Kowloon Walled City Park

For most of the twentieth century this site held the Kowloon Walled City, a settlement of a few hectares that grew upward into a single interlocking mass of buildings housing tens of thousands of people, with alleys instead of streets, almost no daylight at ground level and services improvised by the residents; its density became internationally known. It was cleared in the early 1990s and the ground turned into a park opened in 1995, laid out in the manner of a Jiangnan garden of the Qing period, with pavilions, ponds and a chess garden. The yamen, the old administrative building at the centre, was kept and restored, and remains of the south gate and old cannons are displayed.

What you actually see

• The restored yamen - the surviving administrative building at the centre.
• Excavated south gate remains - foundations and stones displayed in place.
• A Jiangnan-style garden - pavilions and ponds in Qing manner.
• A scale model of the old settlement - the density shown in miniature.

When to go

October to April; the garden is pleasant in cool weather and hot in summer. Two hours. Mornings are quiet apart from local residents exercising.

Honest expectations

Almost nothing of the original settlement survives; the park is a garden with a small exhibition. Visitors expecting to see the walled city are always disappointed. Interpretation is limited. It is out of the way for anyone without a specific interest.

Nearby

Kowloon City food streets are adjacent; Wong Tai Sin lies north-west.