Mapping a Chinese plan for the Kowloon walled city: an initial documentary and topographical interpretation

Stephen N. G. Davies; Lawrence Wai Chung Lai; Nixon Tit Hei Leung; Hon Chim Chiu; Ken S. T. Ching; Chun Liang Lin

doi:10.1007/s10708-025-11541-z

Mapping a Chinese plan for the Kowloon walled city: an initial documentary and topographical interpretation

Stephen N. G. Davies, Lawrence Wai Chung Lai^*, Nixon Tit Hei Leung, Hon Chim Chiu, Ken S. T. Ching, Chun Liang Lin

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This short paper on the planning and development of the City of Kowloon (City) at its formative (pre-British colonial) stage as a walled Ch’ing (Qing) Dynasty military base, attempts to provide a reasonable account of the apparent in-completion of this imperially planned town. The account is based on a comparison of the written specifications of this City’s design in written narratives in Chinese official documents, and its actual physical configuration after 1847 as it appears in photos, maps, and written sources. The authors postulate that the abandonment of the originally-proposed dimensions, a “Chun Hoi Lau” (Zhenhai Tower) which venerated the god Pak Tei (Beitei) with a strong fung shui (feng shui) function, and an uphill gun (cannon) position, was due to local objective topographical and geotechnical constraints that were insurmountable given China’s perceived urgent military needs at the time.

Original language	English
Article number	296
Number of pages	12
Journal	GeoJournal
Volume	90
Issue number	6
Early online date	22 Nov 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-025-11541-z
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2025

Keywords

Coastal defence
City of Kowloon
Kowloon walled city
Pak Hok Shan
Fung shui (feng shui)
Conversion of units of measurement

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10.1007/s10708-025-11541-zLicence: CC BY

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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Final published version, 1.32 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "This short paper on the planning and development of the City of Kowloon (City) at its formative (pre-British colonial) stage as a walled Ch{\textquoteright}ing (Qing) Dynasty military base, attempts to provide a reasonable account of the apparent in-completion of this imperially planned town. The account is based on a comparison of the written specifications of this City{\textquoteright}s design in written narratives in Chinese official documents, and its actual physical configuration after 1847 as it appears in photos, maps, and written sources. The authors postulate that the abandonment of the originally-proposed dimensions, a “Chun Hoi Lau” (Zhenhai Tower) which venerated the god Pak Tei (Beitei) with a strong fung shui (feng shui) function, and an uphill gun (cannon) position, was due to local objective topographical and geotechnical constraints that were insurmountable given China{\textquoteright}s perceived urgent military needs at the time.",

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AU - Ching, Ken S. T.

AU - Lin, Chun Liang

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AB - This short paper on the planning and development of the City of Kowloon (City) at its formative (pre-British colonial) stage as a walled Ch’ing (Qing) Dynasty military base, attempts to provide a reasonable account of the apparent in-completion of this imperially planned town. The account is based on a comparison of the written specifications of this City’s design in written narratives in Chinese official documents, and its actual physical configuration after 1847 as it appears in photos, maps, and written sources. The authors postulate that the abandonment of the originally-proposed dimensions, a “Chun Hoi Lau” (Zhenhai Tower) which venerated the god Pak Tei (Beitei) with a strong fung shui (feng shui) function, and an uphill gun (cannon) position, was due to local objective topographical and geotechnical constraints that were insurmountable given China’s perceived urgent military needs at the time.

KW - Coastal defence

KW - City of Kowloon

KW - Kowloon walled city

KW - Pak Hok Shan

KW - Fung shui (feng shui)

KW - Conversion of units of measurement

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Mapping a Chinese plan for the Kowloon walled city: an initial documentary and topographical interpretation

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Keywords

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