From the 1950s until 1994, over 33,000 people lived and worked in Kowloon Walled City, a massive complex of 300 interconnected buildings that took up a city block.
Caught between China and the British-run Hong Kong government, the city was essentially lawless, equally known for its opium dens and organized crime as its dentists' offices.
Photographer Greg Girard spent years investigating and documenting the strange place before it was demolished.Girard collaborated with Ian Lambot, another photographer, on a book about Kowloon, titled "City of Darkness Revisited," available here .
Girard shared a number of photos from the project with us in 2015, and you can check out the rest at the book's website .
Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated, ungoverned settlement in Kowloon, an area north of Hong Kong Island. What began as a Chinese military fort evolved into a squatters village comprising a mass of 300 interconnected high-rise buildings.
Greg Girard
The city began as a low-rise squatter village during the early 20th century. After World War II, Hong Kong experienced a massive influx of Chinese immigrants. This led to a lack of housing in the city. In response, entrepreneurs and those with "squatters rights" in Kowloon built high rise buildings on the space to capitalize on the housing demand.
Greg Girard
At its peak, more than 33,000 people lived in the 6.4-acre city. It was considered by many to be the most densely populated place on earth.
Greg Girard
While located in Hong Kong, the Walled City was legally a Chinese military fort. This put the settlement in legal purgatory as both China and the British-run Hong Kong government ignored it.
Greg Girard
Laws, regulations, and building codes were not enforced.
"There was never any top-down guidance or planning about how the place should be. It grew as an organic response to people's needs," says Girard.
The only regulation enforced at Kowloon was the height of the building. Because the airport was so close, the building was not allowed to be taller than 13 or 14 stories.
Greg Girard
The Walled City was controlled by the Chinese mafia, called the Triads, from the 1950s through the 1970s. It gained a reputation as a haven for prostitution, gambling, and drugs.
Greg Girard
But by the time Girard explored the city in 1987, it had become considerably safer. "The city normalized, but the reputation stayed until the end. It was a place your parents told you to never go to," says Girard.
Greg Girard
The streets and alleyways of the Walled City were narrow. Most were barely wider than six feet and some were so narrow that one had to walk sideways through them. A massive network of passageways in the upper levels also made it possible to travel the distance of the city without walking on a ground level street.
Greg Girard
The Walled City was not the kind of place that you wanted to wander around, especially at night. Most residents stuck to the roads or alleys that they knew best on their way to work and home.
Greg Girard
Mr. Lui, the citys postman, was assigned to Kowloon in 1976. By the time that Girard met him, he was one of the few people who knew all the ins and outs of the city. He wore a hat to protect him from the constant dripping from the ceiling.
Greg Girard
Because regulations and licenses werent enforced in the city, it was easy to set up a business. Rents, primarily controlled by those with "squatters rights," were low compared to the rest of the city.
Greg Girard
Many businesses took advantage. Ho Chi Kam ran a hairdressing salon with his wife in the city until 1991. After Ho was forced out of the Walled City, he had to go back to working for others because he could not afford the rent elsewhere.
Greg Girard
Doctors, dentists, and other accredited professionals who emigrated from China found that their licenses were not valid in Hong Kong. Many took up offices in the Walled City because laws were not enforced there.
Greg Girard
The city became known as a place where Hong Kongs working class went to the doctor or dentist. Appointments were cheaper because the doctors and dentists could not practice anywhere else in the city.
Greg Girard
Wong Cheung Mi was one of the many dentists in the Walled City.
Greg Girard
The lack of regulations was even more important for the many meat processors in Kowloon.
Greg Girard
Food was a big part of the Walled City’s culture. Hong Kongers often visited to eat at one of the citys many dog-meat restaurants. Dog-meat stew, traditionally made from six-month-old Chow puppies, was a popular dish in Hong Kong until it was banned by the British.
Greg Girard
Hui Tuy Choy opened his noodle factory in 1965. He chose the Walled City because the rents were low and you didn’t need a license to open a store. In Hong Kong, shop owners had to get licenses from the labor, health, and fire departments.
Greg Girard
Kowloon was a major manufacturing center for many businesses in Hong Kong. One of its biggest products was fishballs, which were sold to restaurants around the city.
Greg Girard
This rubber factory was run entirely by two men.
Greg Girard
Often, commercial spaces like this grocery store would double as a living room or a space for the children to do homework after the working day was over.
Greg Girard
According to Girard, the Walled City had a village culture because of the tight living and working quarters. 90-year-old Law Yu Yi lived with her sons wife in a cramped third-floor apartment. It is typical for women to look after her in-laws.
Greg Girard
The Walled City had its own micro-climate, according to Girard, due to the massive amounts of tubing, wires, and open gutters snaking through the building. The lower levels were constantly hot, humid, and damp.
Greg Girard
Because of the smelly, humid conditions down below, the rooftops of Kowloon would turn into a communal hangout during the afternoons and evenings. People would hang out, do laundry or homework, or practice instruments.
Greg Girard
"It was like a strange, urban garden. There was tons of household refuse. It was a bit of an eyesore, but compared to the area below, the air was light and breezy. It was nice to come up there after living and working on the lower floors," says Girard.
Greg Girard
Despite a reduced crime rate, neither the British nor the Chinese found the city tolerable. In 1987, the two governments agreed to tear down the city.
Greg Girard
After evicting the 33,000 residents over the next five years, demolition began in 1993. Residents were given monetary compensation, but many protested that it was not enough.
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