Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park, also Jiulongzhaicheng Park, sits on the very site of the former Kowloon Walled City. This attractive park was the site of a Chinese garrison in the 19th Century. In 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the Walled City and later it became a park. Park completed in 1995 in Jiangnan garden style of early Qing Dynasty, divided into 8 scenic zones.

The park’s design is modelled on Jiangnan gardens of the early Qing Dynasty. It is divided into eight landscape features, with the fully restored yamen as its centerpiece. The park’s paths and pavilions are named after streets and buildings in the Walled City. Artefacts from the Walled City, such as five inscribed stones and three old wells, are also on display in the park. In a word, it is good to take a walk here.

The Kowloon Walled City Park occupies one of the most historic sites in the territory. Once strategically located at the north-eastern corner of the Kowloon peninsula and adjacent to what was to become Kowloon Bay, the site was used by imperial officials in the 15^th century and was first fortified in 1668 when a signal station was established there. About 1810, a small fort was built at the head of the beach which then adjoined the site. The importance of the area to China’s maritime defences grew sharply following the British occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841. Between 25th November 1846 and 31st May 1847, a walled garrison-city was constructed. Massive stone walls with six watchtowers and four gates enclosed the area, which measured about 6.5 acres.

The interior was dominated by the offices of the Commodore of the Dapeng Brigade, and the Kowloon Assistant Military Inspectorate, commonly known as ‘Yamen’. In addition, there were more than ten numbers of military buildings including soldiers’ quarters, gunpowder and ordnance magazines. Besides, some civilian houses could also be found in the City. The strength of the troops stationed there were 250 at the time of the completion of the City, which increased subsequently to more than 500 in 1898/99.

In 1898, the New Territories were leased to the British for a term of 99 years. At first, Qing officials still continued to station in the City. In 1899, however, British troops were sent to take over the City, and the Qing officials and soldiers were expelled. The resultant vacuum of civil order from 1899 laid the seeds for the eventual deterioration of the area into a semi-lawless enclave and festering squatter slum.

During the Japanese occupation of 1941-45 the wall was torn down and the stone used to extend the nearby Kai Tak airfield. An idea of the large amount of quarried granite so gained is provided by the wall’s dimensions: 15 feet wide and 13 feet high for a gross length of 2,200 feet, plus a supplementary wall which ran Great Wall-style from the northern rampart to the top of the hill which formerly overlooked the garrison.

After the war, high-rise tenements built without authority and completely lacking proper foundations mushroomed cheek by jowl over almost the whole site, and the Walled City with its dank alleyways became a notorious nest of drug divans, criminal hide-outs, vice dens and even cheap, unlicensed dentists.

In 1987, with the agreement of the Chinese authorities, the decision was taken to clear the area and build a park on the site which would incorporate as many remaining features as possible of the original buildings and other features.