Kowloon Walled City
The Kowloon Walled City was truly one of Hong Kong’s most interesting chapters of history. It was a breeding ground for crime, drugs, debauchery, and illegal trade. Architecturally, it was constructed in a totally haphazard manner, with residents simply adding things on as and when they needed. The result was a mishmash of blocks practically leaning against each other, tiny alleys with water piping and electricity cables running exposed overhead, and a range of rooftops overrun with reception antenna and clotheslines—not a hint of organisation, but very authentic in its organic construction. An extensive network of staircases and dingy passageways formed on the upper levels, and one could travel through the entire length of the City without ever touching the ground below.
The Walled City was thought to have its own legal system outside Hong Kong jurisdiction. In fact, the enclave had been excluded from the treaty colonising Hong Kong and therefore still belonged to China for a year before being covered by the British unilateral treaty of 1898. This was largely ignored or unrecognised by the locals, and after several unsuccessful attempts to wrestle the KWC into submission, the authorities simply gave up.
The whole area, therefore, devolved into a lawless shanty town, rife with triad activity, prostitution, and illegal dealings. Businesses who could not get proper licensing or afford rent elsewhere in the city would set up shop illegally in the Walled City—it became the place to go to for cheap dentistry.
After an arduous eviction process, the Kowloon Walled City was fully demolished in 1994, and the Kowloon Walled City Park erected in its place. Some remnants of its gritty past remain, such as the yamen building, three old wells, and part of the southern gates. The anarchic urbanism of the Walled City is a testament to the sheer tenacity of its occupants and is an interesting page of Hong Kong’s history that should be well remembered.