On the morning of 8 December 1941, Japanese troops started bombing Kai Tak Airport, marking the start of the 18-day “Battle of Hong Kong”. Hong Kong lost the battle and went through the Japanese Occupation. A bitter experience as it was, the Japanese Occupation became a watershed in the British rule in Hong Kong, paving the way for a new situation in post-war Hong Kong. As early as at the start of the 20th century, Britain foresaw Hong Kong as the next target of Japan’s aggression. However, owing to the vast extent of the British national territory and her having just survived the First World War, Britain experienced a lean period and could only allocate few resources to Hong Kong’s military affairs. That having been said, the Hong Kong government was still preparing for a battle, as it was constructing air-raid shelters, conducting air-raid drills, recruiting militia members, etc. Also were constructed the 18-km Gin Drinker’s Line [in the New Territories] and many new fortresses on Hong Kong Island. However, the British government did not expect the Japanese to start attacking as early as on 8 December 1941. Ill-equipped, the Hong Kong garrison fought back. As a result, in only five days, the resistance in New Territories and Kowloon Peninsula collapsed. The garrison had no choice but to retreat all together to Hong Kong Island. Subsequently, the Japanese troops issued the call to surrender twice to the Hong Kong government; on both occasions the call was rejected by Hong Kong governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young. After a bitter 18-day battle, Sir Young officially surrendered Hong Kong to the Japanese troops on Christmas Day 1941, marking the beginning of Japanese Occupation, a dark period in the history of Hong Kong. Despite having lost the Hong Kong colony, the British government believed that the Allies would gain victory in the end because of the participation of the United States in the war, hence the beginning of the drafting of post-war plans. On the o