Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park is situated at the junction of Tung Tau Tsuen Road and Tung Ching Road in Kowloon City, Hong Kong, near the Hosanna Church, and has a rich and long historical background. In the history of Hong Kong, Kowloon Walled City was the only piece of Hong Kong territory that was neither ceded nor leased to Britain, covering an area of 29,000 square meters. In 1994, it was turned into a Chinese garden with distinctive Hong Kong characteristics. Kowloon Walled City Park is located at one of the most historic sites in Hong Kong. The original site was Kowloon Walled City, which included a fortified stone-walled settlement surrounded by six watchtowers and four city gates, covering an area of 6.5 acres, built between 1843 and 1847. The park strives to retain some of the original structures and features of the walled city.

Although the present-day Kowloon Walled City Park has seen many new additions, a wealth of historical relics such as stone plaques, cannons, column bases, and Qing dynasty official inscriptions were preserved during the demolition process and are now displayed within the park. The park also features a rare example of a traditional southern Chinese “yamen” (government office), original stone tablets from the walled city, remnants of the South Gate, as well as pre-war concrete ruins, all showcasing the dramatic changes the site has undergone.

The demolition of Kowloon Walled City was completed in April 1994, and the Hong Kong government converted the site into a park. It was originally planned to be named “Kowloon Walled City Park,” as its former name “Kowloon Walled City” had largely been forgotten. However, during the demolition, with guidance from former residents, the Antiquities and Monuments Office unearthed a number of relics, which were then integrated into the park’s design or preserved as exhibits for visitors to appreciate. The most significant finds from the excavation were two granite plaques unearthed at the South Gate (the main gate of the walled city), inscribed with the characters “南门” (South Gate) and “九龙寨城” (Kowloon Walled City). Other relics include the remaining foundations of the city walls, the wall bases of the southeast gates, a drainage ditch built along the inner wall of the city, and the adjacent flagstone street. Additional artifacts such as three cannons, stone beams, couplets, and column bases were also preserved. During World War II, locals dismantled and buried the stone plaques to protect them from Japanese damage. The government subsequently renamed the park Kowloon Walled City Park, and these relics are now housed in the “South Gate Nostalgia” area. The former three-courtyard, four-wing yamen known as “Dapeng Brigade Headquarters” has been restored and reconstructed into an exhibition hall, displaying stone tablets related to the history of the walled city (including Zhang Yutang’s calligraphic works “Ink Bond” and the character “Longevity,” as well as the 1886 “Published Meeting Records” detailing the expenses of yamen soldiers on official duties), historical photos of the walled city, and more.