high-density living for the elderly.[00:09:13] The Lantau SwimA lighter note from HK: two swimmers tackle the waters around Lantau Island. The Jacks question the water quality near the Pearl River Delta.[00:10:31] Victorian Politics: A New Hope?Discussion on the polling boost for Victorian Liberal Leader Jess Wilson. Is the shine coming off the Labor government, and can the Liberals actually win the next state election?[00:14:03] COP30 in BrazilA wrap-up of the climate summit in Belém. The consensus? A lot of money spent for very little actionable result, and relief that Australia didn't drop a billion dollars hosting it.[00:16:15] The BOM Website FiascoJoel tears into the Bureau of Meteorology's upgrade. What was sold as a $4 million "interface" refresh has skyrocketed to $94 million. A broader discussion on the "consultancy disease" (Accenture, IBM) and the hollowing out of IT skills within the Australian Public Service.[00:28:03] The Brittany Higgins Saga ContinuesAnalysis of Cameron Milner's "Watergate" comments regarding Labor's handling of the Fiona Brown and Linda Reynolds legal claims. The Jacks argue for a swift settlement and a fair go for Fiona Brown.[00:35:10] Inflation & The Public ServiceInflation sticks at 3.5%, driven largely by government spending. Discussion on the massive expansion of the public service workforce under the current government and the lack of a "Peter Walsh-style" finance minister to curb spending.[00:39:49] Ukraine, Russia, and the Peace DealThe latest on the peace proposals. Is a "dirty deal" inevitable? The Jacks discuss Russia's war economy, J.D. Vance's peace plan, and why Poland's military build-up is the model for the rest of Europe.[00:51:37] UK Budget ShamblesReaction to the Starmer Government's budget. Leaks, "mansion taxes," and rising welfare bills for the "work-shy." Plus, Kemi Badenoch's parliamentary performance compared to the Keating era.[00:59:04] The BBC's Funding CrisisThe "Beeb" blows a billion dollars as license fee cancellations soar. Joel and Jack discuss the archaic nature of the TV license fee compared to funding via general revenue.[01:02:19] Bear Attacks in JapanAn unexpected crisis in Japan: Asiatic brown bears are moving from rural areas to urban centres, mauling nearly 200 people.[01:05:39] Crypto Crime in "Hongcouver"A violent "wrench attack" in British Columbia highlights the dangers of physical crypto theft. Joel muses on the future of encryption vs. supercomputers.[01:08:58] US Politics: Trump & The "Fascist" LabelDonald Trump's surprisingly civil meeting with NY political figures (Zohran Mamdani) despite previous name-calling. Plus, the dismissal of the James Comey and Letitia James indictments.[01:18:19] Cricket: The Gabba Pink Ball TestPreviewing the Test Match. Can England recover from their Perth tactics? The debate over Scott Boland's bowling, Mitchell Stark's form, and why it's time to call time on Usman Khawaja. The Jacks predict tactics for the swinging pink ball.[01:28:41] India's Coaching WoesAfter a 2-0 drubbing by South Africa at home, Gautam Gambhir's tenure is under the microscope.[01:31:05] AFLW Grand Final PreviewBrisbane Lions vs. North Melbourne at Princes Park. North are on a historic winning streak, but can the Lions cause an upset?[01:32:48] Racing & Offshore BettingA look at the leakage of wagering revenue to offshore operators and James Packer's recent comments on tax.

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Wuhan Campaign. As Japanese forces pressed toward central China, Chiang Kai-shek faced a brutal choice: defend Wuhan with costly sieges or unleash a dangerous flood to buy time. The Yellow River breached its banks at Huayuankou, sending a wall of water racing toward villages, railways, and fields. The flood did not erase the enemy; it bought months of breathing room for a battered China, but at a terrible toll to civilians who lost homes, farms, and lives. Within Wuhan's orbit, a mosaic of Chinese forces struggled to unite. The NRA, split into competing war zones and factions, numbered about 1.3 million but fought with uneven equipment and training. The Japanese, deploying hundreds of thousands, ships, and air power, pressed from multiple angles: Anqing, Madang, Jiujiang, and beyond, using riverine forts and amphibious landings to turn the Yangtze into a deadly artery. Yet courage endured as troops held lines, pilots challenged the skies, and civilians, like Wang Guozhen, who refused to betray his country, chose defiance over surrender. The war for Wuhan was not a single battle but a testament to endurance in the face of overwhelming odds.   #173 The Fall of Wuhan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the last episode we began the Battle of Wuhan. Japan captured Anqing and gained air access to Jiujiang, Chinese defenses around the Yangtze River were strained. The southern Yangtze's Ninth War Zone held two key garrisons: one west of Poyang Lake and another in Jiujiang. To deter Japanese assault on Jiujiang, China fortified Madang with artillery, mines, and bamboo booms. On June 24, Japan conducted a surprise Madang landing while pressing south along the Yangtze. Madang's fortress withstood four assaults but suffered heavy bombardment and poison gas. Chinese leadership failures contributed to the fall: Li Yunheng, overseeing Madang, was away at a ceremony, leaving only partial contingents, primarily three battalions from marine corps units and the 313th regiment of the 53rd division, participating, totaling under five battalions. Reinforcements from Pengze were misrouted by Li's orders, arriving too late. Madang fell after three days. Chiang Kai-shek retaliated with a counterattack and rewarded units that recaptured Xiangshan, but further progress was blocked. Li Yunheng was court-martialed, and Xue Weiying executed.   Madang's loss opened a corridor toward Jiujiang. The Japanese needed weeks to clear minefields, sacrificing several ships in the process. With roughly 200,000 Chinese troops in the Jiujiang–Ruichang zone under Xue Yue and Zhang Fukui, the Japanese captured Pengze and then Hukou, using poison gas again during the fighting. The Hukou evacuation cut off many non-combat troops, with over 1,800 of 3,100 soldiers successfully evacuated and more than 1,300 missing drowned in the lake. Two weeks after Hukou's fall, the Japanese reached Jiujiang and overtook it after a five-day battle. The retreat left civilians stranded, and the Jiujiang Massacre followed: about 90,000 civilians were killed, with mass executions of POWs, rapes, and widespread destruction of districts, factories, and transport. Subsequently, the Southern Riverline Campaign saw Japanese detachments along the river advance westward, capturing Ruichang, Ruoxi, and other areas through October, stretching Chinese defenses thin as Japan pressed toward Wuchang and beyond. On July 26, 1938, the Japanese occupied Jiujiang and immediately divided their forces into three routes: advancing toward De'an and Nanchang, then striking Changsha, severing the Yue-Han Railway, and surrounding Wuhan in an effort to annihilate the Chinese field army. The advance of the 101st and 106th Infantry Divisions slowed south of the Yangtze River, yet the Central China Expeditionary Army remained intent on seizing Ruichang and De'an to cut off Chinese forces around Mount Lu. To this end, the 9th and 27th Infantry Divisions were deployed to the sector, with the 9th regarded as an experienced unit that had fought in earlier campaigns, while the 27th was newly formed in the summer of 1938; this contrast underscored the rapidly expanding scope of the war in China as the Japanese Army General Staff continued mobilizing reservists and creating new formations. According to the operational plan, the 101st and 106th Divisions would push south toward De'an to pin Chinese defenders, while the 9th and 27th Divisions would envelop Chinese forces south of the river. Okamura Yasuji ordered five battalions from the 9th to move toward De'an via Ruichang, and the Hata Detachment was tasked with securing the area northwest of Ruichang to protect the 9th's flank. North of the Yangtze, the 6th Infantry Division was to move from Huangmei to Guangji, with Tianjiazhen as the ultimate objective; capturing Tianjiazhen would allow the 11th Army to converge on Wuhan from both north and south of the river.  The operation began when the 9th Division landed at Jiujiang, threatening the left flank of the Jinguanqiao line. The Chinese responded by deploying the 1st Corps to counter the 9th Division's left flank, which threatened the Maruyama Detachment's lines of communication. The Maruyama Detachment counterattacked successfully, enabling the rest of the 9th Division to seize Ruichang on August 24; on the same day, the 9th attacked the 30th Army defending Mount Min. The Chinese defense deteriorated on the mountain, and multiple counterattacks by Chinese divisions failed, forcing the 1st Corps to retreat to Mahuiling. The seizure of Ruichang and the surrounding area was followed by a wave of atrocities, with Japanese forces inflicting substantial casualties, destroying houses, and damaging property, and crimes including murder, rape, arson, torture, and looting devastating many villages and livelihoods in the Ruichang area. After Ruichang and Mount Min fell, the Maruyama Detachment and the 106th Infantry Division advanced on Mahuiling, seeking to encircle Chinese forces from the northwest, with the 106th forming the inner ring and the Maruyama Detachment the outer ring; this coordination led to Mahuiling's fall on September 3. The 27th Infantry Division, arriving in late August, landed east of Xiaochikou, providing the manpower to extend Japanese offensives beyond the Yangtze's banks and outflank Chinese defenders along the river. Its main objective was to seize the Rui-wu highway, a vital route for the continued advance toward Wuhan. After the fall of Mahuiling, Japanese command altered its strategy. The 11th Army ordered the Maruyama Detachment to rejoin the 9th Infantry Division and press westward, while the 101st Infantry Division was to remain at Mahuiling and push south toward De'an along with the 106th Infantry Division. This divergent or “eccentric” offensive aimed to advance on Wuhan while protecting the southern flank. The renewed offensive began on September 11, 1938, with the 9th Infantry Division and Hata Detachment advancing west along the Rui-yang and Rui-wu highways toward Wuhan, followed days later by the 27th Infantry Division. Initially, the Japanese made solid progress from Ruichang toward a line centered on Laowuge, but soon faced formidable Chinese defenses. The 9th and 27th Divisions confronted the Chinese 2nd Army Corps, which had prepared in-depth positions in the mountains west of Sanchikou and Xintanpu. The 27th Division encountered stiff resistance from the 18th and 30th Corps, and although it captured Xiaoao by September 24, its vanguard advancing west of Shujie came under heavy attack from the 91st, 142nd, 60th, and 6th Reserve Infantry Divisions, threatening to encircle it. Only the southward advance of the 101st and 106th Divisions relieved the pressure, forcing the Chinese to redeploy the 91st and 6th Reserve Divisions to the south and thereby loosening the 27th's grip. After the redeployment, the 9th and 27th Divisions resumed their push. The 9th crossed the Fu Shui on October 9 and took Sanjikou on October 16, while the 27th seized Xintanpu on October 18. The Hata Detachment followed, capturing Yangxin on October 18 and Ocheng on October 23, further tightening Japanese control over the highways toward Wuhan. By mid-October, 11th Army commander Okamura Yasuji resolved to sever the Guangzhou-Hankou railway to disrupt Chinese lines. On October 22, the 9th and 27th Divisions attacked toward Jinniu and Xianning. By October 27, the 9th had captured Jinniu and cut the railway; the 27th Division extended the disruption further south. These actions effectively isolated Wuchang from the south, giving the Imperial Japanese Army greater leverage over the southern approaches to Wuhan. The push south by the 101st and 106th Infantry Divisions pressed toward De'an, where they encountered the entrenched Chinese 1st Army Corps. The offensive began on September 16 and by the 24th, elements of the 27th Division penetrated deep into the area west of Baishui Street and De'an's environs. Recognizing the growing crisis, Xue Yue mobilized the nearby 91st and 142nd Divisions, who seized Nanping Mountain along the Ruiwu Line overnight, effectively cutting off the 27th Division's retreat. Fierce combat on the 25th and 26th saw Yang Jialiu, commander of the 360th Regiment of the 60th Division, die a heroic death. Zhang Zhihe, chief of staff of the 30th Group Army and an underground CCP member, commanded the newly formed 13th Division and the 6th Division to annihilate the Suzuki Regiment and recapture Qilin Peak. Learning of the 27th Division's trap, Okamura Yasuji panicked and, on the 25th, urgently ordered the 123rd, 145th, and 147th Infantry Regiments and mountain artillery of the 106th Division on the Nanxun Line, along with the 149th Regiment of the 101st Division on the Dexing Line, to rush to Mahuiling and Xingzi. To adapt to mountain warfare, some units were temporarily converted to packhorse formations. On the 27th, the 106th Division broke through the Wutailing position with force, splitting into two groups and pushing toward Erfangzheng and Lishan. By the 28th, the three regiments and mountain artillery of the 106th Division advanced into the mountain villages of Wanjialing, Leimingguliu, Shibaoshan, Nantianpu, Beixijie, and Dunshangguo, about 50 li west of De'an. On the same day, the 149th Regiment of the 101st Division entered the Wanjialing area and joined the 106th Division. Commanded by Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, the 106th Division sought to break out of Baicha and disrupt the Nanwu Highway to disrupt the Chinese retreat from De'an. At this juncture, Xue Yue's corps perceived the Japanese advance as a predatory, wolf-like maneuver and deemed it a strategic opportunity to counterattack. He resolved to pull forces from Dexing, Nanxun, and Ruiwu to envelop the enemy near Wanjialing, with the aim of annihilating them. Thus began a desperate, pivotal battle between China and Japan in northern Jiangxi, centered on the Wanjialing area. The Japanese 106th Division found its rear communications cut off around September 28, 1938, as the Chinese blockade tightened. Despite the 27th Division's severed rear and its earlier defeat at Qilin Peak, Okamura Yasuji ordered a renewed push to relieve the besieged 106th by directing the 27th Division to attack Qilin Peak and advance east of Baishui Street. In this phase, the 27th Division dispatched the remnants of its 3rd Regiment to press the assault on Qilin Peak, employing poison gas and briefly reaching the summit. On September 29, the 142nd Division of the 32nd Army, under Shang Zhen, coordinated with the 752nd Regiment of the same division to launch a fierce counterattack on Qilin Peak at Zenggai Mountain west of Xiaoao. After intense fighting, they reclaimed the peak, thwarting the 27th Division's bid to move eastward to aid the 106th. Concurrently, a portion of the 123rd Regiment of the 106th Division attempted a breakout west of Baishui Street. Our 6th and 91st Divisions responded with a determined assault from the east of Xiaoao, blocking the 123rd Regiment east of Baishui Street. The victories at Qilin Peak and Baishui Street halted any merger between the eastern and western Japanese forces, enabling the Chinese army to seal the pocket and create decisive conditions for encircling the 106th Division and securing victory in the Battle of Wanjialing. After the setback at Qilin Peak, Division Commander Masaharu Homma, defying Okamura Yasuji's orders to secure Baishui Street, redirected his focus to Tianhe Bridge under a pretext of broader operations. He neglected the heavily encircled 106th Division and pivoted toward Xintanpu. By September 30, Chinese forces attacked from both the east and west, with the 90th and 91st Divisions joining the assault on the Japanese positions. On October 1, the Japanese, disoriented and unable to pinpoint their own unit locations, telegrammed Okamura Yasuji for air support. On October 2, the First Corps received orders to tighten the encirclement and annihilate the enemy forces. Deployments were made to exploit a numerical advantage and bolster morale, placing the Japanese in a desperate position. On October 3, 1938, the 90th and 91st Divisions launched a concerted attack on Nantianpu, delivering heavy damage to the Japanese force and showering Leimingguliu with artillery fire that endangered the 106th Division headquarters. By October 5, Chinese forces reorganized: the 58th Division of the 74th Army advanced from the south, the 90th Division of the 4th Army from the east, portions of the 6th and 91st Divisions from the west, and the 159th and 160th Divisions of the 65th Army from the north, tightening the surrounding cordon from four directions. On October 6, Xue Yue ordered a counterattack, and by October 7 the Chinese army had effectively cut off all retreat routes. That evening, after fierce hand-to-hand combat, the 4th Army regained the hilltop, standing at a 100-meter-high position, and thwarted any Japanese plan to break through Baicha and sever Chinese retreat toward De'an. By October 8, Lieutenant Colonel Sakurada Ryozo, the 106th Division's staff officer, reported the division's deteriorating situation to headquarters. The telegram signaled the impending collapse of the 106th Division. On October 9, Kuomintang forces recaptured strategic positions such as Lishan, tightening encirclement to a small pocket of about three to four square kilometers in Nantianpu, Leimingguliu, and Panjia. That night, the vanguard attacked the Japanese 106th Division's headquarters at Leimingguliu, engaging in close combat with the Japanese. Matsuura and the division's staff then took up arms in defense. In the early hours of October 10, Japanese forces launched flares that illuminated only a narrow arc of movement, and a limited number of troops fled northwest toward Yangfang Street. The two and a half month battle inflicted tremendous casualties on the Japanese, particularly on the 101st and 106th divisions. These two formations began with a combined strength of over 47,000 troops and ultimately lost around 30,000 men in the fighting. The high casualty rate hit the Japanese officer corps especially hard, forcing General Shunroku Hata to frequently airdrop replacement officers onto the besieged units' bases throughout the engagement. For the Chinese, the successful defense of Wanjialing was pivotal to the Wuhan campaign.  Zooming out at a macro level a lot of action was occurring all over the place. Over in Shandong, 1,000 soldiers under Shi Yousan, who had defected multiple times between rival warlord cliques and operated as an independent faction, occupied Jinan and held it for a few days. Guerrillas briefly controlled Yantai. East of Changzhou extending to Shanghai, another non-government Chinese force, led by Dai Li, employed guerrilla tactics in the Shanghai suburbs and across the Huangpu River. This force included secret society members from the Green Gang and the Tiandihui, who conducted executions of spies and perceived traitors, losing more than 100 men in the course of operations. On August 13, members of this force clandestinely entered the Japanese air base at Hongqiao and raised a Chinese flag. Meanwhile, the Japanese Sixth Division breached the defensive lines of Chinese 31st and 68th Armies on July 24 and captured Taihu, Susong, and Huangmei Counties by August 3. As Japanese forces advanced westward, the Chinese Fourth Army of the Fifth War Zone deployed its main strength in Guangji, Hubei, and Tianjia Town to intercept the offensive. The 11th Army Group and the 68th Army were ordered to form a defensive line in Huangmei County, while the 21st and 29th Army Groups, along with the 26th Army, moved south to outflank the Japanese. The Chinese recaptured Taihu on August 27 and Susong on August 28. However, with Japanese reinforcements arriving on August 30, the Chinese 11th Army Group and the 68th Army were unable to sustain counteroffensives and retreated to Guangji County to continue resisting alongside the 26th, 55th, and 86th Armies. The Chinese Fourth Army Group directed the 21st and 29th Army Groups to flank the Japanese from the northeast of Huangmei, but they failed to halt the Japanese advance. Guangji fell on September 6, and while Guangji was recovered by the Chinese Fourth Corps on September 8, Wuxue was lost on the same day. Zooming back in on the Wuhan Front, the Japanese focus shifted to Tianjiazhen. The fortress of Tianjiazhen represented the 6th Infantry Division's most important objective. Its geographic position, where the Yangtze's two banks narrow to roughly 600 meters, with cliffs and high ground overlooking the river, allowed Chinese forces to deploy gun batteries that could control the river and surrounding terrain. Chinese control of Tianjiazhen thus posed a serious obstacle to Japan's amphibious and logistical operations on the Yangtze, and its seizure was deemed essential for Japan to advance toward Wuhan. Taking Tianjiazhen would not be easy: overland approaches were impeded by mountainous terrain on both sides of the fortress, while an amphibious assault faced fortified positions and minefields in the narrow river. Recognizing its strategic importance, Chinese forces reinforced Tianjiazhen with three divisions from central government troops, aiming to deter an overland assault. Chinese preparations included breaching several dykes and dams along the Yangtze to flood expanses of land and slow the Japanese advance; however, the resulting higher water levels widened the river and created a more accessible supply route for the Japanese. Instead of relying on a long overland route from Anqing to Susong, the Japanese could now move supplies directly up the Yangtze from Jiujiang to Huangmei, a distance of only about 40 kilometers, which boosted the 6th Division's logistics and manpower. In August 1938 the 6th Infantry Division resumed its northward push, facing determined resistance from the 4th Army Corps entrenched in a narrow defile south of the Dabie Mountains, with counterattacks from the 21st and 27th Army Groups affecting the 6th's flank. The Dabie Mountains are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest to southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The range also marks the boundary between Hubei Province and its neighboring provinces of Henan to the north and Anhui to the east. By early September the 6th had captured Guangji, providing a staging ground for the thrust toward Tianjiazhen, though this extended the division's long flank: after Guangji fell, it now faced a 30-kilometer front between Huangmei and Guangji, exposing it to renewed Chinese pressure from the 21st and 27th Army Groups. This constrained the number of troops available for the main objective at Tianjiazhen. Consequently, the Japanese dispatched only a small force, three battalions from the Imamura Detachment, to assault Tianjiazhen, betting that the fortress could be taken within a week. The KMT, learning from previous defeats, reinforced Tianjiazhen with a stronger infantry garrison and built obstacles, barbed wire, pillboxes, and trench networks, to slow the assault. These defenses, combined with limited Japanese logistics, six days of rations per soldier, made the operation costly and precarious. The final Japanese assault was postponed by poor weather, allowing Chinese forces to press counterattacks: three Chinese corps, the 26th, 48th, and 86th, attacked the Imamura Detachment's flank and rear, and by September 18 these attacks had begun to bite, though the floods of the Yangtze prevented a complete encirclement of the eastern flank. Despite these setbacks, Japanese riverine and ground operations continued, aided by naval support that moved up the Yangtze as Matouzhen's batteries were overtaken. After Matouzhen fell and enabled a secure riverine supply line from Shanghai to Guangji, 11th Army commander Okamura Yasuji quickly sent relief supplies upriver on September 23. These replenishments restored the besieged troops near Tianjiazhen and allowed the Japanese to resume the offensive, employing night assaults and poison gas to seize Tianjiazhen on September 29, 1938, thereby removing a major barrier to their advance toward Wuhan along the Yangtze. The 11th Army pressed north along the Yangtze while the 2nd Army, commanded by Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, concentrated the 3rd, 10th, 13th, and 16th Infantry Divisions around Hefei with initial aims at Lu'an and Heshan and the broader objective of moving toward the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains. When Chinese forces began destroying roads west of Lu'an, Naruhiko shifted the 2nd Army's plan. Rather than pushing along a line from Lu'an to Heshan, he redirected toward the Huangchuan–Shangcheng corridor, where more intact roads remained accessible, and Chinese withdrawals in the Huangchuan–Shangceng area to counter the 11th Army's Yangtze advance allowed the 2nd Army to gain speed in the early stage of its offensive. The 10th and 13th Infantry Divisions were ordered to begin their advance on August 27, facing roughly 25,000 Chinese troops from the Fifth War Zone's 51st and 77th Corps, and achieving notable early gains. The 10th captured Lu'an on August 28, followed by the 13th taking Heshan on August 29. The 10th then seized Kushi on September 7. Meanwhile, the 13th crossed the Shi River at night in an attempt to seize Changbailing, but encountered stiff resistance from multiple Chinese divisions that slowed its progress. To bolster the effort, Naruhiko ordered the Seiya Detachment from the 10th Division—three infantry battalions—to reinforce the 13th. Despite these reinforcements, momentum remained insufficient, so he deployed the 16th Infantry Division, which had arrived at Yenchiachi, to assault Shangcheng from the north. After crossing the Shi River at Yanjiachi, the 16th outflanked Shangcheng from the north, coordinating with the 13th from the south; the Chinese withdrew and Shangcheng fell. Following this success, Naruhiko ordered the 13th and 16th Divisions to push deeper into the Dabie Mountains toward Baikou and Songfu, while the 10th and 3rd Divisions moved toward Leshan and Xinyang, with Xinyang, a crucial Beijing–Wuhan Railway node, representing a particularly important objective. The Japanese advance progressed steadily through the Dabie Mountains, with the 10th executing bold maneuvers to outflank Leshan from the south and the 3rd penetrating toward the Beijing–Wuhan railway north of Xinyang, collectively disrupting and cutting the railway near Xinyang in October. An independent unit, the Okada Detachment, operated between these forces, advancing through Loshan before sealing Xinyang on October 12. The seizure of Xinyang effectively severed Wuhan's northern artery from external reinforcement and resupply, signaling a decisive turn against Wuhan as a Chinese stronghold. While the 2nd Army advanced in the Dabie Mountains, another critical development was taking place far to the south. By the end of 1937, southern China became more crucial to the Republic of China as a lifeline to the outside world. Guangzhou and Hong Kong served as some of the last vital transportation hubs and sources of international aid for Chiang Kai-Shek, with approximately 80 percent of supplies from abroad reaching Chinese forces in the interior through Guangzhou. Imperial General Headquarters believed that a blockade of Guangdong province would deprive China of essential war materiel and the ability to prolong the war. As I always liked to term it, the Japanese were trying to plug up the leaks of supplies coming into China, and Guangzhou was the largest one. In 1936 the Hankow-Canton railway was completed, and together with the Kowloon-Canton railway formed a rapid all-rail link from south China to central and northern China. For the first sixteen months of the war, about 60,000 tons of goods transited per month through the port of Hong Kong. The central government also reported the import of 1.5 million gallons of gasoline through Hong Kong in 1938, and more than 700,000 tons of goods would eventually reach Hankou using the new railway. In comparison, the Soviet Union in 1937 was sending war materiel through Xinjiang to Lanzhou using camels, with Chinese raw materials traveling back either the same route or via Hong Kong to Vladivostok. By 1940, 50,000 camels and hundreds of trucks were transporting 2,000–3,000 tons of Soviet war material per month into China. Japanese planning for operations began in early November 1937, with the blockade's objectives centered on seizing a portion of Daya Bay and conducting air operations from there. In December 1937, the 5th Army, including the 11th Division, the Formosa Mixed Brigade, and the 4th Air Brigade, were activated in Formosa under Lt. Gen. Motoo Furusho to achieve this objective. Due to the proximity of Daya Bay to Hong Kong, the Japanese government feared potential trouble with Britain, and the operation was subsequently suspended, leading to the deactivation of the 5th Army. By June 1938, the Battle of Wuhan convinced Imperial General Headquarters that the fighting could not be localized. The headquarters reversed policy and began preparations to capture Guangzhou and to expedite the settlement of the war. During the peak of the battles of Shanghai and Nanjing, urgent demands for aerial support at the Battle of Taiyuan in the north and at Canton in the south forced the Nationalist Air Force of China to split the 28th Pursuit Squadron and the 5th Pursuit Group , based at Jurong Airbase in the Nanking defense sector. The squadron was divided into two smaller units: Lt. Arthur Chin led one half toward Canton, while Capt. Chan Kee-Wong led the other half to Taiyuan. On September 27, 1937, the 28th PS under Lt. Arthur Chin dispatched four Hawk IIs from Shaoguan Airbase, and the 29th PS under Lt. Chen Shun-Nan deployed three Hawk IIIs from Tianhe Airbase. Their mission was to intercept Japanese IJNAF G3M bombers attempting to strike the Canton–Hankow railway infrastructure. The two flights engaged the Japanese bombers over Canton, claiming at least two kills; one G3M dumped fuel and ditching off the coast of Swatow, with its crew rescued by a British freighter, though one of the gunners died of battle injuries. In October 1937, amid mounting demands and combat losses, the Chinese government ordered 36 Gloster Gladiator Mk.I fighters, whose performance and firepower surpassed that of the Hawk IIs and IIIs, and most of these would become frontline fighters for the Canton defense sector as the war extended into 1938. On February 23, 1938, Capt. John Huang Xinrui, another Chinese-American volunteer pilot, took command of the renewed 29th PS, now equipped with the Gladiators. He led nine Gladiators from Nanxiong Airbase on their first active combat over Canton, supporting three Gladiators from the 28th PS as they intercepted thirteen Nakajima E8N fighter-attack seaplanes launched from the seaplane tenders Notoro Maru and Kinugasa Maru. The battle proved challenging: most of the Gladiators' machine guns jammed, severely reducing their firepower. Despite this, five of the E8Ns were shot down, confirmed by Capt. Huang and his fellow pilots who managed to strike the Japanese aircraft with only one, two, or three functioning guns per Gladiator. Chin later revealed that the gun jams were caused by defective Belgian-made ammunition. The combat nevertheless proved tragic and costly: Lt. Xie Chuanhe (Hsieh Chuan-ho) and his wingman Lt. Yang Rutong pursued the E8Ns but were stymied by inoperable weapons, with Lt. Yang killed in the counterattack, and Lt. Chen Qiwei lost under similar circumstances. The 4th War Area Army, commanded by He Yingqin, was assigned to the defense of south China in 1938. General Yu Hanmou led the 12th Army Group defending Guangdong province. The region's defense included about eight divisions and two brigades of regular army troops stationed around Guangzhou, with an additional five divisions of regular troops deployed in Fujian. The 4th War Area Army totaled roughly 110,000 regular army troops. By this time, most regular army units in Guangxi and four Guangdong divisions had been redirected north to participate in the Battle of Wuhan. Beyond the regular army, two militia divisions were deployed near Guangzhou, and the Guangxi militia comprised five divisions. Militia units were typically raised from local civilians and disbanded as the army moved through new areas. Their roles centered on security, supply transportation, and reconnaissance. Guangdong's main defensive strength was concentrated in Guangzhou and the immediate environs to the city's east. Other Chinese forces defended Chaozhou and western Guangdong. Defensive fortifications included the Humen fortress guarding the Pearl River mouth and three defensive lines near Daya Bay. Guangzhou housed three batteries of four three-inch guns, a battery of three 120mm guns, and Soviet-supplied 37mm anti-aircraft guns. The Imperial Japanese Navy conducted an aerial and naval interdiction campaign aimed at China's communication lines to neighboring regions. Japan believed that the blockade would hasten the end of the war, and disruption of the Chinese logistics network was the primary objective in Guangdong province from August 1937 until October 1938. The 5th Fleet's blockading actions extended along the coast from Haimenchen, Zhejiang to Shantou, with the 5th Destroyer Squadron patrolling the coast south of Shantou. At times, units from the Marianas were deployed to support coastal blockade operations in south China, usually consisting of cruisers accompanied by destroyer flotillas. One or two aircraft carriers and fleet auxiliaries would also be on station. Naval interdictions focused on stopping junks ferrying military supplies from Hong Kong to coastal China. The first recorded attack occurred in September 1937 when eleven junks were sunk by a Japanese submarine. Although Japan successfully blockaded Chinese shipping and ports, foreign shipping could still enter and depart from Hong Kong. The central government had established Hong Kong as a warehouse for munitions and supplies to pass through. Aerial interdictions targeted Chinese railway bridges and trains in Guangdong. Starting in October 1937, the Japanese launched air raids against the Sunning railway, focusing on government facilities and bridges in Jiangmen and towns along the railway. By 1938, airstrikes against the Kowloon–C Canton railway became common, with damaged trains periodically found along the line. An air-defense early warning system was created to divert trains during raids into forested areas that offered overhead concealment. In May 1938, the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office approved a Chinese request to construct and operate a locomotive repair yard within the New Territories to keep the railway operational. Airstrikes against rail facilities in Guangzhou were designed to interrupt rail supplies from Hong Kong so Japan would not need to commit to land operations in south China. However, the air raids did not severely impede railway operations or stop supplies moving through Hunan or Guangxi. The blockade in south China also targeted aircraft flying out of Hong Kong. In November 1937, a Royal Navy aircraft from HMS Eagle encountered Japanese naval anti-aircraft fire off the coast of Hong Kong. In December 1937, fifteen Japanese bombers overflew Lantau Island and the Taikoo docks. In August 1938, Japanese naval aircraft shot down a China National Aviation Corporation passenger plane, and two Eurasia Aviation Corporation passenger planes were shot down the following month. Beyond military targets, the Japanese conducted politically motivated terror bombing in Guangzhou. Bombing intensified from May to June 1938 with incendiary munitions and low-level strafing attacks against ships. The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, operating from Formosa and the carrier Kaga, conducted about 400 airstrikes during this period and continued into July. By the end of the summer, Guangzhou's population had dwindled to approximately 600,000 from an original 1.3 million. From August 1937 to October 1938, casualties in Guangzhou were estimated at 6,000 killed and 8,000 injured. On October 12, 1938, Japanese forces from the 21st Army, including the 5th, 18th, and 104th Infantry Divisions, landed in Guangzhou, launching the operation at 4:00 am with elements of the 5th and 18th Divisions hitting Aotou and elements of the 104th Division landing at Hachung in Bias Bay. Initially totaling about 30,000 men, they were soon reinforced by a further 20,000, and resistance was minimal because most of Yu Hanmou's 12th Army Group had been redeployed to central China to defend approaches to Wuhan, leaving only two regular Chinese divisions, the 151st and 153rd, to defend the region. By the night of October 12, the Japanese had established a 10-kilometer-deep beachhead and advanced inland; on October 13 they seized the towns of Pingshan and Tamshui with little opposition, and on October 15 they converged on Waichow and captured it. The fall of Pingshan, located on the Sai Kong River with a deep, broad river and only a flimsy crossing, and Waichow, where Chinese defenses included trenches and concrete pillboxes, surprised observers since these positions had been prepared to resist invasion; nonetheless, Chinese forces fled, opening the road to Guangzhou for the Japanese. Between October 16 and 19, three Japanese columns pushed inland, with the easternmost column crossing the East River on the 16th and the 5th Infantry Division capturing Sheklung on the 19th as Chinese forces retreated. By the night of October 20, Guangzhou's defenders withdrew and adopted a scorched-earth policy to deny resources to the invaders. On October 21, Japanese tanks entered Guangzhou without infantry support, and a regiment from the 5th Infantry Division captured the Bocca Tigris forts with no resistance. With Guangzhou secured, the Guangzhou–Wuhan railway and the Hong Kong–Guangzhou railway were severed, supplies to Wuhan were cut, Chiang Kai-Shek faced a daunting and depressing task, he had to abandon Wuhan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Yangtze became a bloodied artery as Chinese and Japanese forces clashed from Anqing to Jiujiang, Madang to Tianjiazhen. A mosaic of Chinese troops, filled with grit and missteps, held lines while civilians like Wang Guozhen refused to surrender. The siege of Wanjialing crowned Chinese resilience, even as Guangzhou buckled under a relentless blockade. The Fall of Wuhan was all but inevitable.

Hong Kong combina rascacielos futuristas, templos históricos y paisajes naturales. Los viajeros disfrutan del skyline desde Victoria Harbour, los mercados callejeros, la gastronomía local y los festivales tradicionales como el Año Nuevo Chino. Lugares como Victoria Peak, Lantau Island y el Man Mo Temple ofrecen experiencias culturales y naturales únicas. Su transporte eficiente facilita explorar la isla y sus alrededores, haciendo de Hong Kong un destino vibrante y diverso para todo tipo de viajeros.

Join me on The Radio Vagabond podcast as I explore Hong Kong's top 7 tourist hotspots for an unforgettable adventure. From the vibrant streets of Lan Kwai Fong to the breathtaking views from Victoria Peak, each destination offers a unique experience. Dive into the non-stop party at Lan Kwai Fong, ascend to Victoria Peak for jaw-dropping views, and experience the sensory extravaganza of Temple Street Night Market. Find tranquillity at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, unleash your inner child at Hong Kong Disneyland, and soar above Lantau Island with Ngong Ping 360. Finally, sail through the heart and soul of Hong Kong aboard the iconic Star Ferry. For more travel inspiration, check out The Radio Vagabond podcast 

Join me on The Radio Vagabond podcast as I explore Hong Kong's top 7 tourist hotspots for an unforgettable adventure. From the vibrant streets of Lan Kwai Fong to the breathtaking views from Victoria Peak, each destination offers a unique experience. Dive into the non-stop party at Lan Kwai Fong, ascend to Victoria Peak for jaw-dropping views, and experience the sensory extravaganza of Temple Street Night Market. Find tranquillity at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, unleash your inner child at Hong Kong Disneyland, and soar above Lantau Island with Ngong Ping 360. Finally, sail through the heart and soul of Hong Kong aboard the iconic Star Ferry. For more travel inspiration, check out The Radio Vagabond podcast 

  Welcome to the Podcast with Dr. Mary Travelbest:   FAQ is:  Should I bring a cellphone when I travel? Today's Destination is: Hong Kong Today's Mistake- Losing my cell phone in Mexico City Travel Advice:  Try Reddit for some travel advice channels.    List to the end to hear about the Reddit feed called “solo travel”. No one uses their real names, so it's free flow. It is like anonymous social media, with different priorities and postings than on FB or IG, or even YouTube.    FAQ: Should I bring a cell phone when I travel? Answer: Yes, at least one. Ask your carrier if they have service in the countries where you are traveling, and if so, what are the fees, if any. Ask about special plans if they offer them. You can also get a second service and buy a cheap phone when you get abroad. Wifi you will get in most hotels, but it is not always a guarantee. If you have a hot spot, maybe you can use that when you travel. Also, consider using a VPN for more privacy than not having one. VPN is Virtual Private Network.  I had two cell phones the last time I was in Mexico City, but I lost the extra one. I'll tell that story later in the Lessons Learned section. Today's destination: Hong Kong or East Asia What is there to do in Hong Kong solo? It's ideal for your first Step 5 trip because you can absorb as much culture as you like, still being in what was a British colony for a long time. They have traditions like high tea here you will like. On my first trip here, I did not have any reservations, back in pre-cell phone days. That was adventurous, admittedly. What was the worst part of the trip here? Probably a bad haircut. But that's ok. because hair grows back. The other downside was that I booked a cheap flat for a few days and as I recall in January, neither the heat nor the hot water was working. On another island, Lantau Island, you will discover a cable car that will amaze you. 3500 people per hour is the capacity, with more than 100 cabins.   https://www.np360.com.hk/en/cable-car Today's Mistake-  Losing my cell phone in Mexico City   I'm glad you held on to it here. So I had a backup cell phone, just for emergencies. I was in a dressing room at a store trying on clothes and I took a minute to send a text. I was using the new phone. However, I did not have them connected, and so I had to look up the contact info on one phone and use it on the second one. Well, this got complicated and eventually, I lost the new phone in the dressing room. I went back and it was not found. I contacted the store manager and no one turned it in.   Today's Travel Advice-Get good travel advice from others on social media like Twitter and Reddit.   I've got an active Twitter feed, in case you haven't been there. My sign is @drtravelbest  Are you following me? Here's another example:  Reddit.com/solotravel has a lot of good q and a on it. I'm seeing a lot of questions about sim cards in Europe, and it may cost 25 euros for 50 GB of data in Europe. Some recommend Vodaphone.  Get educated here and join me. Discussions are public. It's not “owned” by me, just see good posts and skip the garbage posts. No one uses their real names, so it's freeflow. It is like anonymous social media, with different priorities than on FB or IG, or even YouTube.  Let me know if you like this platform. It's popular with millennials.   Connect with Dr Travelbest Drmarytravelbest.com Dr. Mary Travelbest Twitter Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram email: info@drmarytravelbest.com Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest onYouTube

Art Seeker Stories: A postcard from Hong Kong,  Day 1 : My artist journey and travels as an art seeker, a culture vulture, a 20 something trolly dolly. My diary edit, nostalgically looking back, 22 years to the day - today. Despite 4am tornado warnings I take a ferry to Lantau Island and visit Tai O, Asia's little Venice and the Big Buddha at the Po Lin monastery, shrouded in fog. 22 years later, I reflect on the connection between art and religion, by expression, in the  essence of spirit.

Hong Kong's hospitals reached 90% capacity on Thursday and quarantine facilities were at their limit, authorities said, as the city struggles to snuff out a record number of new COVID-19 cases by adhering to China's “zero tolerance” strategy.To ease the strain on the city's healthcare system, officials said they will take a different approach to hospitalization and isolation policies and allow some patients to be discharged sooner. The move comes amid reports of patients being treated on beds outside a hospital in the city's working-class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po.Hong Kong reported 6,116 new coronavirus infections on Thursday. Any person in the city who is infected with COVID-19 must be admitted to a hospital or community isolation facility.Under the new approach, people who are infected but present mild symptoms in hospitals and government-run isolation facilities will be allowed to leave after just seven days if they test negative on the seventh day and do not live with anyone in a high-risk group, such as senior citizens, pregnant women or immunosuppressed people.Those who do not meet these criteria must complete the full 14-day isolation period or wait until they test negative, according to health officials.Health experts from mainland China arrived in Hong Kong to help the city raise its testing capabilities and assist with medical resources and facilities. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam welcomed them at the land border with the city of Shenzhen.“Fighting the pandemic is our paramount task," Lam said. "We will devote every resource and manpower we have. We will impose any measures that we should. The aim is to make sure Hong Kong people's lives and health are protected and to uphold Hong Kong's stability.”Authorities reported 24 new deaths over the past week. The city has now confirmed a total of 16,600 infections, with 219 deaths.“In the last few days, we have had a lot of emergency cases where we had to accommodate patients in tents,” said Chuang Shuk-kwan, the head of Hong Kong's Communicable Disease Branch, during a regular COVID-19 briefing Thursday.“For these situations, our medical staff are very unhappy. We are worried about our patients' care,” she said.The city's Hospital Authority has appealed to medical professionals for assistance, asking doctors in private hospitals to help treat patients at quarantine facilities.The public hospitals are in a “crisis situation," said Sara Ho of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority.“If a large number of patients are waiting outdoors and if this continues, then no matter how hard our medical professionals work around the clock, there's no way to solve this problem relying on our own efforts,” she said.Officials have also appealed to the public, asking people to refrain from going out or taking part in private gatherings, saying that every effort helps as the city seeks to alleviate the burden on hospitals.Separately, Hong Kong is moving infected prison inmates to an isolation facility after seven prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. The Correctional Services Department said Thursday that the Sha Tsui facility on Lantau Island was designated for quarantining infected prisoners, whose numbers are expected to grow.Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier ordered the central government to provide Hong Kong with resources to stabilize the outbreak, including rapid antigen tests, medical expertise and supplies.China has tamped down major outbreaks through its strict “zero tolerance” policy that involves quarantining incoming travelers, total lockdowns, extensive contact tracing and mass testing of millions of people.Lam has stuck to the same strategy despite the city's greater population density, higher incomes and more service-oriented economy than in mainland China. Last week, the entire upscale Discovery Bay neighborhood in Hong Kong was ordered to undergo testing after authorities found traces of the virus in its sewage.- AP

Hong Kong's hospitals reached 90% capacity on Thursday and quarantine facilities were at their limit, authorities said, as the city struggles to snuff out a record number of new COVID-19 cases by adhering to China's “zero tolerance” strategy.To ease the strain on the city's healthcare system, officials said they will take a different approach to hospitalization and isolation policies and allow some patients to be discharged sooner. The move comes amid reports of patients being treated on beds outside a hospital in the city's working-class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po.Hong Kong reported 6,116 new coronavirus infections on Thursday. Any person in the city who is infected with COVID-19 must be admitted to a hospital or community isolation facility.Under the new approach, people who are infected but present mild symptoms in hospitals and government-run isolation facilities will be allowed to leave after just seven days if they test negative on the seventh day and do not live with anyone in a high-risk group, such as senior citizens, pregnant women or immunosuppressed people.Those who do not meet these criteria must complete the full 14-day isolation period or wait until they test negative, according to health officials.Health experts from mainland China arrived in Hong Kong to help the city raise its testing capabilities and assist with medical resources and facilities. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam welcomed them at the land border with the city of Shenzhen.“Fighting the pandemic is our paramount task," Lam said. "We will devote every resource and manpower we have. We will impose any measures that we should. The aim is to make sure Hong Kong people's lives and health are protected and to uphold Hong Kong's stability.”Authorities reported 24 new deaths over the past week. The city has now confirmed a total of 16,600 infections, with 219 deaths.“In the last few days, we have had a lot of emergency cases where we had to accommodate patients in tents,” said Chuang Shuk-kwan, the head of Hong Kong's Communicable Disease Branch, during a regular COVID-19 briefing Thursday.“For these situations, our medical staff are very unhappy. We are worried about our patients' care,” she said.The city's Hospital Authority has appealed to medical professionals for assistance, asking doctors in private hospitals to help treat patients at quarantine facilities.The public hospitals are in a “crisis situation," said Sara Ho of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority.“If a large number of patients are waiting outdoors and if this continues, then no matter how hard our medical professionals work around the clock, there's no way to solve this problem relying on our own efforts,” she said.Officials have also appealed to the public, asking people to refrain from going out or taking part in private gatherings, saying that every effort helps as the city seeks to alleviate the burden on hospitals.Separately, Hong Kong is moving infected prison inmates to an isolation facility after seven prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. The Correctional Services Department said Thursday that the Sha Tsui facility on Lantau Island was designated for quarantining infected prisoners, whose numbers are expected to grow.Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier ordered the central government to provide Hong Kong with resources to stabilize the outbreak, including rapid antigen tests, medical expertise and supplies.China has tamped down major outbreaks through its strict “zero tolerance” policy that involves quarantining incoming travelers, total lockdowns, extensive contact tracing and mass testing of millions of people.Lam has stuck to the same strategy despite the city's greater population density, higher incomes and more service-oriented economy than in mainland China. Last week, the entire upscale Discovery Bay neighborhood in Hong Kong was ordered to undergo testing after authorities...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In queste riflessioni commento il sutta dell'Anguttara Nikaya, i discorsi del Buddha in progressione numerica, AN 7.54, . Abyākatasutta, "I punti non dichiarati". I punti non dichiarati sono quelli relativi alle questioni metafisiche a cui il Buddha non ha mai voluto rispondere, come cosa ci succederà dopo la morte, come sia il nirvana, cosa accade ad un illuminato alla sua morte. In questo sutta il Buddha prende in esame soltanto quest'ultimo aspetto, che però vale anche per tutti gli altri. Il sutta è in realtà un insegnamento esemplare sulle opinioni e sui punti di vista, e sugli effetti che ci portano in termine di sofferenza, angoscia e nervosismo. Le riflessioni sono relative a portare questo insegnamento nella vita di tutti i giorni Si può scaricare il sutta in formato pdf o leggerlo qui di seguito. Traduzione a partire da quella dalla lingua Pāli di Bhikkhu Sujato Allora un mendicante si avvicinò al Buddha, si inchinò, si sedette da un lato e gli disse: “Signore, qual è la causa, qual è la ragione per cui un nobile discepolo istruito non ha dubbi sui punti non dichiarati?” “Mendicante, è a causa della cessazione delle opinioni che un nobile discepolo istruito non ha dubbi riguardo ai punti non dichiarati. ‘Il Realizzato esiste dopo la morte': questa è un'idea sbagliata. “Il Realizzato non esiste dopo la morte”: questa è un'idea sbagliata. ‘Un Realizzato esiste e non esiste dopo la morte': questa è un'idea sbagliata. ‘Un Realizzato non esiste né non esiste dopo la morte': questa è un'idea sbagliata. Una persona comune non istruita non comprende le opinioni, la loro origine, la loro cessazione o la pratica che porta alla loro cessazione. E così le loro opinioni crescono. Non sono liberati dalla rinascita, dalla vecchiaia e dalla morte, dal dolore, dal lamento, dalla tristezza e dall'angoscia. Io dico, non sono liberati dalla sofferenza. Un nobile discepolo istruito comprende i punti di vista, la loro origine, la loro cessazione e la pratica che conduce alla loro cessazione. E così le loro opinioni cessano. Sono liberati dalla rinascita, dalla vecchiaia e dalla morte, dal dolore, dal lamento, dalla tristezza e dall'angoscia. Io dico, sono liberati dalla sofferenza. Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non risponde: ‘Un Realizzato esiste dopo la morte', ‘Un Realizzato non esiste dopo la morte', ‘Un Realizzato esiste e non esiste dopo la morte', ‘ Un Realizzato non esiste né non esiste dopo la morte.' Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non dichiara i punti non dichiarati. Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non si agita, trema, si scuote o si innervosisce riguardo ai punti non dichiarati. ‘Un realizzato esiste dopo la morte': si tratta solo di brama. ... si tratta solo di percezione ... è un'identificazione ... è una proliferazione mentale ... si tratta solo di afferrare ... ‘Il Realizzato esiste dopo la morte': questo è rimpiangere. ‘Il Realizzato non esiste dopo la morte': questo è rimpiangere. ‘Un Realizzato esiste e non esiste dopo la morte': questo è rimpiangere. ‘Un Realizzato non esiste né non esiste dopo la morte': questo è rimpiangere. Una persona comune non istruita non comprende i rimpianti, la loro origine, la loro cessazione o la pratica che porta alla loro cessazione. E così i loro rimpianti crescono. Non sono liberati dalla rinascita, dalla vecchiaia e dalla morte, dal dolore, dal lamento, dalla tristezza e dall'angoscia. Io dico, non sono liberati dalla sofferenza. Un nobile discepolo istruito comprende i rimpianti, la loro origine, la loro cessazione e la pratica che conduce alla loro cessazione. E così i loro rimpianti cessano. Sono liberati dalla rinascita, dalla vecchiaia e dalla morte, dal dolore, dal lamento, dalla tristezza e dall'angoscia. Sono liberati dalla sofferenza, dico. Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non risponde: ‘Un Realizzato esiste dopo la morte'... ‘Un Realizzato non esiste né non esiste dopo la morte'. Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non dichiara i punti non dichiarati. Sapendo e vedendo questo, un nobile discepolo istruito non si agita, trema, si scuote o si innervosisce riguardo ai punti non dichiarati. Questa è la causa, questa è la ragione per cui un nobile discepolo istruito non ha dubbi sui punti non dichiarati”. Riflessioni di Dharma sulle opinioni registrate nel gruppo di meditazione di Terrapura 2 luglio 2021. Abyākatasutta, AN 7.54, traduzione di Bhikkhu Sugato in inglese con testo in Pāli disponibile su SuttaCentral. Foto di  Kon Karampelas on Unsplash, Tian Tan Buddha, Ngong Ping Road, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

*** Don't forget to subscribe! *** To view the full episode, click here: https://youtu.be/MK_wEKRtBSI * EPISODE LINKS IN DESCRIPTION – BELOW * Charmian met me on Lockhart Road, in Wanchai, Hong Kong. She took the ferry over from Lantau Island. What inspired me to get Charmian on the podcast is how dedicated she is when it comes to making an accurate record of Lantau's incredible fauna. I had also seen her book, called "Lantau Life: A Year on Lantau Island by Charmian Woodhouse" and just knew we would have TONS to talk about. From coasteering to geology, entomology to learning a new craft, join us to learn and be inspired! **** See more of and from Charmian Woodhouse: https://www.instagram.com/charmianwoodhouse/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49420743-lantau-life **** More from Shooting it RAW: Website: https://www.shooting-it-raw.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sqti7YyKrSNUdgw3ONSFg/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shootingitraw/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6p3NoR69bLG4lZ52FKE2dR Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shooting-it-raw/id1495187250?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/shooting-it-raw-with-ran-elfassy

Little about Hong Kong The city was a British colony from 1842 to 1997. The National Geographic described Hong Kong's history as "one of rapid growth, political turmoil, and continual demands for change." Hong Kong has returned to China on 1st July 1997 under the under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle. The Urban Landscape Hong Kong covers Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, including 262 outlying islands. Hong Kong’s terrain is mostly hilly and has steep slopes. Also, about 40 percent of Hong Kong’s land is designated as Country Park to provide habitats for biological species. Due to these reasons, the actual amount of developable flat land in Hong Kong is very limited, making its population density the fourth greatest in the world. The Population and Language Hong Kong is famous for international trade and financial investment. Because of this, the city is very urbanized. It has more than seven million residents in a little more than 400 square miles, and 100 percent of the population lives in urban areas. A lot of the foreigners misunderstood Hong Kong speakers Mandarin, not really! In Hong Kong, nearly 90% of the population are Cantonese speakers where only 1.9% speaks Mandarin. English is Hong Kong's second official language other than Cantonese. The Biggest Urban Challenge in Hong Kong Hong Kong has long been suffering from a housing shortage and high sales and rental prices. According to CBRE, Hong Kong is the priciest city in the world to buy a property, with an average price of US$1.25 million. Hong Kong is also the third most expensive city to rent with an average monthly rent of US$2,681, coming after New York and Abu Dhabi. To overcome Hong Kong’s housing crisis, Hong Kongers have been using their creative minds to come up with different innovative solutions. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/love-your-city/message

It’s the emergence of Stone Wong, a role Michael Wong would be associated with and known for from this point in his career training Special Duties Unit cadets, fighting crimes and dealing with drama at home. It’s the cop soap opera era, arriving in the form of 1994’s The Final Option. Also, a Lantau Island […]

It’s the emergence of Stone Wong, a role Michael Wong would be associated with and known for from this point in his career training Special Duties Unit cadets, fighting crimes and dealing with drama at home. It’s the cop soap opera era, arriving in the form of 1994’s The Final Option. Also, a Lantau Island […]

Sharing memories of good times in Hong Kong—one of my favorite cities in the world! Sights in Kowloon, Lantau Island, and Lamma Island are also shared. My special thanks to Harbour Plaza Hotels (both in HK and Kowloon! I looked online and it seems that the hotels have now been renamed “Harbour Grand” since my last visit www.harbourgrand.com ) for always taking such good care of me :) Thankful also to Regal Printing and owner Maurice (and the team, including Juanita!) in HK for such a great partnership to bring my first book, “Meditative Questions” to life so beautifully! I am so lucky to have found them. Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart. Namasté. selenasage.com // Fb+IG: Selena Sage - Author

Bobsy Gaia is a passionate eco-entrepreneur whose driving motivation is to raise environmental awareness. With Breakfast with Bobsy, he introduces personalities and leaders in the community who have helped what he sees as a global shift in consciousness, and discusses what others can do in their own lives to continue the shift. Jenny has been a one woman power house for change in HK since arriving here at the end of the 1980’s. Championing the preservation of her beloved Lantau Island & establishing Ark Eden a remote & lush green oasis of a valley where she conducts green workshops, bio dynamic farming & all manners of sustainable education working with schools & corporates alike to inspire change.

*There are a ton of juicy resources! Make sure to scroll down to the end! In this episode, we’re featuring three guests and discussing the following topics. *Our participation in the Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. *Robyn shares her story of meeting Maya Soetoro-Ng, Director of the Matsunaga Peace Institute at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, founder of Ceeds of Peace; and President Barack Obama’s sister! *We introduce you to three Activists who discuss their journeys with peace, activism and spiritual healing. *Our paths to studying and teaching peace with Robyn receiving the “Newcomer Mediator of the Year” Award from the Center of Conflict Resolutions Chicago and Keme receiving the “First Decade Award” from Augsburg College, her alma mater. Featured Guests: *Penelope Summers, M.A., Energy Therapist Interview begins @ 16:19 sec. *Ricardo Levins Morales, Artist and Activist   Interview begins @ 32:19 sec. *Andrew Williams, Executive Director of Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) Interview begins @ 56:09 sec. Our guests discuss a range of issues with us. Women’s impact on peace The Greensboro 4, lunch counter sit-ins and the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X Women's suffrage and black women being excluded from the movement. A white woman’s understanding of bell hooks, feminism and intersectionality. MP150 Police Review, A People’s Project Evaluating Policing   The history of police departments and its relationship to slavery and white supremacy in the U.S. How the paths to inclusivity and healing needs truth, justice and reconciliation. How art facilitates healing and builds self esteem. The paradox of Colin Kaepernick and Nike’s relationship with cheap labor in South Asia. How to live social justice. How to get involved in activism despite feelings of despair and being overwhelmed. Spirituality and activism Why compassion and love are important in activism and social justice work. Guests’ Bios: *Penelope Summers, M.A., Energy Therapist Penelope holds an M.A. in Writing and a dual M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies and International Administration and Conflict Management. She’s an Energy Therapist which includes working as an Intuitive, Medium, Reiki Master and EFT Practitioner. You can find her on Instagram at @ask._penny, Twitter: @summers_p and Facebook @ Penelope Jane.  You can make an appointment with her via email at summerspenelope790@gmail.com.  She offers her services at Eclipse in Roswell on Fridays. Their number is 678-682-8624 eclipsenewage.com. *Ricardo Levins Morales, Artist and Activist   “Ricardo Levins Morales describes himself as a “healer and trickster organizer disguised as an artist.” He was born into the anti-colonial movement in his native Puerto Rico and was drawn into activism in Chicago when his family moved there in 1967. He left high school early and worked in various industries, and over time began to use his art as part of his activism. This activism has included support work for the Black Panthers and Young Lords to participating in or acting in solidarity with farmers, environmental, labor, racial justice and peace movements. Increasingly he has come to see his art and organizing practices as means to address individual, collective and historical trauma. He co-leads workshops on trauma and resilience for organizers as well as trainings on creative organizing, social justice strategy and sustainable activism, and mentors and supports young activists. His art has won numerous awards but the greatest affirmation is the uses to which is has been put by grassroots movements and communities.” RLM Art Studio, 3260 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55406. Phone: 612-455-2242. rlmartstudio.com. *Andrew Williams, Executive Director of Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) “Andrew Williams, Executive Director (HECUA) has over 25 years of experience in higher education as a teacher, mentor, academic advisor, and administrative leader. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana and raised within a working-class African-American family, Williams was a first-generation college student. His upbringing and academic experiences sparked his intellectual curiosity in social difference, political resistance and human inequality. Recruited to play basketball, Andrew matriculated to Earlham College where his experiences and exposure to Quaker values sparked his sociological imagination and passion for social justice. Andrew eventually left the basketball team while serving as captain in protest over Earlham’s investments in corporations doing business in South Africa and joined leaders of the campus divestment movement. For Andrew, this was the beginning of a deep and sustained exploration of African and African Diaspora cultures and politics, engaged scholarship, and political activism. Throughout his career, Williams has worked to balance and link research, teaching, and political engagement on issues of interculturality, educational equity, international development, human rights, learning abroad, placed-based learning and social justice. More recently, Williams has served as Director of Multicultural Affairs at Carleton College, Director of Development and Communication for Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence at the University of Minnesota, and Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion within the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts.”  hecua.org Resources Books and Blogs I’d Rather Teach Peace, by Colman McCarthy Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life Strength to Love, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos and Community, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, by Rev. angel Kyodo Williams Lani Guinier Why Every Yoga Teacher and Practitioner Needs Inclusivity Training, by Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Ad Raises Issues of Workers Rights Videos, Documentaries and Films Keme Hawkins, Ph.D. receiving The First Decade Award at Augsburg College Greensboro Four, Independent Lens documentary (watch here) Colman McCarthy, I’d Rather Teach Peace Talk, TEDxGeorgetown Iron Jawed Angels Angela Davis on the Radical Work of Healing and Self Care Hong Kong Blessings, Robyn and Keme’s Peace Pilgrimage to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Yoga Inclusivity Training Organizations and Institutions Center for Conflict Resolution Chicago Augsburg University Nobel Peace Prize Forum Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolence Social Change Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta Ceeds of Peace The Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawaii-Manoa Greensboro Four - Lunch counter sit-ins International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Greensboro, NC Women’s Equality Day Alice Paul Institute Intersectionality bell hooks Institute MPD150 Police Review, A People’s Project Evaluating Policing   Want to support the show?  Buy Ayurveda products from Banyan Botanicals! Robyn's Banyan purchase link HERE.  *** To learn more about Robyn's favorite Ayurveda products, CLICK HERE. Ayurveda Consultations Email Robyn @ robynshealthyliving@gmail.com. ***  Screenwriting and Writing Consulting Services Email Keme @ hawkins.keme@gmail.com. ***  Social media Instagram: @spiritpathpodcast Twitter: @onthespiritpath Website: spiritpathpodcast.com  If you like our vibe, be sure to SUBSCRIBE!  

018 - Hak Gwei (Foreigner) Adventures in Asia Show Notes Fresh off the boat (plane) from Asia, Andrew joined to discuss his two weeks of vacation in Hong Kong and Korea, including: Impressions of Hong Kong and why he could see himself living in Seoul one day Tourist highlights including: Victoria Harbour, Lantau Island, Myeongdong, and the DMZ Interactions with the natives: social norms, etiquette, and playing on Tinder (does jungle fever exist in Asia?) Korea, a foodie’s paradise: pork belly, ginseng chicken, dakgalbi, seafood pancake, bingsu, hotteok, lots of kimchi, and of course...fried chicken! Ching Chong 100: Story of an encounter with a Chinese family at Victoria Peak Follow Us: Follow @LADS_Unfiltered on Twitter for information related to our episodesFind out more at https://lads-unfiltered.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Well, I survived Hong Kong. That’s about the best way to put it. If you listened to my previous shows you heard my conversation with Mia Beales with Guilin Photo Tours and how awesome that area of China is. You also heard about my other plans and what I was going to shoot there in HK. Virtually nothing went according to plan. To back up a bit, my initial goal with my journey was to show the opposite of what you expect to see from Hong Kong. In my head, I called it the “softer” side of Hong Kong. And to a large degree, I was successful. I was able to get out and hike some trails and photograph the lush landscape that you just don’t associate with Hong Kong. I was also able to find some fantastic structures along those trails, either where people live, or where they used to live. I started on Lantau Island. It’s such a beautiful place. And I had planned a very detailed itinerary and even designed it as a booklet and printed it so I’d have a copy for easy reference. I’ve done this before and it’s worked well. The main benefit is that in planning so much I have all these options and photo locations floating around in my head. So as I need to, I can alter the plan on a whim. And I did and it worked great. I still got to all my locations on Lantau Island, just not in the order I originally planned them. But that didn’t matter. I was having a blast exploring and seeing the side of Hong Kong that most people don’t even know about. Their hiking paths are rather interesting, and very well maintained. Lantau is rather mountainous, and these paths, for the most part, are raised concrete and rock paths that are about three to five feet wide. They’re so easy to follow you simply can’t get lost. And every 500m they have sign posts with numbers on them. If you get into trouble you just call emergency services, tell them the nearest sign post and they’ll know where you are. It’s great. I walked from the Po Lin monastery back towards my room in Mui Wo, about a nine mile journey. I only made it half way (to the main road) because I just kept stopping and shooting along the path and I was taking way to long to get this hike done. But I didn’t care. I was having the time of my life! This continued for a couple of days until my videographer friend showed up. My other intent for this trip was to shoot a series of training videos and he was going to help. I had a script all written for the main parts and then we’d get some more candid items as well. He showed up on Thursday, so that meant Friday and Saturday were essentially “recovery” days, although on Saturday we went to Macau and in total we walked about 11 miles! Then we got to shooting on Sunday and by Sunday evening we were doing wonderfully, things were really clicking. However, I woke up Monday morning completely sick. Totally and utterly sick. To make a long story short, I got food poisoning so bad I had to go to the hospital. I was upset, depressed, an assortment of emotions was running through me as I laid there trying to get better. I cancelled my China Excursion. After all, I know my health is more important than getting any shot, and I also know myself. I knew that I had a good chance of being released on Wednesday and with my need to get on the train to China on Thursday, that was just going to be too much. As I laid there I started thinking about a whole bunch of things. I had time, and thinking was about all I could do, that and watch meaningless TV. I thought about how this summer had led up to me going to HK, and what I planned to do after I got back. I became rather retrospective. I began to think, “what’s important here?” What can I still get out of this trip to HK, and more broadly, am I doing what I need to do in life to achieve my goals? What are my goals? And this is why this episode is called “turning point.” In that hospital bed I believe I was able to contemplate a few things and that started me down this mental journey of honing my ideas and getting things in line where they need to be. In reality my first decisions along this line took form in November 2017, when my business partner and I decided that it was time to either make it or break it as far as my company, Brent Rents Lenses, is concerned. I’d been working on that for 3.5 years at that time and things weren’t going as planned there either. We set a plan in motion that would either see growth, or, as it turns out, demise. So in July I announced that the company was closing. My job has also seen some changes. I’ve been working on reducing some of the “extra” stuff I do so I can spend more time on curriculum development. There’s so many things I’m responsible for that a regular faculty member isn’t and I’ve come to the point where I just had to start whittling away at things. So things were well on their way and the groundwork had been laid for me to vastly simplify my life. Closing things down at work so I can focus on my research and course development coupled with closing the company… They were painful decisions, but in the end, smart decisions. But what does this have to do with anything and why am I thinking about all this in a Hong Kong hospital bed? It boils down to one word. And that is failure. Or more pointedly, the fear of failure. I seemed that once again I’d failed. These other items I hadn’t really considered failure so much, especially not the decisions made at work to allow me to focus on what the school pays me to focus on. That was about reducing my overload. With the company, I’d come to terms with it. I was OK with it. Not a huge deal. But as I lay there the prospects of yet another item that was flopping on its face and I could do nothing about it. It got me thinking. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing for me to do, but it happened. I’m a man of faith. So my contemplation of these things certainly had a spiritual overtone to them as well. And I was in a faith-based hospital as well which did good for my soul, that’s for sure. The hospital chaplain visited and that certainly was uplifting, we actually had a few things in common. So I started forming some new goals and reforming existing ones. And these were larger ideas, not just focusing on my time there in HK. It involves my photography and it involves my work. And after having been back two weeks I think I finally have something that’s starting to take shape and something that makes sense. And after having been rather sour about the whole HK journey my thoughts were further galvanized. So here it goes. I figured I need a few things to happen. If I’m going to be serious about these things there must be some action. So I’ve identified a few of these things that need to happen, they are: I simply need to shoot more. I love the craft of photography. I love everything about it. However, compared to most of you, I rarely do it. I MUST do more. And so to do more of it, I welcome you all to post your planned outings in the Latitude facebook group. If you’re in the Pacific NW and I can make it, I’ll do what I can to get out there and join you. I was going to do just that with a listener who is currently at the Pendleton Roundup, one of the largest roundups around with over 75K people in attendance. There’s less than ¼ that number for their entire population! But alas it didn’t work out. My goal is to get out way more than I have in the past. And if I’m heading out on a shoot where I can have company I’ll make a mention in the facebook group as well. I need to write more. My blog and my podcast will possibly benefit from me writing more, but maybe I suck as a writer. I don’t know, but I’m going to do it anyway. I need to experience more. Whether it’s to travel someplace, alone or with the family. Getting out there is a driving force in my life. I need to do more of it. And that’s about it. It’s rather simple. My trimming things back this summer will ultimately help me achieve these goals. But I can’t do these immediately, at least not to the level I want to do them. I do have some projects that I must finish up before I can realize these three goals I just laid out. So, for the next six months or so I’ve decided to continue scaling back so that I can get these items out of the way and I can move forward. I’m pretty sure these “needs” will morph over this time as well and I’m OK with that. However, I’m not going to be a hermit, so there’s a few things that’s happening now. I’m still going to focus on that training video we were shooting in HK. I think we got enough done that I can still pull something together. My Croatia workshop is the only big workshop I’m doing this summer. I’ll have more on that later I’ve started advertising on my site about custom private workshops. Whether someone has a need that requires a skype conversation or if you’re looking to travel to my neck of the woods, hit me up. I’ll plan an experience for you or we can plan it together. I’ve decided that attending the Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas this March won’t be possible, at least presently. This decision hurts the most. But planning a workshop and the lessons I’d want to present will simply take too much time between now and January and I had to let something go. Hopefully my situation can change, maybe one of my projects will get done more quickly than I expected, and things can change. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. My printing course is also still on the docket. It just got pushed back a bit. That’s one of my many projects I’ve been vaguely talking about. So that pretty much sums up my summer. One where pretty much nothing went according to plan and yet it’s all still falling into place. It tends to work out somehow J My time in the HK hospital also got me thinking specifically about my approach to photography in general. I claim that I like to be “thoughtful and purposeful” in my craft, but am I really? I think I still too often fall into a “spray and pray” shooting category, and sometimes I admit that’s needed. I had time to get rather philosophical and I recalled some images from Michael Kenna. If you haven’t seen his work, you absolutely should look him up. He’s one of my ultimate photography heroes. He’s an absolute master at simplifying the scene so the only items that are left are the ones that matter. And the images are so incredibly strong. He shoots B&W film and that too is awesome. I also turned to some of David DuChemin’s work. He too is an inspiration. You should look him up as well if you’re not familiar with his work. With these thoughts in mind, I knew I needed to rework my approach to my own photography. I believe I was already leaning this direction with my work in Hong Kong but as I was getting frustrated at my inability to be “efficient” at getting shots I knew something was awry with my outlook and my expectations. I then started thinking about my Croatia workshop and how that really wasn’t fulfilling my expectations either. My previous plan had us bouncing all over the place and not spending enough time going deep and really getting what we need to get out of a location. Allow me to read my new description here: Exquisite landscapes amidst rich culture and history… For me, this is what Croatia is about. On this tour you’ll be challenged to dig deep into the very fiber of what makes you a photographer. Whether you’re a beginner and you’re starting to explore what that means for you, or if you’re a seasoned shooter, you’ll be challenged to create a body of work that only you can create. There will be up to six students, and with that, there will be at least six different points of view on how to best photograph our locations. There will be times where you’ll feel frustrated. That happens frequently when we strive for perfection. I’ve crafted this photo workshop tour to provide ample time for you to not only discover a fantastic nation and its people, but to also discover something new about your photography. We do this through constant review and discussion as we’re shooting, and then with follow-up reviews afterwards. The plan is to spend enough time at each location to give you the opportunity to focus and hone your approach. I’d love for you to join me on this great journey as we experience the best photographic wonders Croatia has to offer. There’s also an optional jaunt into Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina planned after the tour as well. So the main part of the journey is about slowing it down and my intent is to provide more time at the best locations Croatia has to offer. However, I couldn’t resist offering a brief optional jaunt into Montenegro and a good look at two of the best items Bosnia-Herzegovina has to offer too. All the info is available on my website. I’d be honored to have you along for the adventure. Well I hope this hasn’t been too much of an expose of my inner most thoughts, fears and dreams. I suppose if you made it this far you weren’t scared off too much. Anyway, I so greatly appreciate your support through listening to this show, and I hope you’ll think it worthy of sharing it with others. As for the immediate future I’ll be arranging more interviews with other photographers for the podcast. Those will happen later in October and November of this year. So my production will take a short dip as I get the school year up and running. Thanks again so much for being here. Until next time, happy shooting! Use this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks! Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

Jet Lag In talking with my videographer friend he mentioned jet lag. My flight gets in to HK around 4:00 p.m. and I’ll spend some time going through customs and such. It’ll likely be about 7 by the time I get to my hotel. I figured unless something ultra-strange is happening I’ll be fine with it and I’ll just go to bed, wake up maybe a bit late the next day and all should be good. HK is about 15 hours ahead of my timezone, which is Pacific. Or that would be about 9 hours behind if you were to look at it that way. Anyway, it’s a significant change. My friend is coming from eastern timezone, so he’s got 12 hours difference there. One thing he mentioned was to consider fasting during your travel as that will help adjust the body’s natural internal clock. I thought this was very interesting, so I had to do some research. The only solid item I found was in the New England Journal of Medicine, but you have to be a paying customer to get it. So I found anecdotal stuff here and there, but nothing really deep. He was saying that the basic idea is to simply not eat until you have to a breakfast time of your destination. For me it’ll be great since I can land, get to bed and then wake up and have breakfast. For him, he’s arriving at about 7:00 a.m. So he’ll fast on the plane then eat once he lands. And then since we’ll be starting the day, hopefully he won’t be too groggy to be at least coherent. But I still found other things that I wanted to share. Some of it is rather “out there” so if I sound rather judgmental on these things is more about how I can’t ever see myself doing them, not necessarily thinking someone is foolish for doing it themselves. Here we go. I found an article on CNN, the link is here in the show notes. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/9-alternative-jet-lag-strategies/index.html It’s called “9 alternative jet lag strategies.” First up is to use the hormone Melatonin. The body creates this naturally, but increasing the presence of Melatonin should help the circadian rhythm get adjusted more quickly. They recommend not taking it while in the air, but to do it at bed time once you’ve landed. It’s widely available at drug stores and of course, as with all things medically oriented, it’s best to talk with your doctor before you do anything like this. Just needing to cover myself there. This remedy is not for me. I’m just not one to hop on the drug bandwagon all that quickly. Even when I get a headache, I’d rather tough it out than take a Tylenol. I’ll pop the pill when needed for sure, but my preference is to not do anything. The next item is fasting, of all things. We’ve already talked about this, but this particular article only talks about a few items here, I’d love to have a much deeper article. If you know of one, please forward it on to me. They recommend refrain eating or drinking anything but water and herbal tea if you are looking to minimize jet lag. I won’t fast the whole flight but I’ll do at least half of it so I can go to bed on an empty stomach and hopefully awake ready for a huge breakfast. The next item up is called “earthing.” Well, these were “alternative” ways, right? Basically, the point here is to literally touch the earth at your destination. Take off your shoes and walk in the grass, the beach, whatever. It’ll change your mood and outlook. Seems more psychological than anything else, which can help, don’t get me wrong. But I look at this a bit oddly since it’s more along the lines of something I try to do naturally anyway. So, to have it as a suggestion for something different, to me, is more of a statement on society than anything else. As in, why isn’t this normal behavior already? Watsu is the next one. It’s a water-based relaxation therapy that is similar to a Japanese Shiatsu massage. They go into some detail, but quite frankly, getting relaxed and destressing is the point. If you can do that by just laying on the bed, or getting a massage then go for it. Another is Restricted Environment Stimulation Therapy. Basically, you’re in a light and soundproof tank, floating in 93.5 degree water, that’s Fahrenheit by the way, the temp of most people’s skin. And it’s supposed to be relaxing. My only question is, where do you find stuff like this? And this is the third item that is just focused on relaxation and destressing. Why not just say that and then say, “here’s a few ways of doing that?” And then the next item on the list is Onsens, or a hot spring. OK, just another way to relax, and it’s water-based too. No surprise. I’m happy to do it, love a hot tub soak. Just not sure I’m going to find that at my destination since I’m too cheap and my hotel is less than $30 a night! And finally, the last two are IV infusions and sound healing. I’ll never do the IV infusion thing as I hate needles and I’ll suffer any jet lag three times over before I get stuck with a needle. And the sound healing thing sounds too new agey to me. They suggest that it’s been shown that sound frequencies at 528hz have been shown to heal the body’s DNA. What? I didn’t know DNA could be healed. I fully understand there’s people out there listening that probably know a lot more about this stuff than I do. I’m usually open to listening to these new ideas, but when it comes to something like this, I just need a better article I suppose. They end by saying if you’re in Dubrovnik, go to Villa Dubrovnik, where they say you can get into a “diamond cocoon, where guests lie in a dark, enclosed chamber atop a bed of bubbling warm water as a journey of light and sounds aim to help them relax and get a better night’s sleep.” Sorry, that’s not for me. My whole take on this thing is I’m going to try the fasting. I’ve not heard of that one before. But I always give myself a lighter schedule when I first get somewhere so I can give my body time to adjust. And I listen to what my body is telling me. If I’m by myself, I don’t mind sleeping in or going to bed early. Or forcing myself up when I need to make the change. I may miss a few shots, and that would stink for sure. But I’ve found that my health suffers and if that happens I miss even more shots (thinking back to my time in Chile where I twisted my ankle and got sick and missed out on about three days because health reasons) I take one day at a time and I roll with it. But I’m certainly looking forward to this journey to try a few new things out. I’ll add some relaxing in there too, when I go to bed J Hong Kong I’m going to Hong Kong. And I’m so excited about this journey. It came about because a few weeks ago I found out that I would not be able to participate in a mission trip to India in November. Taking that much time off work just won’t work. So I had a backup plan which was seriously, to go “somewhere.” Literally, you can ask my wife, I didn’t care where, it was just somewhere cool. I scoured a few flight websites and settled on flights.google.com for the ease of use and easy variety of locations that I can explore as well as date options for departures and returns. So I found this ticket on Delta direct from Seattle for less than $560. Round trip. The wife said, “Yes you should go, but remember your son has a birthday…” So I found an itinerary that will get me home in time and has me there for about 16 days. Wow. So I bought the tickets and then started planning. I already had a Lonely planet guide book from when I spent 2.5 days there way back in 2002. I was returning from India, a different mission oriented trip, and had a layover in Hong Kong. The agent making the flight arrangements apologized terribly for the inconvenience and I was like, “are you kidding. This is awesome!” So I bought an updated book and I read it cover to cover, highlighted various things and what not, then I got a message from a long-time friend that has wanted to have me let him know whenever I’m going someplace exciting. He saw my post on facebook and I was like (crickets) Oh yeah,, un I forgot about that… So, he’s a videographer. I had an idea to make a photography course and shoot it over there in HK and he agreed to do the video. So that threw a whole other set of planning into the mix. So now I’m not only planning for 16 days (14 really since I don’t shoot on Saturdays) of shooting, but now I need to come up with scripts and a plan for how to teach photography at each of the locations we’re going to. And let’s not forget I’m shutting down my gear rental company during this as well, (only about half the gear has been sold, still some great pieces to be had) and finishing up a project for the university that involves about six videos to be posted to my YouTube channel this summer. It’s a professional development project and it just has to get done this summer. That’s all there is to it. So I’m scrambling to keep up with the podcasting, family, help my church still plan for this mission trip to India that I’m no longer going on, 16 days in Hong Kong, create my print and creativity course and now this beginner/intermediate course… I’m getting exhausted just thinking about it. So let’s focus. On HK. I’m going to tell you the plan, and then while there I’ll plan to record an episode and then I’ll tell you how it went once I get back. I’ll do my best not to bore you too much or be too repitively redundant. So I’m starting out on Lantau Island. I’ll stay in Mui Wo. There’s a waterfall in the Silvermine Bay area. I’ll get to that and then I’ll take the bus to the big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery. That’ll be during the mid day so we’ll see what kind of light I get. Thankfully there’s a vegetarian restaurant at the monastery and that’s where I’ll have lunch. I’ll then either take the bus or walk to Tai O. A fishing village. The next day I’ll repeat the plan, but I’m going to walk it on the trails that cover the mountainous island. It should make for a great hike and with the hot and humid and sometimes rainy weather I’ll experience in August, well, we’ll see how good my umbrella is and the rain cover on the backpack. My videographer gets in a couple days after I get there, so I’ll wake up early, get to the small island of Peng Chau, hike around for a few hours, and then take the mid morning ferry back to meet him at the dock. We’ll then move on to Causeway Bay area where our joint room will be. Some of the other places we will go are, Lamma Island, Po Toi island, the Peak, of course, and Central and Kowloon Peninsula. But we’ll also get to many of the less traveled too places in the New Territories. This is the interesting part about Hong Kong. It was handed over to the Chinese in 1997, but the British didn’t have to give all of HK up. It was just the New Territories that were under the temporary agreement, so those sections were scheduled to go back to China control, but Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island as well as several other outlying islands could have stayed in the British Empire. But logistically, it just wouldn’t have worked. So they handed the entire territory over to China. It’s interesting how they treat it now. It’s a Special Administrative region of China. As a US citizen, I don’t need a visa to go there for stays up to 90 days. HK is rather small, but that’s why I love it for travel photography. The public transport is amazing. There’s a bunch of very high quality sites to get to and they’re all, or at least most of them are, very accessible via public transport. Macau is the same way, though it was Portuguese. But it’s also a Special Administrative Region. My goal with this journey is to get out and hike. To see the natural wonders that HK has and show them to you and whomever else is interested. And to shoot some training videos of course.  My approach, however, is to not get too bent out of shape if the videos don’t work out. I’m writing my scripts, and I have good outlines of what I want to talk about. I just need to keep that handy so I can apply a lesson to what I’m shooting. And I’ve got a documentary videographer coming along too, so I’ll probably be fine. We’ll go to some markets, there’s a night market on Kowloon peninsula, and the Stanley market is supposed to be good as well. And one thing I love about HK is the lack of regulation on production like this. We contacted the film office because it seems that the way their website is written we might have to get permits. But they basically laughed (if that’s possible to ascertain through email) at our request since it’s such a small production. So we figure we’re good. And finally, after my videographer friend leaves I have five more days. So I decided I’m going to China. I’ve got my visa application ready to go. I just need to get my Global Entry interview done first, then I’ll FedEx my passport down to SFO for processing. I really, really wanted to go to Detian falls. Also known as Ban Gioc falls. It’s the fourth largest waterfall on an international border. It’s on the border of China and Viet Nam. I probably could have made it, but the connections and times it takes to get out there makes it nearly impossible. I don’t have confidence in the timing of bus schedules and the like, and most hotels in that area aren’t bookable online. I mostly use booking.com and they have one that’s kind of sort of close to the falls, but it’s out in the middle of nowhere, and it’d be not only tough to get there but getting around is tough too. I did find one at the falls itself, but then it’s just the getting there that was making it very difficult. And then getting back on time to be sure I don’t miss my flight. It just wasn’t working out. So I decided to go to the tourist trap of Guilin instead. I may hire a guide, I may just kick back a little. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. That part is still rather undefined. But I’m going, that part I know. (so long as I get a visa from the Chinese government. Fingers crossed) That wraps it up for now. Thanks so much for listening. Remember to search for and find the other podcasts in the Master Photography group. They are Portrait Session, Photo Taco and Thoughts on Photography, which is still being resurrected by Brian McGuckin. Until next time, Happy shooting. Use this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks! Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

In this episode of the podcast Gary Bembridge of TipsForTravellers.com, revisits Hong Kong to provide tips for travellers on the 10 must-see sights and attractions. In addition he also provides some key observations, historical highlights, best time to visit, getting there and around and general tips and advice. The episode covers the following must-see sights and attractions: The Peak. The Star Ferry. Temple Street Market. Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. Symphony of Lights. Stanley Market. Lan Kwai Fong. Sky100 Observation Deck. Lantau Island. Hong Kong Disneyland. Resources and links: Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Lantau Hong Kong (Time-lapse Video). Hong Kong Victoria Harbour Day-to-Night Timelapse. After listening to the podcast: Please leave a comment on Tipsfortravellers.com/podcast, email me or leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe (and leave a review) to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. Consider becoming a Podcast Patron and visit tipsfortravellers.com/patron.

In this latest episode, Laszlo finally gets around to the oft-requested subject of piracy in early 19th century China.  Pirates had been a fact of life going back to the most olden days. Mid to late Qing Dynasty the amount of trade being plied on the China coast attracted pirates like never before.  Zheng Yi Sao ("Zheng Yi's Wife") was a tough woman from the Pearl River Delta who married the most notorious pirate of his day Zheng Yi.   Upon Zheng Yi's death, his widow took control of his massive pirate fleet.  With her adopted son, and later husband Cheung Po Tsai, she controlled what as, at the time, the largest pirate fleet that preyed on coastal dwellers and vessels engaged in trade. She later became an inspiration for many characters that appeared in books, movies, video games, and other media. TERMS FROM THIS EPISODE Zheng Shi 郑氏 Madame Zheng, Widow Zheng Zheng Yi Sao 郑一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao, wife of Zheng Yi haidao   海盗 pirate Zhejiang   浙江 East coast province of China Guangdong   广东  Southernmost province of continental China Tây Sơn Rebellion   Major uprising in Vietnam from 1770 to 1802 Binh Dinh Province   South central coastal province in Vietnam Da Nang   Vietnam's 3rd largest city Nha Trang   Coastal city in Vietnam Xishan   西山 West Mountain (Tây Sơn in Vietnamese) Guangxi   广西 One province over from Guangdong Shi   石 Common Chinese surname, means stone Ma 马Another common Chinese surname, means horse Xu   徐 Common Chinese surname. I always get it mixed up with 许. Shi Xianggu   石香姑 Zheng Yi Sao's real name Xinhui   新会 City near Jiangmen Tanka or Danjia   疍家 The boat dwelling people of south China and Fujian shuishang ren 水上人 people who live on the water Zheng Yi   郑一 South Seas pirate who ran the Red Flag Fleet. Married Shi Xianggu Red Flag Fleet  红旗帮 Hóngqí Bāng. Cheung Po Tsai  张保仔 Zhang Bâozâi Jing Hai fen ji  靖海氛记 Charles F. Neumann's "The Pirates who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810. Jiaqing emperor   嘉庆帝 Qing emperor 1796 - 1820 Daoguang emperor   道光帝 Qing emperor 1820 - 1850 Ming Jiajing Emperor   明嘉靖帝 Ming emperor 1521 - 1567 Lantau 大屿山 Island that is part of the Hong Kong SAR Cheung Chau  - Changzhou 长洲 Island off the coast of Lantau Humen  虎门 Located at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta Chow Yun-fat  周润发 Great Actor who played Sau Feng, one of the Pirate Lords from Disney's P of the C movie Part 3. Qiongzhou Strait 琼州海峡 Body of water that separates Hainan from Guangdong    

The Pearl River Delta – including Hong Kong’s Lantau Island development – will be part of the huge metropolitan landscape arising due to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, says Marcos Chan of US-based CBRE Group. He says the many opportunities emerging will help Hong Kong’s position while CBRE will benefit as a global real estate consultancy with its Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong.

Gary Bembridge of Tips for Travellers shares observations, tips and advice for visitors to Hong Kong.Subscribe free to the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Radio.This show covers among other topics: Observations Dense with multitudes of skyscrapers and people. More people live and work above 15th floor than anywhere else in the world and has most residential blocks about 40 stories high and constant development. Very pretty harbour - Victoria harbour - one of deepest natural harbours in the world - Hong Kong means "fragrant harbour". Population of 7 million. 262 islands - Hong Kong island, Lantau Island (Airport and Disneyland ), Kowloon peninsula and Northern Territories. Transforms at night - skyscrapers have light effects - 8pm light show (biggest and longest running permanent show) on Hong Kong island and at 9pm on ICC (International Commerce Building) in Kowloon. English widely spoken as one off 2 official languages. Very connected city lots of free wifi around HistoryBritish colony until 1997Getting ThereVery busy airport built on reclaimed land on Lantau Island.Cruise -  Kai Tak Terminal designed on site of old airport runway in Kowloon.Best time to goHot and humid most of yearColdest in Jan Hottest JulyGetting aroundCoveted walkways and open air mid -evels escalator - worlds largest outdoor covered escalator.Trams - kept despite modern metro system following pretty much same routes.Busses - 5 companies run 700 routes.BigBus Hop-on Hop-Off bus toursGeneral TipsUse UK style 3-pin plugs Good App - "Discover Hong Kong" developed by HK tourism board and Cathay Pacific Airline. Works off line and has series of suggested walks. Must-do activities Victoria PeakTram launched in 1888- 8 minutes ride to the stop with stunning views across city, also has Madame Tussards and shopping.Star FerryIconic service since 1870s - taking people 7 minutes from Hong Kong to Kowloon Ocean terminal.Harbour TourMany options from Star Ferry, Sailing Junks and motorised junk boat trips.See Hong Kong at nightNight bus tourLight show- "Symphony of lights" - 45 skyscrapers on both sides of harbourWalk the streets on Hong Kong side in Wan Chai and Kowloon along Nathan streetShoppingGood prices as do no  sales tax and is a Duty free portStanley marketCentral district- high end shopsHollywood road - antiques and art SoHo - galleries Ladies MarketTemple Street Night Market AberdeenFishing village and Luxury marinaAfternoon tea at Peninsula HotelFlagstaff house museum of Teaware - in oldest surviving colonial building - BeachesRepulse BayTheme ParksDisneylandOcean Park -see Cunard notesMuseumsCan get good value 7-day museum passHK museum of artthe space museumHK science museumHK museum of historyFurther afieldMacau - high speed ferry or bus

Have you been to Peng Chau? Listen to Ben's introduction about this small island located off the north-eastern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong.