Kowloon Walled City () was an extremely densely populated and largely lawless enclave within the boundaries of Kowloon City of former British Hong Kong. Built as an imperial Chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave of the Qing dynasty in 1898, when the New Territories were leased to the United Kingdom. Due to disagreements with the British authorities and political instability within China around the time, neither took jurisdiction over the enclave, creating a power vacuum.
Its population increased dramatically after the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, attracting mostly refugees fleeing the renewed Chinese Civil War.
By the late 1980s, the walled city contained roughly 35,000 residents As a result of the absence of any widely recognized bureaucracy, the city's residents and businesses had no municipal codes to govern them. Enabled by the enclave's anarchic nature, trade in banned products thrived, ranging from narcotics to dog meat. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was controlled by local triad gangs and had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse.
In January 1987, the British colonial government announced plans to demolish the walled city. After an arduous eviction process and the transfer of de jure sovereignty of the enclave from China to Britain, demolition began in March 1993 and was completed in April 1994. Kowloon Walled City Park opened in December 1995 and occupies the area of the former walled city. Some historical artefacts<!-- NOTE! Do not change this to "artifacts"! This article uses Hong Kong English spelling, where "artefacts" is the correct spelling. --> from the walled city, including its yamen building and remnants of its southern gate, have been preserved there.
History
Military outpost
right|thumb|[[Lung Tsun Stone Bridge and Lung Tsun Pavilion (Pavilion for Greeting Officials) of Kowloon Walled City in 1898|alt=The front entrance of a fort with mountains in the background.]]
The history of the walled city can be traced back to the Song dynasty (960–1279), when a military outpost was set up to manage the salt trade in the area. Little took place for hundreds of years afterward, although 30 guards were stationed there in 1668.
thumb|right|1915 map of the Hong Kong region with Kowloon Walled City listed as "Chinese Town" at the upper right-hand corner
The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory of 1898 handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the New Territories) to Britain for 99 years, but excluded the walled city, which at the time had a population of roughly 700. China was allowed to continue to keep officials there as long as they did not interfere with the defence of British Hong Kong. The following year, Hong Kong governor Henry Blake suspected that the viceroy of Canton was using troops to aid resistance to the new arrangements. On 14 April 1899, British forces attacked the walled city, only to find the viceroy's soldiers gone, leaving behind only the mandarin and 150 residents.
Though the British claimed ownership of the walled city, they did little with it over the following few decades. The Holy Trinity Church established an old people's home in the old yamen as well as a school and an almshouse in other former offices. Aside from such institutions, however, the walled city became a mere curiosity for British colonials and tourists to visit; it was labelled as "Chinese Town" in a 1915 map. In 1933, Hong Kong authorities announced plans to demolish most of the decaying walled city's buildings, compensating the 436 squatters that lived there with new homes. That same year, the Nationalist Chinese government protested, claiming jurisdiction over the city. The Nationalist Chinese government continued to make claims on its jurisdiction throughout 1935, 1936, and the first half of 1937, until the war between China and Japan started.
By 1940, only the yamen, the school, and one house remained. During the World War II occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese occupying forces demolished the city wall and used the stone to expand the nearby Kai Tak Airport. Refugees fleeing the Chinese Civil War post-1945 poured into Hong Kong, and 2,000 squatters occupied the walled city by 1947. After an attempt to drive them out in 1948, the British adopted a "hands-off" policy in most matters concerning the walled city. It was not until 1973 and 1974, when a series of more than 3,500 police raids resulted in over 2,500 arrests and over of drugs seized, that the triads' power began to wane. With public support, particularly from younger residents, the continued raids gradually eroded drug use and violent crime. In 1983, the district police commander declared the walled city's crime rate to be under control. with over 33,000 people
Although the walled city was for many years a hotbed of criminal activity, most residents were not involved in any crime and lived peacefully within its walls. Numerous small factories and businesses thrived inside the walled city, and some residents formed groups to organise and improve daily life there.
The government distributed some () in compensation to the estimated 33,000 residents and businesses in a plan devised by a special committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority.
The city before demolition
Layout and architecture
thumb|Model of Kowloon Walled City located at the entrance of Kowloon Walled City Park
thumb|Plan of buildings and streets within Kowloon Walled City
The walled city was located in an area of Kowloon that became known as Kowloon City. In spite of its transformation from a fort into an urban enclave, the walled city retained the same basic layout. The original fort was built on a slope
A thorough government survey in 1987 gave a clearer picture: an estimated 33,000 people resided within the walled city. Based on this survey, the walled city had a population density of approximately in 1987, Names in Kowloon Walled City were mostly Cantonese. Construction of the park cost a total of .
right|thumb|The remnants of the city's South Gate and its entrance plaque|alt=On a green lawn surrounded by a brick wall lie broken engraved stones and stone foundations.
Declared monuments
right|thumb|The front of the restored [[yamen building with one of the original cannons|alt=The front entrance of a building labelled "Almshouse" with a cannon in front of it.]]
thumb|right|Children of early 20th-century Kowloon Walled City residents playing on the yamen cannons
The Antiquities and Monuments Office conducted archaeological examinations as the walled city was being demolished, and several cultural remains were discovered. Crime and corruption were common; the police were known to co-operate with the triads operating in the city. During the 1970s greater police presence reduced crime and the city became home to those seeking to avoid business regulation and taxes. The city has begun to be portrayed with a romantic dystopian identity, and many forms of modern media have borrowed the city's culture in their works.
Literature
A few of the people who spent time in Kowloon Walled City have written accounts of their experiences. Evangelist Jackie Pullinger wrote a 1989 memoir, Crack in the Wall, about her involvement in treating drug addicts within the walled city.