A18 Saturday, March 16, 2013 City of anarchy Kowloon Walled City, located not far from the former Kai Tak Airport, was a remarkable high-rise squatter camp that by the 1980s had 50,000 residents. A historical accident of colonial Hong Kong, it existed in a lawless vacuum until it became an embarrassment for Britain. Kowloon This month marks the 20th anniversary of its demolition. Flight Walled City approach path
45° Courtyard Kai Tak 500 Kowloon Airport Buildings built into 2.7 hecares
02Kms Without municipal services, there Hong Kong was no rubbish collection. Old Island television sets, broken furniture, Other rooftops were used discarded mattresses and other for exercise, playgrounds, bulky items were hauled to the relaxing and even pigeon roof and abandoned racing
Planes needed 213m to turn 45 Buildings were no degrees to more than 14 land at floors high to 126m Kai Tak avoid collisions
There were 77 wells inside the city some 90 metres deep. Electric pumps delivered water to big tanks on rooftops. From there, water was funnelled through narrow pipes to the homes
40sq ft per person
The area’s intercon- nected high-rise towers were built without architects and HK$35 engineers, and monthly room rent ungoverned by Hong Kong’s building and sanitationsanitatio regulations
There were several schools and kindergartens, some of them run by organisations Despite its daunting, such as the squalid appearance and Salvation Army reputation for lawless- ness, many of Kowloon Walled City’s former TinyTiny mmetale residents remember it ffabricationabricat shops fondly. It may have been made uup a good the City of Darkness to numnumberber of the 700 outsiders, but to oorr so inindustriald thousands who called it prpremises.emise Most home, it was a friendly, wwereere ffoundo tight-knit community betweebetweenn the ground that was poor but and fifth floors generally happy
Electric wires weree placed outdoors too prevent fires There were many heroin dealers but they were untouchable. Police could only arrest non-residents
KOWLOON WALLED CITY
HONG KONG Population density per square kilometre KWC Mong Kok Hong Kong 1,920,000 130,000 6,700
The street-level shops were a mix of unlicensed dentists and doctors, market stalls and cafes that often Authorities included dog on the menu. Fish balls, installed eight barbecued and roast meat and other Residents carried freshwater foodstuffs were manufactured in umbrellas to standpipes — one premises with little or no sanitation Brothels and shield themselves inside the city, and gambling dens from constantly the others outside operated with dripping water its perimeter impunity pipes above the From fortress to park narrow alleys The Walled City underwent a dramatic transformation in the final decades of the 20th century
1898 Each point is 1940 1950 1973 19801990 Fresh start 700 an inhabitant 2,000 5,000 10,000 30,000 50,000 In March 1993, the settlement was inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants demolished and a park that looked like a typical Chinese garden was built in its place. But it kept a few original elements from the Walled City, such as old cannons and remnants of the South Gate and its entrance plaques Walled fortress During the second world war, Uncontrolled the Japanese army razed the building begins walls for materials to expand Barracks Kai Tak Airport
Sources: The Darkness City: Life in Kowloon Walled City - Greg Girard and Ian Lambot, Leisure and Cultural Services Department SCMP Graphic: G hi AdolfoAdlf ArranzA
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