Kowloon Walled City was once the most crowded place on Earth, packed with 33,000 people crammed into just 6.4 acres in Hong Kong. Imagine a giant maze of dark, narrow alleys, with apartments stacked so tightly that sunlight barely reached the ground. The buildings were built chaotically, with little planning, so the city became a lawless labyrinth. Despite this, people lived normal lives—there were schools, shops, and even dentists operating in tiny, makeshift spaces. It was demolished in 1994 to make way for a park, but its memory still fascinates people as a symbol of both resilience and chaos. Kowloon Walled City remains a legendary example of how humans adapt to even the most extreme living conditions. Credit: South Sider / YouTube Jiu Long cheng zhai · Wei cheng / Entertaining Power Sang gong kei bing / Bo Ho Film Company Ltd. AP Archive / YouTube tuschman168 / YouTube South China Morning Post / YouTube Jung on zo / Golden Harvest Company Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:00What you're viewing is recognized as the most densely populated location to have ever existed.
00:10It spans just 6.4 acres, which is equivalent to 13 Starbucks coffee shops located in the
00:16Empire State Building.
00:18And while a huge coffee shop like this one can host, say, 1,000 guests, this place somehow
00:24managed to have around 33,000 people squeezed in.
00:29Some estimates suggest that the actual number could have soared to 50,000 at some point.
00:37This is Kowloon Walled City.
00:39The city is relatively young, settled in 1898, but its history goes back nearly 1,000 years
00:46to the Song Dynasty.
00:49Originally a modest fortification, it remained largely unchanged until renovations in 1847
00:58added defensive walls, leading to its revival a half-century later.
01:03But back then, the area was sparsely populated rather than crowded.
01:09To really understand just how packed this area got by the mid-20th century, let's compare
01:15it to some others.
01:17Take the East Village in New York City, for example.
01:21It has a little park at its center, but mostly it's filled with a mix of historic homes and
01:26newer apartment buildings.
01:29As of 2010, it was home to over 44,000 people, making it way more crowded than the rest of
01:34New York City, which is saying a lot, since New York City is the most densely populated
01:40city in the US.
01:42By most standards, it's pretty busy.
01:48But then you look at Kowloon Walled City, and it's a whole different ballgame.
01:54If all the land there could be split proportionally between the residents, that would be somewhere
01:58around 5.5 to 8.5 square feet per person, if we count land only, while science claims
02:06people need 200 to 400 square feet at a home just to feel good.
02:12So why was everything crammed together like that?
02:16Well, it comes down to Kowloon Walled City's unique status.
02:21It was never officially part of the rest of Hong Kong.
02:25What started as a small Chinese military outpost became more significant when a larger fort
02:30was built nearby, coinciding with the rise of Canton Harbor.
02:37After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, this site transformed into a tourist destination, eventually
02:42becoming home to around 400 squatters.
02:46However, in the 1930s, the Hong Kong authorities intervened, relocating the inhabitants and
02:52demolishing the dilapidated structures.
02:55The 1940s and 50s were pretty rough times for folks in Kowloon.
03:00And while the residents were somewhat accustomed to different countries vying for control over
03:05their land, they were definitely caught off guard by natural disasters.
03:10In January 1950, a massive fire broke out that wiped over 2,500 huts, leaving almost
03:183,500 families, which is about 17,000 people, without homes.
03:24This disaster really underscored the need for better fire safety measures, especially
03:29in the squatter areas made mainly of wood.
03:34The problem didn't end there.
03:36Due to the lack of control from both the Chinese and British authorities, except for
03:40a handful of operations conducted by the Hong Kong police, the Walled City became a refuge
03:46for illegal activities.
03:51It was not until a trial in 1959, which took place within the Walled City's boundaries,
03:57that the Hong Kong government was officially recognized as having jurisdiction there.
04:03By that time, however, organized crime groups known as triads had already established dominance
04:09over the area.
04:12Starting in the 1950s, triad factions such as the 14K and Sun Yee Un took control of
04:19all the criminal dens within the Walled City.
04:22The environment became so dangerous that police would only enter in large numbers.
04:28It wasn't until 1973 and 1974, when over 3,500 police operations led to more than 2,500
04:40arrests and the confiscation of illegal produce, that the influence of the triads began to
04:46diminish.
04:48Only a decade later, the local police chief announced that the crime rate in the Walled
04:53City was now under control.
04:56And even though crime dropped, the Walled City still became known for having a surprising
05:00number of unlicensed doctors and dentists who could work there without fear of getting
05:06into trouble.
05:08That was a win-win.
05:09Many working class people couldn't afford licensed dentists somewhere in Hong Kong,
05:14so they would go to Kowloon to receive affordable healthcare.
05:22You get it now.
05:23What can attract people in such a seedy place?
05:26Right, it's zero oversight.
05:29And zero oversight means that anyone could start their business here, no matter how shady
05:34it was.
05:35However, there were some totally normal entrepreneurs.
05:39For example, noodle makers.
05:43Despite all the dangers, the population of the city kept growing.
05:47But how can you create more houses if your territory is very limited?
05:52Simple, think vertically, not horizontally.
05:56So local developers started stacking more and more stories, as if those were Lego bricks
06:01you could easily add on top of your tower.
06:05This led to a crazy population boom, making the city feel like a little world of its own,
06:11with over 33,000 people being crammed into 300 buildings on just about 7 acres.
06:19By the late 70s and early 80s, the city hit its peak size.
06:24But that came with some quirks.
06:28However, there were limits on how tall buildings could go.
06:34Those could not exceed 13 to 14 stories, and it was because of planes flying into Kai Tak
06:40airport.
06:42Yeah, living close to the airport meant residents had to deal with a lot of noise.
06:50Water was provided through 8 municipal pipes, although there were options for wells too.
06:56Some streets barely saw any natural light thanks to the way buildings were packed in,
07:01and fluorescent lights were the go-to for illumination down below.
07:05It was nighttime all the time in there.
07:09So the city buildings were pretty tall, yet the city had nearly 2 elevators for its entirety.
07:15At the base of various skyscrapers, both shared and private mailboxes were affixed to the
07:20walls.
07:22Frequently, this left the postman with no choice but to ascend on foot.
07:27Even several floors high, the tangled network of paths persisted, intricate passages that
07:33wound their way into the city's core through a web of bridges and staircases.
07:39But let's say you live in such a place, and want to have a walk or just a bit of fresh
07:44air.
07:45What do you do?
07:46In such cramped conditions, rooftops will serve you a thousand purposes.
07:51They can be a space for physical activities and a kid's playground, but they can also
07:56be used as venues for pigeon racing, with residents making their guess concerning which
08:01pigeon comes first.
08:03And it's illegal for sure.
08:07Such rooftops can pose certain risks because of the narrow spaces between the buildings.
08:13But locals use them also as landfills.
08:16The absence of efficient garbage collection led to some residents to transport their larger
08:21waste items up to the roof.
08:23Consequently, many rooftops became crowded with abandoned mattresses, damaged furniture
08:28and appliances.
08:31Hey, I get the feeling that I'm talking about something that actually exists.
08:39Sorry for that, I totally forgot to mention the most important thing.
08:43This city seized its existence back in the 1990s.
08:48What happened?
08:49Long story short, both Chinese and British authorities grew increasingly weary of the
08:54chaos unfolding in the city.
08:59Control was difficult, if not impossible.
09:02Criminals kept proliferating and the area was in disarray.
09:05Consequently, officials from both countries chipped in and allocated approximately $350
09:11million in compensation for the locals, who had been kicked out of that area as the city
09:17was demolished.
09:19Kowloon exists today, but not as the infamous Walled City.
09:23It's now an urban area in Hong Kong, which is located in a completely different place.
09:28It just has the same name.
09:30As for the area that used to be Kowloon, there's now a park known as Kowloon Walled City Park.
09:39Architects and thinkers still look back at Kowloon as a prime example of the organic
09:43megastructure concept from the 60s, which envisioned cities as flexible networks that
09:48grow and change with their residents.
09:52If you're looking to catch a glimpse of the real deal, you should watch Crime Story,
09:56starring Jackie Chan, as some scenes were filmed there.
10:01That's it for today!
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