City of Darkness

[...] of the government’s involvement at that time:   POLICE Police activity in the Walled City is the same as everywhere else except that certain licensing laws are not enforced. This is not [...]

[...]   Thoughts of producing an all-new edition of our book about life in Kowloon Walled City first emerged towards the end of 2011. It has been a source of constant surprise to us that [...]

[...] in January 1987 It may come as a surprise, but the Hong Kong authorities had tried to clear the Walled City, or parts of it, several times before the successful plan for its demolition was finally [...]

[...] . “The first time I smoked opium was with Hank, the American news-film photographer, in Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. Hank had all his cameras with him; and an interpreter who asked first in a [...]

[...] hand demurely to her mouth to stifle them and closed the doors on us. Whenever I visited Kowloon Walled City, Lau was always there, ready to guide me around, drink tea with me and talk. When, after a [...]

[...] thanks to Mark, whose review we include here in full. “When it heaved with life, the Kowloon Walled City was notorious. The enclave, protected by a historical quirk from British rule in [...]

[...] OF DARKNESS – SPECIAL REPRINT The original edition of the book, City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City, served us remarkably well for close on 20 years, transforming from hardback to softback [...]

[...] the cover of the softback cover for the original version of City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City. Both boxed sets have been produced in limited editions of 50 each and are available at a [...]

[...] for Chinese Affairs in 1964, complained of the acute shortage of water at a time when “the Chinese Government is working selflessly on the East River scheme to provide ample water for Hong Kong [...]

[...] and tweaking in Hong Kong, it would be sent to Beijing for further discussion with the Chinese Government. It was essential to maintain total secrecy, in the short term because they wanted no news [...]

[...] had long been a particularly thorny issue. The whole issue of the negotiations with the Chinese government that led to the City’s clearance and demolition was out of bounds, and the 20 years [...]

[...] criminals caught there – without, it should be noted, a word of protest from the Chinese government – but all other services were withheld or severely restricted. Refuse wasn’t [...]

[...] ;s bearings and head towards one of the four main alleys that traversed the city from Tung Tau Tsuen Road on the City’s northern boundary and the park to the south. To give a flavour [...]

[...] Daily News; I bought it and moved in at the beginning of 1974. The flat is on the Tung Tau Tsuen Road, so I didn’t really have to come inside the City until I started running my own [...]

[...] from a handful of standpipes, all located outside the City itself.   The view along Tung Tau Tsuen Road in 1973   As the City grew, however, and the population rose to an estimated 20,000 by [...]

[...] present Communists nudge us about our imperialist usurpations when they want to tease the Hong Kong government. The result is that the Hong Kong government is shy about the city. Uniformed police do [...]

[...] An aerial view from the south-west in 1975   The Hong Kong government had attempted to clear and demolish all or parts of the Walled City in 1947 and again in [...]

[...] how perceptions of the Walled City have changed over time, from being shunned by most Hong Kong residents during its lifetime to now being seen, almost with pride, as part of the territory’s [...]

[...] Government is working selflessly on the East River scheme to provide ample water for Hong Kong residents”. Their complaints were well grounded, if dressed in rhetoric. Four emergency hydrants had [...]

[...] with regards the City was unlikely to change in the near future. Up until that point, the Hong Kong authorities’ approach had largely been one of minimal involvement, to the point of making life [...]

[...] of the clearance procedures in January 1987 It may come as a surprise, but the Hong Kong authorities had tried to clear the Walled City, or parts of it, several times before the successful [...]

[...] protesting to them, to make it quite clear to them that this was a matter for the Hong Kong administration. Then people would get the message the game was up.” China gave the nod. In a 2011 [...]