Kowloon City

“All this intensity of random human effort and activity, vice and sloth and industry, exempted from all the controls we take for granted, resulted in an environment as richly varied and as sensual as anything in the heart of the tropical rainforest. The only drawback is that it was obviously toxic”.

– Greg Girard, author of City of Darkness

More exact words have never been uttered that brings to life the pure essence, that is Kowloon Walled City.? Life, as they have known, came to a standstill for the residents as the Kowloon city was completely demolished in 1992.?

Bandied about as “The City of Darkness”, the Kowloon Walled City, located at the outskirts of Hong Kong is the kind of place, people would resist stepping into, especially at nights. The dirty streets and narrow dark alleyways add on to the reputation. Police, health inspectors and even tax collectors dreaded stepping into this area.?

Having its origin as a Chinese Military Fort, the Kowloon Walled City, rose to be an unlawful village in the 20th century. You can also trace back the history of this place to Song Dynasty.?

The 300 interconnected buildings built into 6.4 acres,? located at the outskirts of Hong Kong have dirty rooms and squalid, cramped dwellings. The city was also densely populated amounting to almost 50,000 residents.?

Opium dens, prostitution, drugs and organised crimes were a dime a dozen in Kowloon Walled City. It was notorious for its lawlessness, as it was caught between the Chinese and the British run Hong Kong Government. Despite all this, the residents are believed to have lived here in peace, and many businesses are expected to have thrived within the area.?

However, the living conditions and quality of life, especially the sanitary conditions were far behind that of the clean Hong Kong cities. Dripping sewages crawling with rats, flooded streets during rains and other conditions will tell you the real story of the town. However, despite the severe living conditions, loyalty brings these residents together.?

Despite the protestation from the residents and multiple attempts to evacuate the city, finally, the Govt in 1987 announced their decision to go ahead with their demolition of the town. Hence, following the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, preparations were underway to demolish the city. In 1993, after the last batch of residents gave their nod to the Govt’s rehousing and compensation schemes, curtains were drawn over this colonial past of Hong Kong City.?

Currently, the city is replaced with a 330,000 square feet park, known as the Kowloon Walled City Park, with the construction completed in August 1995. It was a bitter end to the city, as along with evacuation, many businesses also resorted to shutting down, unable to pay the rent for buildings outside.?

To date, there are still hoards of Hong Kongers who absorb the spirit of Kowloon City. They believe that the sense of community and social solidarity that was once the essence of the city is all lost now.