Life in kowloon walled city, published in 1993, left off. The kowloon walled city was the original tiny walled city more like a walled garrison that was in the kowloon region before the lease. Hong kong returned to chinese rule in 1997, four years after. May 6, 2014 kowloon walled city by japanese illustrator hrfm. The famed notorious kowloon walled city kwc was brought up in this thread. Architects and designers once hailed kowloon walled city as the closest thing to a selfregulating, selfsustaining modern city. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was built gradually building on top of building over time.
Saw yesterdays submission about that japanese arcade and remembered i had this. Kowloon walled city park hong kong 2020 all you need. 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. I grew up in the cyberpunkesque dystopia called kowloon. Id heard about marie kondo, a japanese organizing consultant, from friends. The best use it could be put to was washing and floorcleaning. As i started emptying the closets, i opened boxes filled with letters and old photographs. In my town, they are happy to take them they go to a recycler to make. Australia brazil canada china france germany india italy japan. In the park there is a small museum in honor of kowloon walled city.
The kowloon walled city was a city within a city, which is not unlike the situation of hong kong after the handover, she said. Home to 40,000 people at its height, kowloon walled city was by far the most densely populated place on earth. 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. But what most didnt know was that, up until the previous evening, a group of japanese researchers, which included architects, engineers and city. Densely populated, with a postapocalyptic atmosphere and chaotic organization, it reminds me of gunkanjima battleship island of course. An incredibly detailed crosssection illustration of. The strange saga of kowloon walled city atlas obscura. This book describes kowloon walled city which is a district in hong kong. How the dark legacy of the kowloon walled city lives on in. In comparison, the closest population density for a city district at the moment goes to lalbagh thana, bangladesh, with 168,150 inhabitants per km2. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese. 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.
City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese on. Documentary filmed in 1988 about the kowloon walled city by an austrian camera team, with english subtitles. 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. The wall of the kowloon walled city was originally used to set up a fort. 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. Originally a chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the new territories were leased to the uk by china in 1898. Originally a military fort, the walled city saw its population rise dramatically during the.
City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in. The movie crime story starring jackie chan was partly made in the deserted walled city. The wire, a character in a prison book group echoes this reading. Heres what western accounts of the kowloon walled city. Indepth analysis of the kowloon walled city, the real life dystopian city, its history. 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. Kawasaki warehouse kowloon walled city rebuilt in japan. Home to 33,000 people, the notorious kowloon walled city was torn down by the colonial government in the 1990s. Peter pophom grew up in london, ond studled ot the university of leeds. A temple within the walled city, with grates above to protect. Kowloon walled city by japanese illustrator hrfm with.
Updated and expanded new volume, picking up where city of darkness. The lost kowloon walled city in hong kong as represented. With a population of 2,019,533 2 million and a population density. 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. Book your tickets online for kowloon walled city park, hong kong. Synopsis a photographic record of kowloon walled city a city within a city, now demolished and its 35,000 inhabitants rehoused. 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 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. Without a single architect, the ungoverned and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution until it was demolished. The site occupies a strategic point along the kowloon peninsula and has been used by chinese imperial officials since the 16 th century. Every available nook and cranny was inhabited, while the connecting alleys, stairways and corridors were reduced to an. A look inside the japanese arcade modeled after hong kong.
Interestingly, even though the japanese had demolished the walls during the. 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. After the japanese invasion of hong kong during the second world war, china reclaimed the rights to kowloon walled city, an exmilitary fort. But its for its incredible architecture that the place is the most interesting. 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. The village temple was first built around 52, and like many temples in hong kong, it was dedicated to tin hau, in.
Kowloon walled city was a densely populated, largely ungoverned settlement in kowloon city, hong kong. Kowloon walled city park a beautiful little park to visit in hong kong, with its pavillions, ponds and flowers. 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. 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. Kowloon walled city park hong kong all you need to. Kowloon walled city hereafter kwc or walled city, hong kong has been described as. 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 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. 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. 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 chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the new territories were leased to britain in 1898. I took it upon myself to resub the original video as best as possible, the original. Kowloon walled city documentation japanese researchers. The kowloon walled city panorama with english annotations.
Cleaning carpet, deep clean, oven and end of tenancy cleaning home. The kowloon walled city park, kowloon city an unforgettable chapter of. 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. 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. 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. Ever since i first read the book earlier this year ive wanted to. It became a hong kong island excluding kowloon and the new territories after the signing of the nanjing. The best use it could be put to was washing and floorcleaning, it was not even r. It had its own laws, and many traffics took place there, it was the triads kingdom, and many refugees used to live inside. Life in kowloon walled city, the selfsustaining city of.
Future living inspired by past extremes kowloon walled. Kowloon walled city park sits on the very site of the former kowloon walled city, remembered today as a haven of crime and debauchery. City of darkness revisited is a photo book and cultural history of kowloon walled city, a largely ungoverned, densely populated enclave within hong kong. Inside kowloons last walled village zolima city magazine. The settlement was a lawless place, where anything could happen. Today, visitors to the site of the old walled city will find a placid garden with swaying trees and cloudy ponds. Home to 40,000 people at its height, kowloon walled city was by far the most densely. A book was born to capture the flavour of the walled city on the. Detailed crosssection of the kowloon walled city created. And without a single architect or any oversight whatsoever, the ungoverned hive of interlinking buildings became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution. But this is near tokyo and the walled city was demolished in 1993. I would love to visit hong kong someday, i heard it is a beautiful city.
Demolished two decades ago, the virtually lawless labyrinth still lives on in movies, books and even a. In 1841, when hong kong island was ceded to britain, kowloon walled city was already a garrison and was reinforced by the. 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. It is administratively part of kowloon city district. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was once the most densely populated place on earth. By 1987, the walled city contained 33,000 residents. For nearly 50 years, the extraordinary community of kowloon walled city cut a dark.
The incredible story of the kowloon walled city incidents of travel. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book in japanese japanese jp oversized. The life and death of an impossible city kickstarter. Following the japanese surrender, china reasserted its claim on the area. 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. Goodbye to japans homage to hong kongs kowloon walled city. Detailed crosssection of the kowloon walled city created by.
The kowloon walled city was a singular hong kong phenomenon. See more ideas about kowloon walled city, walled city and city. Find art for sale at great prices from artists including paintings, photography, sculpture, and prints by top emerging artists like sven pfrommer. By 1990, the walled city contained 50,000 residents. Japanese forces occupied the kowloon peninsula and tore down the walls of the city to build a new runway for nearby kai tak airport. Its population increased dramatically following the japanese occupation of hong kong during world war ii.
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. If you dont know anything about kowloon walled city. Kowloon walled city was once thought to be the most densely populated place on earth. The kowloon walled city in hong kong was built graduallybuilding on top of buildingover time. City of darkness life in kowloon walled city photo book. After 1810, the qing government moved the fort to the kowloon bay. Up until that time, electricity had not been supplied to such settlements.