Valuable footage of the inside of the famous 'Kowloon City,' including 'a food factory operating on the premises' and 'drug addict therapy.'

by Associate Architect Forgemind ArchiMedia

Kowloon City was once a densely populated area in Hong Kong, with about 50,000 people living in an area roughly half the size of the Tokyo Dome. There is footage that records life and production activities within Kowloon City. It is.

Kowloon Walled City Documentary (English Subtitles) - YouTube


This is what Kowloon City looks like from the sky. Since there was an airport near Kowloon City, the 'building height restrictions' were observed to a certain extent, but other restrictions were mostly ignored and buildings were built. A strange, crowded scene was created.

This is what it looks like from the side. Laundry is hung out to dry all over the place, and it's clear that many people live there.

Residents looking out.

Kowloon City was originally a military base, so there are still cannons that were deployed during wartime remaining.

This is a noodle factory located inside Kowloon City.

The noodles are being made one after another. Labor laws and regulations were not followed at all in Kowloon City, and people were working for very low wages. The noodles made here were sold throughout Hong Kong as cheap ingredients. It will be shipped to restaurants.

This man works 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

He had lost a finger in an accident at work and had to continue cutting noodles with the finger bandaged.

A spring roll wrapper factory.

A person who fillets fish.

The fish are processed at an incredible speed. The food factories in Kowloon City were in an unsanitary state, with cockroaches and rats running around everywhere.

Some kind of machine is moving.

It was an automatic loom.

Metal processing plant.

There is also a PVC processing facility.

Inside, plastic food containers for use in supermarkets and other places were being made.

The children are helping too.

There was also a Salvation Army kindergarten run by volunteers within Kowloon City.

A room where many people gather.

Therapy for drug addicts was carried out in the room, and heroin was apparently prevalent within Kowloon City.

Residents will show you around their homes.

This is the living room.

There is also a kitchen.

Apparently there were many homeless people living within Kowloon City.

When Hong Kong was returned to China, it was decided that Kowloon City would be demolished, and demolition work took place between 1993 and 1994. Parks and shopping centers have been built on the site where Kowloon City once stood.


Kowloon City has attracted attention around the world due to its uniqueness, and many photo books have been released that document the interior of Kowloon City. It also includes a large panoramic view of the area, giving you an idea of just how chaotic the place must have been.

In addition, the large illustrated Kowloon City is available for 3850 yen including tax.

Kowloon City Illustrated Guide | Kowloon City Explorers, Hiroaki Kani, Kazumi Terazawa, Kowloon City Explorers | Books | Online Shopping | Amazon