구룡채성

구룡성채는 과거 철거되기 전까지는 영국령 홍콩내부에 존재했던 중화인민공화국의 관할구역이었고, 그 이전에는 1912년까지는 청나라, 1950년까지는 중화민국의 영토였었다. 그러나 실제로는 홍콩과 중국 양쪽의 주권이 미치지 못한 특수지역으로, 복잡다단한 거대한 무허가 건축물로 이루어진 3헥타르 면적의 슬럼 도시가 들어서 마굴, 무법지대 등으로 불리었다. 1993년 3월 23일부터 1994년 4월까지 철거되었으며 지금은 구룡채성공원이라는 도시공원으로 남아있다.

Kowloon Walled City Park

In the middle of the 19th century, the Qing government started to build an enclave beside Kowloon Bay, surrounded by stone walls. The Kowloon Walled City was initially used for military purposes, housing many soldiers and their families. During World War II, the stone walls were demolished by the Imperial Japanese Army. Part of them were buried and well preserved under the soil. By the 1970s, the population of the city had risen to 41,000. The number of buildings was 503 in 1994. By that time, the British colonial government found it increasingly difficult to manage and control the serious crime in the area related to drugs, illegal gambling, prostitution and quackery. Domestic factories, including textile, candy-making and production of jook-sing noodles, were situated in the area. After the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, Britain and China embarked on a discussion about solving the problems in the Walled City, and subsequently announced its demolition on 14 January 1987. Between 1987 and 1989 residents were resettled, and demolition began in 1993.