Posted on 09/07/2014 5:29:34 AM PDT by beaversmom
Once thought to be the most densely populated place on Earth, with 50,000 people crammed into only a few blocks, these fascinating pictures give a rare insight into the lives of those who lived Kowloon Walled City.
Taken by Canadian photographer Greg Girard in collaboration with Ian Lamboth the pair spent five years familiarising themselves with the notorious Chinese city before it was demolished in 1992.
The city was a phenomenon with 33,000 families and businesses living in more than 300 interconnected high-rise buildings, all constructed without contributions from a single architect.
Ungoverned by Health and Safety regulations, alleyways dripped and the maze of dark corridors covered one square block near the end of the runway at Kai Tak Airprot.
'I spent five years photographing and becoming familiar with the Walled City, its residents, and how it was organised. So seemingly compromised and anarchic on its surface, it actually worked and to a large extent, worked well,' said Mr Girard on his website.
Dating back to the Song Dynasty it served as a watch post for the military to defend the area against pirates and to manage the production of Salt before eventually coming under British rule.
However, during the Japanese occupation on Hong Kong in the Second World War parts of it were demolished to provide building materials for the nearby airport.
Once Japan surrendered from the city, the population dramatically increased with numerous squatters moving in. Eventually it became a haven for criminals and drug users and was run by the Chinese Triads until 1974.
By the early 1980s it was notorious for brothels, casinos, cocaine parlours and opium dens. It was also famous for food courts which would serve up dog meat and had a number of unscrupulous dentists who could escape prosecution if anything went wrong...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
If you are a rodent...
Thanks for first-hand account.
Great I just searched on Google.
It looks like the Chungking Mansions may still be in business.
“Pig Sty Alley”
Looks like some of the old projects in Chicago.
It looks like they had the best HOA ever!
Ungoverned by Health and Safety regulations,
Looks like Detroit...
Kowloon was a name of a Chinese restaurant in my hometown, too.
The walled city was eventually torn down. A public park now occupies the site.
Gary,Indiana?
Describing the walled city as lacking a government is not entirely accurate. Although there was no formal government, the illegal and quasi-illegal businesses there set and enforced rules and resolved disputes using gangs as hired muscle. In effect, the walled city was governed by gangsters.
Fascinating stuff. I am currently reading a book about pre-revolutionary China. Chinese culture is pretty brutal.
It's still there - I walked around the shopping area inside just last year. Lots of African and Middle Eastern travelers and immigrants. Want to buy a fake Rolex from a seedy-looking Indian guy? That's the place. :)
Why be an "architect" when you can be a "city planner"?
Sorry.
#57
Amazing, I was ignorant of all this history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.