The Densest City on Earth

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A closer look at Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, the most densely populated place that ever existed.
Images via Getty, AP Newsroom
Map source by MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors via Geolayers 3
Additional music by:
/ @frgtn

[@SuperWolfman9]

Kowloon is forever the model for incredibly dense dystopian science fiction cities. Night Runner, Dredd, Cyberpunk - all of them you can see the inspiration from the insanity that was Kowloon.

[@TheMassiveMelons]

Seriously.. straight 40k hive City neighborhood

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The truth shines no matter how much they try to cover it 👉 The Connections (2021) [Short documentary] 👈💖

[@D_R757]

Did I ask?

[@Madmaxxxx1984]

I was just gonna say dredd too

[@atespeach5672]

Deus Ex has a dense megacity in Human Revolution, also in China

[@hyskaris-2391]

Fun fact: after the Walled City was evacuated, the district served for one last film in 1993 Crime Story starring Jackie Chan. during an important action scene of the film they made many explosions in this district which marked the beginning of its destruction.

[@classicaf]

Jackie Chan is everywhere

[@thefool7256]

@@classicafHe’s just in Hong Kong.

[@beingjohn392]

Covid would have leveled the place anyway.

[@hero9402]

What's movie name?

[@S1lverarrow]

@@hero9402 1993 Crime Story

[@EchoBravo370]

I flew into HK in the late 1980's and I was STUNNED how close the plane came to buildings adjacent to the flight path. I remember our plane was STILL in the air, close to landing, yet I could see the TV sets in the different apartments ih the buildings adjacent to the runway flight path. I could even sort of see what the residents were watching on their TV's as we came into land. THAT"S how tightly packed the whole area was.

[@bennychun1021]

Very fascinating memory

[@kongthai..]

Quite a treat. Between 1989 to 1995, I flew into HK from SG almost on a monthly basis. Cool experience. Never walk inside the walled city but drove around the perimeter in a taxi. 😂

[@akfroggie2177]

That was Kai Tak. I experienced the most frightening landing ever there in 1984. After the first bounce on the runway, I was looking out the window, straight at the ground. How the pilot got it righted, I have no idea, but everyone was screaming. When we pulled up to the terminal, the pilot got an ovation.

[@starrimoss7377]

@@akfroggie2177holy shit 😭 that’s crazy

[@charliewinterss]

Yes! The old flight path made all the planes descend down to the same level as the buildings, and so if you were on the plane, you could literally see into the buildings, clear as day. My dad was actually head of the team that cleared the hills where the new airport is, where they used explosives to separate the hills, then pushed the dirt into the sea to form the runways

[@matthewcdupre]

It would be awesome to have the residents tell their side of the story and how it was living there

[@amirahelechi7113]

111

[@mightymak1416]

I recently went to the park, and there are screens playing some interviews with the residents about their life in the city, it was awesome. Make sure to check it out if you ever visit Hong Kong

[@nxthanj]

my mum used to do work there but hasnt told me in depth what it truly was like

[@Allplussomeminus]

The reason this video is so short is because he doesn't endlessly tease point after point. He simply says what, why, when, where and keeps it moving. And I appreciate that. Subbed.

[@IceDunker-2000]

Fr I like this style of yt documentaries better

[@AdelineCowgirl]

18 minutes isn't short. He could have easily said everything important in 5-10 minutes

[@bbrrraaapp]

​@@AdelineCowgirl Sure perhaps, but would have been less entertaining, without a mood set and time to ponder and just rambling off the main topics without little points will not be as thought provoking and immersive as this was. Even though it's edutainment - it's definitely not a math class. If you don't fancy the entertainment, there's AI bot's that can extract and summarise the content which then again can feed into another bot or just Bing in the sidebar and ask it to spit out a five point bullet list for you.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

@@D_R757 One day somebody wondered if Internet comments were prompted or unprompted. As it turned out, they were unprompted. This came as a confusing reality for the subject of our story, who had really thought comments ought to be prompted.

[@Zachruff]

honestly, its a miracle that the whole thing didnt go up in flames at some point, you'd think a massive fire would have started from something be it a lantern or the heavy industry that happened in there.

[@blueblazerable]

I think this is the result of close-tightly knit community established by the residents as mentioned in the video. It only clearly testifies that the community looked chaotic, but it wasn't

[@bongwelll]

That's what I was thinking although there was always a ton of leaking water everywhere.

[@riograndedosulball248]

Well, at any time you would have to use an umbrella at floor level due to all the leaking pipes and air conditioning. Probably the high humidity contributed. I imagine MASSIVE troubles with mold tho

[@jimjamauto]

@@blueblazerableThe whole damn city was on fire watch if anyone started welding lol

[@ernest48914]

Also the electric wire work. There's a reason why we have all this code and electricians need certification.

[@JasonParmenter]

There was a belief among futurists that Kowloon would be the model of future cities, densly packed to the point that it almost becomes ungovernable outside of wealthy areas. This is because it was believed that when countries became more prosperous the birth rate would go up. This is why it served as an inspiration for cyberpunk futuristic settings. We now know that the opposite happened.

[@PaolaRodriguez-rd2qi]

Interesting how the opposite happened, low births in developed countries are as low as ever

[@bluegrays9872]

Then the low birth rates are probably a good thing. We don't want the world to become a "kawloon walled city"

[@milo5315]

​@@bluegrays9872Low birth rates are bad, at least in the short term and in countries with long life expectancies because you'll eventually have a population mostly composed of elderly folks who are too old to work, and practically no youth to support them or the large industries left behind. It's an issue many European countries are facing right now.

[@milo5315]

A lot of countries have also started paying people to have children.

[@nerd888]

​@@PaolaRodriguez-rd2qiI think it's mainly due to the entire family having to work and not being able to have the time to have and take care of children

[@Aka60thChip]

As someone born in the 90s, I sometimes forget how much has changed in just my short lifespan. To me, the time frame of when it was torn down still feels like it’s only been about a decade ago. Can’t believe there’s a park with so many fully grown trees already

[@ComboBreakerHD]

I learned about Kowloon walled city from my math teacher in grade 7. We took the population of Kowloon, measured it against its area, came up with a density, and calculated that the entire global population which at the time was 6bn - if crammed into a density of Kowloon, would roughly take up the area of Rhode Island.

[@nicholaskoenig3106]

No way?! Thats insane!

[@cinnamonstar808]

@@nicholaskoenig3106 NO ITS TRUE: People did that with Texas. Texas can host the entire planet population if it had NYC skyscrapers. ✫ ✮ ✯ ★ but they tell you the planet is overcrowded ✫ ✭ ✮ ★ there are so many examples of you can have 6 continents free of humans and still have tons of space left on the HOST continent. Pick any continent: you can have 20% of the land host the entire world population; and 80% wild land and farming. [🦫🇨🇦🍁] *cough

[@justanotherguy1122]

Just goes to show how bad us humans are at managing our living space.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@bustavonnutz]

@@cinnamonstar808 We're not even close to the carrying capacity of the planet, yet birthrates globally are dropping due to contraception & female education. Anyone fearmongering overpopulation needs to touch grass.

[@mr.badluck354]

I am a Hongkonger and I have to say, this is the best documentary about the Kowloon Walled City so far. Even better than local TV channel's in some parts. One of my boss lived there when he was a child. What he told me was quite different than popular belief. Maybe he was lucky, or the City was still in early days. Contrary to impression, he said the neighborhood was peaceful and like to take care of each other.

[@glenngriffon8032]

Typically people try to help one another and care for each other more than selfishly looking after their own interests. I'm currently living in a place called Slab City which has a fairly similar anarchic attitude as the walled city and while the town has it's share of drug addicts and drinkers and dangerous types there is also a lot of people that just try to help others. You just have to be kind, mind your manners, listen to people. When someone says that they don't want to be bothered, you don't bother them. But yeah, i think it's just one of those built in human things where we just have to help someone, especially if they're a neighbor.

[@prophecyrat2965]

@@glenngriffon8032 Its easier to be non-violent when it comes to survival.

[@Outwardpd]

Everyone likes to romanticize the places they came from, conveniently forget the bad and cherry pick the good.

[@glenngriffon8032]

@@prophecyrat2965 well naturally. I mean, you help me out and I return the favor, and then help you out and you return the favor, and we both try to make sure the scales stay balanced because it's in our mutual best interests to look after each other and help.

[@uhoh7541]

I am an american that only knows about this place from youtube (our public education is as bad the reputation portrays). Anyway, the other videos I've seen about this place suggested that there were internal (triads) and external (?) forces that made sure this place was safe in order to protect whatever interests they had in regards to what took place inside.

[@norrishy]

The way Neo explains and the speed he uses fits me really well. As someone whose first language is not English, I find it both educational and recreational watching these videos! Excellent graphics and modelling!

[@giantrees]

I find Kowloon Walled City so fascinating and it was really nice to find this video because it brought up what I've always really been interested in about it; community. It's so easy to treat this city as something chaotic and lawless, but there was community and families there and despite it being outside certain jurisdictions, it did as well as any other city because of the people who lived there.

[@gappergob6169]

Yeah. The risk of getting murder probably lower than walking around alone in my city at night.

[@nawwafhusein6702]

Imagine a retro noir story-driven game set in a semi fictional, open world Kowloon walled city which you can enter almost every buildings and rooms. You play as one of a very few private investigators in Kowloon and you have to navigate the city overcramped spaces filled with mysteries and suspense, leading up to some multiple endings depending on your gameplay. So much potential.

[@nawwafhusein6702]

Oh and the map should look like this video's 3d version of the city 😂

[@jeffgayzose8129]

That sounds amazing but also incredibly hard to make.

[@nathansquared2685]

Sounds like the Hengsha part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[@iwantnod]

I think megabuildings of Cyberpunk 2077 supposed to be like that, but close to release date the developers just gave up.

[@Legendary-zh9hd]

Short? it's a 17-minute video on a 45 second Wikipedia read. I got bored two minutes in and googled it best decision I made today.

[@animeenjoyer9287]

I grew up in Hong Kong and this video explained the Kowloon Wall City better than most of the local documentaries

[@JohnDoe-sw1rs]

Ok small eyes

[@MrChris00078]

​@@JohnDoe-sw1rsOk random online troll

[@SectorfiveYT]

Have you been to the city?

[@Gumbocinno]

Neo makes some seriously quality videos. He's definitely one of the best.

[@kurade1096]

should've tried growing down instead of growing up man

[@justAcarat17]

This Video is so well made, the attention to detail in both visualization and story telling. It’s crazy how such a complex system as Kowloon worked so well for so many years, without going up in flames or collapsing. I’ve only briefly hear of this city before from one of my relatives who used to live near it before it was demolished, but it always fascinated me. I loved this documentary, so huge thanks!

[@xuulhape8349]

Great video!!! I got a chance to go into the Wall city right before it was demolished. Two pastors from Canada visited Hong Kong, and a friend of mine asked me to show them around for a couple days. They wanted to see the Wall City because of Jackie Pullinger. But by that time, the Wall City was already empty, and fenced all around with large pieces of plywood. We walked around outside until we found a piece of the plywood somehow not installed or removed by others. So we went in and walked around. I was shocked by what I saw, truly like a maze, can't see the sky because all spaces were fully utilized for various kinds of structures and cages, electrical wires hanging everywhere,

[@PorkShark]

Great documentary. My father grew up in HK, but worked in Kowloon Walled City, delivering propane tanks and 50-lb rice bags up 10+ flights of stairs to its residents, for 20+ years

[@heyjeySigma]

my god....ur dad worked like a madman. Props to him.. id never be able to do that so long

[@roevhaal578]

You might want to specify Kowloon Walled City if that's what you meant as Kowloon refeers to the area north of Hong Kong Island and is home to some 25-30% of Hong Kong's population.

[@SenorGuina]

Your father sold propane and propane accessories then.

[@Tao_Tology]

​@@SenorGuina-sold- delivered

[@tomzimmerman8]

His calves and thighs must have been quite a sight.

[@easterneconomics]

It's such a shame that not more photos exist of this place. Kowloon is so incredibly fascinating

[@pixel_ratto]

There is a book called 'Kawloon: City of Darkness'. I am pretty sure it has a lot of pictures of the city.

[@andrea1995ri]

Just bought this book in HK but I haven't opened it yet, it looks promising though!@@pixel_ratto

[@chiuwong4057]

Just to be clear, the demolished area in the video is called "Kowloon Walled City", whereas Kowloon is the whole stretch of area north of the Victoria Harbour and south of the Lion Rock mountain range. "Kowloon Walled City" CANNOT be abbreviated to Kwoloon.

[@carsona5535]

@@chiuwong4057 A MINUTE DETAIL...

[@SonOfTamriel]

tonnes of pics on the internet lol, what's wrong with you boomers

[@samuelnicholls3068]

The editing and structure of this video is amazing. Def one of my fav vids

[@jordanxfile]

Thank you for creating this; I've been fascinated with this place since I read about it previously.

[@eesktv]

its really hard to even fathom the fact that this city existed in real life and not in a dystopian science fiction movie

[@eFrog27]

A lot of the movies depicting this type of city were inspired by or literally filmed this place

[@auto_revolt]

@@hammerhand5059 How is New York anything like dystopian?

[@TonyMarinou82]

​@@auto_revoltwhat a time to be alive, living in a dystopia yet most people can't even see it.

[@lethalhotbox3778]

​@@auto_revoltwake up 🐑

[@SomeOne-vf1rs]

@@lethalhotbox3778Calling somebody a sheep is pretty sheepish behavior.

[@Toliman.]

I visited here with my dad back in the mid 90s, he took his car to get serviced in a small engine repair shop facing the airport/runway side. They even had remote control helicoptors in the shop, it was just fascinating to see the streets about 2 to 3-people wide, 10 story high deep lanes that couldn't fit a bicycle, and the Noise of landing/approaching planes would scream and rattle, echo through the streets for minutes after the plane had landed, because it faced the runway. The strange part was that you were so 'deep' nestled in, the lanes made the sound much louder than it was outside of the block. I think we had to walk 5 or 6 blocks to get a taxi, as they didn't want to stop nearby. It was a kind of urban wasteland, nothing at all like what you'd find near the MTR train stations or 'nice' but dubious locations, the Dentist/Butchers were probably the nicer businesses you could have chosen, honestly. If we had walked around the block, it probably would have been a lot more jovial, but I never got a sense of it being 'criminal', just ... layered. Too many people were there, walking past and going places outside/inside at the same time. The piles of woven red/blue striped bags, the large plastic and metal drums near lampposts, waiting to be 'picked up', et al. The Smell and ambient heat, was incredible. There also seemed to be a lot of one-chair restaurants, but that's not always a sign of a real business, Sham Shui Po also had a lot of these 'friendly' shops with people silently standing around and checking everyone out while smoking. HK harbour at the time had a ... oil/sewage/curdled milk/diesel 'perfume' to everything, alternating with Milk/Urine/Diesel... but Kowloon was just 400% stronger than the harbour's "cooked" Effluent smell. I was told by my dad's friends the smell was because they'd boil off used cooking oil for the restaurants, and recycle it back into the restaurants by bleaching and mixing it back. The smell was indescribable, honestly. If you told me it was sewage, It could have been, but it had a very 'factory' chemical sense, mixed with food/cooking. And, they'd also use fire ash with harbour water diesel/oil runoff. Various dock-boats would boil off sewage and diesel runoff into this 'gutter oil' or 'spit oil', sic. Various 'businesses' existed between the two places. Essentially because it was the 'open side' of the laneway, they would blow the residual air towards the airport side where people wouldn't be standing around ... due to the heat/noise. This was back in the 90s when you could still land in Kai Tak and see people watching TV in their apartments as the plane is descending, folding laundry, eating dinner, etc. It wasn't until I was standing on the street just outside that I got the full vertigo/sensation of how loud a 747 is when you are within 50-100m, and can eventually see it rocket past and taxiing. I never went into the City per se, just standing outside you understood how fractured an existence/reality it was. You would probably get stuck easily if you were a bit overweight, the lane seemed to be both vertically and horizontally crooked at places as well, where a footpath corner was higher than the building entrance, or vice versa. blocks weren't aligned either, so a 'newer' section would be narrower than the ones around it, etc. Especially how much that density stood out from driving past or flying past. It was sort of "Peak Hong Kong" more than walking on 'tourist' Victoria Road or taking the ferry, rather than taking the MTR train over. It definitely wasn't on the tourist list of things to do, because even locals would avoid the area. FWIU, once they tore it down, a lot of the locals moved out into the NT areas, basically 'villages' set up along the mountains, because they didn't want to return to china, or couldn't return via the KCR train/border.

[@char6081]

Wow😊

[@bustavonnutz]

Sounds like a genuine cesspit, probably for the best it was torn down.

[@ScottGray-cq6st]

​@@bustavonnutzno its good

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@rayasingleton2671]

Thanks for taking the time to tell all that! It really helps to form the picture of what it was like there. All the smells and sounds, and how it was in the narrow paths, what a strange world.

[@TenshiLove5]

Visiting kowloon in shenmue 2 introduced me to the concept. It was portrayed well as a place of darkness and of light. Many of the people in the tightly packed internal streets of the game were happily living their lives in peace while the main character sought out the dark underbelly of the city. Its always been in the back of my mind knowing that its based on a real place that used to exist. When i played the game as a kid i thought it was a totally seperate plsce, but knowing it was within hong kong (where the bulk of the game takes place) makes alot of sense

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

hey man this was a great video and so much information about this place you found. Way to go. Stay blessed

[@filipmazic5486]

Despite all the craziness of Kowloon Walled City, it's really a miracle it ever existed. They just built random stuff on top of and beside and within each other and nothing ever collapsed, set on fire, blew up, or who knows what. Like mail could be delivered to addresses inside. It's impressive such a thing ever existed.

[@codyn8086]

​@dulles.gehlen OK buddy sure 🤡

[@11equalsfish]

@@dulles.gehlen ?

[@goldstein10493]

Proof that you don't need big govt and taxes just to survive and organize ourselves.

[@g76agi]

@@goldstein10493 Yeah... if you wanna live like THAT, but im sure most people dont :)

[@goldstein10493]

@@g76agi Most people want their lives to improve in ways that can only be achieved with govt shutdown.

[@HeliumQueen]

I know from everything I've read and heard that life inside the Kowloon Walled City was rough, unsanitary, uncomfortable, and unhealthy, but I can't help feel a forbidden desire to travel back in time and experience what it was like. It's such a unique and intriguing community, the architecture in particular but also just the history of it, seems so cool and alluring.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@bazhumke4040]

@drangscrongo get a mf life good lord you really have nothing better to do than comment this bullshit everywhere you can?

[@deadhandof9108]

​@@D_R757didn't ask spam? Lemme do it for you.......

[@deadhandof9108]

​@@D_R757didn't ask

[@deadhandof9108]

​@@D_R757didn't ask

[@natalies8498]

One thing that has struck me on each of my trips to HK to visit family - no matter the timing or the varying years between - have been how things... are ALWAYS changing. Each time I go back, it's feels like I'm visiting a place that is both familiar as home but also as strange and different as an evolving puzzle may be.

[@RyokoLam]

You've actually gave me insight why my parents were able to get from Hong Kong to UK, with this story about Hong Kong itself and relation to this video about Kowloon Walled city! Insightful and appreciated without me actually looking into it myself, but accidentally haha

[@glazedstarlight9734]

As a Hongkonger, I have to say I am astounded by the documentary. I am rather young, so I havent seen the Walled City in its packed form, but I have been to the "ruins" of Kowloon walled city many times. I honestly never knew it was such a packed place with a history like that. Another thing I might want to add is that in Hong Kong, nowadays Kowloon Peninsula is split up in two districts, Yau Tsim Mong District and Kowloon City distict. Even if the walled city wasnt given to UK in the second war, currently, with the current boundaries of ddistricts, the Kowloon Walled City is considered to be in Kowloon City district, which is in Kowloon. So no Kowloon Walled CIty is not in the New Territories. Anyway loved your documentary, thanks!

[@quincypurcell5222]

Ah good to know

[@Hue_Sam]

District system didn’t exist back when the drafts were made.

[@Transbioniclly]

As a 90’s kid living nearby, it’s really a shame to miss the chance even looking the city from the outside. Though it is in New Territories, at least at the time when the Convention of Peking was signed. Take Boundary Street and you’d find the Walled City is at its north, only a few miles away.

[@DRGUS7]

Your english is really good!

[@frostyhamster3116]

Now the entire HK is just a giant Kwoloon lol no wonder you are always so pressed.

[@prof.badfellow9868]

Always been fascinated by Kowloon Walled City. Dystopian sci-fi material that actually existed. Great vid, thanks

[@debabratasaha4539]

Yes, the game Stray took inspiration from this. That's how I discovered it actually.

[@prof.badfellow9868]

I can imagine how it has served as inspiration. Watching the movie Elysium there’s similarities between KWC and future Los Angeles

[@patrickchang9135]

Dredd was how I discovered the Kowloon Walled City. Fascinating setting, fascinating place

[@prof.badfellow9868]

Dredd is another great example. Huge yet claustrophobic city blocks, everything worn down and an underlying squalor filled with people just trying to make it day to day

[@heyjeySigma]

@@patrickchang9135 Dredd as in judge Dredd? that very old movie? i should probably watch it..

[@k1n5h0]

I love the 3D model you created of this city! Great video, lovely editing.

[@zixty_]

Excellent video!! I love learning about this place and I really didn’t know how established it was. Especially how mail and letters worked… that really changed my perspective a lot! Thank you again!

[@debbiechan8657]

Hongkonger here. This is honestly the best documentary about the Kowloon Walled City I've ever seen. This is the first time I truly understand the scale of the city as well as how it came to be in the first place. I live not far from the location of the city, and have only been to the remaining park once when I was little. I was born in 2000, not long after the demolition of the city and the closing of the nearby Kai Tak Airport. I've heard from my parents the horrifying yet astonishing scenes from the past. I've always felt a disconnection, and this is the first time I truly marvel it and see how they've influenced pop culture. Again, thank you so much for making this!

[@ThePopopotatoes]

You should visit the park again if you can to see the scale compared to the visuals in the video. Well, that's what I'd do if I wasn't on the other side of the world lmao

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@joeylantis22]

@@D_R757Ladies and gentlemen, mental illness. Sad to see.

[@D_R757]

@@joeylantis22 didn't ask

[@okamijubei]

Do you think that somewhere in the future Kowloon might evolve from a compact City into a single building complex? A prototype of a mega building structure.

[@fireaza]

The Kowloon Walled City is one of the most interesting cities to ever exist. No other city was built or grew like it did, with it being more like a single living organism than the separate, independent buildings we usually think of when we think "city". There's also the fact that it all came together without any planning of regulation, you think this would result in clashing buildings and chaos, but it all came together neatly in the end.

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

came together neatly - I take it you never went there, "neatly" is not applicable really

[@TheZachary86]

Also not in the same way slums developed in South America.

[@TheStarBlack]

Yeah it's a perfect example of what happens with no regulation - buildings with no natural light, running water, outside space or waste removal. Pollution, overcrowding and crime. What an amazing success 😂

[@patavinity1262]

Actually the very first known city (Çatalhöyük) was somewhat similar, with all the buildings compressed together in a kind of mass, no streets or open spaces.

[@seigeengine]

​@@TheStarBlack You say, but a product of those higher standards is that instead of bad accommodations, you exacerbate the homelessness problem.

[@donnavorce8856]

Incredible what humans can be programmed to endure. I kept thinking that one loose electric wire, a lightening strike, or one tipped over oil lamp and the entire 6 acres would burn. Thanks for posting this expose on Kowloon. It was eye opening and shocking.

[@LugiaMCG]

this is by far the best depiction of the walled city I've ever came across, u earned a sub for me.

[@najmiebinmaliki]

I've been super fascinated with Kowloon Walled City for years, ever since I read it is the densest population on Earth in history, but very little literature in English. Your animation blew me away, and together with the backstory, the culture of this lawless patch of land, I cannot put in words how incredible this video is.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@-_-brutus-_-]

@@D_R757keep yourself safe

[@D_R757]

@@-_-brutus-_- didn't ask

[@Crazyslavicman]

@@D_R757 enjoy the next 24 h

[@D_R757]

@@Crazyslavicman didn't ask

[@kevriveroc]

I used to have a profound fascination for this place, and for a while I kept reading lots about it and looking for photos everywhere. I wish I had the chance to visit before it was demolished. Thank you for bringing such an interesting topic to your channel.

[@ravenoferin500]

Same like a pilgrimage to cyberpunk and anarchism.

[@Cssfiend]

Just book a stay in chunking mansions, its kowloon lite

[@dilanrajapaksha]

The more I learn about the place the more I started thinking it would be the perfect setting for a Yakuza style game where you can explore the city. Apparently the game Stray had a futuristic setting inspired by the city, but I'd prefer a game where you control a human character instead of a cat.

[@legopussy2363]

@@dilanrajapaksha Batman Arkham City has a similair vibe

[@levetbyck]

is it gone? 12:31 (ah)

[@kragn0n485]

This video was so good it made me immediately go on twitter and block xqc

[@skiisa]

Incredibly well edited and thought out video. This channel has serious potential1

[@the_reconnaisant]

Back in the day (I’m a HongKonger) Kowloon city was kind of an unspoken failure in our city. We never talked about it but everyone knew what it was about and what it was like. We didn’t teach it at school and not even the parents would want to talk about it. I’m glad people of the west get to know this story as I truly think it was a feat humans would never be able to achieve ever again 😂. I remember asking our teacher what was in the city and he told us it was a crammed isolated waste with very poor governing, it was literally like a place without rules. The teacher told us about how people from the mafia would set their base there just because there wasn’t anyone controlling the city. I was fascinated by those stories but sadly not much concrete information is known of the city. Edit: I see many people in the comments saying the city is cool but you’d be wrong, though there was some kind of “order” the entire city was just a mess

[@isaiahcampbell1782]

The first rule to Kowloon city is you do not talk about Kowloon city

[@JSiuDev]

It's brief history was taught in EPA(?) classes when I was in school. Maybe that part was removed later?

[@StefanVeenstra]

Well, most of the concrete was removed after all. 😅

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

but did u ever visit Kowloon?

[@the_reconnaisant]

@@feelinghealingfrequences7179 ofc no, no one I know has ever been in it. And for good reason, it’s super dangerous and not fun to go in

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

A lot of video games in the '90s were inspired by Kowloon Walled City. It really makes me wonder if any other such place will come into being in the distant future.

[@heyjeySigma]

Can you care to name a few of those games? im curious

[@Jon-ei4st]

​@@heyjeySigma The latest Shadowrun (Hong Kong) but this is not a 90s game.

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

@@heyjeySigma Let's see, on the more overt side, there was Kowloon's Gate and more subtly, I think there were a few parts of Midgar in FF7 that blenderized it with aspects of NYC and Kabukicho. Also, up until 2019, there was a famous arcade called Cyber Kowloon Walled City that was part of the now closed Warehouse Kawasaki that was styled after it.

[@btownballer27]

They're trying to redo it in Dubai lol.

[@pegcity4eva]

Shenmue 2 has a big part in it

[@Grandlinemedia23]

Informative as always Neo.

[@davidk5084]

The best KZbin video I’ve seen on the Kowloon Walled City: Great work!

[@tinyteemo]

hearing stories from my father about living here. He said a lot of the news you hear about the walled city is true, but at the same time he spoke about the immense sense of safety and community he felt while growing up there. Something he said he never felt while living in the states. or at least he said he felt a different version of safety and community. He spoke about how the media views the traids negatively, but while living there they felt like big brothers taking care and protecting their own people

[@derek400004]

uh maybe your father was part of the triads? they stab and kill and literally traffick people, especially those from other gangs.

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

I grew up in Hong Kong, 62 - 74, little brit boy, parents working for one of the old trading cos. I used to go there to buy stuff regularly, and I never felt in danger. Most people, Chinese and Brits told me not to, but I had a little school boy Cantonese and had no memory of anywhere othen than HK, arrived when I was 4, I never felt unsafe,Cantonese people are friendly and kind to children - they do swear a lot, but I rather like that. The only scary thing was how low the planes were, they looked like they were about to tear the tops off the building and SOO loud

[@ahobimo732]

I imagine that the British and Chinese governments just didn't Iike the fact that it was a place where they couldn't monitor / control / exploit people. That's why it was torn down.

[@firewoodloki]

@@Cheeseatingjunglista We do swear a lot. The first few words we would teach any foreigners are probably swear words.

[@tardactual8791]

​@@firewoodlokias an American that touches my fucking heart dude

[@ErnestJay88]

I knew someone who live in Kowloon walled city during his childhood, rather than "lawlessness, chaotic, or hellish condition" he told me that he fondly remember most people in that walled city are kind and helpful, of course everyone knew (including him as a kid) a kindergarten or primary school in the morning become brothel at night and Triads rule the place.

[@pegcity4eva]

He was also a kid. Easy to miss stuff as a child.

[@JmMateo933]

​@@pegcity4evaYeah

[@bobograndman]

Ask any HK old person who lived there as an adults and they’re not gonna say the same. Many blame the British and say it was a stain on HK’s rather organised history

[@user-yl2so8db5t]

This is a common narrative of people living in unstable places. A strong sense of community rises to help people whether the instability, which doesn’t exist in more affluent areas and can be difficult for people in the first world to understand

[@grisflyt]

That is true. It was poor people, immigrants who lived there. Criminal gangs used it because it was a "no-man's land," but they don't represent the people living there. It may be cramped and dirty and what have you, but it was what those people could afford. Most people in Hong Kong to this day live in tiny, subsidized apartments.

[@AWildOnesie]

This is pretty much the only video that has ever made me want to visit a park/monument! Very well made video; I don't usually like history videos, but this was fascinating enough for me to watch to the end!

[@sran438]

There's something so eerie about this. Especially the pictures. So tight and suffocating, it just gives me strange vibes.

[@patkennedy7095]

I was a 16 year old deck boy on my first voyage in a Liverpool based cargo ship in 1959. We were berthed in HK for a few days and one evening I went ashore in Kowloon for a stroll. I ended up walking around in this walled city, completely lost. After a while I tried asking people for directions with no luck no luck. Eventually I found a way out at 4AM by flagging down a rickshaw, and getting back to the ship. It was a very scary experience but I was never threatened physically but got plenty of dirty looks.

[@Red-Wolf-Ben]

Wow, that does sound scary. But it's not hard to see how someone could easily get lost in that place.

[@brodieofficial]

Incredible you got to go there and see it

[@kelllefae3026]

I'm looking at kowloon walled city to see if liverpools secretly deported Chinese seamen ended up there .....we still don't know where they went .....were you bluefunnel?

[@Overqualification]

This has almost nothing to do what you said but I find it fascinating how differently you expressed and told this story as opposed to how someone younger would tell it. Just the entirety of your sentence format alongside the vocabulary chosen is something that can’t be easily replicated. It’s an informal formality in a sense.

[@johnlacey3857]

@@OverqualificationYes, he uses proper English words and sentence structure. So refreshing.

[@TimeBucks]

Amazing style and editing!

[@shuklaji05]

👍

[@carlosrangel3559]

cool

[@RahulKumar-oh8xt]

Nice video

[@prakashjoshi4753]

Fabulous and super

[@mangalimounika4506]

👍👍👍

[@buzzaboo]

wow this was so well done, props to you for the great video

[@kittara8]

This was an absolutelly amazing document!! The way you scanned the model and showed it was very cool!

[@ConFamGaming]

dude i went down a kowloon rabbit hole about a year ago and i think ive seen literally every video on youtube about it. It saddens me that i will never be able to see it myself or get modern high quality footage of it because damn does everything ive seen just look so incredibly fascinating.

[@AmericTRacing]

Search for Greg Girard’a photos of it, he documented it alot Back when it still existed. Amazing work fr

[@ianloeb1672]

Get the book city of darkness life in Kowloon walled city you won’t regret it

[@ConFamGaming]

@@ianloeb1672 I'm ordering this right now thanks!

[@imthehomelander99]

i would give literally ANYTHING to be able to travel back in time and have just 24 hours to explore this city before it got torn down

[@commedesjov]

@@imthehomelander99it was torn dorn for a reason the city was a piece of shit

[@ItsNotJustRice]

I remember being a teen in Highschool, we had a foreign exchange student who claimed his grandparents lived there for a long time. He said he was inside only once with his parents, and that the whole place was an insane pile of flammable garbage. I always wondered how it actually was. I couldn't imagine who fought the small fires or small time thieves.

[@Tyiriel]

By the look of things, the mold hivemind controls that place

[@cvangemon1307]

It was unofficially policed by gangs (some sort of Yakuza I think?).

[@danbull69]

@@cvangemon1307 triads he says it in the video and yakuzas Japanese

[@MartinWasTaken]

@@cvangemon1307 Bro really said Yakuza

[@hiddenaether]

@@MartinWasTaken @danbull69 are you both really that dense? "some sort of yakuza" which anyone with decent reading skills can infer it was gangs *similar* to yakuza... We all are aware that yakuza is Japanese...

[@vonsassy]

This was incredible story-telling. Thanks for your effort.

[@PhreddCrintt]

I spent some time at Kai Tak in 1972 with the RAF and visited the area around The Walled City in a place called 'Stinky's Market'. A wonderful - and enduring memory. Thank you for clarifying a couple of pieces of it's history I wasn't aware of. They make my memories even richer.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@blockediting3404]

@@D_R757 I asked

[@Cyanide_Infused]

gimme your memories grandpa 👐🤝🦶

[@attemptmaste8]

@blockediting3404 me too bro..👍🏽

[@attemptmaste8]

@@Cyanide_Infused yo what?

[@JamalRaaki]

I was born and lived in Hong Kong up until I was in grade 6. I remember going on a field trip to this park and seeing this model and being fascinated by it; I have a picture of it somewheres; 9 years later I’m pursing a degree in urban planning and just as equally fascinated by it. Thank you for all of your content, your videos are the best

[@iwantgoals1566]

Thanks for such a well thought out and eye opening video.

[@Zayceofspades]

i love this, just the fact you can turn a corner an end up in a random persons shop and guy some wacky shit that might end up becoming your new favorite snack is just mind blowing to me

[@Taipei_103]

According to my friend who lives in Hong Kong, in the park where Kowloon Walled Ciry used to stand there sometimes is an older man who is there who will talk about his experiences living there.

[@carawikirran]

He should make an interview with the man before he passes away

[@shawnpitman876]

Are you sure it's a man, and not a ghost haunting the site?

[@fsdds1488]

I live nearby, but honestly I never saw anyone talking about the city, my dad who used to live even closer (in one of the "spaced houses" the video mentioned) also never told me how it was like, but one thing Is certain, the triads that used to run the place is still there, like a restaurant in the place got blackmailed last year (they splash red paint on the front door), and you can sometimes overheard conversation that doesn't feels right (like whose gone hiding in Thailand).

[@firewoodloki]

@@fsdds1488 Make an interview with him now!!!

[@felixgrange4413]

I have family friends who lived in Hong Kong. When I visited in 2016 we went to historical sites and this was one of the places we visited. It is insane how Kowloon Walled City went from a military fort to a densely packed city block to the beautiful park it is now.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@alaeriia01]

​@@D_R757that was rude

[@vive335]

@@D_R757well, now you know. It’s good to have extra knowledge 😌

[@maxwellkazemba2299]

​@@D_R757 you think anybody cares that YOU didn't ask? At least they have something to contribute

[@D_R757]

@@maxwellkazemba2299 didn't ask

[@jus10lewissr]

That whole area was just one flicked cigarette away from burning to the ground entirely. It is nothing short of incredible that it lasted as long as it did.

[@AnAngryPomeranianUnderYourBed]

I have seen just about every video on Kowloon there is & I would give ANYTHING to have even 15 minutes to walk around in that building. I am so sad they tore it down instead of doing something different. It is my favourite concept. A mix of dystopian hell & an odd utopian underbelly of comraderie, love & prosperity that is rarely seen in life. There were so many wonderful & amazing things about this place & there are deep dives on this that illustrate the wonderful things about it. But it was, for sure, a horrible place to endure living. I'm sure the people who lived there have a fond nostalgia for itike no other. That mixture of love & hate that you feel when you got through a really rough time but had really good times during that rough time with really good people. I would just seriously do *anything* to be given time to walk around that building, either empty or when it was thriving. I'm just srsly so upset that it was torn down. Upset for the residents. Upset for the history it held. Upset for the things it could have inspired, allowing poor & homeless people to take control in a different way. And selfishly upset that I'll never get to see it with my own eyes. God, I love this place. This video was such a beautiful overview. Like I said in a separate comment, the graphics & music choices are so top tier. Absolutely drooling over the graphics. So smooth & glossy. Adored every second of this. Thank you for this video. ❤

[@benoftheweek]

since i subscribed i've been hoping yall would make a video on this!!! what a treat!!!

[@Agelio]

hey benoftheweek!

[@2EnterNext]

Nice

[@Arc_5]

ok

[@lmfao275]

Ayy benoftheweek

[@neoexplains]

@benoftheweek I appreciate it! Awesome to hear you enjoyed this video 🧡

[@superdupertrousers]

You were right. This was very easy to romanticize. I think the city itself is such a fascinating concept, and works great in media & entertainment as a setting.

[@OdinWannaBe]

It does fascinate me

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@D_R757]

@@djgrungor didn't ask

[@D_R757]

@@djgrungor didn't ask

[@D_R757]

@@djgrungor didn't ask

[@raymondshenassa]

Proud of you and your visionary accomplishments. Keep moving forward.

[@user-tm2hp5uu2c]

Amazing content as always

[@PoliticswithPaint]

I never looked much into Kowloon city, but the few media depictions I saw always portrait it as a dystopian nightmare - and granted, it probably was that in part. Your video showed me a bit of the other side of the story for the first time, thanks! Also, the new park that stands in its place looks gorgeous!

[@JmMateo933]

To be fair it does look very dystopian

[@Casey_Xx_vLogS]

[@linuslau541]

Just to be a bit clear. Kowloon city is NOT equal to Kowloon walled city. Kowloon city is actually a district/region in Hong Kong that is standing to this day

[@Brick-Life]

Wow Crazy to see you here!

[@oceanlover1663]

As someone that been in Hong Kong five times, Kowloon City is alive and well 😅

[@cl6819]

I learned about the kowloon walled city when I was in primary school, and it was always depicted as a place of crime and overall negativity. You really changed the perspective of my impression of the city and the people that resided in it. Thank you for bringing this piece of history to more people around the world!

[@garymcderp1146]

I remember when I was a kid I really thought that Kowloon hosted the Kumite as shown in Bloodsport. Told myself when I grow up I’ll sneak into the tournament.

[@MisatoBestWoman]

This video, this subject is a huge source of inspiration creatively for me. The history is amazing incredible too!

[@rubilina1357]

Kowloon is probably the most fascinating city that I hadn’t known about until recent years. All these people from different walks of life coming together to form a community that, while dysfunctional, still provided order. A “modern-day” rise of civilization, in a way. I almost wish I could have seen it with my own eyes. Very well made video. Subbed.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@tetrafuse3096]

@@D_R757 get a life

[@okamijubei]

But can that compact City turn into something more complex or could it evolve into a single gigantic building?

[@therocketboost]

Kowloon still exists. It's a gigantic sprawling district It's just that one clump of a half dozen buildings in one specific neighborhood of Kowloon called "the walled city" that doesn't.

[@rakuraku8043]

only though.... Kowloon is a lot more ghetto and sketchy compared to HK Island

[@ika32]

At the beginning of this video I was a little skeptical because I have seen countless other videos on this city that all pretty much explained the same thing about it, showing the same stock footage. But I feel like you added on to those videos a lot, especially with the history. There isn't much about the earlier days and how it was actually built.

[@archijec_studio]

I'm curious about how you made the 3d reconstruction of these? The presentation is great

[@TheRealHoodedGeek]

I always have this odd homesick feeling when I see pictures of that place

[@cosmosisrose]

me too it’s so strange. I don’t think I would be able to stand living there - I’m quite germaphobic and don’t like crowds - but I wish I could have visited it for a day or two while it was still there

[@matthewdenckla6567]

Thanks for this look at a really amazing place!

[@praxisprime]

SHENMUE 2, a video game that originaly came out on xbox (before xbox 360) and recently released on the new xbox systems, has this city for the last half of the game, soooooo much exploration open world like eviroment tons of places up and down to go all through the city it is beautiful.

[@williamd4707]

While in Vietnam in 1970 I took and R&R in Hong Kong. One of the places I visited was this walled city. I watched for a couple of hours of the building of multi story living units and what was fascinating, bamboo was used for scaffolding reaching as high as 50 or 60 feet. These erections of temporary scaffolding was tied together with smaller strips of the pliable bamboo. Amazing and I loved being there, but I could not live like that. Tons of memories and thanks for this great video. Wonderful history lesson of a very unique place called Hong Kong.

[@phoule76]

I know what you mean. Lots ofsoutheast Asia still uses bamboo scaffolding today.

[@keithkilvert]

Bamboo scaffolding was everywhere in HK and I regularly climbed it as a kid... still prevalent today...

[@linuslau541]

@@phoule76yes but no one use them in the way like HK. We use them to build and maintain skyscrapers

[@LGnxz17asdf]

'While in 1970 vietnam committing war crimes I also hire prostitutes in British HK' is certainly quite an opening of a story. Hope you and your family feel proud about it dude 😅

[@bnup2791]

@@LGnxz17asdf what an uneducated comment

[@prismcrystahla]

there are 2 things that pop in my mind. 1 : Hard to explain, but despite the chaotic and possibly unsafe/unhealthy conditions, the city in a weird sense, was beautiful with its own means. theres a type of charm of how the city was, the visual look of the buildings screamed "Alive" to me. the city had a look that made it feel alive. it in of itself, was an art piece. 2 : again, despite how harsh the buildings are, and the fact the buildings might have been unsafe as all heck, The city proved that, despite no actual official governmental figure, an immensely dense Population of refugees, Proved that there could still be order. If it wasnt for Kowloon, i dont think people would have thought of that type of visual aspect for fictional cities. things like Stray, and maybe even Cyberpunk 2077, use this type of visual style. Stray prolly being THE BEST example of it for games i've played. I think in the future, if populations get too bad all over, cities like this, but with more safety and health in mind, something like this could thrive in the future if needed.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@TisDansk]

@@D_R757then don’t comment

[@AfgJosh]

Nice video. Thanks. Have you considered looking at other places that might be more densely populated? Sadr City with over a million residents is a good example.

[@fredefilms9475]

This was really good great work

[@animan095]

I was expecting you to say that it's only business was crime related organizations stuff, but the fact that you mentioned dentist's, food processing and other unlicensed business thriving first made me realize how much dystopian movies skewed my perspective XD In the end even in the worst of conditions people are still people and most want to make good honest money. The people that gathered there just needed a chance to grow and it seems that a majority did manage to grow. I hope that they had a good life after they were forced to move out.

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@IAmNotYourProblem]

The more I learn about Kowloon the more interesting it is. The triads actually did set up an (albeit irregular) waste management system. They would clean up the trash left on the road and between buildings so that paths remained clear. They also had pension of their older members who retired. There was also a ministry held by an American women who helped the drug users in the city, and she even had a deal with the triads than anyone who came to her would be safe, even if they were former gang members. Many workshops created metal and plastic items, people made noodles and spring roll wrappers and they sold for even cheaper than machine made goods- which is how they ended up at fancy restaurants and businesses within the rest of Hong Kong. At the end of Kowloon, people tried to refuse to leave, even putting up tents outside the city hall in Hong Kong.

[@therocketboost]

Kowloon exists dude. The walled city is what no longer exists.

[@IAmNotYourProblem]

@@therocketboost considering this comment is on a video about the walled city, it is implied that I was talking about Kowloon walled city, not the district of Kowloon. Didn’t know I had to spell that out for you.

[@therocketboost]

@@IAmNotYourProblem Kowloon isn't a county

[@MasonTheFurryCat]

It is something like a district tho, idk what you’re trying to argue

[@MrSpaceWorm]

This was a great video. Very well made and helpful to remember part of our History

[@AnAngryPomeranianUnderYourBed]

Whoever does your graphics is incredible. Wow. I'm in love with the stylistic & music choices. This is an absolute art piece in regards to graphics. So beautiful.

[@f0ba11]

My dad said that KWC by the late 80s was a place you didn't want to go inside without someone from there. Everyone knew each other within the walls and that waltzing in uninvited was a sure way to get into trouble.

[@SugarGloss.X]

The history behind the walled city is actually so dang intresting :o that ending was beautiful 👏🏻

[@D_R757]

Didnt ask

[@tetrafuse3096]

@@D_R757 get a life

[@PhilIngramhk]

This is an absolutely stunning documentary. So much I did not know.

[@13thravenpurple94]

Good stuff 👍 Thank you 💜

[@aikavonderpart3756]

XQC didnt review it so i thought i should watch it myself

[@idreamtiwasbackatmanderley414]

I lived in HK 40 years ago in my early 20s. This was called Kowloon Town to differentiate it from Kowloon proper. I went there half a dozen times to see a doctor. I was in a lot of pain so did not pay any attention to my surroundings which to me were not dramatically different from some other places in Kowloon.

[@codrs2662]

Hk seems like such a shit hole

[@monkeyssj1]

amazing video!!!!! sooooo rad. thank you so much

[@ayethe4603]

I always thought the walled city was amazing and beautiful even in its filth and poverty the way the people came together and made a community

[@g-g43]

Exactly that. It’s so sad that they got their whole world torn up in front of them with no way to stop it

[@tinybean4720]

For those going "wow, this would be great as a dystopian video game setting", Shadowrun Hong Kong which is set in a futuristic version of this exact city might just tickle your fancy

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@shezalright4217]

Thanks I was looking for a game like that

[@RedStar441]

I think what's more fascinating is the fact that this has been a habit of human city building for a very long time. Just at the dawn of civilization give or take ten thousand years ago, cities were structured like tall mounds with very few roads through them. Modem cities have so many regulations that we've grown accustomed to organized sprawls, but Kowloon touches on a much more primordial conception.

[@weetyskemian44]

I was just thinking that this reminded me of a taller version of Catal Hoyuk, 9000 year old city. They didn't do streets.

[@scrappy2082]

ayy a Xana icon :D i was just watching code lyoko lol

[@Fittothebone]

Very nicely put together

[@heavyy_eyess]

This is the first time I've seen a documentary about Kowloon that actually explains, in depth, how it came to be. Plus, the visuals of the building process were fantastic! I think this is actually the best documentary on Kowloon I've seen. Visually interesting. Incredibly informative. Super in-depth. Your documentaries never fail to astound me. You're doing something right. Keep it up. I love your work.

[@pest5373]

Imagine the relief of the last generation of adults knowing the children are moved to somewhere with light

[@leikufu]

This is an incredibly well made and well researched video. I watched it with my dad who's knowledgable on subjects of Chinese history and even he learned many new things here. The visuals and storytelling is fantastic paired with the narration and photos and the 3D model to give us a sense of the space. Thank you for taking the time to create this video and to share more about Kowloon walled city

[@D_R757]

Didn't ask

[@Tripleyum]

This was super well made!