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Inside the most densely populated city in history

The story of a lawless city perpetually shrouded in shadows

Inside the most densely populated city in history
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StarsInsider
25/06/2025 15:00 ‧ 2 weeks ago | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE

Cities

Nestled within the heart of Hong Kong once stood a place so unique, so chaotic, and so densely packed that it defied conventional urban planning. Kowloon Walled City was not just a settlement; it was an anomaly—a towering labyrinthine structure where tens of thousands lived and worked in a self-contained world of unregulated growth.

What started as a small military outpost grew into a lawless, yet strangely functional, urban jungle. Its walls housed everything from thriving businesses to criminal enterprises, from kindergartens to opium dens. With buildings stacked haphazardly atop one another, sunlight rarely touched its narrow passageways. But how did this ungoverned city come into existence? And how did residents survive in such cramped, lawless conditions? Click through this gallery to find out.

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