This relief artwork commemorates the heroic, unyielding spirit of Wu Kau Tang villagers who resisted Japanese aggression to defend their homes. It aims to record history, honour the martyrs and promote patriotism. The upper right of the relief shows scattered houses etched against distant hills lying serenely, the sea and sky blending seamlessly and surrounded by sweet gums swaying gently in the breeze – a picture capturing the natural tranquillity of Wu Kau Tang Village. At dawn on 25 September 1942, this tranquillity was shattered by a renewed attack by Japanese forces. Villagers were driven to the threshing ground and forced to surrender their defensive arms and guerrilla fighters. Depicted at the centre are village leaders LEE Sai-fan and LEE Yuen-pui, who stood in defiance and endured waterboarding, burning and trampling by horses. LEE Sai-fan perished valiantly. These brutalities sparked indignation among villagers. Together with the children’s group and the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column, the villagers took up proper and makeshift weapons to resist, penning an impassioned chapter in the territory’s history.

On 15 August 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and the triumphant songs of victory spread across the Motherland. During the three years and eight months of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Wu Kau Tang villagers joined hands with the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column to resist the Japanese invasion. Their heroic deeds were truly admirable and deeply moving. In the relief artwork, Wu Kau Tang villagers and the guerrilla fighters raised their arms with strength, holding high the news of victory, standing proudly upon the homeland defended with blood, celebrating together. The background outlines the landscapes of the New Territories and Hong Kong Island that echo with the islands and the horizon of sea and sky carved on the railings, symbolising the enduring heroic spirits of the anti-Japanese aggression martyrs in Wu Kau Tang.