The Densest City In The World Had a Strange Secret...

[@DamiLeeArch]

We had to take down the original video due to a copyright claim on some of the photographs we used, but we’ve reuploaded it with enhanced graphics for an even better experience :) I was truly moved by how many of you reached out, especially locals who recognized their parents who lived in Kowloon Walled City. I hope you enjoy the updated version!

[@patmiller7045]

You and the team did a excellent job on this. Thank you for creating this content ❤

[@Astria115]

Thanks so much for your work!

[@efran216]

I'm curious, did the copyright claim have to do with "Blood Sport"? I don't remember exactly, but I thought there was a clip from the movie in there somewhere? I'm glad you didn;t have to remove the video, this is one of my favorite videos your team has done. This topic says so much about human determination to survive and make a home. It also sparks a conversation about societal structures, this was an extreme that should be analyzed at least by college level sociology courses.

[@matthewrosborough2705]

was looking for this vid about a week or 2 ago. thought i was on crazy pills or something cause i couldnt find it anywhere. such a cool vid! im glad its back

[@haydarakyol116]

​@@matthewrosborough2705 same here!

[@DeepWater-rm8vo]

My mother got to visit Kowloon walled city in 1989 while the ship she worked on was docked in Hong Kong. She said the word that came to mind when she experienced it was „Hive“. She went there because something on the ship had broken and every shop where she asked in Hong Kong proper told her if there is any place where she can find it, it’s there. She asked a guy in what to her appeared like a traditional Chinese pharmacy if he knew where she could get this part, and he took it and disappeared with it. Half an hour later, he resurfaced, and the part was repaired. It cost 10 HKS. She didn’t get to go deep into the city, but said that even then, it appreard like everyone in it was part of the whole, like Dami said, organism of this place. The guy in the pharmacy somehow immediately knew who could repair a ships radar shell cover. It was all connected in there, quite literally.

[@oceanaxim]

Great story my friend!

[@DamiLeeArch]

Wow thanks for sharing

[@efran216]

@@DeepWater-rm8vo That's so cool. I don't suppose she has any polaroids or photos from her time there?

[@DeepWater-rm8vo]

@@efran216 I will enquire!

[@DeepWater-rm8vo]

@@DamiLeeArch you’re very welcome Dami!

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

My dad lived pretty much right next to the Walled City in the 70s. He never went inside because it was just a sketchy place to be. Lots of his friends explored it though, Fiona Hawthorne (the source of some of your photos) went to school with my dad.

[@ellemueller]

Take her upvote/like, and be satisfied. You pre-nerfed yourself when you picked your name: @THICCTHICCTHICC 😉

[@methe7738]

Sounds like he missed out

[@the_best_username]

Sorry but the contrast of your username and the serious story is very amusing

[@C0bra_Commander]

Kowloon City is what I imagine a real-life "Cyberpunk" city would look like at the ground level. It what happens when a lower income and or lower social standing group of people, just have to figure it out and make it work. Nice vid Dami!

[@BB-te8tc]

In the PS1 game SaGa Frontier, there's a cyberpunk type city called Koorong that's inspired by Kowloon so you're not far off!

[@barbarossarotbart]

A part of Shadowrun: Hong Kong takes place in Kowloon City. Shadowrun was created before Kowloon was demolished, so it still exists in that universe.

[@oneandonlysound3453]

I mean it looks like the real, so obviously less clean version of the city from Battle Angel Alita (and it has like no life outside or barely of the city so it seems less dense even though it's where everyone pretty much is, AND half they show is on a main road on top of it).

[@dhampiro]

​@@barbarossarotbartIn the Shadowrun timeline, Kowloon was demolished around the year 2000. But in 2040, a corporation had the bright idea of reviving the initial concept of making a crowded neighborhood but with low-cost houses so that people could afford a home, and to no one's surprise, mafias appeared and it became an even more dystopian version of the Kowloon of the previous century.

[@heliopunk6000]

hi tec lo life... minus the hi tec ;)

[@demzre]

I watched this episode with my 90-year-old Dad, who grew up in Hong Kong. He said that when he was younger, he entered the walled city out of curiosity to explore it. He agreed: You can easily get lost in it. He said he bumped into an old co-worker in there, who was so excited to see him. He quickly realized he was only excited because he had just finished a line of coke and needed money to buy more, so he asked my Dad.

[@joestrummer4106]

Did he get the coke?

[@ouroborosirvington]

Oh course he did. Then the old pals visited a good hotel accommodating the sweetest working girls. They all lived happily ever after. Sweet dreams ⛩

[@joestrummer4106]

@ouroborosirvington if only that was the truth haha.

[@KMQ32]

​@@joestrummer4106Now were asking the important questions.

[@BooBaddyBig]

It's most surprising to me that it was taken down, that it didn't fall down, catch fire, get wiped out by a plague due to bad sanitation etc. etc.

[@JaidenJimenez86]

This is something I've always wondered. Maybe because of it's overall size and brief existence in history, it would have only been a matter of time if it survived longer or grew bigger?

[@craigbryant3191]

Yeah, if you look at the pictures over time, pretty much by the point it had reached "hive city" in the 1980s, the authorities in Hong Kong were clear that Something would have to Be Done about all this. It was a mass-casualty event waiting to happen, and the whole thing was bulldozed within ten years of any of the memorable pictures or videos being taken. Peak Kowloon was a moment, not an enduring institution, and if we want a biological metaphor for understanding it, it would have to be a kind of tumor.

[@w花b]

​@@JaidenJimenez86 I guess? It was brief but for a thing this weird, it stayed for quite long tbh

[@MolGaeilge]

I bet the CCP hated that they couldn't watch every single citizen so they took it down for surveillance purposes

[@ItsMuffinTimePls]

Thinking about it, Kowloon would've probably been wrecked by the original C-19 outbreak

[@scubaguy5389]

how that place never burnt down is amazing.

[@shoelacedonkey]

It apparently did catch fire a few times. I just looked it up and "In January 1950, a fire broke out that destroyed over 2,500 huts, home to nearly 3,500 families and 17,000 total people".

[@FalconWindblader]

​@@shoelacedonkeyThat's what made the whole thing more surreal. Fires spread quickly & can easily burn down a whole complex within just hours, & hardly anyone can do anything when said fires get too big. Yet, those people in the walled city managed to stop the spread every single time something huge got set on fire, every single fire ended up being a small thing when compared to the scale of the city, that could've burned down entirely.

[@williemhusin6742]

And how the building didnt collapse despite the building get taller. And they keep building and the population multiply, how come the initial structure not calculated to support that kind of weight withstand it.

[@FalconWindblader]

@@williemhusin6742 That one could somehow be easily explained; the buildings, being built so close & ended up connecting & even leaning against each other, became each other's support. it's literally BECAUSE they were grouped so closely to each other, that they managed to stay standing. you'd hardly ever see buildings supporting each other like that everywhere else, simply cuz buildings ain't allowed to be built like that & there ain't any need elsewhere to build like that in the first place.

[@cykeok3525]

@@FalconWindblader If I had to guess, after the major fire in 1950, the people recognized the danger of fire in the Walled City. The importance of fire prevention, and the procedures to immediately extinguish a fire before it spreads, probably became deeply ingrained in the people who lived there. If every single person, without exception, knows what to do, then the response time to a fire would be measured in seconds instead of minutes; a fire simply cannot spread.

[@AnymMusic]

I'm honestly in love with Kowloon in a weird way. Cause yeah, obviously it was super dense and it basically being a lawless place, but that's what I love about it. It was a lawless hotspot, yet there was (a form of) order, business, entertainment and progress. The fact that, if the stories are to believed, a letter could be sent from one end of Kowloon, and end up fine at its designated address is incredible

[@charliebear154]

The bizarre organic growth of this city is absolutely fascinating. I’m also weirdly in love with Kowloon city! My father was in the navy so he travelled to lots of different places all over the world including Kowloon, and I’m so envious that he was able to catch a glimpse of one of the strangest places to exist. He said it was like being in a different world entirely. It’s such a shame that they tore the whole thing down. I understand why, but it’s still such a shame that it wasn’t immortalized forever.

[@alveolate]

@@charliebear154 yea it's really just too bad that the chinese/hk govts wouldn't have much care about preserving the structure in some way for posterity. due to its ephemeral and unruly nature, i doubt there exists any reliable records that would comprehensively detail what it really was in its entirety.

[@MissyxAkunai]

@@alveolate it was built in a way that if you took down one part, you automatically took down another which resulted in another. As said in the video, the only part that wasn't built on top of was this square area used as a community centre/hub (which was reserved), the rest were all attached in some way. the place was constructed by the regular people, not by architects, meaning most materials used weren't proper and some were easily flammable, also there's no documentation on how it was constructed. There's records of random collapses regularly and fires which resulted in death tolls in the thousands of residents. My grandparents lived in HK at the time and apparently it was unspoken/rumoured that the demolition of Kowloon resulted in the death/injury of several construction workers since there was no way to predict properly how to demolish it.

[@samueltheprideofafrikarobi9319]

Places like Kowloon are/were proof that people will (on the whole) always find a way to have some form of peace. I'm a cinephile. And I've loved film my whole life. And I love the post-apocalyptic genre. But as much as I love to let my imagination soar, I've NEVER believed that in the event of something happening that utterly destroys human infrastructure and government, that the world would turn into some type of Mad Max-like hell scape of roaming gangs and cannibals.

[@domhuckle]

I think it's the authenticity of the place that calls to us in our artificial lives

[@miradragonslayer3995]

I was in Hong Kong this summer and visited the garden they made to replace the Walled City. Beyond the fact that throughout Hong Kong there is a special, unique atmosphere, there is a partcular feeling in the Kowloon complex, as if you feel the history of that place even without knowing it. Hong Kong is a special place

[@wanrudou6819]

Yeah I went there too last summer. It felt just as you described it

[@tccandler]

To get a better visual idea of how Kowloon actually worked -- try watching TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN -- a 2024 martial arts movie that recreates the inner workings of the city. It is a pretty entertaining film too.

[@lanceexes4189]

is it on Netflix?

[@tccandler]

@@lanceexes4189 No - Prime, KZbin, Apple, GooglePlay... all about $5 right now. (In the USA) Not sure about other countries. Should be available for free in a couple of months.

[@tf-ok]

Didn't think you'd watch Dami too

[@planetdisco4821]

I’d also recommend “chasing the dragon” with Donnie Yen. Set in Kowloon in the 70’s it’s The Asian “scarface” great film …

[@chuckthatout7230]

@@lanceexes4189Disney+

[@hawkeye454]

I absolutely loved the first version, now its enhanced?! Cant wait! Wish Dami would narrate an audiobook!

[@deVryz]

Yeah! I suggest 50 shades of gray.

[@mariuskraft3155]

Agree! Audiobook please!

[@Khunal1]

What is it with her voice? I don’t understand why I love it so much. Like I can’t specify why.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

​@@Khunal1it's very similar to the old Transatlantic accent that radio and TV hosts used to have

[@AllisonMoon-SheWandersFeral]

YES she needs to do #Audible!!!

[@SteveNaranjo]

The last 2 minutes of this video hits hard😢, the word "sanitizing" just hurt so much.

[@AseAPS]

Your videos changed the way I look at the world. I don't know how much higher praise I can give. Keep it up! :D

[@squatch545]

Dami, you have become the David Suzuki of architecture. Thank you for all your videos, you are a Canadian treasure.

[@MikeWood]

I second that thought. :)

[@LuxOgre]

I just broke my finger clicking on this video too fast. Also thank you for fueling my strange architecture addiction that you in fact gave me 😂

[@timbuckley321]

So awesome to know that a place like this actually existed outside of fictional genres.. It's obviously inspired So many great works from Novels to Manga to Video games etc. many of which so many of us have enjoyed

[@tosmashco]

I've been fascinated by Kowloon Walled City for nearly 2 decades. I devour every piece of media on it that I can, so thank you for this, I'm glad it is still piquing people's interests. I don't want to romanticize it, it was not a desirable place to live at the time, and definitely not by today's standards, but this organic nature of it just sends my brain down so many satisfying thought paths.

[@Gromitwashere]

I think kowloon city is one of your best videos. I was so sad to see it disappear, so I'm relieved to see it back up.

[@ratyjoona]

Phew...I was like where did the video disappear. As I liked to talk about it. Now it's back!

[@elizabethbottroff1218]

I missed the opportunity to visit. My ship stopped in Hong Kong. Because of watch and day work, my first time off of the ship was only a few hours in the day. We went back to the ship to drop off our shopping and to get ready for an evening out. My plan was to enjoy the nightlife that night, and to go to Kowloon the next day. Instead, I wasn't feeling good. My friends went out that night without me. By morning, I was really sick. I didn't leave the ship again despite four days in that port. A lot of us picked up a bug in the previous stop in Indonesia unfortunately. My time in HK was spent asleep, or watching the busy port, cities, ferries, and airplanes, from the ship's fantail. Early '90 was one of the last great years there. I'm bummed that I was too sick to explore. I still have my tourist souvenirs depicting the upcoming changeover. It was a memorable time to visit.

[@elizabethbottroff1218]

It also saddens me when I see that type of area sanitized. The urban planners get rid of the slum and the blight. But all of those businesses, and all of those residents, become homeless. Their lives are never the same. Yes, some are able to find new opportunities in their new locations and environments. But many are never able to recover from the loss of the environment that they had been flourishing.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

​​@@elizabethbottroff1218at the same time, a lot of the people in the Walled City lived in rooms that were BARELY bigger than a single person. I'm not joking - people basically slept in cages. While I know removing the buildings is an extreme measure, life inside there was terrible to begin with for a lot of people.

[@lanceexes4189]

@@THICCTHICCTHICC when people die naturally whats the process, is it all taken care of within?

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

It was a fully functioning community so I'd imagine people just had jobs dealing with that kind of thing. Can't say I have the answers - but in general the entire place operated like anywhere else, just really cramped ​@@lanceexes4189

[@FalconWindblader]

​@@elizabethbottroff1218I can assure most who lived & worked in the city WOULDN'T miss living in the city itself. They would sooner find somewhere else to spend their lives even if the conditions out there are just a fraction better & affordable. Regardless of whatever bits of good, physical or not, they had in there, there was no denying that they were living in utter squalor, every single one of them. Besides, the government did rehouse the residents at least, & whatever new accomodations they managed to find themselves in, definitely wouldn't be worse than the conditions in that city.

[@danoconnell1833]

The story of the razing of Kowloon and the relocation of its residents would make a great video.

[@waisuntsang7812]

Japanese Anime and Movies talked, mentions or featured about the Kowloon walled city a lot in the 80's and 90's, which made me really want to go and see it for myself when I was very young. yet soon that I know it was demolished even before I was born. KWC was only image from screen to me and I grow up with the question "Why do they tore down this place where everyone praises about?" Your first video about the KWC is that one that dragged me into this channel. Sorry to hear that your old video needed to be taken down, but I will love to come back and watch again every time you reupload or talk about anything new about the KWC. I like to see Dami with the glasses more.

[@feiyunslopebulletinboard7217]

Your flow is amazing, I feel such a strong nostalgia to a city I've never been to. And I'm left in a strange state, I'm defeated thinking about how my hometown has changed drastically and become sanitized comparing it to how you explained Kowloon changed. And I'm bearing the reality that my culture is losing it's character to a more artificial caricature due to governance and politics.

[@esotericmissionary]

Thank you for continuing to humanize Kowloon, since ever other video acts as if it was only a criminal haven. I would love to hear stories from the people that actually lived there.

[@anonymousperson4214]

I've always been fascinated by places like this. They always seem to be the most human we ever get. The best of us and the worst of us, and everything in between. No matter who we are and what we do, we can't help but build communities around ourselves.

[@shane2735]

So glad this video is back up! My copy of the first book of the Kowloon Manga just arrived a few days ago and I was so sad that I couldn't revisit this video before reading, but now I can! :)

[@interestedparty7523]

Kowloon walled-city has always fascinated me. It was large, imposing, but intricate, and most of all, bustling. It wasn’t beautiful to look at, and yet, I can’t stop myself from gazing.

[@CoastalCastaway]

It's not aesthetically beautiful, no. I think it's beauty, and why it so hard to look away, is the reality, the organicness of it. Here is a spot where people are part of a community, and the community is surviving and growing. Even in, objectively, less than ideal conditions. A testament to human ingenuity, perseverance, will to overcome, and need to form a community as best we can.

[@andrewwong6899]

I thought it was just me that I realised this video was taken down … it was my fav video and now it got better!

[@loganhanssen6004]

If you think of it. Kowloon Walled City was the birth of the buildings from the movie Dredd. The Karl Urban version, not the Sylvester Stallone movie. Or like the residential blocks in Cyberpunk 2077. The blocks had mixed residents and commercial areas. Kowloon Walled City had the same idea that the movie and game based their buildings on.

[@aceofspades9503]

Warhammer 40K Hive cities as well, if you are interested in a different IPs representation of the idea. Necromunda is probably the most well known of the 40K hive cities, and is a fun miniatures game in its own right.

[@loganhanssen6004]

@@aceofspades9503 I love to know about the Hive Cities in Warhammer 40K. I love Warhammer 40K.

[@ix32able]

Thanks for uploading this again. I loved the first version, this one is good too. I kinda wish I had the original to see what specifically changed. Overall I feel like this version is snappier with faster cuts and more lively music. Where the previous felt more ponderous and reflective.

[@blackfoxstudioX]

Amazing production as always! This city looks so dark, straight from cyberpunk universe but at the same time so organic. Would be cool to have some sort of modern movie based in this city.

[@GildedFashion]

someone in the comments said this one: TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN

[@Blearky]

A friend and me where talking about this video of yours the other day. Cause I remembered the thumbnail and it was one of his favorite videos. We where irritated of where it went and if it was real cause we did not find any public notice. So glad you and your team took the time to solve the dispute and reuploaded it. Truly an amazing and interesting video.

[@AerialWaviator]

An exceptional refresh of an orginal Dami video. The flow as so smooth. Rhizome City kind of sounds like it's an early settlement on a distant moon, or planet. I expect such settlements beyond Earth will evolve many features that enabled Kowloon to persist despite the odds.

[@gideonwilliams6307]

Thank you for reposting this! I thought I was going nuts trying to find this bc I knew I'd seen it before, lol. Great video, as a civil engineer, I love this stuff.

[@gamecreepers]

This is one of the best episodes. Well researched and well presented. As a Hong Konger I give it a 10/10!

[@deegee424]

As someone born with not really any innate sense of direction, (my husband claims I wouldn't be able to find my way out of a paper bag. LOL) Kowloon Walled City is fairly anxiety-inducing for me. I can imagine myself leaving my home to go to the grocery store, getting lost in some hallway or stairway or alley, and being found weeks later having died of a combination of starvation and embarrassment. LOL It's FASCINATING to me how anyone could have lived there and learned their way around, and the fact that so MANY people did just boggles my mind. What a great video!

[@pomodraw]

this channel is probably the best thing I found this year, I love the content.

[@CarsoDeck]

Nobody wanted to leave when china finally took over and had to pay people a ton of money to relocate and even had to forcibly evict a lot of people who wouldnt take the money. So many people were interviewed saying it was the best place they ever lived and they would have stayed if they could. It was one of the most amazing free communities to ever exist.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

It was, at the same time, a super crime ridden area that ignored all possible building codes. Certainly one of the most unique places to ever exist, but faaaaar from perfect. I would imagine a lot of people miss it purely because there's nothing else like it - not because it was a good place to live.

[@ortegonadam]

Oh my god!! Demi releases an enhanced version of my favorite discussion... thank you Demi!! I clicked within 40 mins 😂

[@willbrolley262]

I was just looking for this video a couple of weeks ago, only to discover that it'd vanished. Glad to see it resurrected, better than ever!

[@lawrenceahtuck]

Thank you again for another well put together video with your observations based on your background, existing structures and available media. It is always interesting to see how populations (re)act to limited spaces and adapt to them.

[@DamiLeeArch]

Thank you so much! 🙏

[@akikleist]

Not only have you convinced me that architecture is amazing, but you are the sole reason that I have bought every volume of Kowloon Generic Romance as well

[@angelagraves865]

(11:43) Alan Moore describes this very thing in his novel Jerusalem. He calls it a work of genetic mythology.

[@MisatoBestWoman]

This city is so important its influence is indescribable I for one a Canadian has been fascinated, inspired by this truly incredible city

[@ritagreenwood9397]

Love and appreciate this channel so much. The only problem I have with it, is whether to watch an episode instantly, or save them up and binge! I think the Kowloon Walled City, was as beautiful as it was scary (from and health and safety viewpoint). Reminds me of the old favela's of Rio, even if I am from London.😅

[@gamelover2222]

Dami, the only woman to capture my mind. I want to learn everything she has to teach!

[@AlexRantos]

OMG, you are just describing SaaS software architecture. In fact in software engineering we borrowed Christopher Alexander's design patterns. One of them was the "ball of mud" describing pretty much what you are saying but in software. It goes against all the good practices, but it works. Some call it an anti-pattern.

[@tantalus_complex]

❤️ Christopher Alexander + Software Architecture

[@nad2137]

this might be the best day ever, cant wait to watch this! your previous video on this is one of my favourite on this platform :))

[@ChuckLeeMBM]

Id watch a part 3-10 about this city! So glad you re uploaded and here for more any day!! Thanks for what you guys do!!!

[@pandusonu]

Kowloon is so fascinating 🙌 There are some examples of sentient buildings in fantasy (Urithiru from top of head) and IRL, the closest I can think of is Kowloon. I wish it wasn't destroyed 🤧 it feels like a being was killed, not a city was demolished

[@bigsarge2085]

Interesting, I was just replaying your original Kowloon video last night after something I read reminded me of the city!

[@SgtStarSlayer]

I lived there for a short time after I was born in Hong Kong. That place really gave me a shock when I went back around 7 years old before it was demolished.

[@TheCollinkljacky]

呢個留言只係為左要有廣東話出現係一條講香港嘅片下面。Dami is very energetic and enthusiastic about introducing the Hong Kong history to outsiders. Awesome work!!

[@IsaacKuo]

I'm mainly fascinated by Kowloon Walled City because of what it could tell us about future space habitats. The radiation shielding requirements of a space habitat greatly favors a dense compact living space with many floors - like a spherical ball on the end of a spinning dumb-bell. The population density could even exceed Kowloon, and be closer to the density of the I.S.S. (assuming six people living in 935 cubic meters).

[@fazole]

It was filthy and loaded with rats. Documentaries have been made on this place. I saw it being torn down '94.

[@wojciechagodzinski4886]

"It's like living manifestation of Hive City" someone is getting more and more into 40K here. :)

[@OkamiiRamii]

I woke up today and wanted a new video from you today. Thank you! 🎉😊

[@Omrokone]

If it was still around it definitely would have been on my list of places to go

[@GlizzyTrefoil]

There should be a city builder game with a Kowloon theme.

[@arkology_city]

City Skylines mod

[@feralfoods]

have you heard of Yanjin County, Yunnan - the city built on the river, and the narrowest city in the world (30m wide at its narrowest). It has a population just under 500,000. Totally surreal. There are videos of it on youtube you can see, but i'd love to hear your professional & personal take on the city.

[@gregorschmidt6888]

There is or was even an entire ancient village basically consisting of only one giant building. I believe it was also in Yunnan.

[@Xantokki]

I don’t care how many times you post about this I’m going to watch EVERY time because I find Kowloon to be so interesting. I wonder if we’ll ever have something come close to what happened there.

[@lost_porkchop]

It sounds like the world's first cities. Just growing organically with no rules to suit the inhabitants needs.

[@TheFilmFatale]

Enjoyed the video first time around…While I do enjoy ebooks, this would be one of the cases where I would love a PHYSICAL “coffee book” of your Kowloon research.

[@AllanHoltzmann]

Thank you for all that you and your team do.

[@wanhamzahace]

may I know what song played at 8:32 so beautiful to hear.

[@uncz2011]

Seeing Dami speak so passionately about these topics really draws in your attention into how fascinating the subject of the video is. I never knew architecture could be so interesting without having someone who enjoys what they do and portray it so well to viewers that may be outside of their industry.

[@pihermoso11]

Warhammer artists: we need inspiration Kowloon city: say no more

[@ludvigbydal7812]

Amazing how people can survive or thrive in an environment like Kowloon city was. Many big cities around the world have like "hive" areas, mostly in older districts, also with connected buildings with stairs, high walkways and roofs. But nothing so unique like Kowloon city. I would liked that it was improved and renovated instead of demolishing because despite the crime problems I believe it portrayed also the determination of honest and courageous people to live despite the odds, a city as a monument to the human spirit (doesn't matter some spots looked weird). Thanks Dami, great updated video.

[@SeanBlader]

I decided I needed to look since Dami had the specs in the first 10 seconds, to compare the 0.027 square kilometers to something I can relate to. Since I live on 5 acres, I converted. It's 6.67 acres!! We have 2 people and 1 cat living on 5 acres, and I can't even imagine squeezing 33,000 people in me and my neighbors lot of 10 acres. I guess that doesn't count the vertical space, but that's still crazy.

[@Pkamon]

Great job team! Enjoyed this look into Kowloon Walled City.

[@niklaswejedal463]

In his novels "Idoru" and "All Tomorrows Parties", (which I am re-reading at the moment) William Gibson describes a digital on-line version of this place called just "Walled City". Maybe you have read them too? If not, I highly recommend it!

[@therealbushmanpat]

I second the recommendation! I lost my William Gibson collection in a flood; the neuromancer trilogy, virtual light, difference engine, idoru and all tomorrow's parties. I need to buy them all again! Virtual Light has a similar setting similar to Kowloon but built on the golden gate bridge after an earthquake damaged it and it was closed to traffic. The homeless and the disenfranchised moved in, built their world and worked out how to make it work!

[@niklaswejedal463]

@@therealbushmanpat - Aww, that is such a shame, loosing the books like that! I have been in an almost unbroken Gibson-reading marathon since 2022, reading every novel he has written to date and the Neuromancer-trilogy, Burning Chrome and the Bridge-trilogy twice - will continue to read the Difference Engine, Blue Ant trilogy and the Jack Pot books once again after the Bridge trilogy is done. If you haven't read the later books I highly recommend them too. Blue Ant is not that sci-fi, but I love to be in the Gibson universe. The Jack Pot books are phenomenal - can't wait for the part 3! I agree that the Bridge is in many ways very much like Kowloon, albeit in a somewhat more ordered fashion, with more open spaces, it seems.

[@dketsenburg7986]

3:37 such a good analogy! I knew my college botany would pay off one day!

[@pyeitme508]

Plus one of the inspirations for cyberpunk theme stuffs, also HK citizens know this former city till local gov getting rid of it to make a park.

[@patatas243]

This is an awesome remaster of the original video. Glorious!

[@Hammer1987]

I think much of the appeal of Kowloon Walled City was that it seemed like a place where you could disappear. An oasis of freedom in a desert of oppressive tyranny. Which is probably why it eventually got torn down.

[@taotzu1339]

I was surprised it was only occupied by about 35,000 residents. That's about the size of a small sleepy town in Wisconsin. The way people talk about it, I thought there were millions living in it.

[@sevenseven9496]

I am quickly falling in LOVE with Your videos! My idea of why Kowloon is so romanticized, is very simply that in a place so crowded and close, it would seem like it would be impossible to ever feel loneliness.

[@carmen9432]

Well yes, but also moldy, damp, rusty, smelly, filthy, & rat infested. With the hanging raw power lines everywhere and spaces built of whatever scraps were available, it’s a miracle there wasn’t a mass tragedy due to building failure or fire. Videos of it from inside are fascinating yet shocking that the living conditions were so dilapidated.

[@sevenseven9496]

@@carmen9432 Yes, absolutely! The thought of whole families living there horrifies me---But none of those things, nor the looming threat of danger, exist in the romanticized memory of a place where people did live the lives that They had to live, and where They survived and laughed and loved, despite horrifying conditions, and the willful ignorance of the rest of the World.

[@alexsch2514]

Love Kowloon content! Inspires you to think about how society might be.

[@lain1755]

After her first video I bought the entire Kowloon generic romantic manga series

[@alexsch2514]

​@@lain1755 nice, lol. I am here more for the silent agreements between citicens and their implications on Marxist theory but that's just me.

[@williamwong1982]

I'm actually in the process of writing a miniseries about the Walled City of Kowloon that traces its origin as a Manchu military camp to its development into a high rise slum in colonial Hong Kong over the course of the 20th century. It would be a mix of Deadwood and The Wire exploring the politics and dealings that goes on in there from all levels of society from both Chinese and British perspectives. Your video has given so much inspiration to approach this.

[@Solving_Engineer]

Damilee you should make longer videos 40-50 minutes like documentry

[@nismobug4076]

I imagine living in a defunct space station-turned-city would be alot like living here

[@CandyKan]

My whole family love watching your videos, finally this one is about Hong Kong! This is truly awesome. My schoolbus used to pass by the Kowloon Walled City everyday to pick up students. This together with the nearby Kai Tak airport were good old memories of HKers.

[@kliajesal4592]

Kowloon is a real-world example of anarchy in its most pure form. This is also the real reason why the CCP had it demolished. You can't be an authoritarian dictatorship with everything you stand against thriving in your own back yard. Can't let the people get ideas, can we?

[@falconeshield]

Boooo to the **P they're so boooooring

[@jeremygregorio7472]

I'm not sure I would call that city thriving. Everyone likes to romanticize it and nobody likes to think about the sewage problems or the women forced into sex slavery or all the people being killed by the gangs. There's a reason why people tend to prefer order over chaos. When you're a teenager, even if it means you're a teenager in your 40s, anarchy seems like a lot of fun when you're living in a structured and ordered society and have clean water coming out your taps, reliable electricity and access to food and medicine Remember that for a lot of people if not most of the people in that city the daily struggle would have been pretty awful.

[@stevennguyen7421]

@@jeremygregorio7472 yeah. the romanization of this kind of life is awful. Our longing and the Kowloon community is what systematic oppression spits out: humans wanting to live life

[@martinjrgensen8234]

This is one of the most fascinating places I have ever heard off. It just captures the imagination. And once again you have produced a brilliant video. Absolutely adore your channel. I am always checking to see if there is new content ❤

[@ArsonTheShroom]

it's crazy to me that this place is real

[@monarchy_underground]

You’re wonderful! Another amazing multi-layered piece of art.

[@devilmay]

FYI "Your Warehouse" in Japan you referenced closed in 2019 sadly.

[@arielyambao7857]

Kowloon is microcosm of human lives to survive the reality of inside and outside forces..and this is Architecture in real essence..kudos to all behind this magnificent video..once there was and always, there is Kowloon...

[@spellviz8409]

I wonder if there could be a series exploring how the architecture of typical fantasy races (like elves and dwarves) would look when viewed through a (semi-)realistic architectural lens. Maybe with references to real-life comparisons.

[@jamesdazell]

So so fascinating. The sound in this video was incredible. Every choice was perfect. I'll be rewatching this

[@yashvashistha7804]

She stresses so much while speaking that it is taking a toll on her vocal chords

[@ielwa]

Wish this city was just preserved forever.. for people to come see as a huge museum

[@spencerbookman2523]

One of the many examples of what will happen if "can" replaces "should" in our vocabulary.

[@ThrMoDynmcs]

Two lessons I learned from Spielberg movies. 1. Dr. Ian Malcolm was right 2. Aliens can can be manipulated with reeses pieces

[@AinaLove73]

ever since I had discovered this place about a decade ago, it has fascinated me; thanks for all the hard work!

[@ericswain4177]

Was The Densest City In The World. Its Dead and gone. !

[@chief664]

There's a weird form of camaraderie that happens when you live in a crappy place together. Me and my extended family used to live in these two crappy apartment buildings. My mom used to call it the hole in the wall. We all couldn't wait to leave but when we did years later whenever we got back together we would all say "I miss that place" to this day we consider the other neighbors that lived with us there as family.

[@rosskappa5410]

amazing storytelling. Enjoyed it from start to finish. Video length is just fine. Ty.

[@haydarakyol116]

Great vid Dami! Currently for my design studio, I'm reimagining KWC as a solarpunk realm and you already give me all of the motivation and initial information! Keep inspiring us gurl with your beautiful storytelling!

[@Godeias]

5:15 this is what I was envisioning when they were talking about the vertical density of the city in Cyberpunk 2077. I wish someone would actually make a game with this type of city structure.

[@rangolizard2006]

I am utterly fascinated by Kowloon called city and have been for years, I feel like its just a matter of time before another one pops up, Thankyou for sharing, really fascinating!!

[@amaomustafa1092]

As a recent civil engineering graduate developing interest in architecture, I don't even know where to begin. There's a whole lot to take from your video and I totally love how much research work you have put into creating it. Thanks Dami!

[@williamcanizalez3429]

I wasn’t surprised about the dog part 😂