The Walled City of Kowloon

[dchan]

I don't remember everything since the last time I extensively walked around Tsim Sha Tsui. This was back in 1999, when I was 14.

I remember that the Tsim Sha Tsui area directly around the water was nice, especially in the presence of the Peninsula Hotel. Going deeper into Nathan Road, I remember it was a weird mix of expensive shops (Rolex, Seiko, etc.) and shady malls and the like.

But what I recall most that has stuck in my mind were the Chunking Mansions. I had no idea what they were called, and I recall seeing the word "hotel" on the side of the buildings. I looked up towards the upper floors from the nice shops around the ground floor and thought that those were either sweat shops or some shady places to live. They looked deserted despite the presence of open windows and fluorescent lights. I can't really describe what I saw too well, only that it has stuck in my mind ever since I looked up towards the upper floors of the buildings.

[dchan]

I also went back in 2004. I spent only one day there visiting my mother's friend and her friend's family. We ate lunch and proceeded on a day of visiting museums and the area.

The Hong Kong Museum of History is a SWEET museum. It's incredibly packed with information and exhibitions on the history of Hong Kong. A whole day can be spent there. It's not too expensive and highly recommended. It's located in Tsim Tsa Tsui in Kowloon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Ko...eum_of_History

And for the City Planning, City Design, and Transportation connoisseurs is the Hong Kong Planning and Infrastructure Gallery, which I suspect is an awkwardly translated title. But it's another SWEET museum also, plus its free! They have a full panorama of Hong Kong on a wall behind glass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Ko...bition_Gallery


Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/233059547/

There's a whole list of museums that I wanted to go to, but alas, I only had one day there. Maybe next time. Here's a list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_in_Hong_Kong

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by dchan

But what I recall most that has stuck in my mind were the Chunking Mansions. I had no idea what they were called, and I recall seeing the word "hotel" on the side of the buildings. I looked up towards the upper floors from the nice shops around the ground floor and thought that those were either sweat shops or some shady places to live. They looked deserted despite the presence of open windows and fluorescent lights. I can't really describe what I saw too well, only that it has stuck in my mind ever since I looked up towards the upper floors of the buildings.

Sounds eerie, but cool!

[Aimlessy_trip]

Sorry, I have made a mistake and done continuation entry.

[Aimlessy_trip]

[MolsonExport]

^thanks for the shots. Egads, what a gnarly looking place! Any info?

[Pavlov]

Thank you indeed. Those are almost surreal.

[Aimlessy_trip]

Hi MolsonExport
Hi Reesonov

Photograph is explained.

The building of pictures is in Tsuen Wan.
Although a picture is one building, another building is located in near.
Since there was land, these buildings were made.
It was built in the very easy feeling.
The building was built without deciding the use of commerce, office, etc.
However, industry borrowed.
This absorbed the labor force which will increase rapidly in the 60s, and supported the Hong Kong economy.
Factories, such as a fiber and sewing, buried each floor.
The building is not built as a factory.
The borrower was freely equipped with piping or wiring.
The outside of a wall was equipped with them.
Therefore, the chimney is irregularly attached in the outer wall.
The dirt of a wall is the symbol of productive capacity of those days.
The factory was relocated to cheaper mainland China from the 70s.
There are many vacant rooms now.
The window was broken and is ruined.
The inside of a building is gloomy Kowloon walled city.
It is the same.
The same building exists in Hong Kong.
It is very attractive.

The photograph of kowloon walled city last year is attached by addition.
[IMG]
[/IMG]

[MolsonExport]

^Amazing stuff! Post more, if you have them.

[MolsonExport]

up on the roof, where the air is fresh and clean:





Closeup external WCK grit:

[MolsonExport]

check out this video of a 747 passing near the Walled City of Kowloon area back in the old Kai tak airport.

• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

The insanity continues...
• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

Chinese documentary on the Walled City of Kowloon:

• Video Link

[1138]

I found this thread from Google while I was looking for info about the Walled City. There are some good snippets of information. Thanks for the link to the Cantonese video, MolsonExport. Anyone who wants to find more photos of it should probably Google the Chinese characters for Kowloon Walled City (just copy and paste them from Wikipedia's page on it).

I'm kinda fascinated by the place, my grandparents lived there from the 50s/60s to when it was torn down. I've actually been there in the late 80s. I was only a few years old at the time but I remember it pretty clearly. The outside does look like compacted cars and that was the first thing I thought when I was a kid. The atmosphere inside is just what you'd expect from the photos and the videos, except you have to add the numerous rats that seemed to be all over the place. They'd gather at the refuse piles and of all the things I could possibly remember, I somehow remembered that they were eating their veggies. That's the thing that sticks out in my memory of my visit to the place - the rats. The rest of it was just a bunch of dimly lit corridors and old apartment doors. My grandmother's place was a pretty small apartment inside; it was quite clean and cozy but devoid of natural sunlight (lit by fluorescents).

My father told me a few stories about what it was like living there. There was nothing really special about it, aside from the fact that it became a huge architectural mess. For regular folk, it was quite safe to live there because the Triads treated it as a place of business and to attract customers, they made sure it wasn't dangerous for outsiders. They certainly left the regular people alone. There was a time when the place was decent, it had regular houses that were gradually overbuilt. The houses were subdivided into many rental units, which accounts for the density.

Anyway, once you get to know the place, I'm sure the mystery disappears. I'd ask my dad for more info but I think he gets tired of me asking about it. I ask him once a year and every time I ask more detailed questions and he just doesn't remember or gets bored answering them ("What types of restaurants were there?" and he'd answer "The kind that serves food" and stuff like that).

He's lucky I'm not studying to be an anthropologist, because I'd certainly do some sort of research project on the place and he'd have no choice but to answer all my questions.

Originally Posted by Lost Island

It must have been bad down below. She's still holding her nose.

As far as I remember, the smell wasn't that bad unless you're next to a garbage pile. Once you're inside someone's home, it's got the typical dwelling odours (i.e. cooking, etc.) But I don't know how living there long term would have affected my perception of that.

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Flickr. Some guy said he scanned them from a magazine (wasn't mentioned which one).

It's from a Japanese book documenting the Walled City, reviewed in this Cantonese video (they give the title in Cantonese):

http://tv.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/sho...416ec94ccd4c62

The map is a big fold out spread. From the above video, it appears to be the work of the team that made this website:

http://web.archive.org/web/200202082...y/index_e.html

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

check out this video of a 747 passing near the Walled City of Kowloon area back in the old Kai tak airport.

• Video Link

I remember having to cover my ears because a plane passed directly overhead while I was in that area. It's unbelievably loud.

[MolsonExport]

Thanks very much for sharing your first- and second-hand accounts of life in the Walled City of Kowloon. I find this place to be utterly fascinating.

[MolsonExport]

For Walled City fanatics, I found a blog on the topic:

http://bloglikeyougiveadamn.blogspot...lled-city.html

[Nowhereman1280]

That looks really dangerous with those planes flying overhead so closely. One wrong move and the plane could crash into the densest area in the world. The results would probably have been horrific.

[dchan]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

That looks really dangerous with those planes flying overhead so closely. One wrong move and the plane could crash into the densest area in the world. The results would probably have been horrific.

Yes, but who would have been held accountable? The Walled City was not part of Hong Kong, and China, who technically owned the Walled City, really didn't give much of a shit about it. Interesting conundrum.

[MolsonExport]

Destruction of the walled city of Kowloon (Rare photos!)

[MolsonExport]

Shibamm (Yemen)