Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated slum in Kowloon, Hong Kong. In 1987, the Walled City contained 33,000 residents within a 6.5-acre area. The City had their own bakers, butchers, doctors, dentists and grocers, almost everything they needed to survive, all densely stacked on top of one another. The streets were rife with rats and rubbish, which was simply thrown out of the windows and accumulated on the streets. Everything was berried under a thick layer of dust, debris and people, all except, the local temple at the centre of the city. This was protected with a large net draped over the building, which over time, had accumulated rubbish, forming a surprisingly beautiful picture of shards of light slicing through the debris like shining stars.
In January 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the Walled City. After an arduous eviction process, demolition began in March 1993 and was completed in April 1994.
The book ‘The City of Darkness’ has some amazing photographs of this beautiful city.
