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City of Darkness: Revisited
After several failed attempts, Kowloon Walled City was finally demolished 20 years ago, leaving behind a legacy of fascination that continues to grow, fuelled in part by the extraordinary community’s many urban legends. Designed and edited by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot, the team behind City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City, this new publication questions those myths and explores the reality behind the Walled City’s extraordinary architecture and development. Through photographs, drawings and documents, many previously unpublished, plus an extended article by Hong Kong-based writer and journalist Fionnuala McHugh, the full story is revealed.
356 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 26, 2019
Wow, this book is just amazing and covers everything about the Kowloon Walled City: A lot of the history, tons of interviews with former residents, details about the architecture and the cultural impact. And all of this with sooo many great photographs. Definitely a great read if you can get your hands on a copy of this!
December 12, 2021
Fascinating book of an otherworldly hellish place. The interviews were incredible.
December 23, 2014
Created to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the destruction of Kowloon Walled City, this book is a significant revision and expansion of the authors’ first book, CITY OF DARKNESS: LIFE IN KOWLOON WALLED CITY. The best material from the first book has been retained and new material has been added, bringing the total page count up to 356 pages. Material that has been retained includes the resident interviews and the photographs that best represent life in the Walled City. Some of the original photos haven’t been included so that the photos that are included could be larger. The new material considers the clearance, Triad activity, and drug use that couldn't be included in the original book; the community’s impact on popular culture; and material documenting the community that wasn't available when the first book was written. The book comes in a cardstock slipcase, is clothbound, and shows careful editorial consideration.
May 2, 2017
Fantastic and fascinating exploration of a truly unique place. The photographs left me transfixed, and the interviews were surprisingly touching. Absolutely recommended to anyone who ... uh ... I guess just to anyone.
July 19, 2021
I first went to Hong Kong when I was just four years old as my Uncle is from there and invited my family to go for a holiday. I don't remember anything about it from then though! I went again in my early twenties with my cousin as they had an apartment there and I absolutely loved it. I liked how busy it was, how congested it all seemed with all the tall buildings, I liked how on a Sunday night at 9pm all the shops seemed to be open still. I also felt that as a tourist who didn't know where to go we only saw a small part of it, there were shops/bars/restaurants etc on the upper floors of buildings but we either didn't know about them or couldn't see how to get there.
That was over ten years ago and I've been meaning to go back ever since. So a few months ago I happened to be looking for a guidebook/photobook on Hong Kong as at the moment that's the closest I can get and I saw this book searching on google. After reading about it for probably less than five minutes I decided I had to buy it, and its a pretty expensive book. It just sounded so fascinating, it looked in ways like Hong Kong as I remembered it but then it appeared to be very different in others.
In brief Kowloon walled city was originally a walled fort which when the British leased Hong Kong remained controlled by China. Over time the wall disappeared but the area remained un-regulated by the British and so it grew with many tall uncontrolled buildings going up, up to fourteen stories. It became a warren with homes, factories and shops throughout the city and became the most densely populated place on earth. In 1995 the city was demolished. This book is amazing, its a mix of personal accounts from people who lived and worked in the walled city and articles about the history of the city all interspersed with photos taken throughout the city. It really gives an idea of what the place must have been like, whilst also expressing what a unique and mysterious place this was. I still feel like I want to see and learn more about the place, it was a maze with buildings linked together at roof level or upper floors, light couldn't get to the streets as they were so close together with wiring and pipes blocking out the sun. There's a lot of detail in the book both in the text and in photos.
I would recommend this to everyone as I don't see how someone couldn't find this interesting, but otherwise I would recommend this to anyone who has been to Hong Kong (and liked it) or anyone interested in architecture or dense urban environments. My only negative was that I wish it was longer!
That was over ten years ago and I've been meaning to go back ever since. So a few months ago I happened to be looking for a guidebook/photobook on Hong Kong as at the moment that's the closest I can get and I saw this book searching on google. After reading about it for probably less than five minutes I decided I had to buy it, and its a pretty expensive book. It just sounded so fascinating, it looked in ways like Hong Kong as I remembered it but then it appeared to be very different in others.
In brief Kowloon walled city was originally a walled fort which when the British leased Hong Kong remained controlled by China. Over time the wall disappeared but the area remained un-regulated by the British and so it grew with many tall uncontrolled buildings going up, up to fourteen stories. It became a warren with homes, factories and shops throughout the city and became the most densely populated place on earth. In 1995 the city was demolished. This book is amazing, its a mix of personal accounts from people who lived and worked in the walled city and articles about the history of the city all interspersed with photos taken throughout the city. It really gives an idea of what the place must have been like, whilst also expressing what a unique and mysterious place this was. I still feel like I want to see and learn more about the place, it was a maze with buildings linked together at roof level or upper floors, light couldn't get to the streets as they were so close together with wiring and pipes blocking out the sun. There's a lot of detail in the book both in the text and in photos.
I would recommend this to everyone as I don't see how someone couldn't find this interesting, but otherwise I would recommend this to anyone who has been to Hong Kong (and liked it) or anyone interested in architecture or dense urban environments. My only negative was that I wish it was longer!
August 22, 2023
My Chinese family all grew up hearing stories about this infamous city, both good and bad. My eldest brother even used to visit Kowloon whenever they had travelled to Hong Kong from Mainland China, and we still have some old film photos of the pictures he took before the destruction of the city.
I unfortunately was born after the destruction and none of the original city was preserved, so I never got to experience exploring this mysterious city myself and could only live through it via photographs and second-hand retellings.
I’ve always held a fascination for anything dystopia, cyberpunk, and sci-fi and Kowloon was the inspiration for so many famous stories and pop culture that I grew up with. This book is a bit like a written documentary and extremely informative. Even despite the high price tag, I found this to be very worth it.
I’m considering on buying the original first version of this book too, if I can find a vintage one for a reasonable price online. Very similar to the Revisited version but I’d like to see the differences and additional photos left out from this copy.
I unfortunately was born after the destruction and none of the original city was preserved, so I never got to experience exploring this mysterious city myself and could only live through it via photographs and second-hand retellings.
I’ve always held a fascination for anything dystopia, cyberpunk, and sci-fi and Kowloon was the inspiration for so many famous stories and pop culture that I grew up with. This book is a bit like a written documentary and extremely informative. Even despite the high price tag, I found this to be very worth it.
I’m considering on buying the original first version of this book too, if I can find a vintage one for a reasonable price online. Very similar to the Revisited version but I’d like to see the differences and additional photos left out from this copy.
July 3, 2025
After watching the riveting documentary Kowloon - The Walled City, my daughter and I went on the hunt for City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City. Needless to say, that would have been a costly and challenging endeavor had we succeeded. Instead, I think we found something even better. City of Darkness: Revisited is a revisitation of the original book, retaining most of the source material, including all the interviews and the majority of the photos. Those considered redundant were removed, allowing the ones kept to be larger and printed in higher quality. Reading the story of Kowloon, as told by its residents and depicted in pictures, is both humbling and awe-inspiring. It is a truly phenomenal testament to humanity's tenacity. And the book is simply stunning.
August 26, 2025
likely the definitive resource for learning about this fascinating historical site for anyone even remotely curious about kowloon walled city!
filled with dozens of firsthand raw testimonials and interviews with the residents/workers just before the city’s demolition. paints a very real picture of how people felt having their livelihoods upended and their homes destroyed— and how they will contend with the outside world. its melancholic, almost sad.
yes, shows the grimmer underbelly of the city, but also dismantles some of the stereotypes and exaggerations placed upon it in media. really highlights just how much of a “living organism” the walled city was, adapting to the needs of its occupants.
the evocative imagery from girard and lambot is a standout and what drew me to the book in the first place, but the interviews are what really stood out. not to mention the curated opinion/research pieces dotted throughout.
im so glad i picked this up and read through it! highly recommend!
filled with dozens of firsthand raw testimonials and interviews with the residents/workers just before the city’s demolition. paints a very real picture of how people felt having their livelihoods upended and their homes destroyed— and how they will contend with the outside world. its melancholic, almost sad.
yes, shows the grimmer underbelly of the city, but also dismantles some of the stereotypes and exaggerations placed upon it in media. really highlights just how much of a “living organism” the walled city was, adapting to the needs of its occupants.
the evocative imagery from girard and lambot is a standout and what drew me to the book in the first place, but the interviews are what really stood out. not to mention the curated opinion/research pieces dotted throughout.
im so glad i picked this up and read through it! highly recommend!
July 26, 2017
An excellent documentary of the fascinating Kowloon Walled City. The editors focus on telling the stories of the people who lived there and their reaction to the news that they would be forced to leave. You're left with an impression of a nearly lawless no-man's land that eventually developed into a tight-knit community in the most densely populated place in the world. I came away with mixed feelings. As a dangerously unsanitary and un-policed slum, it clearly needed to go. But there was a whole community of people who lived their whole lives in the place who would certainly find it hard to live the way they choose outside the city.
The photographs in the book are phenomenal, and the book is arranged, like the city itself, somewhat haphazardly and randomly. It's a perfect coffee table book.
The photographs in the book are phenomenal, and the book is arranged, like the city itself, somewhat haphazardly and randomly. It's a perfect coffee table book.
January 2, 2020
Fascinating read about this area of Kowloon and some of the personal stories of some of the residents. Unknown to most but became a mythical subject after it was torn down. Great photos where you can really feel the inside and smell the stench and dripping water. A light history of how 3 governments allowed this to happen due to political reasons.
November 4, 2025
really interesting and really good!
I expected it to be more of a coffee table photography book but it has a very nicely comprehensive history and commentary on the walled city, which in combination with all the great photography is just a very solid book.
I expected it to be more of a coffee table photography book but it has a very nicely comprehensive history and commentary on the walled city, which in combination with all the great photography is just a very solid book.
December 15, 2021
A complete story of one of the most incredible urban development the modern world has seen. The photographs and text were proof of the deep research from the autors.
April 27, 2025
One of my top 5 favorite books of all time. The subject matter is all I want in a book and the photography is chef's kiss. Kowloon Walled City will be forever inspiring to me.
February 10, 2017
An interesting contrast between the viewpoint of architecture scholars who are fascinated by how the Walled City almost took on a life of its own and sort of functioned as an adaptable organism, and the experiences of actual residents, who only seemed to regret its destruction because they couldn't really afford to live anywhere else.
The photos in the book are wonderful, as are the many fold-out diagrams and other cool nerdy stuff. I had to go to some trouble to track down this book and it was entirely worth it.
The photos in the book are wonderful, as are the many fold-out diagrams and other cool nerdy stuff. I had to go to some trouble to track down this book and it was entirely worth it.
January 18, 2016
A lost part of Hong Kong history explained and gorgeously visually shown. Such a brilliant and creative way of reliving the past. More 'historians' and experts should show how history can be celebrated, honored and respected by using this book as a guide.
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December 3, 2014
A substantial expansion of the original edition, itself a classic.
September 25, 2016
Amazing resource, as much for the first person interviews as the essays. Hard to find this materials in English.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews