Life Inside Kowloon, the Walled City

The real-life City of Walls & Secrets.

Published 4 days ago in Wow

Some people lived in lockdown way before the rest of us.

The Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong was originally established as a military base during the Song dynasty, which ruled from 960 - 1279. After the British took over the island of Hong Kong in 1842, the Chinese decided to fortify Kowloon and completed its formidable wall in 1847. As the need for military presence diminished, the fort gradually became a city. All the way up to its demolition in 1994, Kowloon was a haven for crime and gang activities, but it also had average people who were just trying to go about their daily lives.

Here are snapshots in time of the Walled City and its residents who called the walls home.

1
Long exposure shot of a Kowloon road

2
Shops on the elevated levels of Kowloon

3
A man clashing with police officers
4
Getting fresh air on the roof
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City

5
An abandoned section of Kowloon
6
Nighttime in a Kowloon alley
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City
7
The back kitchen of a Kowloon noodle shop
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City

8
A pigeon breeder on the roofs of Kowloon
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City
9
A street at dusk
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City
10
A clinic in Kowloon
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City

11
On the roof of a Kowloon apartment building
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City
12
A man in his bedroom.
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City
13
The road leading into Hong Kong
via City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City