At its peak, an estimated 50,000 people lived on just six acres with no government, laws, or sunlight. This was the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, which had a population density of 120 times that of New York City.
The government did nothing to fix anything in the Walled City due to the countless issues that it caused. There were drug deals, prostitution, theft, countless gambling rooms, and many more illegal activities. However, for most people, it was a home, and the residents knew nothing else.
The Walled City was built during the Song Dynasty. Economically, China was thriving, with some credit to the salt trade that the Walled City was controlling. Back then, there weren’t a lot of other ways to keep food from spoiling besides salt, making it increasingly valuable. The city was slowly developed as it was more and more important for defending against attacks, specifically when Britain invaded China. The Walled City was crucial to defend the large coast of China.
Later, Britain and China were fighting over the area, and both were claiming it to be their land. This is one of the reasons why it was such a high crime area, as two different governments claimed the same area, creating a no-government environment.
As the citizens continually built more as needed, the nickname Dark City was given, due to the buildings being so high and close together that the city grew darker. Not all areas were furnished with light bulbs, since the people couldn’t afford them most of the time.
Children and citizens living in the city became malnourished because they were unable to grow their own food. There was also an increase in susceptibility to different diseases due to a lack of vitamin D.
Even though the government had no real jurisdiction over the city, there was still an unspoken obligation to help. There was no clean water for the citizens. And so, to help the community grow just a little bit more, authorities in China set up eight different freshwater stands: one inside the city, and the rest surrounding its perimeter.
The city became almost like a rainforest; whenever it rained, it would get into the city’s shade and slowly drip to the lower levels, forcing several residents to constantly carry umbrellas.
Many different businesses and shops were set up with no official documentation; most commonly, unlicensed dentists and other similar services, including barbers, medical services, mail delivery, and restaurants. Limited people who ran a shop had knowledge gained from family members, making almost all businesses generational.
There were limited schools inside the city, none of which were much bigger than a standard apartment. Adults tried to set up opportunities for their children to attend a youth group, but it overall failed due to the lack of support and attendance.
The gambling room operators evolved into black market coordinators, with the drug dealers thriving on all the residents who had no problem with buying illegal services. When living in a desperate place and time, people turned to drugs, especially when easily accessible. It became so bad that even the rats were addicted to drugs just from eating leftovers on the ground.
When it grew closer to the city being demolished, the government assigned inspectors to start shutting down the black market, so when it was all gone, there wouldn’t be a new black market in China. But it was difficult because of how much of a maze everything was. Past the first floor, it was organically built as it was needed, making no clear path to anything.
Later, in 1994, the infamous Kowloon Walled City was destroyed because of modern-day living standards. This was mostly due to Britain convincing China and finally agreeing to demolish it and make a park to commemorate the site of the former Walled City.
