Kowloon Walled City, Former settlement in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong.
The Kowloon Walled City was a densely built settlement in Kowloon City District that consisted of interconnected buildings rising as high as 14 stories. The site covered roughly 2.7 hectares and formed a tight maze of alleyways, bridges, and staircases linking individual structures together.
The site began in 1668 as a Chinese military post for controlling salt trade and stayed under Chinese jurisdiction after Britain took Hong Kong in 1842. Without clear control by any government, the settlement grew rapidly from the 1950s onward and evolved into an autonomous territory until its demolition in 1994.
The settlement developed its own social structure without government oversight, creating a network of businesses, medical practitioners, and manufacturing operations within its boundaries.
The settlement was completely demolished in 1994 and replaced by Kowloon Walled City Park, a public garden designed in Chinese style. The park now displays some preserved artifacts and exhibitions that recall the history of the site.
Due to the lack of regulation, residents built constantly onto and above existing buildings, creating a nearly lightless interior illuminated only by artificial sources. Few rays of sunlight ever reached the lower levels of this urban structure.
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