The place you didn't know existed.

[uzi 9mm]

I introduce to you The Kowloon Walled City.

 

Wikipedia link: Kowloon Walled City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Picture a plot of land 100 meters by 200m (about the size of 3 football stadiums) in the centre of a big city like London (Kowloon, Hong Kong in this case) which is made of solid building with only tiny alleys to navigate through not even big enough for cars, this is a place run by criminals and out of bounds to anyone law related(police, tax collectors) despite being centered in a highly populated city. In this little city drugs, prostitution, live sex shows and basically anything illegal goes on. Even the buildings 14 stories tall (which were only limited to 14 floors due to the nearby airport) stood with no regard to planning permission, and without the knowledge of an architect. It's population was 50,000 at it's highest, which to me is the most astonishing fact about it.

 

What would this place look like from above? Like this:

 

 

 

 

This is the result of what the British government and Chinese missunderstandings caused. A tiny, mini city where the Police have no rule over what happens and the Triads are in charge, or should I say were in charge, as unfortnuately this maze of alleys, paths and 14 story buildings was evacuated in 1991 and destroyed in 1993. What amazes me is that this type of place existed while I was alive and I never heard of it until it was gone!

 

But seriously, what is so special about this place? I even had to ask myself, what shocks me, is that despite no police could enter and run the area, 50,000 people lived in this tiny plot of land. A part of land no bigger than modest US shopping mall had that many people living in it. Buildings 14 floors high stood with no regard to planning permission, the entire complex linked up through hundreds of paths, cracks and alleys with no sunlight ever reaching the insides, resulting in light bulbs as the only form of light, hundreds of drug factories, as well as legal food/plastic/rubber factories existed in the place, most people didnt even need to leave the city as all they needed was there. If anything there's certain foods made in the wall city that people from the outside city would come to buy, there was a recipe of a sausage that was made in there and after the city's destruction, the sausage dissapeared and was never sold to this day. kind of funny.

 

 

The buildings were built floor by floor with no blueprints, just like houses stacked on top of each other and built so close together that they were either touching the next building or an alley no bigger than a meter or 2 separated them, infact, they were so close you could make your way across the whole city without even touching the ground level, just jumping the roof tops. Most building were being supported up by the one standing next to it! A story about a postman doing his daily rounds there mentioned how he would make his way down the roofs 'till he got to the ground without ever using the indoor stairways, in a way it was like a paradise for curious, troublemaking kids.

 

 

This is a rare photo from a roof on the edge of the city, as you can see the edge to the left. Rent is much lower in the Wall city than in the outer city, a reason for the high population. The apartments on the cities edge would even feth much lower than a one in the main Kowloon city. Even the water and electrical supplies were stolen from the main Kowloon city, which resulted in dripping pipes and wires all over the place and down every alleyway, creating a huge fire hazard. Small fires did break out occasionally, the kids would be happy, as for a short while it created an area for them to play in untill it got built on, space was very precious in this small place.

 

 

This is a 'street' inside the walled city, as you can see the only form of light is by fluorecent lightbulbs, as the buildings were so close togther and clogged up with trash being held up by wire metal nets on higher floors, sunlight couldn't reach the insides, a man who entered now and again said how the main colours you mostly saw were black and white as the only source of light was the bulbs, plus the smell of the place was disgusting, with the fumes of opium, heroin, fish and human piss and sh*t all lingering around. This is cos people just threw waste out the windows falling to the ground level, which in most of the city was not able to use as the clogging up and waste was too much, most walkways go above street level up little stairways and stuff where blockages were.

 

From the outside the place looked like some type of comic book style slum with buildings stuck together, kind of looking like cars from the scrap yard stacked on top of another to make the tall building, the dodgy building plans left windows unaligned, the silouette of the shape wasn't perfect and it just looked like one huge building merged into 1. Like a big labrynthwith corridors and paths so complex that outsiders would not enter in fear of becoming lost.

 

 

Free and open to the public, no actual barriers blocking the hundreds of entrances and exits, anyone could enter,its said anyone European would never been seen again once they entered unless floating dead in the gutter leaving the city. Since no police entered the place, wanted criminals lived there, with the option of walking freely out into the outer city and returning there whenever, pure craziness, no wonder it had to get torn down and replaced with a memorial park.

 

Of course to everyone who didnt live there it was the worst possible type of slum that ever existed, to the people who lived there, they cherished it and have tearful memories of it being gone, to them, a place full of unliscenced dentists and doctors, and criminalswas actually a good place to live nd the crime rate was even lower than in the actual city surrounding it. To certain others the whole city is a piece of art that should have been preserved as a kind of museum to be explored through, although health & safety laws would never allow it, it would have been nice to leave it there so people can get a proper feel of the cramped conditions and how people lived.

 

I could go on but I would go on forever, what I have posted here is near enough all the info about this place not much was known since photographers would get chased out of there and made to tear the film out of their cam if captured, and the dark surroundings made it hard for getting clear pictures anyweay.

 

Amazingly there is 1 (and I mean only one) 10 minute clip of a man with a hidden camcorder in a bag who circles the city edge and then walks through one of the alleys straight through to the opposite end, this is the only known online footage of a normal person entering the ghetto while people were still living there and going about their business, it was filmed in 1990, 3 years before the demolition.

 

Click the link below for the video.

 

 

At first he films the city from a distance, then it cuts off and reappears with him walking around the outer part untill the 6th minute when he finally dares to enter an alley and cut through. I don'k know if it's just me but the guy seems nevous even though I can't see or hear him.

 

Also, if you have seen the Jean Claud Van Dam film 'Bloodsport', you might have never known a scene was actually shot in the wall city, this is much clearer than the shaking bag clip as it's a DVD, its real too, they did it when it was fully evacuated and safe, notice the Chinese guy who leads them in talking about the wall city just before they enter, he gives us a 2 second history lesson about the no-go area.

 

 

 

That's about it, if you search hard enough or are even interested in more clips theres a few from a Chinese documentary that you might have trouble finding, but if anyone is interested let me know as this is the only footage you'll find as its rare.

 

The last footage you'd see would be in a Jackie Chan film called 'Crime Story, filmed in 1993 (the year of its demolision), certain scenes were shot in the wall city, and also, real footage of buildings exploding was used as naturally, the place was getting knocked down anyway, so what an excuse to use real buildings for real authenticity.

 

Other refferences to the walled city are in Shenmue 2 on DC and XBOX, the second location you play in is based on Kowloon Wall city, minus the heroin and hookers, the game makes quite a good recreation, especially the way most buildings link up on the inside as they really did.

 

Another video game called Stranglehold with John Woo on the PS3/360 features the walled city in the level called Slums of Kowloon, it's quite a good game too, you can download the demo for free from the PS store online. The featured level isn't 'Slums of Kowloon', but it still based in the Kowloon area and is still very similar to the walled city, check it out.

 

If anyone goes on Google Earth you can see how it looks now, its just a park mind you, but you'd get a good idea of the scale and size of the place, and think how 50,000 people fitted in there! Just search for 'Kowloon walled city park' and it should take you directly there.

 

This article I'm about topost is from the LA Times and was printedin 1991, 2 years before the walled city got demolished.

 

By CHRISTINE COURTNEY, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

October 15, 1991

 

HONG KONG — "I live here. I work here. It is my home. But now I must go and leave my world behind," said Cheung Muk-ching, a 66-year-old shop owner residing deep within the labyrinthine Walled City just north of Hong Kong's international airport.

 

Cheung's neighborhood is a monument to man's ability to survive in adverse surroundings. The Walled City--still called that even though Japanese occupiers pulled down the boundary walls during World War II--is one of the more densely populated tenement districts on Earth. The Chinese call it Hak Nam , the "City of Darkness," and Cheung, who has lived here for more than 40 years, is an expert guide.

 

Here, in a filthy, dingy room, he talks to two chefs clad only in shorts and sandals while they prepare an order of bite-size custard pies for a local bakery. There, in the front window of an unlicensed dentist's shop, he laughingly points to a display of ready-to-wear dentures. Turn a corner and an oversized rat darts through the maze of dark, damp passageways. Cheung throws an empty bottle at it before it squeezes through a hole and plunges into the open sewers below. The stench of human waste and rotting garbage is overwhelming.

 

The alleys of the Walled City are so narrow that no vehicles can enter them. Many of the buildings lean into each other or they would tumble over. Small shops and factories with ancient machinery, making everything from plastic ornaments to noodles, line the narrow streets, as do dark stairways that lead up to the apartments. Sunlight reaches only a few areas.

 

For all its squalor, Cheung would like to stay in the Walled City. But in less than a year, that will no longer be possible. The Hong Kong government is expected to complete the fourth and final phase of a systematic clearance scheme next June. After all the residents are gone, the neighborhood is to be leveled and the seven-acre site--about the size of a modest U.S. shopping mall--converted into a public park.

 

Seventy percent of the Walled City's 30,000 inhabitants have already moved out and been compensated. Of the 10,000 who remain, 120--including Cheung--have refused to move, and as the June, 1992, deadline approaches, there may be more who will try to defy the government plan.

 

"The government's compensation is not enough to start a new life outside of the Walled City," Cheung said. "Besides, I'm too old to start another business. I refuse to be forced out of my home."

 

The decision to implement the massive urban renewal project came by way of secret talks between the Chinese and the British governments more than three years ago. It is part of preparations to return the British colony to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

 

Philip Chok, Hong Kong's deputy secretary for home affairs and overseer of the city's clearance plan, said the Walled City will soon be relegated to the place it deserves--in the history books.

 

"It is very much to the benefit of Hong Kong that we do something about the Walled City, which really is a slum," Chok said. Conditions there, he added, "are very much an environmental and safety hazard." He characterized as very favorable the government's proffered compensation package to residents, which is valued at $300 million.

 

Choi Wing-kwai is a reformed drug dealer familiar with the Walled City's underside. "I left southern China for Hong Kong in 1954 to enter the business of selling opium and heroin in the Walled City. The opium dens have gone, but the heroin addicts remain. Although I don't sell drugs anymore, I know addicts seek protection within the city," Choi said.

 

Added a younger drug dealer who grew up in the Walled City: "Most of the addicts think they will be able to receive rehousing compensation from the government but continue to live here. They don't understand what is about to happen to them."

 

In addition to holdouts among some longtime residents, officials are running into resistance from more than 120 unlicensed doctors and dentists who hang their shingles in the Walled City.

 

The government said it will not allow unlicensed medics to practice outside the Walled City because they would lower medical standards in the territory. So accepting the government's buyout offer would mean going out of business for people like Chan Po-cheng, an unlicensed dentist from Guangdong province in southeastern China. "I am too old to take the licensing exam," complained Chan, 50. "It is a shame for me lose my practice after serving the community for more than 20 years."

 

But Chok said the government's terms are non-negotiable.

 

And for many, like Suen Mai-lan, 38, the demise of Hak Nam is a chance to bury a painful past. Suen has just accepted the government's terms and is renting a public housing apartment outside the Walled City. "I am much happier now because my husband will have the chance to break his drug habit and start a new life," she said.

 

Suen returns to the Walled City every day to work at her mother-in-law's bakery and to meet with old friends, many of whom have also moved. "Growing up in the Walled City exposed me to a lot of bad things," she said. "But now I live where the sun shines and the air is fresh."

 

A Brief history:-

 

The history of the Walled city goes back to 960-1279 (the song dynasty) when the area was a watch post looking out for pirates while managing salt production. Then in the 1800's it was rebuilt as a fort. In 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 did not include 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 World War II 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 Airport.

 

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 Triads' 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 Rise of the city begins:-

 

With the Triads weakened, the Walled City began to grow. Square buildings folded up into one another as thousands of modifications were made, virtually none by architects or engineers, until the entire City became monolithic. Labyrinthine corridors ran through the City, some former streets (at the ground level, and often clogged up with refuse), and some running through upper floors, through and between buildings. The streets were illuminated by fluorescent lights, as sunlight rarely reached the lower levels. There were only two rules for construction: electricity had to be provided to avoid fire, and the buildings could be no more than fourteen stories high, because of the nearby airport. Eight municipal pipes 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. 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 estimated 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. It's a beautiful park, and has many remnants of the city which once stood. Despite the beauty of the park, many residents of the WC were left homeless and are struggling to cope with life in the actual city of Kowloon, I suppose for most people, justice has finally been done, but to a lot of other it's a kick in the teeth to be removed from your home to see it get demolished, and then being thrown into the city were none of the jobs they were living by can never be done.

 

A place like this would never exist again, and what would you have done if you lived in Kowloon at that time? Would you have entered it?

 

I have to conclude and say that it's unspeakable that this place could exist in the modern day, and 1993 doesn't really seem that long ago to me, and the fact that what went on in there, meaning every illegal activity possible with no Police action in sight... went to the blind eye of the type of governments we have in today's society is unimaginable, it's not right, it's messy, and I like that about this place, it's a shame that it's now gone. I can't help picturing a bit of land reasonably the same size when out and about on my London streets, and when I see an open field of grass round about the size of what the wall city was, I try to imagine how so many people could live there, 100 m by 200m? I remember running 100m in P.E in less than 30 seconds, I could probably circle the entire city jogging in less than 5 minutes. You can imagine how small it was.

 

Maybe the increase in world population will result in a similar type of situation one of these days to come, people see the future as big funny shaped buildings and flying cars, but the increasing population could result in something very like this if it all goes wrong, the rich live gloriously while the poor suffer.

 

Edited September 24, 2009 by uzi 9mm

[*MURDOC*]

I have a book about this place, its crazy!

[Tsar_Smirnoff]

That's truly insane..I thought it was an aerial view of a junkyard at first glance, you know like a bunch of crushed stacked cars? That was until I saw windows.

[3minty3]

No, I did not know this place existed. Looks like a horrible place to live.

 

It must be very hard and time consuming for someone in the middle of the appartments.

[uzi 9mm]

Funny you mentioned the thing about the cars as I too mentioned that somewhere in that 1st post, it's true, the mix of colours blending in and the akward style of the building shape makes you think that!

 

Yes it look like an awful place to live, I would definately not want that, but to explore it would be a cool thing to do.

 

Another fact is that only 3 buildings out of the 600 odd in there had elevators. The post man must've had problems.

 

Every piece of information in the open post is true, I have written it by what information I've gathered by searching the web (aside from the articles below where I posted the 2 video's, that's copy & pasted), and it's suprising how limited that info is, since not much was known about the wall city, not much information is available, not many pictures are circling the web, that's another thing that interests me about this. I just want to getin there myself to see what it was like and now that's impossible. But, then we have R*. Probably the only computer game company who could put this in one of there game, it could be like a safe zone where the feds can't enter, since in reality they really couldn't, but it's doubtfull it'll happen.

[greebo-man]

Jesus m'neezus.

 

that must be the highest concentration of humans like ever.

[Star-Lord]

Just when you think you've seen it all? That's truly amazing to see so many people in one place. I knew of this place because I read about it in some biography, can't remember the name though, anyways i believe this is the same place where they had those fights to the death tournaments or as they called them 'Come tae' There's a lot of movies with reference to this place. I thought it was all made up until i read the BIO.

 

BTW: OP Great and interesting topic, love the way you put so much effort into it

[trip]

dude, that is fascinating stuff. Now I have to hunt out a documentary on it...

Humans, and societies are wacky and great to study.

 

To answer the one question you tossed in there about 'checking it out' if you lived near it - man, that is a tough one. I would think 'yes' in my case.

 

I have to admit about 1/4 way through I though 'this better not be some lame milestone joke'. Thanks.

 

 

[playa]

 

its said anyone European would never been seen again once they entered unless floating dead in the gutter leaving the city.

 

and I was just going say, I would love to have visited it...but maybe not.

[uzi 9mm]

pcguytech_2005, it's an interesting subject to dwell on, I'm glad you're interested in it, I know of 2 films that filmed scenes there, in the Jean Claude Van Damn film Bloodsport, scenes are filmed inside the city walls, and is even mentioned by the Chinese guy who leads them in, he says how it's a no-go area in the center of a tourist attracted area, he gives a brief history.

 

 

 

There's the clip if anyone missed it in the 1st post which is quite long.

 

tripmills, it's obvious that if you would enter you must be interested in the way life went on in there, it is worth researching.

 

The thing about Europeans being killed is a serious matter too, since no Police went in there, how would you be rescued?

 

I'll post some more pictures I've come across while looking.

 

 

 

 

Apparently this guy was too frightened to go any further than he did in this picture, and he's an Asian guy too, if he's scared he must know it's a scary place. It's off his Flickr account.

[The-King]

That is absolutely incredible, I've heard of places like that, but never so clustered. I don't really think it was necessary they tore it down though, it would've been fairer to the former residents if they had simply renewed it, or rebuilt it. Now I'm gonna' have to see that Jackie Chan movie though, without a doubt.

 

Didn't realize a good portion of Shenmue 2 was based there, now I want to play that game again.

[Lurch]

Interesting read. Gen chat needs more topics like this. Maybe make this a continuing topic for people to add other interesting places to? GTAF's daily dose or world history/geography.

[Saggy]

Yeah, I read about this place a few months back. The amazing thing to me is how many places like this exist in the world, untouchable, and with so many people crammed into them.

 

Like the "favelas" in south america

 

Check out this one in Caracas

 

 

 

This picture gives you an idea of the sheer immensity of the places. I watched a documentary that suggested one like this could have up to 2 million people living there.

 

 

This one too

 

 

Check out the wiring

 

 

Nice up close look at the architecture

 

 

 

There's also several of these places, the ones I posted were from Brazil. One of my friends showed me one from Venezuela that shows the real contrast between the cities, and the Favelas. This is Caracas, Venezuela

 

 

(Sao Palto)

 

 

And then of course there's other places just like this in other parts of the world, check out this picture from Mumbai. A million people live in this one..

 

 

 

These types of towns always amaze me with the way people will group together to offer themselves services, almost without any outside assistance. The fact that so few people know these places even exist is amazing, and I always kind of have to wonder what a world inside these places would be like. Would what was happening in the world, what they showed in the media, even have any bearing to you?

 

 

 

[GTA3Freak-2001]

I've known about similar places like the one in South America but not Kowloon which just has a almost fictional look to it like the Slum area of Gotham City in Batman Begins. It's simply insane!

[Star-Lord]

uzi 9mm, yes it is and i thank you for sharing with us. The movie references of this walled city are amazing, there's maybe hundredths of movies maybe more dating back to the 70's. I found a few that are in the list below. GTA3Freak-2001, you're right about Batman.

 

These movies,series,animation have reference to the city as well.

 

 

Walled In (2009)

964 Pinocchio

The Blood of Heroes (1989)

Kung Fu Hustle

The Killer Movie

Batman Begins (The neighborhood known as the Narrows) Movie

Star Trek Deep space Nine (TV Series)

Street Fighter animated series

Re-Cycle Movie

The Dark Knight (The neighborhood known as the Narrows) Movie

The world Of Suzie Wong Movie

Street Fighter II V Movie

 

And there's more a lot more these are only a few i picked.

Bonus:

Britney Spears Music Video - I'm A Slave 4 U

 

(In the beginning and towards the end has reference)

 

History of Kowloon Walled City

 

Youtube said screw you, so I can't use me tags.

 

Edited September 23, 2009 by pcguytech_2005

[Flores420]

Thanks for sharing this, very interesting read. I remember watching the film Bloodsport and thinking is there really a place like this somewhere in the world? ..and turns out there is. Never knew it was a real place where people actually lived in at one point in life. Looks pretty scary and dangerous, but I would love to venture the place. I'd probably wouldn't once actually being there ready to enter, though. At least not alone, that's for sure.

[Vercetti21]

I have to admit about 1/4 way through I though 'this better not be some lame milestone joke'. Thanks.

Glad I wasn't the only one.

 

Fascinating, though, and a great first post, OP. I looked into the Wikipedia article after that and now I want to find a documentary. This place looked absolutely surreal and I'm even more amazed at how little is known about it today. Definitely nothing I've ever heard of before.

 

And favelas, I believe that's a multiplayer level in Modern Warfare 2.

[LanceVanceDance07]

Wow, this is some interesting stuff, incredible. The pictures of the walled city are vivid and say a lot about the standard of life there.

[.:Macrae:.]

Iv heard of this place before, cant recall where though. It looks like a post apocolypatic world or like the NYC in the movie The Fifth Element.

[SanAndreasManiac]

the only thing I recall about something regarding Kowloon was a mention by Woozie (GTASA) or something.....

 

btw, interesting thing

[uzi 9mm]

I'm glad everyone here's sharing an interest in the topic, mainly as I am too, it's just something I feel I missed out on as I was alive while the city was. At the same time during 1992/3 I was still only around 10 years old so I wouldn't have actually gone there anyway, it's just sad that such a place had to become destroyed before I could see it with my own eyes.

 

This is another video I found which looks like part of a Chinese documentary filmed decades ago, it includes demolition scenes and it worth a quick view. The way buildings are so close shows neighbours passing objects to one another through the windows, a lot of 'inside the wall' footage is in this clip. Towards the end is where the demolition clips are shown, wuite sad to see the residents opposing the demolition by rioting (sort of). It concludes with an aerial view of the memorial park which is now there.

 

I'll post a couple more pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures:-

 

Kids playing on the roofs, some of the only available parts of the city with fresh air and sunlight.

 

 

This is taken from the outside of the city, near night fall, looks vibrant.

 

This picture was taken near to the demolition time. You can spot a few of the many entrances (which would simplay be a small alley)

 

This is another entrance, a clogged up alleyway leading into the urban maze.

 

This is from a book which shows pictures from the demolition, as you can see a huge open space cleared.

 

This black and white photo was takken in 1992, probably while they were tearing it down.

Edited September 23, 2009 by uzi 9mm

[Star-Lord]

Expedition Story

 

 

This 'Expedition Story' is the whole story of explore of

the Kowloon Walled City. The Expedition entered to the City

just before the torning down had started.

And, they were the last and only Expedition;

investigated the City with living walls.

 

A group of brave people formed an expedition and sneaked into the city the day before destruction.

So that the world would know about Kowloon Walled City.

[uzi 9mm]

This is the website made by the team of exlporers who entered the city. The English is not perfect but readable.

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20020208225753/...ry/index_e.html

[Tsar_Smirnoff]

This is a very interesting topic Uzi, thanks for sharing...I've really gotten into the whole urban exploration scene and this really piques my interest. If you're into that sort of thing you should visit the site Opacity.us; has some great photography of abandoned 19th century asylums, factories, old hotels...I think it's pretty cool. Man, I saw that video on youtube of the man walking through the buildings and I have to say that is some scary sh*t....it feels like someone could jump out at you at any moment. Those claustrophobic, dimly lit alleyways they call roads are just deplorable....I can't believe humans lived in this place. Great find! I certainly never knew of this place before.

[Menaced]

Wow, the city in the first post looks like a city from Killzone 2, I forgot the exact name of it but it looks similar.

[uzi 9mm]

Yea I agree Tsar, it certainly is, I feel a bit dissapointed that that bag shaking clip is the only thing out there, especially since it's always been 'there', you'd think at least a few more people would have done something similar but, no. The amount of little stairways you see as he walks through and people just appearing and sliding round corners like there not even there is scary, it would make me worry, how many of these little gaps and narrow passages are there, someone could slide a blade into your body and vanish without you even knowing where it came from.

 

The thing about Europenas being killed if they entered isn't exactly comforting to know, I would think that running through there hooded up would help but I expect there was some kind of code or rule they had there, that's why most Chinese people themselves wouldn't even enter, I suppose your face would have to have been visible, Chinese or not. The traids were the ones inhabbiting the place, one of the world's most fearfull gangs.

 

I wish more information was out there.

[trip]

 

tripmills, it's obvious that if you would enter you must be interested in the way life went on in there, it is worth researching.

 

 

I have been doing endless research and reading on this now. I'm fascinated that this is the first I am hearing of this place. I'm going to chalk it up to me being a US born white guy. Now I am going to bust on the US school system. I even took 1/2 a year of Chinese culture, and have no recollection of this crazy place being touched on. It would have been in it's full glory back then too.

 

When you say 'interested in the way of life there' - Totally. Not for wanting to live the style of life there, but for the social weirdness. Having grown up during the cold war and not expecting my life(and the planet) to exist this far, I spent a lot of my younger years living as close to the edge as possible. A crazy visit to the walled city would have just been another fun adventure.

 

Why are there no documentaries on this?

[uzi 9mm]

 

tripmills, it's obvious that if you would enter you must be interested in the way life went on in there, it is worth researching.

 

 

I have been doing endless research and reading on this now. I'm fascinated that this is the first I am hearing of this place. I'm going to chalk it up to me being a US born white guy. Now I am going to bust on the US school system. I even took 1/2 a year of Chinese culture, and have no recollection of this crazy place being touched on. It would have been in it's full glory back then too.

 

When you say 'interested in the way of life there' - Totally. Not for wanting to live the style of life there, but for the social weirdness. Having grown up during the cold war and not expecting my life(and the planet) to exist this far, I spent a lot of my younger years living as close to the edge as possible. A crazy visit to the walled city would have just been another fun adventure.

 

Why are there no documentaries on this?

Lol. About the school thing, wonder why they left it out? I suppose in my case I can't blame nobody as we never learned about Chinese history in school now that I think back. I can tell you are older than me just by the disbelief of not being informed of the city in your time, it's more likely in my situation as I am 23 now and would have been young at the time it vanished. But to think there are people my age who would have been born there and have there childhood memories from there still shocks me, I like to think I've come from a rough London estate, but this city blows any vision I had on what a ghetto is away by far. I don't know of any documentaries about it, although there was one which strangley is availabe as a script only, I can't get the video footage. This is the full script.

 

http://dragon.tripod.com/script.html

 

 

I just recently decided to replay Shenmue 2 since I liked that game a few years ago. The game has real life locations and me being me searched for pictures to see what they really look like, Kowloon is a featured location, that's is how I came to the walled city, and I'm happy I did! Who says video games don't encourage knowledge in a positive way? (and I'm excluding doing maths on the NDS) Kowloon in Shenmue 2 is recreated stunningly, even though the surroundings aren't as they are said to be (dirty, hookers, drugs) and are made more friendly, the tall buildings look authentic, and the overall feel of a gritty city is accomplished by the game creators. I like to picture it as the wall city in the 1960's, instead of the game saying it's the '80's.

 

Sorry to go on about the game, but one thing that always made me doubt the game's nature is the fact that while I'm beating all these gangsters up and running through 14 story buildings managed entirely by criminals, it made me think why no Police were involved in the game, it didn't make sense that a world like that could exist, I didn't ponder on it as it's only a game you wouldn't think it could be half real, but the walled city's history revealed that, as of course, Police really did not enter. It's only a game but the way it made sense gave me even more repect for the creator of the games story, why he gave up on it I don't know.

 

I guess the only hope would be that the game does get remade on a next gen system, as it's been said by the developers that they'd have to re-create the old games, meaning we will see the wall city in HD on a game that could make history! I would even love the wall city to feature in a GTA game, it could happen if they really wanted to do it.

 

I'm gonna post some more pictures, and if anyone gets anything good on the wall city, share it with everyone here.

 

Later.

 

An alley leading deeper into the city, watch how the floor goes into the distance, also a shop popping out there.

 

A young boy riding his bike on the rooftops. Doesn't seem safe.

 

 

A cool view of the outside. The little extensions were like balconies, you can see them sticking out of the tall buildings on most pics, the residents made them just to add onto what little space they had. Some weren;t safe and pieces of metal would occasionally be seen falling.

 

I think this is the hole in the middle of the city, the biggest part of open space, there is a temple at the bottom, the first building to be built there, safely surrounded by the massive buildings in a better way than the original granite wall torn down by the Japanese did.

 

Another picture of the city's exterior.

Edited September 24, 2009 by uzi 9mm

[uNi]

Finally a thread worth reading. I had no idea this town existed as well, only the favelas in Brazil.

[Mr. O]

It almost impossible to embed Gmaps. Anyways here is another sh*thole. About 70% of the whole town is like this, I have been there and it is THE worst place to go, absolute dump.

 

The town is Juarez, Mexico. Below is a link to the Google map, zoom into the green arrow & you will quickly see what I am talking about.

 

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=31.670767,-1...14&output=embed