Anarchic Period of

Kowloon Walled City

(1899-1987)
Tsang Tsz Wai, Amber 4180705
Tsang Pui Yu, Pearl 4024547
Pan Yao, Ellie 4024327
Outline
1. Introduction
•Location & Period
•Conditions ,Problems & Causes 

2. City's demolition and Construction of park

•Governmental intervention
•Current status as a park

3. Cultural influence
•Books, Films & Video games
•Images & Style
 Anarchic Period of Kowloon Walled City
(1899-1987)
• Location: north-eastern corner of the Kowloon peninsula,
within the boundaries of Kowloon City, British Hong Kong
• Now turned into Kowloon Walled City Park
Important Convention for the Britain sent
area of Extension of Hong troops to
vacuum
China's Kong Territory(1898) expel Qing
of civil
maritime New Territories were officials and
order 
defences(184 leased to British for a soldiers(1899
0s) term of 99 years )
(Leisure and Cultural Services Department -
Kowloon Walled City Park - Historical, n.d.)
 Sprawled across
Deterioration of the 6.5acres
area

Ungoverned and Home to 50000

densely populated residents
squatter settlement
High-rise
tenements
(Girard et al., 2014)
 Proclamation of the
People's Republic of
China(1949)
• Influx of refugees
into the Walled City
• a notorious nest of
drug divans, criminal
hide-outs, vice dens
and cheap,
(Leisure and Cultural Services
Department – Kowloon Walled

unlicensed dentists
City Park - Historical, n.d.)
 Triads(Chinese Crime
Organization)
• Gained almost full control of
the brothels, opium dens,
and gaming parlors

• Took the role of regulator :

deciding business disputes,
(Bello, 2021)
demolition of Kowloon
Walled City(April
1994)
• Sino-British Joint Declaration
(1984)
• Britain and China began to meet
head on the Kowloon Walled City
issue.
 Construction of
Kowloon Waleed
City park (1994-
•
1995)
Only the Yamen
Building was
conserved
• Kowloon park was
 The Kowloon
Walled City Park 
• Built based on the early Qing
Dynasty Jiangnan gardens
• Yamen Gate as the centre
piece
• An outdoor exhibition area
of Kowloon Walled City
The Yamen Scenic
Area
• Two cannons built in 1802 are
displayed on both sides of the
forecourt. 
• The only remaining ancient
building in Kowloon Walled
City, completed in 1847.
• A three-storey, four-room
 exhibition of Kowloon
Walled City
• An outdoor exhibition
area at the south gate of
Kowloon Walled City
Park, where a picture wall
and a model of the Walled
City are placed.
 The South
Gate of
Reminiscenc
e
Cultural Influence
 Interest in Exploring
Kowloon Walled City
(Book)
• City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled
City （ Canadian photographer Greg
Girard and British architect Ian Lambot,
1987-1992 ）
• Daizukai Kyuryujo (Japanese architect
Takayuki Suzuki, illustrator Kazumi
Terazawa and publisher Ryo Kuwahara, 
 The mania of foreigners

•Precious fragments 
•A Video took by
Foreigners

•https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=TmqlxjTSc8w&t=51s
Japanese love for
kowloon walled city
• Warehouse
• An arcade in Japan
modeled the Walled
City‘s interior 
• Unique way to make the
Walled City reappear
• Visitors all around the
world -> more concrete
 inspiration for art

• Films
• Kung Fu Hustle (2004)--
Archetypes of Pig Sty Alley
• Batman Begins
(2005)--  Narrows (A walled
neighborhood)
• The Kindaichi Case Files --
The Hong Kong Kowloon
Treasure Murder Case File
Games

Shenmue II
Stray
Kowloon Walled
City (metaverse)
 • Various forms of expression in
films and games
• Settings
• Cyberpunk: Futuristic style
which combines low life and
high tech
Image and
• Basic elements: unregulated
Style buildings, cramped spaces with
dense popularity, neon lights
• Dark and pessimistic fantasy
about the future human
beings---'city of darkness',
mysterious , unspeakable
 • American cartoonist Troy Boyle
said: "I would rather they
demolished the pyramids."
• Special charm in the field of arts
and literature
Reasons of
• City beyond the real society of
Global human beings : outside the law
cultural • Artist from more developed
influence countries: came for inspiration
(Dark Beauty)
• Projection of the dark and
pessimistic side of human hearts in
the real world
Sources of Photos & Citation
• https://kumparan.com/kumparantravel/kowloon-walled-city-daerah-terpadat-di-dunia-yang-jadi-sur
ganya-para-penjahat-1tUn0jDRczQ/full
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/kowloon-walled-city
• https://www.thetravel.com/kowloon-hong-kong-dark-city-history/
• https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/x1920/assets/images/161893-games-review-stray-review-a-cat-s-ey
e-view-image1-8ctasgipw6.jpg
• https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71oGrTTvBlL._RI_.jpg
• https://anidb.net/anime/10442
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Shenmue/comments/klc2x9/shenmue_ii_last_of_the_kowloon_hong_ko
ng/
• https://www.hongkongd.com
• https://www.gcores.com/articles/132726
• https://twitter.com/madaraxuchiha88/status/1515810805522083843
• (Leisure and Cultural Services Department - Kowloon Walled City Park - Historical, n.d.)
• (Girard et al., 2014)
 Q&A Section
1. Have you heard of the Kowloon
Walled City before our
presentation? How do you know
it? 
2. How has your impression of
Kowloon Walled City changed
after our introduction?
3. To what extent do you agree that
the cultural, architectural and
historical value of the Kowloon
Walled City is well preserved
after conservation?
The end