It’s hard to believe that what is now a beautiful park used to be one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Despite having been demolished 20 years ago, the Kowloon Walled City continues to captivate people today. While at first glance, it may look just like a pleasant garden in the middle of the busy city of Hong Kong, it felt surreal and disconcerting to visit a place with so much history behind it. This was one the most fascinating places I visited during my recent trip to Hong Kong. Today, the site of the former Kowloon Walled City has been redeveloped as a historic park in its honor. The Jiangan-style garden of the early Qing Dynasty is now a green and peaceful space studded with Chinese pavilions and ponds. There weren’t a lot of people when I visited, just a few senior citizens practicing tai chi in the open spaces and chess gardens and reading newspapers along the corridors. 香港的九龙寨城不但是个清幽古香的公园,也是香港仅有的历史遗迹之一,有关于贫民窟的故事。九龙寨城是香港历史上唯一没割让给英国的香港领地,其历史可追溯到香港开埠初期。在17世纪,九龙寨城是中国的一个军营。在后二战时期,九龙寨城并没有割让或租借给英国,而在往后的一百年间,寨城进入无人管治的时期,城墙逐渐消失。城内沦为贫民区。最后,在中英双方的同意下,寨城终于在1995年间清拆,并改建成一个非常优美的寨城公园,许多历史遗迹得以回复旧貌,是一个休闲和学习历史的好地方。 公园分东门、南门、西门以及北门四个主要出入口,还有干门、筑门、民门几个小入口。大家通常从地铁站或市中心走过来公园都是从南门为入口。 直到 1987 年,中英政府达成清拆寨城的协议,并于1994年建成今天的九龙寨城公园。公园在原址上改造,以清初江南园林为设计模式,保留了部分古建筑的同时,还展现了浓厚的中国历史文化。在修缮过程中,最大收穫是发掘出两块花岗岩石额,它们分别刻有“南门”及“九龙寨城”字样,如今被挂在公园南门门口。 Formerly a military stronghold during the 15th century, the Walled City became an enclave after the New Territories were leased to Britain by China in 1898. Following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, its population increased dramatically evolving into a self-governed city. In the late 1980s, the Kowloon Walled City packed more than 30,000 people in a maze of dark alleys and high-rise tenements. Because of the scarcity of space, there was nowhere to build but up. What resulted was a stunningly dense vertical slum that just grew organically, defying any type of master plan or architecture. Since it stood on land that was legally a Chinese military fort, it couldn’t be touched by the British-run Hong Kong government, resulting in a semi-lawless squatter slum. Because of its ungoverned status and government neglect, it deteriorated attracting an influx of Chinese immigrants, unlicensed businesses, cheap food processing plants and factories crammed into the same space. The Walled City was known to be controlled by Chinese mafia called triads and became a hotbed of illegal activities like prostitution, gambling and drug abuse. 公园共分为八个景区,每区各有特色,而整个公园以衙门为中心,园内的亭榭及小径均以寨城历史建筑及街道命名。公园的设计融合了园林景色和寨城独特的历史。 城寨的历史演变,围城内发生的故事,不复在的老香港味道,走进今天憩静的公园实在难以想像。 这里充满中式庭院风格,小桥流水曲径通幽,充满古朴之感。虽然外面遍布着高楼大厦,但公园里仍然保留着自己的宁静和安逸。个人觉得这个邀山楼已经是最大的亮点和最漂亮的一区,在这边拍照蛮漂亮的,特别是有小水塘的这边就更是优静。 Documentary archives including aerial photos of the old city are displayed along some corridors so visitors can learn more about the place. The Almshouse (which once served as a home for the aged) is the only building that remains of the Walled City. It’s here where you can find the most interesting feature of the new park – an outdoor display area and six exhibition rooms, which recreate the old days of the Kowloon Walled City through models, images and sound effects. The exhibition rooms transport visitors momentarily back in time, giving a glimpse of the daily lives of the residents of the walled city before it was demolished. 寨城内唯一保留下来的古建筑,是一座三进式的寨城官府衙门,经过修缮后恢复了其原来的面貌,现今作为一个陈列馆将九龙寨城的历史资料和文物展示给游人。 While the Kowloon Walled City’s old presence and almost everything it once represented has been erased, there are a few features and exhibits that give you a sense of history, including a 3D bronze model of the buildings and elaborate cross-section line artwork depicting the living conditions before near the main entrance. 从南门进来第一会是看到这个千面小城展览,摆放着一幅照壁和一个寨城模型,照壁向南门的一面刻有《九龙寨城公园碑记》,另一面是寨城清拆前的剖面图。面向衙门的铜铸模型则是仿照寨城清拆前的建筑物而造成。 While walking around the park, I found it hard to imagine how life must have been like there before. While some artifacts from the city remain, such as remnants of the South Gate, much of it has been replaced with aesthetic features, floral paths, landscaped gardens and traditional Chinese architecture. 九龙寨城公园配上蓝天白云,实在是个休憩的好地方,足以让大家放松自己的心神,让自己疲劳的身驱得以舒缓,好好享受一个宁静的下午。 For many who visit the Kowloon Walled City Park, it may seem like just another serene garden where you can enjoy nature and take a break from the crowded city streets. But if you spend some time reading the materials on display and visit the exhibition rooms, you’ll just be astounded by the city’s remarkable past. While its transformation to a park is amazing, you get this sense of nostalgia for the lost city and for the generations of residents who lived there for decades. The closest MTR station to the Kowloon Walled City Park is a 10-min walk from Exit B of Lok Fu Station on the Kwun Tong Line.
游览完公园后我脑海里那个香港最传奇的九龙寨城,一座消失的罪恶之都,没有王法,黄赌毒都十分倡盛黑帮泛滥的地方,如今这些画面只能留在香港电影的记忆之中了。所有的故事都已经落幕,这个充满传奇色彩的九龙寨城已经永远消失在历史的舞台上,只留下一个叫做九龙寨城的公园让人回味。当你置身于这座风景如画的园林中,可以静静地看着微风柔柔地吹拂着杨柳以及水面荡起的涟漪,默默地聆听着黄莺婉转悦耳的歌声,感受如今繁华喧闹的香港,曾经那抹淡淡的历史忧愁。从乐富站B出口,步行大约10分钟。
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author
|