Kowloon Walled City Park’

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The History & Background of ‘The Kowloon Walled City Park’ The Kowloon Walled City Park occupies one of the most historic sites in the territory. This park used to be a fortified Chinese garrison back in 1847. Even after the surrounding areas were leased by Britain in 1898, the garrison still remained firmly under Chinese jurisdiction. Already a slum in 1898, life became worse as refugees fled the mainland after World War II. While the British and Chinese argued over who had control, Triad gangs ruled supreme. In 1992, after all 30,000 inhabitants of the drug-ridden high-rise slums on the 90-by-100 meter site had been reconstructed, the area was cleared to make way for the park with its old almshouse and Chinese-style gardens. The design of the park was inspired by the Jiangnan garden style of the early Qing Dynasty. Construction began in May 1994, with a work-force of skilled artisans from the Mainland being employed to ensure accurate reproduction of the classical concept. The Design & Description of Content The design of the Kowloon Walled City Park is based on the Jiangnan garden style of the early Qing Dynasty. The design of park was awarded a Diploma at the IGO Stuttgart EXPO 93 (International Garden Exposition). The design is divided into eight landscapes. The centerpiece is of course the Yamen (figure 3), a fully restored three-hall structure offering a glimpse of the physical appearance of the one-time walled garrison-city. Components of the park include the Eight Floral Walks, each named after a different plant or flower (figure 4), the Chess Garden, featuring four 3-by-5-metre Chinese chessboards (figure 5), the Garden of Chinese zodiac, containing stone statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals (figure 6), the Garden of Four Seasons (named Guangyin Square after the small open area in the Walled City), a 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft) garden
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