Kowloon’s Walled City was a miniature city packed inside a dense sprawling population of some 33,000 occupants. The Hong Kong residents shared just 2.6-hectares of space in what initially started out as a Chinese military fort.
The fort stood as a largely ungoverned settlement and in later years fell into Triad rule, until the illegal hotspot was wiped from existence in 1994 when the government replaced the historical settlement with a public park.
However, the infamous city has been faithfully recreated inside a Japanese warehouse as a different sort of park. Eagle-eyed Bokeh viewers may have already spotted the location appear on the show but seeing actual photographs of it brings the space to life in a whole new way.
Japanese photographer Shin was granted special permission to photograph inside Warehouse Kawasaki, a place for playing darts, billiards, and arcade games with the biggest attraction being the gritty aesthetic chosen for the amusement park — that of a reborn Kowloon Walled City.
Sci-fi cyberpunk fans may also find the photos familiar as the original city was used as a reference point to illustrate dystopia in popular culture (Ghost in the Shell, Final Fantasy 7, Blade Runner).
For those interested in visiting Japan’s superior recreation of Kowloon Walled City, it’s located five minutes walking distance from JR Kawasaki Station; alternatively, for more tilt–shift photography visit the HDRTS website here.
[Article provided for Bokeh]
