Kowloon Walled City
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The Kowloon Walled City (Traditional Chinese: 九龍城寨; Simplified Chinese: 九龙城寨; 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.
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[edit] History
[edit] The outpost
The history of the Walled City (known as Kowloon then) can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, 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.
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.
[edit] Triad rule
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 set off a small diplomatic crisis, 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 Hong Kong Government also provided some services such as water and mail delivery in the city.
[edit] The boom
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).[1]
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.
[edit] 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 1,900,000 / km². It was allegedly the most densely populated spot on Earth.
Evacuations started in 1991 and were completed in 1992. The government spent up to HK$ 3 billion to resettle the residents and shops. Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way.
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.[2]
After the demolition, a park was built in its place with construction started in May 1994.
[edit] Kowloon Walled City Park
The area is now located in today's Kowloon City District. Completed in August 1995, it was built into Kowloon Walled City Park (九龍寨城公園), an elegant park preserving the heritage of the fabled Walled City, which is part of the 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.
[edit] 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 much 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.
[edit] Kowloon Walled City South Gate Remnants
Archaeological investigations were conducted by the Antiquities and Monuments Office in 1993 and 1994. [3]
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.[3]
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.[3]
[edit] Depictions in popular culture
- Kowloon Walled City is featured in the video games Kowloon's Gate (PlayStation), Shadow Hearts (Playstation 2), and Shenmue 2 (Dreamcast).
- A full city block of Gotham in Christopher Nolan's 2005 film Batman Begins was largely based on the slums of Kowloon Walled City.
- The music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U" likewise featured a full concrete block resembling the Walled City.
- The martial art tournament in the film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City.
- Idoru by William Gibson, the second novel in his Bridge trilogy, which is set in the near future, features 'Walled City,' an online multi-user community whose physical layout is based on that of the Kowloon Walled City. At the novel's end, a replica of this online version of the Walled City is built on an island in Tokyo Bay.
- The game Guild Wars: Factions features a large urban area that closely resembles the Walled City.
- The game The Matrix Online features a neighborhood called Kowloon inside the International District.
- The anime Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG shows a refugee district that closely resembles the Walled City.
[edit] 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
[edit] References
- ^ City of shadow(cat)s
- ^ 'Expedition Story'
- ^ a b c The Geographical Information System on Hong Kong Heritage
[edit] External links
