City of Darkness

What Hacker News says

1. SchiendelmanJul 2026
   There's a great book called "City of Darkness" about it - a lot of what we believe about it was a campaign funded by the Hong Kong government to turn public opinion about it negative because they wanted the land back from China.

   Most of the reason there were any problems there at all was that there was no legal jurisdiction over it, there are still buildings in Hong Kong that have nearly that density with none of the legal issues.

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2. johncoltraneFeb 2026
   Funny how they use the term "City of Darkness" a few times, without ever referring to the book "City of Darkness", by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot, from which most of the pictures in the article come.

   Strongly recommended.

   https://cityofdarkness.co.uk/

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3. throwaway2037Sep 2023
   To be clear, "Kowloon" is different from "Kowloon Walled City". And, yes, they did have very small manufacturing inside.

   I highly recommend that you find a copy of this (in)famous book about it: << City of Darkness>> (https://cityofdarkness.co.uk).

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4. frostburgJan 2020
   City of Darkness (Ian Lambot, Greg Girard) is also great. A reprint is available, I think.
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5. HasknewbieDec 2017
   I was lucky enough to get my hands on the first edition of City Of Darkness before it became pricey, I heartily recommend that book.

   The "no laws and/or regulations in KWC" is a bit of a myth though, HK police began patrolling the place in the early 70s, plus despite its legal status it benefited from HK's infrastructure, such as postal services or the electric grid. It was lawless mostly in its number of unlicensed dentists.

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6. wallflowerNov 2014
   If you were ever looking for a coffee table book that may ensnare a guest's attention if they choose to pick it up and 'glance' through it, City of Darkness is one of the best. Unfortunately, it is now a collector's item now (hundreds of dollars)

   http://www.amazon.com/City-Darkness-Life-Kowloon-Walled/dp/1...

   Note: There is a 2nd edition coming out soon (via Kickstarter)

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