Children playing in a playground in front of Kowloon's Walled City. A fort was originally constructed here in 1847 by the imperial Chinese government to check the influence of the British. However, with the British victory in the Opium Wars, Kowloon and the New Territories were leased to them for 99 years.

Under the 1898 Peking Convention governing the settlement, the Walled City was excluded and officially remained Chinese sovereign territory until its residents were resettled and the buildings demolished in 1993. A park was constructed in its place. In addition to the classical Jiangnan-style garden found here today, the imperial commandant's yamen (government office) is preserved, along with the original stone plaques from the fort's South Gate, stone tablets with Qing official inscriptions, and two cannon from the original fort.

Related Links:
  · Read The Solitude of Hong Kong by Rick Green
  · Send someone a Hong Kong Postcard
  · Visit the bc Magazine Web site for current entertainment listings
  · Buy Culture Shock! Hong Kong from Amazon.com
  · Buy Lonley Planet Hong Kong & Macau from Amazon.com
  · Buy Lonley Planet World Food Hong Kong from Amazon.com
  · Buy Travelers' Tales Hong Kong from Amazon.com