Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong, c.1989
The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was built gradually—building
on top of building—over time. Without a single architect, the ungoverned
and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and
prostitution until it was demolished in 1993. Photo documentation of
the site exists but for the most part much of the inner-workings of the
city remained a mystery.
Perhaps due to its proximity, Japan, in particular, developed a
keen interest towards Kowloon. Its demolition in 1993 was broadcast on
national television. But watching the footage, what most spectators
didn’t realize was that up until the night before demolition a team of
Japanese researchers were taking precise measurements and documenting
the vacated city. Their findings were compiled into a book that, among
other things, featured this panoramic cross section of the city
depicting what life was like inside. You can read more about the book
on Spoon & Tamago, and if you look hard enough, a few rare copies of
it are available online.
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