Kowloon Walled City

The Walled city in 1989, viewed from an airplane.

The Kowloon Walled City (simplified Chinese: 九龙城寨; traditional Chinese: 九龍城寨; originally known as 九龍寨城) was an anomaly in Hong Kong's colonial history. China's tiny exclave in the middle of British Hong Kong for decades. It had a colorful existence until it was torn down in 1993.

History

The outpost

The history of the Walled City (known as Kowloon then) can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279), where it served as a watchpost defending the area against pirates and managing the production of salt. It was rebuilt as a fort in the mid-1800s on the same site on the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. After the ceding of Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1842 in accordance to the Treaty of Nanjing, the Qing (Chinese) authorities felt it necessary for them to establish a military/administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.

Kowloon Walled City, 1915

The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory of 1898 which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the New Territories) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700, and stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they did not interfere with Britain's temporary rule. Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it nor to the outpost, and thus sent the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership squarely into the air. The outpost consisted of a yamen, as well as other buildings (which eventually grew into a low-lying, densely packed neighborhood within the walls), in the era between the 1890s and the 1940s. The enclave remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, establishment of a Republic of China in 1911 and later, the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The Walled City remained a curiosity - and a tourist attraction where British colonials and tourists could have a taste of the old China - until 1940, when during its WWII occupation of Hong Kong, Japan evicted people from the city, and then demolished much of the city - including the wall - to provide building materials for the nearby Kai Tak Aerodrome.

Triad rule

File:KowloonWalledCityAlley2.jpg

A rare patch of sunlight in the alleys of the city.

After Japan's surrender, squatters (whether former residents or - more likely - newcomers) began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. With no wall to protect it initially, the Walled City became a haven for crooks and drug addicts, as the Hong Kong Police had no right to enter the City. Mainland China - whether warlord, Communist, or Kuomintang - refused to take care of it. The foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 added thousands of refugees, many from Guangdong, to the population.

By this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a 'hands-off' policy. When a murder occurred in the Walled City in 1959, it set off a small diplomatic crisis as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for this tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-Manchurian Triads (a Hong Kong organized crime syndicate).

The Triad's rule lasted until 1973-1974, when a series of over 3,000 police raids targeted them in their Kowloon Walled City stronghold.

Although the walled city was described as a hotbed of criminal activities, the daily lives of its dwellers were largely organized by the residents themselves, rather than by the Triad. Most residents were not involved in any crime and lived peacefully within its walls. Many charities and religious groups helped to improve the lives of residents. Schools and other welfare were being introduced to the district. Numerous small factories and businesses thrived inside the Walled City. The Government of Hong Kong also provided some services such as water and mail delivery in the city.

The boom

File:HK Kln Walled City Southwest 1990.jpg

A memory photo of Kowloon Walled City in 1990, viewed from its southwest

With the Triads weakened, a sort of synergy blossomed, and the Walled City began to grow almost organically. Square buildings folded up into one another as thousands of modifications were made, virtually none by architects or engineers, until hundreds of square metres were simply a kind of patchwork monolith. Labyrinthine corridors ran through the monolith, some of those being former streets (at the ground level, and often clogged up with trash), and some of those running through upper floors, practically between buildings. The streets were illuminated by fluorescent lights, as sunlight was rare except for the rooftops. The only rules of construction were twofold: electricity had to be provided to avoid fire, and the buildings could be no more than about fourteen stories high, because of the nearby airport. A mere eight municipal pipes somehow provided water to the entire structure (although more could have come from wells).

By the early 1980s, Kowloon Walled City had an estimated population of 35,000. Being a lawless land, the city was notorious for its excess of brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The Kowloon Walled City was also infamous for its high number of unsanitary dentist clinics, since this was where unlicensed dentists could operate without prosecution.

Evacuation and demolition

Over time, both the British and the Chinese governments found the massive, anarchic city to be increasingly intolerable - despite the low reported crime rate. The quality of life in the city, sanitary conditions in particular, was far behind the rest of Hong Kong.

After the Joint Declaration in 1984, the PRC agreed with British authorities to demolish the City and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987.

At that time, it had 50,000 inhabitants on 0.026 km², and therefore a very high population density of 1,923,077/km², making it one of the most densely populated urban areas on Earth.

The government spent some HK$ 2.7 billion in compensation to the (est 33,000) residents and businesses in a plan devised by a special committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way. Evacuations started in 1991 and were completed in 1992.

The 1993 movie Crime Story starring Jackie Chan was partly made in the deserted Walled City, and includes real scenes of building explosions. Kowloon Walled City was destroyed in the same year. Also, as the Walled City was beginning to be torn down, a group of Japanese explorers took about a week to tour the empty walled city, making a sort of map and a cross section of the city.

After the demolition, a park was built in its place with construction starting in May 1994.

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park, with the remnants of the South Gate in the foreground.

The area where the monolith once stood is now a park located in today's Kowloon City District. Completed in August 1995, the park is known as the Kowloon Walled City Park (九龍寨城公園), preserving the heritage of the fabled Walled City and is part of the adjacent Carpenter Road Park.

The design of the park is based on the Jiangnan garden style of the early Qing Dynasty. It is divided into eight landscape features, with the centerpiece being the Yamen, a three-hall structure fully restored in its Qing Dynasty appearance. The Yamen houses a photo exhibition and a few relics used or found in the Walled City.

The relics of the Walled City include 2 cannons, 5 stone inscriptions and 3 old wells. They are preserved at various locations in the park.

The eight parts of the park are:

• The Yamen
• The Old South Gate
• Eight Floral Walks
• The Garden of Four Seasons
• The Garden of Chinese Zodiac
• The Chess Garden - featuring four giant Chinese chess boards
• The Mountain View Pavilion
• Guibi and Fui Sing Pavilion

The yamen and the remnants of the South Gate of Kowloon Walled City are declared monuments of Hong Kong.

Yamen

Originally, the Yamen building was the administrative office and residence of the Assistant Magistrate of Kowloon.

The building is a three-hall structure built in simple but functional design without many ornamental features. The middle hall was the office while the rear block served as the officer's residence.

After the departure of the Qing officials in 1899, the Yamen building was used by different Christian groups including a home for the aged, home for widows and orphans, school and clinic. In 1996 the Yamen was preserved and restored to remind the people of its historical past.

Kowloon Walled City South Gate Remnants

Archaeological investigations were conducted by the Antiquities and Monuments Office in 1993 and 1994.

Cultural remains such as two stone plaques inscribed "South Gate" and "Kowloon Walled City" of the original South Gate, foundations of the city wall, a drainage ditch and a flagstone path were discovered. It is also found that foundations of the original South and East Gates were particularly well preserved.

The Government decided to preserve the remnants of the South Gate on-site for display to the public. The two stone plaques are also displayed beside the remnants. Kowloon Walled City South Gate Remnants was declared a monument in 1996.

Depictions in popular culture

Over the years, many filmmakers, gaming designers and other artists have used the Walled City as an inspiration when they wanted to convey a sense of oppressive urbanization or centres of unfettered criminality.

In literature, Robert Ludlum's novel The Bourne Supremacy uses the Walled City as a major center for the plot. In the autobiography of Martin Booth, Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood, the Walled City is explored by the young Martin out of curiosity and against his mother's will. The city appears as a virtual reality environment (described by Steven Poole as "a kind of oasis of political and creative freedom") in William Gibson's novel Idoru.

In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City. The Hong Kong horror film Re-cycle features a decrepit, nightmarish version of the Walled City complete with tortured souls from which the protagonist must flee. The finale of the unfilmed American remake of John Woo's The Killer was scripted to occur in the Walled city which was described within as a den of criminals outside the reach of the Hong Kong Police Force.

Some of the scenes in the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight (particularly a walled neighbourhood known as the Narrows) were shot on a set inspired by Kowloon Walled City.

The Walled city has also been seen in (or inspired) a number of television programs including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" which is set partially in Kowloon and epiosodes 3 and 4 of Street Fighter II V take place near the Walled City. In the music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U," the setting resembles the Walled City.

Kowloon Walled City is also featured in several video games including "Kowloon's Gate" (PlayStation), "Saga Frontier" (Playstation), "Shadow Hearts" (Playstation 2), and "Shenmue 2" (Dreamcast). The game "The Matrix Online" features a neighborhood called Kowloon inside the International District.

See also

• Kowloon
• Kowloon City
• Kowloon City District
• History of Hong Kong
• List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong
• List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
• Declared monuments of Hong Kong

References

• Lambot, Ian (October 1999). City of Darkness. Watermark. pp. 216 pages. ISBN 1873200137. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Kowloon Walled City, introduction
• Related page on the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website
• Photographs and brief overview of KWC in historical, personal, architectural and political terms
• Kowloon Walled City Park - Photographs
• Kowloon Walled City Park - Pictures
• Story of a team exploring Kowloon Walled City

• Area in HK where the Kowloon City used to be, on Wikimapia

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