Kong Shan Observation Post [c.1953- ]

During a RGS visit to the Closed Boarder Area near Sha Tau Kok yesterday, I was able to see (from a distance and behind the barbed wire) the MacIntosh Fort in Kang Shan near Lin Ma Hang Village.  This MacIntosh Fort was one of seven built between 1949-1953 when there was an influx of refugees coming into HK from China.  Commissioner of Police Duncan William MacIntosh built a string of such observation forts to strengthen boarder defense.  Guarded day and night by the police and the military, these forts played a central role in identifying illegal immigrants crossing into Hong Kong.  All of the MacIntosh Forts were similar in design - they were constructed of reinforced concrete with a round two-storey observation tower with crenalated parapets located at the apex of a chevron plan formed by two single-storey winds set at an angle on either side of the tower. This MacIntosh Fort is now a listed Grade 2 building.  I do not know if the other 6 forts remain intact or not.  The fort today is surrounded by a high fence and extensive barbed wire to keep all out.  A view adjacent to the fort and fence down into the valley where the sleepy and rural Lin Ma Hang Village is located, is in stark contrast with the extensive skyscraper skyline and mass development of nearby Shenzhen, just across the boarder.