When the death knell sounded for Kowloon Walled City – Hong Kong’s ‘dirty old wart’
Often described as the City of Darkness, the fate of this 2.8 hectare plot of lawlessness, one of the most densely populated places on the planet, was sealed in 1987 when China gave approval for its demolition
“Kowloon Walled City Doomed” read one of a flurry of headlines in the South China Morning Post on January 15, 1987, on news that the way had been opened for clearance of the site after years of wrangling between Hong Kong and the Chinese government. “Beijing gives its backing” and “Clearance of ‘dirty old wart’ hailed”, chimed in others.
The former site of a Qing dynasty fort, the Walled City had “been regarded as part of China even after the New Territories were ceded to the British in 1898”, although China’s sovereignty claim over the 2.8-hectare site had been a bone of contention, its status described as “a question left over from history”.
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“The signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration [in 1984] on the future of Hongkong […] provided the impetus to resolve the Kowloon Walled City issue,” the Post reported.