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Part of the old Kowloon Walled City has reappeared in its original location

Relive life in this famously lawless enclave back where it all began

Catharina Cheung
Written by
Catharina Cheung
Section Editor
Kowloon Walled City Park exhibition
Photograph: Courtesy Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency
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Hongkongers’ fascination for the old Kowloon Walled City is still going strong, fuelled by the popularity of Soi Cheang’s martial arts epic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. There is now a massive movie set exhibition of the 2024 film that has been constructed where the Kowloon Walled City actually used to sit, within what is now the Kowloon Walled City Park.

The ‘Kowloon Walled City: A Cinematic Journey’ exhibition recreates key scenes from the film and is Hong Kong’s largest-scale movie set exhibition to date. If you’ve seen the film or been to the previous Twilight of the Warriors exhibitions that were held in the airport or the Airside mall, you’ll recognise iconic locations such as the No.7 Restaurant, the barbershop, the dental and bone-setting clinics, the grocery store, repairshop, and more. There will also be some new sights including a fishball factory, a communal well, and a plastic-moulding workshop.

Kowloon Walled City Park exhibition
Photograph: Courtesy Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency

Care has also been taken to reconstruct the old precinct’s narrow alleyways, with floor tiles repurposed from old buildings and a bustling street market that has been set up to present an authentic taste of the Walled City in the 80s. From the moment visitors step past the ceremonial flower board and through the iron arch designed to reference that period in history. The vibes are also enhanced by large-scale projections that display life in the Walled City through the day and night, accompanied by low-flying planes roaring over the area like they used to do in the past when Kai Tak Airport was still in use.

This exhibition will stand in the Kowloon Walled City Park for three years, so if you missed the previous, smaller iterations of the show, then this is a great chance to check things out. Visit the LCSD website for more details.

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