Uncle Man｜The Living Dictionary in the Kowloon Walled City Park
Walking into Kowloon Walled City Park, it isn’t difficult to spot the older man chatting with citizens and tourists alike. This is Lei Sing-man: he goes by Uncle Man and wears a “volunteer guide” label on his chest. After moving to Kowloon in 1998, he became interested in the horticultural design and heritage of the park, and shouldered the mission to pass on its history.
“People looked out for and helped one another, passing things between the tightly packed windows—it’s why they called it the “handshake heights”. ”
Journalist: Miff
Translation: Alex Rednaxela
Photos: Miff
Editorial: Zucchhi, Windlikes, Paris
An Oasis in the City Centre
If you mention the Kowloon Walled City, most people will probably think of the old Kai Tak Airport and those great airplanes skimming past roofs in an endless stream of take-off and landing. What most attracts me however, is the park. In the beginning I simply thought it a very unique Chinese garden lying in the centre of town. I appreciated its design and some time after, I began exploring its history. When I first started, I spent a lot of time in the park itself and when people came to do walking tours I would always go and listen, remembering the wheat and forgetting the chaff. I don’t think we should be looking down on those young tour guides, they’ve got the enthusiasm to bring students along and talk about the park—most of them bring a wealth of historical material. I myself often listen to historians on the internet, such as the garden designer Tse Shun Kai, and try to absorb as much accurate information as possible.
The Truth Behind “Sin City”
You often hear that the Kowloon Walled City was really dangerous—monikers like “gangster heaven,” “sin city,” “lawless” and whatnot. When I was a child I once went in to meet a classmate in the Walled City. That day, I ran into a drug addict who tried to take my money—I managed to lose him, and shouted out my classmate’s name. From somewhere up above I heard them shout back, “Come on in!” When I got to the door of the address my friend had given me, I saw a family gathered around eating. There were no stairs anywhere. I thought to myself, “How on earth do I go upstairs?” I put my head down and walked through the door, but the family didn’t pay any heed to their uninvited guest. After getting inside, I saw a run-down old spiral staircase and, following it up, I found my classmate. It turned out that that single staircase was shared by several buildings.
Later, once I’d begun as a volunteer guide, I found out there were many secret passages in the Walled City and those passages all connected up. If one family decided to close their door, others might not have been able to get home. As a result, the people who lived there didn’t close their doors, not even at night. Sometimes, if something went missing from inside a house, the residents knew that it would be back in its original place within a few days. In truth, the Walled City was a pretty harmonious little community and it had everything you would need for self sustenance—shops, snack bars, even a textiles factory. Among Walled City residents, people looked out for and helped one another, passing things between the tightly packed windows—it’s why they called it the “handshake heights”.
As for why people called it “lawless,” this didn’t refer to pornography, gambling or drug abuse, but the fact that after the Qing Dynasty withdrew their troops, neither the colonial, mainland or republican governments assumed control over it.
In the 60s, although pornography, gambling and drug abuse were rife, the Walled City was an island of peace. In those days, the underworld understood morality and only conducted business in the Walled City, without involving gangs. As the saying goes, “rabbits don’t eat the grass outside their burrows”. If a gangster used a resident as cover he’d have to expose himself; naturally he wasn’t going to harass them. There are all sorts of dark tales on the internet—sometimes even told by guides in the park—about this “lawlessness”. Often they go overboard and end up smearing the actual reality. I think we should tell authentic stories.
Kowloon Garden Park Unvalued by the Government
After Kowloon Walled City was torn down, it became the Chinese gardens we have now. Its design is packed with many meaningful features, even winning international awards. Unfortunately, 11 of its original hanging couplets have been taken away, including one describing the take-offs and landings at Kai Tak Airport. Recently they’ve even taken away the streetlights that were here. Those streetlights were originally designed after the hats of Qing Dynasty soldiers, because the Walled City started out as a Qing army camp. If they carry on like this, will the next generation be able to go and find history there at all? On top of this, there were originally all sorts of beautiful flowers that bloomed around the pond, but the park authorities decided to allow residents to raise tortoises there and it destroyed the habitat, killing off all the flowers. When I see pictures of the scenery as it used to be, I can’t help but sigh. Often I’ll put these older pictures side-by-side with new ones on social media to let people compare for themselves.
The Mission to Transmit Real History
All sorts of stories are circulated about this place—even today, many of the official guides are unfamiliar with its history and either give out false information or drift from their subject. When I hear something like that I’ll correct them immediately, but sometimes they aren’t happy about it and attack me on the internet. But I still think transmitting real information to the public is more important. I have also recommended the office to uniformly train their guides so they can get a clearer understanding of the design and history of the park. I’ve also encountered Walled City residents misrepresenting the history of the park. Even though they grew up in the Walled City, it doesn’t necessarily mean they fully understand the community. These kind of incidents make me very unhappy.
Either way, I’ve had a lot of support and I’m friendly with many of the folks around the neighbourhood—they also really care about the state of the park. The security guard over there calls me a “living dictionary” and often gives me biscuits and hot tea. When the previous manager of this place introduced me to the new one, he called me “practically a colleague!” It made me very happy to hear that.
The recent pandemic has meant that far fewer tourists have come to visit, but there are more Hongkongers. I’m very happy that Hongkongers can come here, walk about and get to know the past and present of this place.
I’ve been a volunteer guide here for over 10 years because I think I ought to tell everything I know to others. This isn’t just a duty, but a personal mission.
“I am Uncle Man, I am a HKer.”
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This article was featured on Apply Daily English Version. See the article @ https://hk.appledaily.com/feature/20201128/SVG7K47SSBFQ3C6JV3THYMHC5M/