Today, only memories remain of Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City. But back in the late 1990s, 50 thousand people lived in this “communal apartment,” as the fortress was called. This compares to a population density of 2 million people per square kilometer. Poverty, unsanitary conditions and crime reigned there. But despite this, Kowloon was considered the freest place in the world.
Kowloon was built many centuries ago during the reign of Chinese dynasty Song, under whose control were salt-making artels along the entire coast of the South China Sea.
From time to time, pirates encroached on the artel's property. To protect the property, a fortress was built near one of the nine mountains on the Kowloon Peninsula, which means “nine dragons”. Apparently, these nine mountains gave the name to the peninsula, and later to the fort.
Then the ruling dynasty changed. The fortress began to lose its former significance and began to fall into disrepair. True, a couple of dozen soldiers led by an officer still lived on its territory, but they themselves did not understand why they were there, since there was nothing left to guard. This was the case until the 19th century, when English traders began to import opium from India to China.
Kowloon Fortress was needed again - for control and protection. The First Opium War between Britain and China soon began. In 1898, when it ended, the countries agreed that Hong Kong, including the Kowloon Peninsula, would be ruled by the British Empire for 99 years, but the Chinese retained the Kowloon fortress.
Kowloon, 1865
At that time, the fort was an area of 100 by 200 meters, enclosed by a low wall. Something like an enclave in an English colony. During World War II, the Japanese arrived in Kowloon, dispersed its inhabitants, and the walls of the fort were dismantled for the construction of a military airfield.
But even without the walls, the fortress formally remained Chinese territory. Therefore, after the war, refugees from China settled here to escape persecution. They could not live in Hong Kong, and Kowloon still remained Chinese territory, which was not open to outside police officers or officials.
Refugees began to build houses with all possible violations of construction standards, piling up terraces, separate entrances and even entire floors. Kowloon had its own laws and orders. Merchants laid out fish directly on the ground and sold it without a license or paying taxes. And any thief who stole a wallet in Hong Kong ran straight to the fortress, because he knew that no one would lay a finger on him there.
However, the police sometimes still managed to get into the fort, but the local population hid the fugitive and doused the law enforcement officers themselves with slop. And since the inviolability of Kowloon was secured by the treaty, it was not possible to change the situation.
The only requirement of the Hong Kong authorities, which was fulfilled in Kolun, was that houses should not be built higher than 45 meters: after all, this could interfere with the work of the airport located nearby. Deprived of the opportunity to grow higher and wider, 350 “homemade” multi-story buildings merged into one giant building.
Streets 70 centimeters wide were the norm in Kowloon, and housing 10 square meters was considered a luxury. Most apartments did not have windows. And why would they, when the walls of other houses were adjacent to the walls on all sides?
77 wells used pumps to supply water to reservoirs on the roofs of houses, from where it was supplied to apartments through pipes. These pipes flowed mercilessly, so the Kowloon residents did not part with their umbrellas.
The social life of the fort also took place on the roofs: children played here, young people formed and sorted out relationships, old people rested, and adults came out here for a breath of fresh air.
All the basements in the city were filled with compressed garbage, which no one took out anywhere, and the slops flowed right between the houses. The smell was terrible. And about 150 doctors worked in this unsanitary environment. Half of them were dentists, but they decided to treat absolutely all diseases, and then how it turned out.
Large planes were making turns over Kowloon, landing or taking off from an airport dangerously far from the city. They flew so low that the children playing on the roof wanted to duck.
Electricity to the fortress, according to the agreement, was supplied by the British administration and it also paid for communications. Mail even came there, but the postman had difficulty finding the mailboxes that local residents hung on any free section of the wall.
But despite all this, people were happy. A certain Gina Chan, a former resident of Kowloon, said in an interview with Chinese television that she had the warmest memories of her childhood, despite the cramped conditions in which she lived.
Nobody harmed the children. On the contrary, everyone gave them coins for pies if they were hungry, or simply fed them. She recalled Kowloon as a protected, friendly and free world: “Yes, it was dirty and crowded, but it was nice.”
One of the Chinese writers wrote about Kowloon: “Here on one side of the street there are prostitutes, and on the other a priest is distributing powdered milk to the poor. While social workers help the infirm, drug addicts sit with their dose under the stairs in the hallways, and children’s playgrounds at night turn into a dance floor for strippers.”
What Kowloon began to attract over time various kinds criminals, no wonder. There were no law enforcement officers there, which meant that absolutely anything could be done. However, unspoken rules in Kowloon prohibited any criminal showdowns. There they hid from justice, did business or rested, but did not fight.
The first floors of the houses were occupied by hairdressers, workshops or shops. And above, where the glance of a casual passer-by did not penetrate, there were workshops where various counterfeit goods were produced, restaurants, the main menu of which was the meat of cats and dogs, prohibited for consumption by Hong Kong laws. Casinos and brothels operated there, and illegal bookmakers accepted bets.
Drug laboratories worked here completely openly, supplying the product to local opium dens, where you could get a dose for “three kopecks.” But to recruit agents from among local residents The Hong Kong police failed. In Kowloon, everyone knew each other and never betrayed their neighbors; even children knew how to remain silent.
The residents of Kowloon understood how fragile the independence and freedom of the fortress city was, and therefore the authorities should not be given a reason to get rid of it. Therefore, order was maintained by both law-abiding citizens and criminal authorities. Almost no serious crimes were committed there.
Life was good and free in Kowloon, but it also brought plenty of trouble: stolen goods were hidden there, dangerous criminals took refuge there, drugs were manufactured and distributed. Local children did not receive proper education and lived in unsanitary conditions. It was believed that the Hong Kong flu originated in Kowloon.
One way or another, the lease agreement for Hong Kong between Britain and China expired in 1997. Evicting Kowloon residents and demolishing their buildings was an expensive undertaking. Therefore, there were heated debates between countries about who should do this. Ultimately, Britain took over in 1987 in exchange for some concessions from China.
For about 6 years they tried to evict the Kowloon residents from the former fortress. Some had to be lured with pensions and apartments, British passports, and others had to be threatened with prison. In 1993, the last resident left Kowloon. The “homemade” buildings were demolished, and in their place a magnificent park was laid out, leaving in it as a souvenir a few stones from houses, a couple of wells, and the names of streets that led to the alleys of the park.
Materials used from an article by Alexandra Orlova, “Steps” magazine, No. 11, 2017
Kowloon is an area of Hong Kong that clearly shows to what monstrous extent densification can reach. Hundreds of high-rise buildings pressed closely together, narrow passages between them, lack of sunlight, children playing on the roofs of buildings, opium dens and brothel houses. In 1987, about 33 thousand people lived here on a small area of 2.6 hectares.
The story began in 1841, when Great Britain became eager to sell more and more opium. British troops landed on Hong Kong Island and the neighboring Kowloon Peninsula. On the peninsula, the British found only a small city of the same name, Kowloon (translated as “Nine Dragons”) and a fortified fort that served as the residence of a local mandarin.
As a result of hostilities in 1842, the island of Hong Kong was ceded to the British, and in 1898 a new convention was concluded, under the terms of which Hong Kong and Kowloon were leased by Great Britain for the next 99 years, under one small circumstance that had big consequences.
This circumstance is marked on the map above in the right corner as Chinese Town (“Chinese Town”). According to the new convention, this fortified fort was excluded from the lease agreement. It continued to remain Chinese territory, forming a kind of enclave in the British colony.
Then, of course, no one could have imagined that a few decades later this formation would grow into a quarter unparalleled in population density.
This enclave was somewhat nominal. In fact, the British were in control of the fort. During World War II, the Japanese occupied the peninsula, dismantling the walls of the fortress and using stones from them to expand the military airfield, which later became Kai Tak, Hong Kong's main airport, for many years.
After the end of World War II, the Kowloon Walled City continued to remain Chinese territory, surrounded on all sides by the British colony. The laws and administration of Hong Kong did not apply here, its residents did not pay taxes to anyone. Kowloon became a haven for refugees from the mainland fleeing civil war in China.
Tens of thousands of squatters began to flock en masse to the territory of the former fort, taking advantage of Kowloon’s status. The main goal was to start new life formally still in China, but essentially in the same Hong Kong, enjoying all its benefits.
Any attempts by the British administration to prevent spontaneous construction on a small spot were met with resistance from local inhabitants and the Chinese government, which threatened a diplomatic conflict in the event of any actions by the Hong Kong authorities on the territory that they considered theirs.
According to some estimates, by the end of the 1960s, up to 20 thousand people lived on an area of 2.6 hectares. Of course, these figures are inaccurate, because it was impossible to maintain a centralized record of the residents of the fortified city.
The squatters demonstrated miracles of survival and adaptation in an essentially anarchic society. In the absence of a central water supply, 70 wells were dug, water from which was delivered by electric pumps to the roofs of buildings, and from there through a labyrinth of countless pipes it was sent to consumers’ apartments. The lack of electricity was solved by illegally connecting to the Hong Kong power grid.
The residents of Kowloon also built it themselves. As the population of the area increased, one-, two- and three-story houses acquired new floors. The building density also increased. This is how Kowloon has changed over the decades.
Only a small spot remained relatively free in the center of the quarter, where the yamen remained - the residence of the mandarin, which is still reminiscent of the former history of Kowloon.
Around it, by 1980, about 350 multi-storey buildings were built, located so densely that from panoramic photographs Kowloon rather resembled one huge and monstrously ugly building.
There were essentially no streets inside the block. There were passages that formed a network so confusing for the uninitiated that a stranger who entered here quickly lost orientation in space.
The buildings were so dense that high-rise buildings often overhung the passages, preventing sunlight from entering there.
The block was a kilometers-long labyrinth of narrow alleys, and there were no cars at all.
The passages were illuminated only by rare lanterns and neon signs of countless shops, shops, hairdressers, and doctors' offices that occupied all the first floors of the buildings.
There were about a hundred dentists alone working here, and they never had a shortage of clients.
The absence of the need to obtain a medical license and pay taxes to anyone made it possible to keep prices for services at a level inaccessible to their colleagues from Hong Kong working on a nearby, but already “civilized” street.
Kowloon had its own industry: food, haberdashery, light goods. In fact, it was a city within a city, largely capable of existing autonomously.
The quarter even had several of its own kindergartens and schools, although mostly, of course, older family members looked after small children, and older children somehow managed to get accepted into Hong Kong schools. In fact, the roofs became the space for socialization and recreation of the inhabitants of the area, where at least some free space could be found.
And huge planes were flying over the roofs, just a stone's throw away. The specifics of the landing at Kai Tak Airport, the same one for which the Kowloon fortress walls were used, required the pilots to make both a dangerous and spectacular turn immediately before landing.
It began at an altitude of 200 meters, and ended already at 40, and somewhere in the middle of this most difficult maneuver for pilots was Kowloon, bristling with high-rise buildings, as if with rotten teeth.
It was because of this proximity that the height of the buildings in the quarter was limited to 14 floors - almost the only requirement of the Hong Kong administration that the residents of the fortified city fulfilled. In return, they received an amazing and completely free spectacle right above their heads.
In the first decades of the transformation of the old Chinese fortress into a residential area with its own special flavor, the only real force here was the triads - secret criminal organizations common in pre-war China.
They turned the area, which had just begun to grow, into a nest of various vices. Gambling establishments, brothels, and opium dens literally flourished in Kowloon.
In the book “City of Darkness” Kowloon of those years was described as follows: “Here on one side of the street there are prostitutes, and on the other the priest distributes powdered milk to the poor, while social workers give out instructions, drug addicts sit with a dose under the stairs in the entrances, and children's playgrounds at night turns into a dance floor for strippers."
Only in the mid-1970s, the Hong Kong authorities, having secured the approval of the PRC government, carried out a grandiose series of police raids, which ended in the actual expulsion of all organized crime groups from Kowloon.
Despite his brutal appearance, the area was a fairly calm place in terms of the crime situation.
Updated: April 20, 2019 by: Evgenia Sokolova
The city of Kowloon has haunted the authorities and respectable residents of Hong Kong for several decades. On a plot of 2.6 hectares for a long time About 30 thousand people huddled together. Drug addiction flourished here and triads ruled, and representatives of the law preferred to avoid this area.
History of Kowloon Walled City
A significant date in the existence of the Kowloon Walled City was 1841. The Army of the British Empire landed on Hong Kong Island, where at that moment a well-fortified fort had already been established. It was conveniently located and allowed control of many trade flows, which attracted the British here.
The fighting did not last long. Within a few months, the city of Kowloon, where the fort was located, and which China had previously owned, came under the control of the British as a colony. The authorities of different states managed to come to an agreement at the end of the 19th century, when a new agreement was drawn up in 1898. The agreement stipulated that the British could be stationed on the peninsula, but only as long as it did not interfere with Chinese interests.
Fact. The fortress itself, which occupied an area of over 2 hectares, was excluded from the agreement. It turned out that in the center of the British colony there remained a small territory that was under the jurisdiction of the eastern authorities. At that time, only watchtowers and barracks were located here, and the population was about 700 people. Less than a century later, the Kowloon Walled City became autonomous region, where 33 thousand residents found shelter.
During World War II, the fort was destroyed by the Japanese, who took over control. After the end of hostilities, China reclaimed the territory. 2 thousand inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom occupied the destroyed fortress, although the British still claimed it. The city became a place where refugees flocked to escape the civil war.
Over time, the British came to terms with this proximity and stopped interfering in the affairs of Kowloon. Any actions of the British were perceived with hostility by the Chinese, since formally the fortress belonged to the Celestial Empire.
Spontaneous construction took place; by the 50s, local residents were practically subordinate to no one, considering themselves almost a separate state.
Crime
Kowloon in Hong Kong became a place where triads ruled. Among several criminal groups, the two strongest stood out:
- "Sunyong";
- "14K".
Both triads are still active today. In the mid-50s and 60s of the last century, they exercised control over the former fort from Hong Kong. All sorts of vices flourished here. Prostitution, drug addiction, gambling establishments - in Kowloon one could get any forbidden pleasure.
Almost all residents used drugs. Those who were richer could afford the so-called “red pills”. Opium cost a little less, and the cheapest but fastest-killing drug was heroin.
Fact. Representatives of the law occasionally tried to restore order, but this yielded virtually no results. Only in the 70s was a massive cleansing carried out here. The police seized tons of drugs and made more than 2 thousand arrests. This put an end to the dominance of the triads, but did not affect general level life.
Interior
By 1987, the city's population density had reached record levels. More than 30 thousand people lived here. There was a catastrophic lack of space, so residents were constantly adding to something. They carried out all the construction work themselves, which influenced how Kowloon ended up looking.
In the photo from above, you can notice how close the houses are to each other. There was practically no free space; sunlight did not penetrate to the lower tiers due to such close buildings. The internal structure of the former fort was characterized by the following distinctive features:
- the houses grew upward, floor by floor, but no more than 14 were built. This is due to the ban by the Hong Kong authorities. There was an airport in close proximity to the territory. The planes were landing along a dangerous trajectory. A few more floors could have resulted in a plane crash;
- neither in the 60s nor in the 80s did cars appear on the streets. It was simply impossible. All free space was used only for the construction of houses. People were forced to move through cramped, dark alleys in which it was easy to get lost;
- There was no street lighting as such. There were practically no streetlights, and the cramped streets were illuminated only by neon signs.
Water supply
When Kowloon was just being settled and built up, there was no talk of installing a centralized water supply here. Later this became impossible due to the chaotic location of the houses. However, local residents were not bothered by the lack of inconvenience. They dug wells themselves. There were several dozen of them in the city.
Fact. Subsequently, the authorities decided to install standpipes, from which water was supplied to houses using pumps. This happened in the 60s of the 20th century. Until this time, the triads maintained control of the wells, collecting money from those who wanted to use them.
Electricity for everyone
Residents of the former fort showed miracles of survival. If they were able to solve the problem of water supply, then with electricity the situation was even simpler. People illegally connected to electrical networks. There were enough local specialists who helped carry out the illegal action. They used candles and even lit fires. This has repeatedly caused fires.
Authorities decided to install electricity in 1953, after another major fire. In the 70s, a large-scale update of the existing network was carried out.
Life
Since population density was catastrophic, few could afford spacious housing. Most of the residents lived in apartments with an area of up to 20 square meters. The small area accommodated both a bedroom and a kitchen, and sometimes preschool and educational institutions that appeared spontaneously.
Historical information and photos show that people preferred to spend a significant part of their free time on the roofs. Here there was access to fresh air and sun, and, therefore, the opportunity to escape at least for a short time from the usual cramped environment. No one was bothered by the fact that landfills were often organized on the roofs, since the locals had no choice.
Factories and factories in the fortress
By the 60s and 70s, Kowloon had become a separate enclave that could supply residents with almost anything. It had its own industry:
- food;
- haberdashery;
- light.
Factories were often located in the same cramped apartments where the people themselves lived. No one had a production license, but the illegal products sold out instantly. It was bought up not only by locals, but also by visitors from Hong Kong.
Medicine and services
Fact. In the city of darkness, unlicensed dentists flourished. Its absence allowed them to offer favorable prices for services, so Hong Kong residents were their frequent clients. Not all dentists treated without a license, however most of did not strive to obtain it.
The buildings housed numerous catering establishments that offered forbidden dishes made from cats and dogs. There were many hairdressers and even cartographers making maps of the intricate labyrinths of the former fortress. Tourists were attracted to illegal casinos and brothels.
The end of everything
An entire era of lawlessness and carefree existence came to an end in 1987. Then the Chinese authorities and British diplomats decided to establish the administrative status of Kowloon. The British received the right to demolish the eyesore of the area.
Demolition began directly only in the early 90s. Residents of the town received either cash rewards or housing in Hong Kong. The authorities have allocated $350 million for these purposes.
People actively resisted the demolition of the area. They did not want to part with their usual freedom. They have long ceased to be embarrassed by the lack of normal amenities, overcrowding or unsanitary conditions. However, the authorities were determined and already in 1992 they began to demolish the buildings. The process was completed quite quickly.
Modern city fortress
In 1994, the last house was demolished. Almost immediately, spontaneous development began to grow on the site beautiful park. It has the following distinctive features:
- the territory of the green zone follows the contours of the former enclave;
- there is a memorial here, which houses an exact model of Kowloon;
- the design is designed according to the style of the Qing Dynasty;
- each alley was named after a street in the former criminal area;
- the park area is 31 thousand square meters, which is slightly larger than that of a real city;
- 5 named stones and several old wells with the help of which people obtained water have been preserved.
Today, the green zone is a favorite recreation spot for residents. Its territory is divided into 8 main zones.
The Chinese use this word to designate all official institutions and departments. In Kowloon it refers to a residence where a mandarin once lived. Yamen is an amazing building because it was built back in 1847 and has survived to this day. It was the only one that survived numerous destructions and demolitions.
Fact. The premises were restored when the decision was made to open a park in the area. Inside there are old photographs, as well as exhibition halls that will tell a lot about the history of the fortified city.
Old south gate
Another artifact that has survived from Kowloon, the city of darkness, is the fragments of a gate made in the 19th century. They were demolished during the war, but the foundation remained intact. During the demolition of the buildings, the gate was discovered and it was decided to restore it so that the park would receive another attraction. They have acquired the status of historical heritage of Hong Kong.
Other areas of the park
Visitors are attracted by the carefully planned design of the green area. There are classic Chinese pavilions here, and the park itself is divided into zones:
- four seasons garden;
- garden of zodiac signs;
- terrace of six arts, etc.
Here tourists can get acquainted with the history of Chinese architecture and even touch it with their hands.
The church did not belong directly to the territory of a separate enclave. It was built long before the formation of the modern town - in 1730. The temple was first visited by the officers of the fort, then the inhabitants of the settlement began to visit there.
Conclusion
Kowloon and Hong Kong today are one. However, until recently, these two cities were inhabited by representatives of cultures completely alien to each other. Some deliberately abandoned the benefits of civilization for the sake of freedom to live the way they want, others preferred to follow the path of development.
The existence of a densely populated area is now only reminiscent of a beautiful park and numerous historical references. Documentary videos tell about life in the area, as well as the book “City of darkness”, the authors of which speak without embellishment about all the nuances of life in Kowloon.
Kowloon (Hong Kong, China): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews from tourists.
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In the boiling Hong Kong, in the Kowloon district, there is a park full of greenery with flowers, waterfalls, colorful buildings - a real oasis in the middle of the metropolis. But people come here not only to enjoy peace and quiet: the park is laid out on the site of the legendary fortress city, which for years instilled horror and awe in tourists and residents of the surrounding area. It’s hard to imagine, but until recently chaos reigned here: a crazy pile of shabby high-rise buildings, molded into one whole in the manner of Brazilian favelas, was an abode of poverty, prostitution and drug trafficking.
A little history
It all started during the Song Dynasty, between 960 and 1279, with the construction of an outpost that controlled the salt trade. The garrison gradually grew, fenced off from the world with a fortress wall, and at the end of the 19th century, with the coming to power of the British, it was proclaimed a Chinese enclave. In the 1930s old buildings began to be demolished, and in the 1950s, the fortified city was captured by triads - the criminal syndicates of Hong Kong.
And then chaos began: in a small area, poverty-stricken high-rise buildings grew by leaps and bounds, and soon the population of Kowloon reached 50 thousand people - it became the most densely populated area on the planet. Moreover, the audience was specific - drug addicts, robbers, prostitutes, gamblers and simply those who had nowhere to go. Only in the 1980s. The Chinese authorities took it upon themselves and demolished the ill-fated settlement, creating in its place something completely opposite in atmosphere.
What to see
Park "Fenced City" with an area of 31 thousand square meters. m is divided into 8 well-maintained areas. The southern gate of the 19th century and the Yamen building, an example of traditional Chinese architecture, a public place like a magistrate, are reminiscent of bygone times. The Chess Garden features huge chessboards made of pebbles and porcelain, and the Zodiac Garden is guarded by 12 white stone sculptures.
Flower zone - 8 colorful paths with magnolias, myrtles, banana trees and other plants.
The Kui-hsing Pavilion is dedicated to the Chinese god of literature, the pearl of the Rock Garden is the Guimi stone, symbolizing the return of Hong Kong to China. The site of the Four Seasons Garden was once home to Guanyin Square, the only open space in Kowloon. And you can learn about the fortress city itself in educational pavilions with photographs, plans and models of a giant “beehive-utility”.
Practical information
Address: Hong Kong, Tung Tau Tsuen, Kowloon Walled City Park.
How to get there: walk from Lok Fu metro station, exits A and B.
Opening hours: daily from 6:30 to 23:00. The pavilions are open from 10:00 to 18:00 all week except Wednesday.
I will tell you about an unusual place in China that has interesting story. The earliest historical days of this place are lost somewhere in the era of the Chinese rulers of the Song Dynasty, which lasted from 960 to 1279. The last emperor of this dynasty, Bing, did what a simple Chinese emperor should have done: he named nine mountains on the peninsula in southern China, naturally calling one of them after himself. All these nine mountains are called Kowloon (translated from Chinese as “nine dragons”), and one of them is also called Kowloon, oddly enough.
Soon the word Kowloon was used to name an entire region, later the entire peninsula, and then much more. Now it is no longer clear which of these Kowloon is Kowloon, and which of them, in fact, is not Kowloon, but Kowloon... After the Song Dynasty successfully collapsed with the death of Bin and the arrival of Mongol Khan Kublai Khan and his Yuan dynasty, Kowloon (which was an outpost) was practically forgotten. True, it was more or less further strengthened in 1668, but its role was not very large - only three dozen soldiers were constantly in it.
In June 1898, a document was signed between the then last monarchical Qin dynasty and the British authorities, according to which the latter received the right to establish its colonies in Hong Kong - an area that included Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and a number of adjacent territories.
The only place that the Chinese never gave up was the same Kowloon outpost, surrounded by a protective wall. The Chinese authorities thus wanted to leave themselves a small territory from where they could exercise at least some control over the actions of the colonists - so that they would not get too loose.
During World War II, the Japanese who occupied the area evicted people from the fortress with impunity and even destroyed the ancient wall, parts of which were used to build an airport nearby.
After the end of the war and the formation of the People's Republic of China, the city began to be slowly populated by criminals, as well as refugees from the main part of China.
In 1959, when a murder took place at Kowloon Fortress, the situation turned out to be completely ridiculous: the Chinese government tried to blame the incident on Britain (which meanwhile tried to ignore Kowloon Fortress), and the British government tried to blame it on China.
In the 1970s, the walled city (in fact, no longer a fortress) became a real paradise for mafia groups, drug dealers and drug addicts... Since no one was looking after Kowloon, such people flocked there in the thousands. Although, of course, there were quite decent citizens there who had lived there for a long time and returned after the Japanese left.
The appearance of the houses - or rather, this solid residential monolith. A standard balcony is a “birdcage”, closed on all sides with bars on which it is convenient to hang various items, saving space and this is a good way to protect yourself from thieves, of whom, for historical reasons, there are a lot here.
One way or another, the population grew rapidly, and by the early 80s of the last century it reached 30 thousand. The housing issue was resolved simply: more and more high-rise buildings were built there, new floors were added. There was little space, but still there were more and more inhabitants.
In 1984, Britain agreed to recognize the city as part of Hong Kong. There was nothing particularly terrible here: according to the convention, the British had the right to own the territory for only 99 years - they only had to wait for about ten years.
Despite all the hardships, people in Kowloon tried to somehow organize their lives. In this they were especially greatly helped by the sellers of 148 stores, as well as 150 doctors, among whom were 87 dentists - according to data from the late 1980s. It was special popular profession. Even residents of prosperous Hong Kong came to this den of dentists to have their teeth treated.
But in order not to keep this terrible lair to themselves, the colonists decided to simply destroy this city and resettle its inhabitants. The British prepared for this step for a long time and were able to take it only in 1993. The task was not an easy one: after all, by the time this monstrous place was destroyed, 50 thousand people already lived in the city, approximately the same amount that fits in a medium-sized stadium.
But in the 1990s, this “stadium” became a bit crowded. As is easy to calculate, with an area of only 0.026 square kilometers, the population density reaches two million (!) people per square kilometer. Compare with the average population density in London - approximately five thousand people per square kilometer - or in Hong Kong, where it is slightly over six thousand...
However, until the last moment there were more and more people. Sometimes several people lived in one tiny room at once; Sometimes there was another establishment there too. The establishments, however, were not all that wonderful: casinos, brothels, opium brothels, and drug laboratories huddled next to simple shops and eating places.
In January 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the walled city. After a complex process of evicting the people living there in March 1993, demolition began and was completed in April 1994. In December 1995, a park of the same name was opened on this site. Some of the city's historical artifacts, including the yamen building and the remains of the South Gate, have been preserved.
And in memory of this terrifying fortified city, they left this memorial statue, which repeats the appearance of the disappeared landmark.
I also remember a small story on local TV, which was made shortly before the city was demolished.
A small infographic on the “city of anarchy,” as Western journalists called it. It is interesting to see how such an uncontrolled anthill developed.
Photos from Dailymail were used to prepare this post.