Ataxtia
Spender
- Joined
- May 11, 2022
- Messages
- 37
- Reaction score
- 115
- Awards
- 19
Sorry if this has been posted before, but when I ask people if they know about this place they are often surprised it even existed at all. Existing between Hong Kong and China, it was a sort of ungoverned enclave that was built out of an old military fort. The amount of people flooding in was simply too much for the Hong Kong government to deal with, so they essentially just let people do whatever the hell they wanted. After the Chinese civil war many survivors and squatters fled to the old fort, and due to the fact that Hong Kong was technically owned by the British, they were able to create a city limited to the area of that fort.
As a result it was probably one of the most interestingly and insanely built pieces of civil architectures I have ever seen. OSHA and any civil engineer would be obliterated by just a mere image of the city, as it had no real regulations on public health and safety. Here's some kids playing on the rooftops:
As expected of a small ungoverned city, it had its issues. first of all, there was very little police presence, and was rife with brothels, opium dens, and crime. They also reportedly had only one postman for the entire city. People lived in tiny spaces, and the population density before it was torn down was around 600 people per 5,000 square feet. To put that into perspective, New York city in 2010 had 5 people per 5,000 square feet.
an alley way:
Here's a photo of the city side:
The city was evacuated and demolished by China 1994, leaving nothing but a park as a memorial.
While this place is definitely peak dystopia, I can't help but feel some sort of affection towards the idea of it. A city with few laws, built by people ho could do whatever they wanted, and a society of chaos and struggle. Yeah I know "It's just like Cyberpunk bibeo gaem", but to me it feel like more than just an example of a trope. It's strange that this place existed at all, and I feel sad that I'll never get to explore it and discover what kind of secrets it held. Maybe the fact that it no longer exists adds to that ethereal feeling for me. It's something hard to describe, like someplace that's both in my dreams and my nightmares.
My all time favorite, a temple beneath the streets:
As a result it was probably one of the most interestingly and insanely built pieces of civil architectures I have ever seen. OSHA and any civil engineer would be obliterated by just a mere image of the city, as it had no real regulations on public health and safety. Here's some kids playing on the rooftops:
As expected of a small ungoverned city, it had its issues. first of all, there was very little police presence, and was rife with brothels, opium dens, and crime. They also reportedly had only one postman for the entire city. People lived in tiny spaces, and the population density before it was torn down was around 600 people per 5,000 square feet. To put that into perspective, New York city in 2010 had 5 people per 5,000 square feet.
an alley way:
Here's a photo of the city side:
The city was evacuated and demolished by China 1994, leaving nothing but a park as a memorial.
While this place is definitely peak dystopia, I can't help but feel some sort of affection towards the idea of it. A city with few laws, built by people ho could do whatever they wanted, and a society of chaos and struggle. Yeah I know "It's just like Cyberpunk bibeo gaem", but to me it feel like more than just an example of a trope. It's strange that this place existed at all, and I feel sad that I'll never get to explore it and discover what kind of secrets it held. Maybe the fact that it no longer exists adds to that ethereal feeling for me. It's something hard to describe, like someplace that's both in my dreams and my nightmares.
My all time favorite, a temple beneath the streets:
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