W IS FOR: WALLED CITY
Born in the 1980s, Yu Ting Cheung, who goes by Ar Yu, is too young to remember Kowloon Walled City, which was demolished in 1987. She only has impressions of it based on television shows and movies such as Donnie Yen’s Chasing the Dragon. “Its demolition was predictable, as the lawless enclave hindered social stability and development,” she says. “Still, the old Walled City was full of old Hong Kong characteristics. Its most distinctive quality was the density of the buildings, which formed an extremely complex, maze-like structure. It was not well-planned or organised but built to accommodate the changes and needs of the inhabitants. There were many unlicensed doctors, dentists, brothels, casinos, opium dens and strip clubs. “There is no other area in Hong Kong— or even the world—that can compare to the Walled City.”