Kowloon Walled City KWC

Kiddos breathing fresh air at the rooftops of the "city"

Today's post is a compilation of pieces of what was a dense research I did some years ago about what was the most dense area of the Earth known as Kowloon Walled City, which was luckily demolished back in 1993.

The most well know graphic description of this mega-constrution is this view of a piece of the city which shows the complexity of such a dense building. It is said that there were people who were born there and didn't see the sunlight in their whole lives. The terrible conditions of the sewage system, as well as the lack of sunlight made of KWC a dangerous ground zero.

For a larger image click here

At one time, this city was a walled city within Hong Kong. It was unregulated by the then-ruling British authorities, who unwillingly allowed it as the only Chinese settlement. It was a no man’s land because of this; run by the Chinese mafia and filled with brothels, sweat shops, illegal hospitals, and trashy eateries.

1915 map of the Hong Kong region with the 
Kowloon Walled City listed as 
"Chinese Town" at the upper right-hand corner

Click the images to enlarge them, those beautiful drawings show how intense dense constructions can get.

Originally, Kowloon was built as a watchpost for guards who would protect the area from pirates. But as the population grew–from 10,000 in 1971 to a staggering 50,000 in 1990–attempts were made by the government to avoid the squatters living in the city. In 1992, the governent succeded in evicting the population and, in 1993, the 15 story tall block of buildings was torn down. 
Today, a park with tennis courts covers the area.

To see a detailed timeline of the population explosion in Kowloon, see here

Below you will find a highly detailed cross section of the city, drawn by a Japanese team, just before it was torn down. They were obviously having fun drawing and added many hidden gems of city life. 

See the image full size by clicking the image or clicking here.

A beam of light in an alley deep in the
insides of what was the most dense
area of the world

The elevation, further than a collage,
depicts the chinese aesthetics

Not the mention the indoor atmospheres

A reader of the blog share with us this video, in only 4.26 min it depicts the city terrifically.

I have also searched a bunch of interesting documentaries about the city, which I warmly recommend you to watch.