The movie crime story starring jackie chan was partly made in the deserted walled city. In my town, they are happy to take them they go to a recycler to make. Kowloon walled city park sits on the very site of the former kowloon walled city, remembered today as a haven of crime and debauchery. Life in kowloon walled city which is full of amazing photos and well worth a read if you can get your hands on it. It became a hong kong island excluding kowloon and the new territories after the signing of the nanjing. The map can be viewed in full size in the book, large illustrated kowloon city, by kowloon city expedition, kazumi terasawa, and h. Originally a military fort, the walled city saw its population rise dramatically during the. I would love to visit hong kong someday, i heard it is a beautiful city. A book was born to capture the flavour of the walled city on the. City of darkness revisited is a photo book and cultural history of kowloon walled city, a largely ungoverned, densely populated enclave within hong kong. But what most didnt know was that, up until the previous evening, a group of japanese researchers, which included architects, engineers and city. By 1987, the walled city contained 33,000 residents. Goodbye to japans homage to hong kongs kowloon walled city.
Documentary filmed in 1988 about the kowloon walled city by an austrian camera team, with english subtitles. Kowloon walled city was a densely populated, largely ungoverned settlement in kowloon city, hong kong. Id heard about marie kondo, a japanese organizing consultant, from friends. Ever since i first read the book earlier this year ive wanted to. In comparison, the closest population density for a city district at the moment goes to lalbagh thana, bangladesh, with 168,150 inhabitants per km2. Following the japanese surrender, china reasserted its claim on the area. Cleaning carpet, deep clean, oven and end of tenancy cleaning home.
Kowloon walled city park hong kong 2020 all you need. Densely populated, with a postapocalyptic atmosphere and chaotic organization, it reminds me of gunkanjima battleship island of course. The famed notorious kowloon walled city kwc was brought up in this thread. It is bordered by the lei yue mun strait to the east, mei foo sun chuen and stonecutters island to the west, a mountain range, including tates cairn and lion rock to the north, and victoria harbour to the south. The best use it could be put to was washing and floorcleaning, it was not even r. The site occupies a strategic point along the kowloon peninsula and has been used by chinese imperial officials since the 16 th century. There are few photos or videos of what life was like within its infamous walls, but you can view a brief history here and see some shots of the sprawling community before it was demolished though only a park remains on the site today, a new games arcade has recreated the.
The kowloon walled city was the original tiny walled city more like a walled garrison that was in the kowloon region before the lease. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was built gradually building on top of building over time. History a brief visual history of kowloon walled city history a brief visual history of kowloon walled city 40 last week, the wall street journal released a new 15minute documentary about the notorious kowloon walled city, which was torn down by the colonial government in the 1990s. If you dont know anything about kowloon walled city. Japanese researchers created an incredibly detailed illustrated crosssection of hong kongs notoriously overcrowded kowloon walled city shortly before the enclave was torn down in 1993. Life in kowloon walled city, the selfsustaining city of. The strange saga of kowloon walled city atlas obscura. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was once the most densely populated place on earth, a teeming hive of interlinking highrises that few dared to enter but 33,000 people called home. Originally a chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the new territories were leased to britain in 1898. If you dont know what kwc is, here are moe infos mostly culled from the same thread, so credit to the posters there, but basically it looked like this.
Kowloon walled city was once thought to be the most densely populated place on earth. Courtesy of city of darkness revisited this unique society and its complete neglect by the rest of hong kong was born of the equally unique political conditions of the kowloon site. The kowloon walled city park, kowloon city an unforgettable chapter of. The incredible story of the kowloon walled city incidents of travel. Home to 40,000 people at its height, kowloon walled city was by far the most densely. A temple within the walled city, with grates above to protect. The settlement was a lawless place, where anything could happen. Containing interviews and commentary, the book tells the citys history, and how the selfsufficient community lived and worked in so little space in such apparent.
The life and death of an impossible city kickstarter. The best use it could be put to was washing and floorcleaning. Kowloon walled city park a beautiful little park to visit in hong kong, with its pavillions, ponds and flowers. Today, visitors to the site of the old walled city will find a placid garden with swaying trees and cloudy ponds. The kowloon walled city was a singular hong kong phenomenon. It is administratively part of kowloon city district. An incredibly detailed crosssection illustration of. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was once the most densely populated place on earth. Kowloon walled city was an ungoverned, densely populated settlement in kowloon city, hong kong.
Detailed crosssection of the kowloon walled city created. Architects and designers once hailed kowloon walled city as the closest thing to a selfregulating, selfsustaining modern city. After getting sick of using the internet to find a lot of these photos i just grabbed myself a copy, there are tons of great pictures in here that are hard to come by online, plus who. Kowloon walled city by japanese illustrator hrfm with. For nearly 50 years, the extraordinary community of kowloon walled city cut a dark. And without a single architect or any oversight whatsoever, the ungoverned hive of interlinking buildings became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution. Originally a chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the new territories were leased to the uk by china in 1898. The village temple was first built around 52, and like many temples in hong kong, it was dedicated to tin hau, in. Its population increased dramatically following the japanese occupation of hong kong during world war ii. Without a single architect, the ungoverned and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution until it was demolished in 1993. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book.
After the japanese invasion of hong kong during the second world war, china reclaimed the rights to kowloon walled city, an exmilitary fort. Kowloon walled city park hong kong all you need to. The lost kowloon walled city in hong kong as represented. Every available nook and cranny was inhabited, while the connecting alleys, stairways and corridors were reduced to an.
Its a fascinating story which was confined to the pages of history until recently when a games company in japan decided it would make the perfect backdrop to a. I took it upon myself to resub the original video as best as possible, the original. In 1841, when hong kong island was ceded to britain, kowloon walled city was already a garrison and was reinforced by the. Detailed crosssection of the kowloon walled city created by. The kowloon walled city is famous for having been one of the few structures that defied any sense of reality and survived outside the rule of law. In the park there is a small museum in honor of kowloon walled city.
With a population of 2,019,533 2 million and a population density. Interestingly, even though the japanese had demolished the walls during the. Life in kowloon walled city, published in 1993, left off. Japanese forces occupied the kowloon peninsula and tore down the walls of the city to build a new runway for nearby kai tak airport.
The wire, a character in a prison book group echoes this reading. As i started emptying the closets, i opened boxes filled with letters and old photographs. Indepth analysis of the kowloon walled city, the real life dystopian city, its history. The kowloon walled city panorama with english annotations. After 1810, the qing government moved the fort to the kowloon bay. By 1990, the walled city contained 50,000 residents. Kawasaki warehouse kowloon walled city rebuilt in japan. Kowloon walled city hereafter kwc or walled city, hong kong has been described as. Kowloon walled city documentation japanese researchers. Compared with the administrative kowloon city district, the kowloon city area is vaguely bounded south by prince edward road west and prince edward road east, north with lo fu ngam, east with kai tak nullah and west with kowloon tsai. Home to 40,000 people at its height, kowloon walled city was by far the most densely populated place on earth. By 1990, the walled city contained 50,000 residents within. Inside kowloons last walled village zolima city magazine.
An attempt in 1963 by local authorities to clear and evict a section of the northeast corner of the walled city was halted after objections from the chinese government, and this explicit denial. Was really interesting to learn about its history, once being a self governed high rise shanty town houisng over 41,000 people, before its demolition in 1993. Saw yesterdays submission about that japanese arcade and remembered i had this. But this is near tokyo and the walled city was demolished in 1993. While it was demolished between 1993 and 1994, while it stood it was famous for unlicenced practice of medicine, prostitution and the rule of gangs. How the dark legacy of the kowloon walled city lives on in. See more ideas about kowloon walled city, walled city and city. Future living inspired by past extremes kowloon walled. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was built graduallybuilding on top of buildingover time. Australia brazil canada china france germany india italy japan. The walled city of kowloon is believed to had peaked at a population of over 50,000, that within the space it occupied, would give it a density of aprox. On a site measuring roughly 200 by 100 metres were squeezed some 350 buildings, rising 14 storeys or more and so tightly packed there was rarely space between them.
Hong kong returned to chinese rule in 1997, four years after. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in. Book your tickets online for kowloon walled city park, hong kong. Up until that time, electricity had not been supplied to such settlements. Its name means the walled village in front of the yamen, referring to the chinese military outpost located nearby, in what later became the kowloon walled city. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was once the densest place on earth, a virtually lawless labyrinth of crime, grime, commerce and hope.
This book describes kowloon walled city which is a district in hong kong. Updated and expanded new volume, picking up where city of darkness. I had so many opportunities to buy this book in hong kong when it was published but. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city 1993 ian lambot greg. May 6, 2014 kowloon walled city by japanese illustrator hrfm. There are few photos or videos of what life was like within its infamous walls, but you can view a brief history here and see some shots of the sprawling community before it was demolished though only a park remains on the site today, a new games arcade has recreated the walled. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese japanese jp oversized. Home to 33,000 people, the notorious kowloon walled city was torn down by the colonial government in the 1990s. I grew up in the cyberpunkesque dystopia called kowloon. It had its own laws, and many traffics took place there, it was the triads kingdom, and many refugees used to live inside. Peter pophom grew up in london, ond studled ot the university of leeds. The wall of the kowloon walled city was originally used to set up a fort.
Without a single architect, the ungoverned and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution until it was demolished. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese on. The kowloon walled city was a city within a city, which is not unlike the situation of hong kong after the handover, she said. Heres what western accounts of the kowloon walled city. Demolished two decades ago, the virtually lawless labyrinth still lives on in movies, books and even a.
A look inside the japanese arcade modeled after hong kong. Find art for sale at great prices from artists including paintings, photography, sculpture, and prints by top emerging artists like sven pfrommer. Today kowloon walled city is gone, and in its place is a park with a plaque and metal model in remembrance of the place where 50,000 people lived and were forcibly removed. Synopsis a photographic record of kowloon walled city a city within a city, now demolished and its 35,000 inhabitants rehoused.
719 401 1066 1160 1210 1467 765 774 1132 732 524 479 1540 1427 1495 1568 1402 779 734 987 1143 1077 1548 1115 1365 1319 448 326 1554 1362 540 834 811 621 936 224 92 246 896 736 694 832