For a hundred years, Kowloon walled city was one of the most lawless, insanitary and downright scary places in the whole of Hong Kong. Buildings were erected with no planning permission, no sanitation and no regard for things like access to daylight,views or anything else that makes a place to live half decent. During WW2, the Japanese knocked down some of the walls surrounding the "city" to allow better access to the nearby airfield. After the war, thousands of immigrants, legal and otherwise, made their homes in it's dank alleyways. Doctors, dentists, most of them unlicensed, and other trades carried out their business there. It's said that Chinese Triads and other gangs and criminals were active there. Images of it's buildings were used in the PS game "Call of duty; black ops". Finally, in 1987, the whole area was demolished, it's citizens rehoused and a beautiful park was created. We went to visit it for our weekly tourist jaunt. It was a fascinating place. We took 2 trains and a bus to get there, only to discover one bus would have done the job!It was an easier journey home!
Some of the Chinese zodiac animals in the sculpture garden; Rabbit (Les) Snake (Me) and Dragon just because I liked it!
Some of the reconstructed buildings now used to house audio visual exhibits.
A man plays his flute, taken through a trellis wall
Pomegranites grow along side the path.
An old man goes through his tai chi routine outside a pagoda . I took this from the other side of the pagoda through the round doorways.
Some of the reconstructed buildings now used to house audio visual exhibits.
A man plays his flute, taken through a trellis wall
Pomegranites grow along side the path.
An old man goes through his tai chi routine outside a pagoda . I took this from the other side of the pagoda through the round doorways.
No comments:
Post a Comment