KOWLOON WALLED CITY PARK, History

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: the Kowloon Walled City Park.

The Kowloon Walled City Park is a historical site of great importance, testifying to the transformation of Hong Kong at the end of the 20th century.

Until the 1980s, this large urban area was a place with one of the worst reputations in Hong Kong and one of the most densely populated spots on the planet.

But let’s start from the beginning. In the past, thanks to its position, this area of Kowloon was of great strategic importance for defense and so< even after the British empire obtained control over Kowloon and the New Territories, the Chinese and the British fought at length over its possession.

The name Walled City derives from the walls built around the site for protection as far back as the mid-1800s.

The recent transformation of this area began during the Second World War when the walls were destroyed; this was followed by several waves of migration from China which led to a rapid, uncontrolled rise in the population of this small area of just 27,000 square meters. Abandoned by the British, it became a sort of no-man’s land, with almost 33,000 people packed into it!...