It is also known by the locals as '三不管地帶' - No mans land. - for more information :Info of the Walled City .
If you ask me how would I explain this place to you, I'll probably say It's like the Vatican City in Rome. where it is a small place but with it's own rules and things.
Basically a lawless area of Hong Kong and what it is today 20 years later(Now developed as a park in Kowloon City).
The Walled City contained 33,000 residents within its 2.6-hectare (6.4-acre) borders. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was controlled by Triads and had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug use.
The reason why I chose to introduce this place to the others out there because it is an extraordinary place, no one from outside the 'city' dare to go in there or live. Even my parents or grandparents hasn't been here before, because as the locals said : Once you get in here, you wouldn't have the chance to get out. Due to the high rates of criminality.
Dead bodies are everywhere due to there were drug dealers, Wall street journal once interviewed a former triad and he said : Rich people take 'red pills' or opium, people who are not rich but still could afford drugs take 'Heroin'. this also shows a juxtaposition in the city, you're rich then you can do whatever you want - even killing is permitted, but if you're poor then your destiny will be in charged by the rich. As simple as that.
However once there was a Japanese TV channel has visited this city before Hong Kong returns to China, everyone in the city were incredibly amazed by the Japanese, because there was none of these people dare to get in there - but if you want to visit you'll have to pay someone to take you in there , but you don't need passports! (laughs!)
In Japan, there is a place called ' Kawasaki Warehouse', they developed a theme park based on the 'City'. all the little things from the city was recreated nearly 99% similar (apart from the language ).
Japan,
〒210-0024
Kanagawa Prefecture,
Kawasaki, Kawasaki Ward, Nisshincho, 3-7
-The address of 'Kawasaki Warehouse'.
People described here as a ''BEEHIVE'' or ''Maze''
Incredible claustrophobic footage from inside the Kowloon Walled City :
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| Photo taken in the 1970s. |
Poverty and crimes were the matters in the Kowloon Walled City, therefore the refugees from China (China wasn't open to the others until 1989) took advantages to stay in Hong Kong by living inside and because ID's or certificates are not needed (Chinese doctors weren't allowed to open their own clinics before 1997), there were over a hundreds of dentists and doctors from China operating their clinics illegally.
Furthermore things were so cheap in there even wages, most of the traditional hong kong snacks or food were 90% made in inside the 'city'.
Including :
Hong Kong's most famous fish ball and Put chai Ko （A local traditional snack in Hong Kong)
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| Fish ball. |
Putchai KO.
The city was also next to the former airport in Hong Kong - Kai Tak Airport. so the buildings are not allowed to build higher than the limit where the government has set (even though the former government of Hong Kong couldn't take care of this place).
Obviously, there are still some people listens to the law.
But in the 1997 Hong Kong has to be handover to China on the 1/7/1997, so everything has to be cleared out from the city because after the handover ceremony, the kowloon walled city belongs to China so they had to move people from the 'city' to outside. The government did pay them to find new houses and start a new business.
1994 - The 'city' has been officially broken down into pieces, a year later in 1995, the former place of the 'city' has been developed as a park instead of buildings.
Kowloon Walled City Park -
If you visit Hong Kong, make sure you go to this amazing park, now it's full of histories and museums to introduce and explain the history behind the 'city'.\
Kelsey x
