Aggu Kristian Obviously it is a death zone of sorts but as the video said, “many residents remember it fondly” because it was one of the only places on Earth free of a huge government, policing, and all that normal stuff that everyone else has to deal with
Friends and I walked through this in 1992, after it had been condemned, and many people had moved out, but before tear-down had begun. Some people, mostly old men, were still living there. Definitely had a "Blade Runner" feel to it.
Did you know Kowloon in the 1970s? If you don't it is rather hard to explain - briefly after the 2 World War HK resumed being a British colony. Thanks to the Japanese occupation there were very few people left in HK- Boundary Street was where the paddy fields started! In the 1950s through 1980s literally millions of people fled Maoist China. HK was swamped with people. Government built emergency housing "H" blocks but could never keep up with the flow of refugees from China. These people settled in vast insanitary overcrowded shanty towns made of wood, plastic etc, especially in North East Kowloon (and elsewhere). The Walled City is a great name but actually it was just another incredibly densely populated slum area. It was claimed it had been part of a Mandarin's garden and was exempt from British rule but in practice this was ignored by Government. The walled city was unusual in two things - firstly quite tall unlicensed and illegal brick and concrete buildings were put up (see videos) and as a policy it was ignored by government because other areas were worse off and needed limited government funds urgently. Clearing the walled city area would have used too many resources needed elsewhere. Patrolling it by day or night was depressing but not exciting. "Grey water" ran along channels in the centre of the twisty lanes that ran through it. It stank. Washing and electric cables - many dangerous - festooned the area - and there were rats a plenty at night. Government built a school and most kids got a fairly good education. Being close to the commercial areas like Mong Kok and factory areas like Wong Tai Sin provided work and the Queen Elizabeth hospital and various charity run clinics provided health care. Government provided some sanitation and (I think) the electricity company ignored the use of power. Most residents used it as a place to sleep and store stuff and lived like most HK people in the streets eating at cooked food stalls and using bath houses and the hawkers and the small shops on the south side. There wasn't much crime. Heroin smoking, the odd fight and illegal gambling casino. Street gangs were there (and all over Kowloon) but they were small fry bullying old ladies etc. Hope this helps!
THIS is what I love about RUclips; the people behind the videos! YT wouldn't be nearly as great if it weren't for the comments section. Thank you all for your input about this fascinating megastructure!
What surprises me is that Kawloon was never razed to the ground by a fire. The building code and electrical issues alone seem like it was designed to go up in flames sooner than later. Then how would you even try to fight a fire under those circumstances.
I was just thinking, "lawlessness" and violent crime are NOT the same thing. From what I've seen and heard about the place, it was far less violent and scary than many large cities around the world (incl. the U.S.). In a strange way, the residents seemed to have a kind of respect for each other and their "home". While I absolutely would NOT have wanted to live there, I have to say I feel some respect for the people.
I doubt it was true lawlessness. The citizens had to have some sort of internal system to keep that place going. I just found about this super interesting
That's exactly what I learnt from this. I don't see lawlessness and "evil" as the same thing. People can exist safely without formal laws, we just create our own code of conduct within a particular community. We actually do this in our own homes in everyday life. People seem to think that if there's no state-sanctioned organisation (police) present to control us, then anyone in that area automatically becomes a demon or something.
If you can find it, buy a copy of the book: “City of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City”. It’s an amazing detail of the walled city. It’s a very rare book nowadays, but it’s the holy grail on the subject.
@@luviathan9706 judge Dredd is very similar to this with the same major dystopian vibe, albeit a lot more violent but it is very similar in term on the setting
In Brazil we call this a "favela". By growing up in the favela, under similar conditions to this video, I find the footage so familiar, it doesn't scare me at all, but it's also not the best place to live :(
No postmen. No cops, no garbagemen, no EPA, no one inspecting your food and recalling it if it's poisoned. It was a city where you were fully on your own. Which is why all the photos and footage show the ground littered with garbage, every inch of street dripping with water, and pigs and chickens killed, cleaned and served in unsanitary conditions. This is what happens when you have no real organization to your society. It's quite a sight, but it's also poverty in the purest, oldest sense.
@@sleepingdogpro Those are your feelings without fact. kowloon had its own postmen, that were quite skilled. Because they had to memorise that labyrinth of a structure.
Kcelloo: "Stop! Who would cross the bridge of death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see...what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" I'm imagining something along those lines.😉
It's funny how afraid normies are of people practicing medicine without a piece of paper from a university. What difference does it make whether you were an apprentice under a master for years or you paid 100k to take some classes? Clearly people were happy with the work they did because they were able to stay in business.
@@Glockmog2007 I'm pretty sure the "self-taught" dentists were just dentists who migrated to HK from the mainland and didnt have the proper paperwork for an HK dental accreditation.
If you ever get a chance, read "City of Darkness" (Ian Lambert and Greg Girard). The walled city is indeed a weird chapter in Hong Kong history, but its reputation wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Hong Kong was a pretty cramped and nasty place for a long time and many people lived in squalor that was almost as bad as in the walled city. Towards the 80s, the colonial government invested heavily in infrastructure and housing and things got a lot better. The walled city remained an anomaly that was beyond the colonial government's jurisdiction, with time the gap between it and the rest of Hong Kong widened.
It gives you that impression because it was the real-life representation of how 90's pop culture used to portray the futuristic and technologic but still lower-class areas in Hong Kong, a perception that has changed throughout the years as most of these predictions didn't come to fruition.
Visiting the site of the Walled City was the highlight of two years in the mainland. A former resident made extra effort to welcome my wife and I to her former home, even though her English wasn't the best and the city had been gone for 25 years. Her hospitality forever won me over to the people of HK, and is part of why it is my favorite city in the world.
I moved to Hong Kong in 1990 and the kind of lifestyle the locals led was hard to ignore. My family settled in Kowloon for a short time before moving to Sha Tin and there were shanty towns all over the city crammed in between tall skyscrapers. It wasn't really an eye-opener as I had no preconceptions as an eleven year old.
Exactly , HK started building the many new towns in the New Territories. Also the people who used to live on boats near Aberdeen moved to the new high rises
Which is why they had to literally bribe people in order to get them to move out? You don't think there was a reason it had the highest population density of any city ever by far? People wanted to live there to escape communist china so badly that they were willing to put up with the cramped living conditions. And those conditions were only a product of the fact that that was all the space the government was willing to allow them. If the chinese government were so concerned about the wellbeing of those people they could have just given them some more land so they could space out a bit. Or let them build taller buildings, they were only allowed to go 14 stories high because otherwise they would block the path planes needed to take to land at the airport.
I've read that some people were very upset about having to move out of the walled city for business reasons. Many people where able to set up shops inside the complex in order to avoid having to pay rent, license fees, tickets, etc. Leaving the walled city meant only making a fraction of the profits that they were currently making. Not to even mention all the gambling and vice establishments either... really the whole thing was like a libertarian paradise in a sense.
Better to be homeless than live in a slum with a roof over your head? Because for many that was the option: live in a slum but at least a place to call your own, or a box on the street....
The true praise should go to Greg Girard and Ian Lambot. Their book on the walled city, City of Darkness deserves nowhere near enough credit on documenting the walled city
Eli Egbert I agree in some way however I feel more like megacity one from Judge dredd series.Cyberpunk has an a bit more decent architectural environment compared to the Hong kong’s city of darkness.
I would imagine if they had kept building much more, putting more strain on the buildings and existing structures beneath, eventually it would have collapsed in on itself. The height restriction was probably a blessing in disguise.
I have been to the slums of Sao Pallo Brazil and that’s the closest thing to this as far as I have visited. Except that the “buildings” and I use that term lightly, were made of any materials that could be found. Impressive and horrible at the same time. About once every 5 years a fire or storm wipes it away and it just rebuilds itself.
I always kind of romanticized this place. It seemed to have a strong community where people knew each other, like a big family. There aren't a lot of places you can live where people have that kind of bond, or any bond at all in some cases.
In every city on the planet; new and seemingly reliable buildings can go on fire, sometimes even partially collapse. I'm sure you know of examples in your town. It's a MIRACLE this place, unplanned and built and maintained by mostly amateurs, lasted long enough to be demolished.
Actually, this was much better than when I lived near there in 1960. There were no concrete buildings. It was all home made card board or plywood shacks inside the wall. It was a special zone that was not belonged to British, and no police jurisdiction. Only the poorest lived there along with criminals. There were no toilet, electricity or running water. They must have torn down the shacks and built the buildings in the 60s.
I think it is kind of a shame that it got destroyed, especially before the housing crisis in Honk-Kong was solved. I would love to explore this city once.
I don’t like their word choice in this video. It looks like they’re trying to paint a narrative. “Self taught dentists” well they weren’t self taught. They were licensed and had educations in mainland China, but British controlled Hong Kong wouldn’t let them practice there, so they did it in Kowloon which wasn’t under British jurisdiction. Also “faith based healers” this refers to Christians who went there to help people overcome their drug addictions.
The idea of a labyrinthine structure housing passageways, stairways, with many levels is inspiring and fun- it's a shame that the reality was so much darker.
I'm from Latin America, and honestly, as crowded as this looks it seems like what a common poor neighborhood looks like in my country. I'm privileged to live in a nice area but my city is filled with places just like this one where light barely gets in and people live cramped. I had to do some social work in order to graduate high school and I remember going into one of those illegal neighborhoods (they're illegal in the sense that people settled there and built their house without any type of permit). The alleys were so tight I remember wondering how a fat person could live there. It was hard to tell houses apart as they're so close to each other and light barely gets in. For people in first world countries this city might appear incredible but many just like it exist today, as sad as it is.
I used to live in a similar but not so dense neighbourhood in Mumbai until 1993 when I was 8 yrs old. I remember those days fondly. Even though now I live in a flat worth upwards of 200k USD. Those were awesome days.
I read that Kowloon had its own mail delivery system. Outside mail would be dropped at a specific point and then the internal mail system would take over to get it to the person it was addressed to. Some people's whole job was running around throughout Kowloon to bring people their mail. It also said that these people knew every passageway, nook, and cranny of Kowloon City.
Amazing. A secret martial arts competition called the Kumite and ran by the triads was held inside Kowloon's walled city for centuries. I wonder what happened to it...
Its fascinating for sure. Like a miserable masterpiece let alone the fact that those buildings were built so close to each other (without any proper architect oversee) and didnt manage to fall to my knowledge at least.
I visited this are in 1988 and I had a literal tour guide (family friend), and he took me to every popular spot, such as a very creative Dim Sum restaurant and a few bars. There were doctors, lawyers, street vendors, factories and a bakery as far as I remember. It was very scary at first but then it grew into such a majestic experience.
I don't know exacly what was the structure condition of this "city", but I think it was a mistake to demolish it. With proper funding, this place could be used for many purposes, like film setting and tourism. This place was a masterpiece and inspired many cyberpunk/sci-fi works. I am certain that, in the comming decades, there will be endeavour projects inspired in Kowloon.
There was a huge housing estate in Manchester called Hulme. It originally housed 25 000 residents and was deck access. The families moved out as it was deaned a safety risk to children and became a similar kind of community. The police never entered and it was totally lawless, but there was a community and people supported each other. Similarly many were very attached to it and did not want to be rehoused. Like kowloon its reputation spread far and wide. A unique place. They even knocked several flats through to make one big one where there would be live concerts and the like. Very DIY.
This is what I imagine some cities/districts looking like 2000, 3000 years from now. It's so mesmerizing and dystopian. I'm sad it was demolished, I've always had a fascination for it. I would have for sure visited, or even stayed there for some time.
Just think about this: There's a big chance that someone was born inside the building and never met the outside world. In his/her world such thing as Trees, Seas, Skies, Stars, etc, never existed! And probably died without ever knowing them. Just like us, probably are more things that we can't see and will never know except for those that are in power!
The fact that this cuty didnt have any plans of how it was created is reslly cool to be honest. They just built it over time. I really love how the developers in Splatoon 3 also decided to make thr hub resemble this city a bit with the tall buildings and ads
I read that they were not self-taught dentists, but Hong Kong professionals who had attended dental school in mainland China and were enable to legally practice their trade in British occupied Hong Kong because of regulatory differences, and Kowloon was their only solution.
I fought in a super-secret, 'underground', no-holds-barred, full contact martial arts competition there once upon a time. I had to fight this huge Asian guy named Chong Li. He broke my back. But this other guy named Frank Duxx beat him up later on, so it all worked out.
Shame they had to destroy kai tak airport in 1997 nearby wich wasn't hideous :( (ALSO DISCLAIMER I do know and I am aware of why the airport was shut down and closed, Still miss kai tak though ).
I would love to see some of these built in america, but nicer. Imagine just buying some land out in an empty place and making a tiny area where 50,000 people could live and get everything they need. You just need to build everything sturdy and get each house electricity and plumbing, and no factories allowed. Also have fire hydrants and hoses in lots of places (you don't need a whole fire truck)
I just talked to a guy who told me about when he was 11, living in Hong Kong, he would explore this place. I had never heard of it before, but I am amazed at how adaptive humanity is.
It wasn't "self tought" dentists, the dentists and most of the shopkeepers and residents were educated in Hong Kong and at this time the certificates both for education and rights/identification weren't liable in mainland china. That's why these people ended up in lawless kawloon.
I currently live in a favela in brazil, pretty similar to this place in almost every aspect (except for the rates of crime), but still, most of the favelas grow up organically, it starts with dozens of people and then 5 or 10 years later you have millions of impoverished people living there. It's crazy, living this reality is terrible, but people can easily adapt to it.
First time I heard about Walled City is in game Shadowrun Hong Kong. In the game, the city will give your character and all of the npc a nightmare and its getting worse overtime. I couldn't believe it is real, lol.
I always came back to this videos, I had seen a lot of videos of Kowloon, because, even I never took foot on Hong Kong and being born after Kowloon "disappeared" I always had a nostalgic Dejavu feeling that I lived there and cant convince me otherwise. Its a very very weird feeling.
I imagine the fraternity between the neighbors was unmatched, they all taking care of each other and trying to make their lives a little less miserable and dark.
It looks horrible, and amazing at the same time.
Not amazing, it's a death zone Ffs.
@@Inuitman are you going to ignore that he called it 'horrible' before anything else?
Aggu Kristian Obviously it is a death zone of sorts but as the video said, “many residents remember it fondly” because it was one of the only places on Earth free of a huge government, policing, and all that normal stuff that everyone else has to deal with
ikr
my mum was in there when she was a kid, she said it was fun inside
Friends and I walked through this in 1992, after it had been condemned, and many people had moved out, but before tear-down had begun. Some people, mostly old men, were still living there. Definitely had a "Blade Runner" feel to it.
The blue lights at night mustve been both depressing and scary yet exciting all at once
Was there still alot of stuff there? How dis these people get electricity?
How old are you?
@@tahsinnawarreti6662How old are you?
@@thatbobbi almost 15
It's amazing that this whole city was created without planning or building codes. It grew organically.
In spite of govt limitation of land. If they had a whole island to themselves, it could've been better.
I saw in a documentary that the building didn't crumbled of fall off cause they literally were stuck together
Lol meanwhile in africa people are still living in mud huts, but hey that's not race-related.
@शिरीष ರಾಮಾಯ u clearly haven't travelled whole of india yet.
Ever heard of New Mumbai?
@@alainportant6412those huts aren't crammed, stuffed or stacking people like files either. I'd take the hut.
It was NOT a place the Royal Hong Kong Police feared to tread and it was policed. I know as I patrolled it in the 1970s.
do you have any pictures or any stories you could share with us or me in messages?? i am fascinated by this city.
Did you know Kowloon in the 1970s? If you don't it is rather hard to explain - briefly after the 2 World War HK resumed being a British colony. Thanks to the Japanese occupation there were very few people left in HK- Boundary Street was where the paddy fields started! In the 1950s through 1980s literally millions of people fled Maoist China. HK was swamped with people. Government built emergency housing "H" blocks but could never keep up with the flow of refugees from China. These people settled in vast insanitary overcrowded shanty towns made of wood, plastic etc, especially in North East Kowloon (and elsewhere). The Walled City is a great name but actually it was just another incredibly densely populated slum area. It was claimed it had been part of a Mandarin's garden and was exempt from British rule but in practice this was ignored by Government. The walled city was unusual in two things - firstly quite tall unlicensed and illegal brick and concrete buildings were put up (see videos) and as a policy it was ignored by government because other areas were worse off and needed limited government funds urgently. Clearing the walled city area would have used too many resources needed elsewhere. Patrolling it by day or night was depressing but not exciting. "Grey water" ran along channels in the centre of the twisty lanes that ran through it. It stank. Washing and electric cables - many dangerous - festooned the area - and there were rats a plenty at night. Government built a school and most kids got a fairly good education. Being close to the commercial areas like Mong Kok and factory areas like Wong Tai Sin provided work and the Queen Elizabeth hospital and various charity run clinics provided health care. Government provided some sanitation and (I think) the electricity company ignored the use of power. Most residents used it as a place to sleep and store stuff and lived like most HK people in the streets eating at cooked food stalls and using bath houses and the hawkers and the small shops on the south side. There wasn't much crime. Heroin smoking, the odd fight and illegal gambling casino. Street gangs were there (and all over Kowloon) but they were small fry bullying old ladies etc. Hope this helps!
THIS is what I love about RUclips; the people behind the videos! YT wouldn't be nearly as great if it weren't for the comments section.
Thank you all for your input about this fascinating megastructure!
That is so cool man thanks for sharing.
@@brandonstrickland8234 - In a way, the RUclips comments section is kinda like Kowloon.
What surprises me is that Kawloon was never razed to the ground by a fire. The building code and electrical issues alone seem like it was designed to go up in flames sooner than later. Then how would you even try to fight a fire under those circumstances.
the very leaky plumbing might have played a role.
The mold would be a bigger problem I think, what with all that water everywhere. And little proper airflow or sunlight to combat it as well.
Lack of air? No wind? Wet? Concrete?
Challenges your worldview, huh? Read Hayek's "The Use of Knowledge in Society."
It seemed to be mostly moist and mildew, so it seemed quite safe from fires.
You know this would be a tourist hotspot if it was still around
Regan DeHaven instagramers would make sure of it lol
@@reach831 haha I know right but I mean hey business would boom with all the tourists
Yeah with hipster coffee places all over
Nah this would be center of all the crimes, i am glad they destroyed it
The largest slum in Asia Dharavi in India still exists. Where a million people reside in 500 acres of land. Never heard it being a tourist hotspot
I was just thinking, "lawlessness" and violent crime are NOT the same thing. From what I've seen and heard about the place, it was far less violent and scary than many large cities around the world (incl. the U.S.). In a strange way, the residents seemed to have a kind of respect for each other and their "home". While I absolutely would NOT have wanted to live there, I have to say I feel some respect for the people.
I'd honestly feel safer living here than in a place with a ton of police.
Agreed!
Uma favela no Brasil aí
I doubt it was true lawlessness. The citizens had to have some sort of internal system to keep that place going. I just found about this super interesting
That's exactly what I learnt from this. I don't see lawlessness and "evil" as the same thing. People can exist safely without formal laws, we just create our own code of conduct within a particular community. We actually do this in our own homes in everyday life. People seem to think that if there's no state-sanctioned organisation (police) present to control us, then anyone in that area automatically becomes a demon or something.
If you can find it, buy a copy of the book: “City of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City”. It’s an amazing detail of the walled city. It’s a very rare book nowadays, but it’s the holy grail on the subject.
*runs to Barnes & Noble*
Just bought the reprint!
There is also a Christian book about recovery that I once read in prison about the place
@@majormackeral "Chasing the Dragon" I believe
$1,500 Hardback... and $205 paperback
Yes, I looked too. Waiting til next paycheck.
Careful... when i buy one i bet the price jumps $20 haha
The fact that these "tall" buildings stood up ...its an engineering marvel..
Think of the mold and bugs
anything is possible in china...
Daniel Melendez Hong Kong
@@baddyaddyah4829 Hong Kong is part of China lol
The buildings probably held each other up - nowhere to fall!
Amazing. It's like something out of a dystopian science-fiction novel.
does anyone know any novel that has this type of genre?
@@luviathan9706 judge Dredd is very similar to this with the same major dystopian vibe, albeit a lot more violent but it is very similar in term on the setting
@@socialreject2156 Tq for telling me that!
@@luviathan9706 np mate, don't know if you've watch it yet but the movie DREDD is a masterpiece and you should check it out
@@socialreject2156 haven't watched it tho but I've heard bout it before
There's no other nightmare such as self taught dentist.
Nanda Pratama
self taught neurosurgeon
Well the first dentist ever was self taught
These were fully-educated, accredited dentists from China who arrived in Hong Kong but their accreditations was simply not recognized by Hong Kong
Self taught drug dealer
That's basically dentistry in the 1800s a lot of times the barber was also the dentist
In Brazil we call this a "favela". By growing up in the favela, under similar conditions to this video, I find the footage so familiar, it doesn't scare me at all, but it's also not the best place to live :(
Where is cav?
Hate that map
@@exloadjokejoke7446 i hate it too but i love cav
@@exloadjokejoke7446 me too
Rainbow 6
I believe the most toughest person that time was
The postman
Yes! Someone who is aware Greg Girard and Ian Lambot’s City of Darkness exists!
Can't leave home without his trusty shotgun and machete.
No postmen. No cops, no garbagemen, no EPA, no one inspecting your food and recalling it if it's poisoned. It was a city where you were fully on your own. Which is why all the photos and footage show the ground littered with garbage, every inch of street dripping with water, and pigs and chickens killed, cleaned and served in unsanitary conditions. This is what happens when you have no real organization to your society. It's quite a sight, but it's also poverty in the purest, oldest sense.
@@sleepingdogpro Those are your feelings without fact. kowloon had its own postmen, that were quite skilled. Because they had to memorise that labyrinth of a structure.
@Brick i love the history of this place now as well after watching RealLifeLore's video about the Kowloon Walled City, im so fascinated
I imagine getting lost and residents giving me directions in the form of riddles.
Lol!!
Thou shall not open door 155
Kcelloo: "Stop! Who would cross the bridge of death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see...what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
I'm imagining something along those lines.😉
@@jenniferbaldini3527 An African or a European swallow?
Thou shalt wander the corridors thee, on a fruitless search for thy room key
“Self-taught dentists” yikes lol
I've heard these guys would only do minor work, if you had to have wisdom teeth extracted you would still need to go to a proper dentist.
Hmm yes I am somewhat of a self taught dentist myself
Ventus Jimmy Chase a bag, don’t worry bout what I’m doin
I'm a self taught surgeon.
Aren't all dentist is being tought by someone? 🤔😂😂
"Self taught dentists" three words that should never be together
😂😂😂😂
This indeed is a distressing word compound.
UP
It's funny how afraid normies are of people practicing medicine without a piece of paper from a university. What difference does it make whether you were an apprentice under a master for years or you paid 100k to take some classes? Clearly people were happy with the work they did because they were able to stay in business.
@@Glockmog2007 I'm pretty sure the "self-taught" dentists were just dentists who migrated to HK from the mainland and didnt have the proper paperwork for an HK dental accreditation.
If you ever get a chance, read "City of Darkness" (Ian Lambert and Greg Girard). The walled city is indeed a weird chapter in Hong Kong history, but its reputation wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Hong Kong was a pretty cramped and nasty place for a long time and many people lived in squalor that was almost as bad as in the walled city. Towards the 80s, the colonial government invested heavily in infrastructure and housing and things got a lot better. The walled city remained an anomaly that was beyond the colonial government's jurisdiction, with time the gap between it and the rest of Hong Kong widened.
So much poverty surrounded by so much wealth. If the colonial government was in charge they "own" the problem.
i dunno why but somehow the city emits nostalgia...
Right!! not sure why though
Yes!!! Idk it seems like I've imagined places like this (albeit nicer looking) as a kid.
It gives you that impression because it was the real-life representation of how 90's pop culture used to portray the futuristic and technologic but still lower-class areas in Hong Kong, a perception that has changed throughout the years as most of these predictions didn't come to fruition.
There is a Manga about this city, its called Kowloon Generic Romance, I read a few pages, so I dont know if they focus the story on the city.
@@well673 actually i came here because of that manga 🤣. I first knew about this city in an fps game, but never had an interest until i read the manga
Visiting the site of the Walled City was the highlight of two years in the mainland. A former resident made extra effort to welcome my wife and I to her former home, even though her English wasn't the best and the city had been gone for 25 years. Her hospitality forever won me over to the people of HK, and is part of why it is my favorite city in the world.
Same. This place is so interesting and I wish I could visit it.
Interesting how these folks we see going about their business are all dressed well...
Look up the Dandies in Africa...they live in WORSE conditions than this but they dress brightly and gaudy
Dandies are idiots. These folks (in HK) dressed w/n reason but save money for business, education, etc.
And the sappeurs
I noticed that, too. They are dressed tidy, neat and properly, not lavish or in shiny stuff. It only speaks highly of them.)))
not really suprising. poor people aren't savages
I moved to Hong Kong in 1990 and the kind of lifestyle the locals led was hard to ignore. My family settled in Kowloon for a short time before moving to Sha Tin and there were shanty towns all over the city crammed in between tall skyscrapers. It wasn't really an eye-opener as I had no preconceptions as an eleven year old.
Glad that RUclips has no smell-o-vision capabilities.
They need to make an open world videogame but the entire map is a Kowloon-inspired city. Would be a very unique aesthetic.
Stray?
Need to see this happen
Shenmue 2 - "Am I a joke to you?!"
Granted, not the entire game.
But the bulk of the middle 3rd of it.
The Ascent
Welcome to Kowloon !!! (New Indie Game)
Walled City was a fascinating place but it was still necessary to demolish it, people deserved to live in better conditions
Exactly , HK started building the many new towns in the New Territories. Also the people who used to live on boats near Aberdeen moved to the new high rises
Which is why they had to literally bribe people in order to get them to move out? You don't think there was a reason it had the highest population density of any city ever by far? People wanted to live there to escape communist china so badly that they were willing to put up with the cramped living conditions. And those conditions were only a product of the fact that that was all the space the government was willing to allow them. If the chinese government were so concerned about the wellbeing of those people they could have just given them some more land so they could space out a bit. Or let them build taller buildings, they were only allowed to go 14 stories high because otherwise they would block the path planes needed to take to land at the airport.
I've read that some people were very upset about having to move out of the walled city for business reasons. Many people where able to set up shops inside the complex in order to avoid having to pay rent, license fees, tickets, etc. Leaving the walled city meant only making a fraction of the profits that they were currently making. Not to even mention all the gambling and vice establishments either... really the whole thing was like a libertarian paradise in a sense.
Better to be homeless than live in a slum with a roof over your head? Because for many that was the option: live in a slum but at least a place to call your own, or a box on the street....
Cyberpunk ina nutshell
Needs more neon, bruh.
@@GGwithkamatis Still cyberpunk without it. As soon as it starts to rain, then y'all know what's up.
I.G. O.M. And have some soup noodles in there
The true praise should go to Greg Girard and Ian Lambot. Their book on the walled city, City of Darkness deserves nowhere near enough credit on documenting the walled city
Eli Egbert I agree in some way however I feel more like megacity one from Judge dredd series.Cyberpunk has an a bit more decent architectural environment compared to the Hong kong’s city of darkness.
Imagine what the city would have looked like without the limit to its height because of the nearby airport.
now imagine no limit to its height and the never take down that city... it would be like a fallout shellter you know? XD
I would imagine if they had kept building much more, putting more strain on the buildings and existing structures beneath, eventually it would have collapsed in on itself. The height restriction was probably a blessing in disguise.
The interlocking nature of the buildings is so amazing. They are probably holding each other up.
I have been to the slums of Sao Pallo Brazil and that’s the closest thing to this as far as I have visited. Except that the “buildings” and I use that term lightly, were made of any materials that could be found. Impressive and horrible at the same time. About once every 5 years a fire or storm wipes it away and it just rebuilds itself.
If it still existed, coronavirus would have had a field day.
@@alainportant6412 you’re an idiot if you think that
@@Sam-nb2fg it's just a joke bro
@ check stats on how fast it spreads and re read the comment
@@Sam-nb2fg The shutdowns are more dangerous lol
@@ssjbroly8735 💯
I always kind of romanticized this place. It seemed to have a strong community where people knew each other, like a big family. There aren't a lot of places you can live where people have that kind of bond, or any bond at all in some cases.
The prospect of living without any sunshine feels extremely scary for me though
@@momoha222that explains why you don't sleep and fear the night away. Also, you probably don't blink. Blinking causes instances of darkness.
@@corediagram8016 Tf is your problem?
But this city had a higher rate of crime, drugs, and prostitution
I can't believe the Kowloon Walled City is real. I read some fantasy novel "The Walled City" by Ryan Graudin and it was so amazing
In every city on the planet; new and seemingly reliable buildings can go on fire, sometimes even partially collapse. I'm sure you know of examples in your town. It's a MIRACLE this place, unplanned and built and maintained by mostly amateurs, lasted long enough to be demolished.
Actually, this was much better than when I lived near there in 1960. There were no concrete buildings. It was all home made card board or plywood shacks inside the wall. It was a special zone that was not belonged to British, and no police jurisdiction.
Only the poorest lived there along with criminals. There were no toilet, electricity or running water. They must have torn down the shacks and built the buildings in the 60s.
I think it is kind of a shame that it got destroyed, especially before the housing crisis in Honk-Kong was solved. I would love to explore this city once.
You don’t know what you’re saying
@@vaishviyadav148 thou know not of why are thou writting in latin 字.
Crazy. Would've loved to explore that place before it's was gone. Also see the old song dynasty fort before it was a city
Also: Latin America xD
Crazy how I got to see The Notre Dame then it got burned down the very next year
😁😁
Once the last residents had left the city It was used to film parts of the 1993 Jackie Chan film 'Crime Story' before it was demolished.
Almost everyone looked so well-dressed, and also well-behaved. Astonishing to think it ever existed.
Imagine living right in the middle of the bottom floor, how dark that would be
@@diamondcladskies5446 Depressing.
There was a hole in the center, right where ancient post office was.
Most people used the apartments to sleep only, they spent the whole day in the streets or working
I’m sure lots of families did enjoy living there since it was their “normal”.
They didn't know anything better.
fyi : this was the basis for Iron City in the film Alita Battle Angel.
It's a basis for a lot of futuristic and sci-fi movies, films, etc.
Wow never knew.
I don’t like their word choice in this video. It looks like they’re trying to paint a narrative. “Self taught dentists” well they weren’t self taught. They were licensed and had educations in mainland China, but British controlled Hong Kong wouldn’t let them practice there, so they did it in Kowloon which wasn’t under British jurisdiction. Also “faith based healers” this refers to Christians who went there to help people overcome their drug addictions.
Fascinating!
Hong Kong was cyberpunk before it was cool
A lot of cyberpunk stuff, including Blade Runner, was based on Kowloon.
The idea of a labyrinthine structure housing passageways, stairways, with many levels is inspiring and fun- it's a shame that the reality was
so much darker.
I'm from Latin America, and honestly, as crowded as this looks it seems like what a common poor neighborhood looks like in my country. I'm privileged to live in a nice area but my city is filled with places just like this one where light barely gets in and people live cramped. I had to do some social work in order to graduate high school and I remember going into one of those illegal neighborhoods (they're illegal in the sense that people settled there and built their house without any type of permit). The alleys were so tight I remember wondering how a fat person could live there. It was hard to tell houses apart as they're so close to each other and light barely gets in. For people in first world countries this city might appear incredible but many just like it exist today, as sad as it is.
Fantastic to be able to see this piece of history, thank you
What's the last animal you petted?
I used to live in a similar but not so dense neighbourhood in Mumbai until 1993 when I was 8 yrs old. I remember those days fondly. Even though now I live in a flat worth upwards of 200k USD. Those were awesome days.
How did they know that everyone was safely evacuated before demolition started!? A strangely fascinating and compelling world within the world.
Here because of Shenmue II.
And Black Ops.
And Bloodsport
I grew up and lived in Kowloon Walled City until I was 16.
There's any stories you could share?
@@BrianHernandez-h3h hje forgor骨 and doesnt remember now 啦
no you didn't
Amazing how crowded it was and never collapsed
Imagine being a delivery man and you have package to deliver to this place 😲
I'd watch that anime
I’d watch that anime.
I'd watch that anime.
It would make a cool game.
I read that Kowloon had its own mail delivery system. Outside mail would be dropped at a specific point and then the internal mail system would take over to get it to the person it was addressed to. Some people's whole job was running around throughout Kowloon to bring people their mail. It also said that these people knew every passageway, nook, and cranny of Kowloon City.
This is what happens when a city skyline player gets a hold of actually building something
cities skylines*
@@hyljix a city** skyline** player
@@omarzerk456 Cities Skylines is a game. City Skyline is the skyline of a city, and he said player. So he meant the game.
@@hyljix Ok I thought you were correcting his grammar
This is what actually happens when a cluster of buildings is abandoned.
Bru I can't imagine walking around here during midnight
It was created to keep the hordes of titans from attacking
This is a 40k hive city. If there was a house fire...
Idk why but its so creepy but beautiful at the same time. Just wish it wasnt knocked down its so unique
I fell asleep in bed watching this on my tablet and walked the halls of the walled city all night in my dreams.
It’s like a scab. You can’t help but be disgusted by it and yet pick on it at the same time.
Bloodz and cripz: I grew up in the projects.
Kowloon dudes: that's cute
I was there when my ship visited Hong Kong in 1990. We paid £5 each for a tour of the city and all ended up in the brothel area....
Amazing. A secret martial arts competition called the Kumite and ran by the triads was held inside Kowloon's walled city for centuries. I wonder what happened to it...
Its fascinating for sure. Like a miserable masterpiece let alone the fact that those buildings were built so close to each other (without any proper architect oversee) and didnt manage to fall to my knowledge at least.
I visited this are in 1988 and I had a literal tour guide (family friend), and he took me to every popular spot, such as a very creative Dim Sum restaurant and a few bars. There were doctors, lawyers, street vendors, factories and a bakery as far as I remember. It was very scary at first but then it grew into such a majestic experience.
I don't know exacly what was the structure condition of this "city", but I think it was a mistake to demolish it. With proper funding, this place could be used for many purposes, like film setting and tourism. This place was a masterpiece and inspired many cyberpunk/sci-fi works. I am certain that, in the comming decades, there will be endeavour projects inspired in Kowloon.
Worth at least $600m in land value and they can't afford to waste the space so it was redeveloped
Those of shadowrun would know the true feeling of kowloon walled city.
There was a huge housing estate in Manchester called Hulme. It originally housed 25 000 residents and was deck access. The families moved out as it was deaned a safety risk to children and became a similar kind of community. The police never entered and it was totally lawless, but there was a community and people supported each other. Similarly many were very attached to it and did not want to be rehoused. Like kowloon its reputation spread far and wide. A unique place. They even knocked several flats through to make one big one where there would be live concerts and the like. Very DIY.
I'm actually amazed it grew to that size without burning down.
if you get lost as a tourist, your basically just in the back rooms
This is what I imagine some cities/districts looking like 2000, 3000 years from now. It's so mesmerizing and dystopian.
I'm sad it was demolished, I've always had a fascination for it. I would have for sure visited, or even stayed there for some time.
Same
Try 150
You're sad dystopian slums were demolished?
🤩🤩
2:00 'Residents could travel across the city without ever touching the ground'
So, they levitate slightly above the floor they're walking on is it
Illegal,Anarchy,Post apocalyptic looking city?,
Everyone:LET ME IN,TAKE MY MONEY
Just think about this: There's a big chance that someone was born inside the building and never met the outside world. In his/her world such thing as Trees, Seas, Skies, Stars, etc, never existed! And probably died without ever knowing them. Just like us, probably are more things that we can't see and will never know except for those that are in power!
The dentists there were actually fully qualified. It was due to political reasons that it was the only place they could work in that part of China.
The fact that this cuty didnt have any plans of how it was created is reslly cool to be honest. They just built it over time. I really love how the developers in Splatoon 3 also decided to make thr hub resemble this city a bit with the tall buildings and ads
The minimal wind passing through makes me anxious
Thanks. Great look back into one of the most fascinating places of our time.
Came here because of orange stray 🥰
I read that they were not self-taught dentists, but Hong Kong professionals who had attended dental school in mainland China and were enable to legally practice their trade in British occupied Hong Kong because of regulatory differences, and Kowloon was their only solution.
exactly..!!
I fought in a super-secret, 'underground', no-holds-barred, full contact martial arts competition there once upon a time. I had to fight this huge Asian guy named Chong Li. He broke my back. But this other guy named Frank Duxx beat him up later on, so it all worked out.
Fascinating place. You can feel the buzz, the intense, concentrated energy it possessed, even thru old videos.
I’m glad it’s demolished. It was a monstrous eyesore when I saw it back in 1989.
it stinks in here I bet
Chungking Mansions was pretty bad, but slowly getting better.
Shame they had to destroy kai tak airport in 1997 nearby wich wasn't hideous :(
(ALSO DISCLAIMER I do know and I am aware of why the airport was shut down and closed, Still miss kai tak though ).
I was born in this place, best childhood memories of my life
This is the most dystopian thing we have ever witnessed in history 😳
I would love to see some of these built in america, but nicer. Imagine just buying some land out in an empty place and making a tiny area where 50,000 people could live and get everything they need. You just need to build everything sturdy and get each house electricity and plumbing, and no factories allowed. Also have fire hydrants and hoses in lots of places (you don't need a whole fire truck)
I was there in 1991. I walked through it and took many photographs.
Please share it to us.
Could you share them?
他忘了，他变成了她。
I just talked to a guy who told me about when he was 11, living in Hong Kong, he would explore this place. I had never heard of it before, but I am amazed at how adaptive humanity is.
who's here after playing stray?
It wasn't "self tought" dentists, the dentists and most of the shopkeepers and residents were educated in Hong Kong and at this time the certificates both for education and rights/identification weren't liable in mainland china. That's why these people ended up in lawless kawloon.
watching this video makes me feel like the luckiest person on earth..☹its so scary
I love the aesthetics of this video and the buildings itself
Health inspectors: where do I even begin?
I currently live in a favela in brazil, pretty similar to this place in almost every aspect (except for the rates of crime), but still, most of the favelas grow up organically, it starts with dozens of people and then 5 or 10 years later you have millions of impoverished people living there. It's crazy, living this reality is terrible, but people can easily adapt to it.
Imagine walking down the street at night and suddenly a random kid on the 10th floor pees in his balcony 🤣
Yeah, the city was filthy.
I have such a profound fascination with the place. Surely there are lessons to be learned by how functional and thriving it was. 💜
my dad got his fake teeth here. he no longer wears them but still keeps it to this day as a reminder
A crammed city like that is a fire hazard waiting to happen. It's honestly a miracle it didn't go up in flames.
First time I heard about Walled City is in game Shadowrun Hong Kong. In the game, the city will give your character and all of the npc a nightmare and its getting worse overtime. I couldn't believe it is real, lol.
I always came back to this videos, I had seen a lot of videos of Kowloon, because, even I never took foot on Hong Kong and being born after Kowloon "disappeared" I always had a nostalgic Dejavu feeling that I lived there and cant convince me otherwise.
Its a very very weird feeling.
Stray was inspired by this city
yeah, came here cause of their Wiki
I imagine the fraternity between the neighbors was unmatched, they all taking care of each other and trying to make their lives a little less miserable and dark.