The Gin Drinkers Line was a defensive system erected in the 1930s to protect Hong Kong from a possible Japanese invasion. The line, which stretched from the Chinese border to the coast of Hong Kong Island, was heavily defended with concrete bunkers, barbed wire and machine gun emplacements. The Gin Drinkers Line, despite its intimidating look, was no match for the Japanese army when it attacked Hong Kong in 1941. The Japanese rapidly routed the defenders and seized control of the province.