Hong Kong as a Wartime Refuge

When Japanese forces invaded mainland China in 1937, Hong Kong—then a British colony—became an unlikely sanctuary. Between 1936 and 1941, its population surged from 1 million to 1.6 million as refugees fled south. Among them were China’s most prominent intellectuals: writers like Mao Dun, journalists like Zou Taofen, and artists like Cai Chusheng.

As Shanghai fell in November 1937 and Guangzhou in October 1938, Hong Kong’s cultural scene flourished. Leftist theaters staged plays like Defend the Marco Polo Bridge, while six major film studios collaborated on The Last Frontier, Cantonese cinema’s first anti-Japanese blockbuster. Publications like Resistance Literature (Hong Kong edition) and The Masses Daily kept patriotic fervor alive.

The Shadow of War Arrives

Everything changed on December 8, 1941—just hours after Pearl Harbor. Japanese bombers struck Kai Tak Airport as the 38th Division stormed the New Territories. Within 17 days, British forces surrendered.

The occupation was brutal. Japanese authorities ordered intellectuals to register at the Peninsula Hotel headquarters, threatening execution. Slides in cinemas demanded the surrender of Mei Lanfang and other celebrities. Meanwhile, secret police hunted down 800+ activists who had criticized Japan from Hong Kong’s relative safety.

Operation Lifeline: A Daring Escape Plan

In Chongqing, Zhou Enlai issued urgent orders: “Rescue them at all costs.” The task fell to Liao Chengzhi (son of revolutionary Liao Zhongkai) and the Communist-led East River Guerrillas. Their strategy:

– Sea Route: For high-profile figures like He Xiangning (widow of Sun Yat-sen’s ally Liao Zhongkai), smuggling boats to Macau.
– Land Corridors:
– West Route: Through Tsuen Wan to Bao’an (used by Mao Dun)
– East Route: Junk trips via Sai Kung (for Kuomintang elders)

Guerrillas cleared bandits from Tai Mo Shan and established “two-faced governments”—village councils that secretly collaborated with Communists. Disguised as refugees, intellectuals were given strict instructions:

> “Abandon books, glasses—anything identifying you as educated. Carry no more than 5kg.”

Narrow Escapes and Unsung Heroes

The operation teemed with cinematic moments:
– Mao Dun’s Group: Slipped past Japanese patrols in Causeway Bay under cover of fog, climbing rope ladders to scale Kowloon’s cliffs.
– He Xiangning’s Ordeal: Adrift for days after engine removal left her sailboat motionless. Rescued when guerrillas recognized her status.
– The Printers’ Underground: Wah Kiu Yat Po newspaper staff hid presses to keep publishing resistance news throughout the occupation.

By June 1942, over 800 had been extracted—including 150+ later joining the guerrillas. Not one was captured.

Legacy: The Invisible Network

This mission’s success relied on Hong Kong’s unique ecosystem:
– Triad Connections: Smugglers’ boats (greased with bribes) provided transport.
– British Blind Eye: Colonial police tacitly tolerated Communist activities pre-1941.
– Local Sympathizers: Fishermen and farmers along escape routes risked execution to guide refugees.

Today, plaques in Sha Tau Kok commemorate the routes, while historians note the operation’s irony: a British colony saved China’s intellectual core through Communist ingenuity—a rare WWII alignment of interests that shaped postwar Asia.

As Miao Min (later China’s Culture Minister) recalled: “We walked out of hell holding the hands of strangers who knew our worth better than we did.”