Walled City 🏰 or Secret Garden? 🌲🌳🌸

One still and humid summer evening, I visited the Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. The magic of the encroaching twilight lighting added to the mystique of the manicured gardens, waterways 🪷, pebble-stone paths and pagodas of Chinese-style architecture. Was this serene and quiet corner of Hong Kong really once a military fort? Could it really have been an ungoverned, over-populated enclave, housing up to 50,000 residents, nesting gangs and poverty in slum-like, rat-infested conditions? 🤔 Hard to believe! This beautiful park was opened in 1995 on the area of the former walled city. Historical artefacts, the southern gate and the yamen building remain as reminders of the very rich history. The Regal Oriental Hotel is nearby in Sa Po Road. There’s also a host of small restaurants and grocery stores, the area being nicknamed “Little Thailand” - deserving of another post! ✍️📍 Kowloon Walled City Park is reachable from Sung Wong Toi on the Tuen Ma MTR Line. 🚆 Opening hours: 7 days, 0630-2300. Admission: free for all! 🧧 #hongkong #kowloon #garden #history #hotel #restaurants