3257 - Hong Kong

This card is a depiction of life in the demolished Kowloon Walled City 九龍寨城. In the late 1980s, the area had about 35 000 people in it, within an area of 2.6 hectares.

It started out as an Imperial Chinese military fort. When Hong Kong was leased to the United Kingdom, it became an enclave with the New Territories. From the 1950s to 1970s, Kowloon was controlled by the local triads - Chinese organized crime. The area had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse. 

In 1987, Hong Kong announced that the walled city would be demolished. People were evicted and demolition began in March 1993. 

In December 1995, Kowloon Walled City Park opened. Some parts of the wall were preserved.