Sunday, May 11, 2025

Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong

Originally built as an Imperial Chinese military fort in 1668, the Kowloon walled city was a densely populated enclave within the Kowloon peninsula of Hong Kong. The walled city contained 50,000 residents within its 2.6 hectare (6.4 acre) borders. 

In 1898, the British and Chinese government signed a 99 year lease of Hong Kong but this treaty didn't include Kowloon city under British rule. But eventually in 1899, the British overran Kowloon and occupied it, too. 
 

Between 1927 to 1949 as civil war raged in the Chinese mainland, refugees flocked to Hong Kong and found their way into the walled city. Its population ballooned from a few hundred residents to tens of thousands.

The walled city turned into an area of crime, riddled with trash, cramped living conditions, a hotspot for gambling dens, strip clubs, and renowned for anarchy. Poverty, filth and theft prevailed. 

The city of darkness was demolished in 1994 after almost a decade spent relocating all the residents

It is now a park and archeological site in the heart of Kowloon. It is easily accessibly by bus and MRT.




Mounain View Pavilion




Guangyin Square - rock displays, plants representing China's 4 seasons
and lingnan-style bonsai.

1 comment:

Photo Cache said...

I bet you know Hongkong the way you know Manila :)