Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

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Objective	- Historical Inheritance, Cultural Exploration": To link and organize the existing and planned major historical and cultural buildings and facilities in the Kowloon City district for the purpose of maintaining historical heritance; Hong Kong people and tourists explore the culture there via innovative technology. - Space Revitalization, Public Activity": To revitalize the environment along the trail and add artistic features in the district; to design and organize public activities for the citizens and tourists according to the characteristics of each route so as to let people enjoy. - Cross-sector Cooperation, Community Care": To link up with residents and stakeholders in the district as well as encourage different professions and sectors to think about, design and even operate the Walking Trail in order to unite the community and increase their sense of belonging. - Arts and Cultural Preservation, Neighborhood and Community Relationship Forever": To organize various historical, cultural, arts and preservation activities to attract more residents and tourists visiting the Walking Trail, and raise people’s awareness and provide them opportunities to experience the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Kowloon City district and enhance cultural accomplishment.
Activities	Development of Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Background Recommendation for Development of Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail The District Urban Renewal Forum (DURF) is one of the major highlights of the new “Urban Renewal Strategy” promulgated by the Government in 2011. As the first DUSRF in Hong Kong, the Kowloon City DURF was established in June 2011 with the mission of formulating the Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for Kowloon City based on a series of planning and other studies and public engagement, which were funded by the Urban Renewal Fund (the “URF”). The DURF formulated and submitted the URP to the Government in January 2014 for consideration and follow-up. The development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail is one of the recommendations of the URP. In line with its commitment to support heritage preservation and district revitalisation initiatives in the urban renewal context, the Board of Directors of the URF took the initiative to provide funding to the project on the Development of the Themed Walking Trail and to invite proposals from interested organizations to carry out the project. Invitation for Expression of Interest In April 2016, the URF conducted an Invitation for Expression of Interest to ascertain the nature and extent of interests as well as the underlying concepts of the organizations that may be interested in the project on the development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail. The purpose was to collect views and ideas from relevant organizations on a non-committal basis. Invitation for Proposal In December 2016, the URF invited proposals from interested organizations to implement the development of the Trail. Appointment of HKSKH Welfare Council Limited to Implement the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail After detailed consideration and selection, in September 2017, the URF appointed the HKSKH Welfare Council Limited (the “Welfare Council”) to implement the project of the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail. The project was to commence in January 2018. Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony The Welfare Council and the URF jointly organized the “Kowloon City in Transformation: Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony” at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral in the afternoon on 27 November 2017. The project objective, characteristics and details of the routes were presented. The officiating guests included Mr Michael Wong Wai-lun, former Secretary for Development, Mr Pun Kwok-wah, JP, former Chairman of Kowloon City District Council, Ms Venus So Yi-ching, former Assistant District Officer of Kowloon City District Office, and the representatives of the URF and the Welfare Council. A great number of guests from the district attended the ceremony. Opening speech by the URF Board Chairman, Professor Steven Ngai, at the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony (Chinese version only) Introduction of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Project began operation on 1^st January, 2018. The 6.5km trail comprises 5 routes. The northern route starts at the Kowloon Walled City Park and passes Sung Wong Toi and To Kwa Wan to connect with St. Mary Church in Hung Hom in the south. The Walking Trail team has also developed various hardware facilities, organized cultural activities, prepared publications and established an Information Centre to connect with residents and stakeholders, prolong and promote the cultural history of Kowloon City while preserving the community spirit. Introduction to the Routes Route 1 “Walled City Historical Walk”: Starting form Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society Kowloon via Kowloon Walled City Park, Hau Wong Temple to Carpenter Road, this section mainly shows the history of Kowloon Walled City. Route 2 Local Culture Walk: Starting from Carpenter Road via Hau Wong Road, Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sung Wong Toi Garden to Sung Wong Toi Road, this section shows the connection between Kowloon City district and history of Hong Kong highlighting Song’s official salt field and the happenings of Emperor Duanzong and Bing of Song during the stay in Kowloon City. Route 3 “Community Art Walk”: Starting from Sky Tower at the junction of Sung Wong Toi Road and Pak Tai Street via Cattle Depot Artist Village and Gas holder to Kowloon City Ferry Pier, this section takes history and arts as theme, especially 13 streets and local shops. Route 4 “Waterfront Leisure Walk”: Starting from the junction of San Ma Tau Street and To Kwa Wan Road along the harbourfront to Hoi Sham Park, this section takes To Kwa Wan harbourfront as theme, witnessing the change of coastline as well as the development of Hong Kong history. Route 5 “Temple and Church Walk”: Starting from Hoi Sham Park via Sung On Street, Bailey Street, Ma Tau Wai Road and Station Lane to St. Mary’s Church, this section shows not only the indigenous religious beliefs, but also livelihood in the past. Route 1 “Walled City Historical Walk” & Route 2 “Local Culture Walk” Route 3 “Community Art Walk” Route 4 “Waterfront Leisure Walk” & Route 5 “Temple and Church Walk” Important Features Technology Application: To use technology such as augmented reality (AR) and mobile APPs throughout the project to enhance interactivity and fun. “KC Transformer”: The project will recruit and train residents and community members to become “KC Transformers” who are the volunteers of the project. Through a series of training and practical activities, participants will understand the culture and history of the Kowloon City district as well as participate in the planning and promotion work of various activities. Cross-professional Team Cooperation: Experts and scholars from different disciplines including arts, architecture, urban planning, culture and history as well as preservation has been invited to provide professional advice on the project in order to generate synergies, activate cultural development, establish comprehensive community networks, co-create and inherit various types of public facilities, interactive spaces and cultural activities with local culture, arts, preservation, historical and religious features for the residents. Kick-off Ceremony 2023 To announce the completion of the public facilities for the whole Walking Trail and share our works, a kick off ceremony and exhibition named ‘Kowloon City in Transformation: Inheritance and the Way Forward’ was held at the Sheung Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral on 4^th July, 2023. Eight officiating guests including Ms Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, JP, Secretary for Development; Prof. Steven Ngai Sek-yum, Chairman of the Board of the Urban Renewal Fund; The Very Revd Frankin Lee On-Yip Dean, Holy Trinity Cathedral Priest-in-Charge, St Augustine’s Chapel; Revd Canon Hon Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming, BBS, OStJ, JP, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council; Ir Wai Chi Sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority; Mr Arthur Chan Tsz-fung, former Assistant District Officer of Home Affairs Department, Kowloon City District Office; Mr Ho Hin-ming, BBS, MH, former Chairman of Kowloon City District Council; and Mrs Patricia Lau, CEO of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council were invited to the kick off ceremony and go for a short tour to visit King Wan Street located at Route 4 of the Walking Trail after the ceremony, to experience the trace of ferries in the past Kowloon City through augmented reality (AR) technology. Information Centre The Kowloon City in Transformation Information Centre has been in operation during February 2019 to December 2024, and regularly organise activities such as design workshops, DIY workshops, exhibitions, guided tours etc., so as to connect and engage with the community and promote history and culture. There was an exhibition equipped with elderly-friendly concept to facilitate local seniors and the general public in the district. The total number of visitors reached 20,000. Programmes and Events In the past 7 years, the Walking Trail has organised more than 1,000 activities, with 145,000 participants. To raise public awareness of the community, the team organised guided tours on different themes such as industry, film, architecture, cuisine, religion, history and culture. A total of 276 guided tours has been organised since 2018, engaging with over 5,000 participants, exploring the historical aspects of Kowloon City and the hardware along the Walking Trail. Sketching, literary creation, etc. were also incorporated into the guided tours, allowing the public to record the community from different perspectives. Positive responses were received from the participants. To encourage the public to visit and explore the community, the Walking Trail held the “Detectives in Kowloon City” Culture Orienteering activity on 20^th October, 2024. Participants transformed into detectives and wandered through different mission points in Kowloon City, by completing the tasks to experience the history and stories of Kowloon City. The event attracted more than 360 participants. In addition, the Walking Trail aimed to bring the bottom-up participatory design concept into the community, allowing residents and stakeholders to participate together. Five “CityGuy” Tour Guide Training programs were held so far, attracted more than 50 enthusiastic Kowloon City residents and citizens who love to explore community culture to become docents. Through workshops, community inspections, guided tour skills training and practice, docents were required to design and plan the routes with different themes by themselves, and continue to run tours to promote and preserve community culture to the public. The team also organised diversified workshops, introducing the history and culture of Kowloon City in various forms and themes, including experiential workshops, creative workshops, design workshops, family activities, and dialogue sessions for stakeholders. The Walking Trail have organised over 500 workshops in total, reaching more than 20,000 participants, achieving over 88% satisfaction on staff performance and activity content. To promote the operation model of software activities and hardware facilities integration, the Walking Trail conducted the “Immersion in Old Kowloon Walled City” event from June to August 2022. Through data collection, on-site inspections, sharing, and interviews, participants deeply explored Kowloon Walled City, creating story texts and producing them into 10 sound stories, which was then presented in the hardware facilities outside the Kowloon Walled City Park. The participatory activity that combined with AR technology brought the hidden story of Kowloon Walled City to life and successfully won a Merit Award in the DFA Asia Awards 2024 under Service and Experience Design Category. Professional Committee and Regional coordination Kowloon City District Council The project team regularly visit the district councilors of Kowloon City District Council and attend the Committee meetings to report the progress of the project and seek opinions on hardware design and software activities. The district councilors of Kowloon City District Council, deeply rooted in the community for many years, provide significant suggestions in utilising community resources to respond to the needs of the community. Steering Committee To ensure that the project closely aligns with community needs, a Steering Committee was assembled, comprising of Dr. Greg WONG Chak-yan, BBS, JP, Dr. Michael LUK Yan-lung, Professor Chu Hoi-shan, and three Kowloon City District Councilors to serve as committee members. They provide insights on the project’s work and development, conduct regular on-site inspections, review hardware samples, and ensure that the project’s hardware design and software activities meet the needs of community. The project has conducted 9 meetings to date. Consultation Groups Over the past 7 years, the team has visited shops and organisations through outreach teams, set up street stations to interact with community residents, not only listening to and recording their stories but also collecting opinions and support. During the epidemic, the team also collected public opinions and suggestions on the project through online surveys. This helps the Walking Trail understand public preferences and expectations, allowing for improvements where needed, and striving to make the project even better. The team has also invited residents to participate in the “Community Art Map Workshop,” where they collaboratively create thematic maps for the area. These maps were then displayed on hardware installations along the Walking Trail, providing alternative local information for citizens to explore and learn. “KC Transformer” The project team has successfully recruited 276 residents, 101 district organisations, and cross-sectoral stakeholders to form a partnership of “KC Transformer”, and jointly conceive, participate in design, assist in the implementation of activities, etc., to build a sense of community belonging. Publicity Community Picture Book The team has published a series of community picture books, including “My Master is a Funeral Director”, “The Vehicle Hospital”, “The Story of Hoi Sham”, “Captain Tin and Sailor Hoi”, “Click, This is a magical camera!”, “Thai Fun”, “Mum’s Teochew Grocery Store”and AR picture books “Visiting Factories with Grandpa” and “The Next Station is…”, nine unique picture books in total. To promote the picture books, the Walking Trail has organised more than 170 picture book reading workshops and community theaters, inviting parent-child families and primary schools and kindergartens in Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Yau Tsim Mong districts to participate. By sharing Kowloon City stories with children in a relaxing and interesting way, it helps to deepen children’s understanding of the community. Hong Kong Book Fair The team also participated in the Hong Kong Book Fair for three consecutive years starting from 2022, in order to reach out more people, including principals and teachers. During the Book Fair, activities such as picture book story sharing, pop-up workshops and community theatres were held to allow more children and parents to understand the history and culture of Kowloon City. Quarterly Newsletter “Footprint” The Walking Trail quarterly newsletter, “Footprints” was first published in October 2018, featuring different thematic content each season. It uses text and photos to promote the project and the historical culture of the Kowloon City district. A total of 25 issues have been published so far, with the total print run up to 200,000 copies. Free distribution has reached 50 locations, including the offices of the Kowloon City District Councilors, public libraries and shops in the district. The “Footprints” has also been invited by the Kowloon Public Library and To Kwa Wan Public Library to be included in their collections, and its publication content is highly recognised. Oral History Book “Before Kowloon City in Transformation: Breath of Times” Through the Oral History Interview Project, interns from different universities were invited to participate in interviewing the neighborhood or business organisations that have taken root in Kowloon City in different eras, including former Walled City residents, shopkeepers, second-generation Thais, etc., and record the precious Kowloon City stories and memories of 14 of them into a book. The Walking Trail has donated this Oral History book to local public libraries, tertiary institutions, and primary and secondary schools in Kowloon City for passing-on. Social Media Platform The “Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail” Facebook page and Instagram account were officially launched in 2018. Beyond promoting the project, they serve as interactive platforms with stakeholders through features like large-scale polls and sharing the latest event information. The team also produced short videos and uploaded them to the YouTube channel for public to view. A RedNote account was also created in 2024 to introduce check-in routes and promote Walking Trail activities in Kowloon City to attract more tourists to visit Kowloon City. By the end of 2024, the social media platform has reached over 4,300,000 people, with 19,700 people “Likes” or “follows” the accounts. Website and Mobile Applications The official website of the Walking Trail was officially launched in March 2019. It not only publishes the latest project development news, event promotion and media reports, but also contains thematic stories about conservation, urban planning, shops, architecture, culture and history along the trail. The page has accumulated more than 942,000 views by the end of 2024. The mobile app was officially launched in July 2019, featuring functionalities such as activity registration, interactive maps, and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. By opening the interactive map, different guided tours would be provided for users to explore by themselves. Users could also scan the AR panels along the Walking Trail to learn about the background and history of different landmarks. The mobile app got over 11,700 downloads. Media interviews and reports The project has received a total of 106 media reports, including “Oriental Daily”, “HK01”, “Economic Times”, “The Standard” and “Commercial Radio Hong Kong”, etc. The team was also invited by Now TV Finance Channel 333 and RTHK TV 32 for an interview to introduce the fun places along the trail. Moreover, the project was featured in Cathay Pacific’s magazine “CATHAY”, providing an introduction to the features and stories of the Walking Trail for both local and foreign tourists. Roving Architecture Exhibition 2023 In addition to publishing picture books and hosting various cultural workshops, the Walking Trail actively promotes Kowloon City’s unique culture to overseas. The team participated in the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation’s Roving Architecture Exhibition at Kuala Lumpur, Nanjing and Hong Kong in July 2023, October 2023 and February 2024 respectively. The theme of the exhibit is “In Search of Reminiscence in City” that aims to investigate the distinctive urban fabric of Kowloon City’s dwellings, lifestyle and public space with the use of multi-layer LED light engraving model to create a glimpse of the district. The art installation showcases scenarios from the transformation of rooftop settlements to martial arts school, residue space used as shops underneath the staircases, to the physical structures of temple in the streets mutated throughout time, so as to reveal the multiple layers of public space. The team hopes to bring out the diverse aspects of the old community through the work, and bring the characteristics of the Walking Trail and the story of Hong Kong to the world. Retrospective Exhibition of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Approaching the end of the project, the Walking Trail organised a Retrospective Exhibition and an opening ceremony at the Central Market during 10^th – 17^th December, 2024. Representatives from different government departments, steering committee members, district partners, interviewees from oral history book, etc. were invited to attend the ceremony and visit the exhibition to witness the project’s achievements together. The exhibition has four main zones, including Explore, Connect, Co-create and Envisage. The team hopes to spread the spirit of the trail to the public through the exhibition, promote community participation and historical and cultural heritage, and extend this spirit to other districts. The eight-day exhibition reached a total of 8,361 visitors.

Development of Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

Background

Recommendation for Development of Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

The District Urban Renewal Forum (DURF) is one of the major highlights of the new “Urban Renewal Strategy” promulgated by the Government in 2011. As the first DUSRF in Hong Kong, the Kowloon City DURF was established in June 2011 with the mission of formulating the Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for Kowloon City based on a series of planning and other studies and public engagement, which were funded by the Urban Renewal Fund (the “URF”).

The DURF formulated and submitted the URP to the Government in January 2014 for consideration and follow-up. The development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail is one of the recommendations of the URP.

In line with its commitment to support heritage preservation and district revitalisation initiatives in the urban renewal context, the Board of Directors of the URF took the initiative to provide funding to the project on the Development of the Themed Walking Trail and to invite proposals from interested organizations to carry out the project.

Invitation for Expression of Interest

In April 2016, the URF conducted an Invitation for Expression of Interest to ascertain the nature and extent of interests as well as the underlying concepts of the organizations that may be interested in the project on the development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail. The purpose was to collect views and ideas from relevant organizations on a non-committal basis.

Invitation for Proposal

In December 2016, the URF invited proposals from interested organizations to implement the development of the Trail.

Appointment of HKSKH Welfare Council Limited to Implement the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

After detailed consideration and selection, in September 2017, the URF appointed the HKSKH Welfare Council Limited (the “Welfare Council”) to implement the project of the Development of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail. The project was to commence in January 2018.

Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony

The Welfare Council and the URF jointly organized the “Kowloon City in Transformation: Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony” at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral in the afternoon on 27 November 2017. The project objective, characteristics and details of the routes were presented. The officiating guests included Mr Michael Wong Wai-lun, former Secretary for Development, Mr Pun Kwok-wah, JP, former Chairman of Kowloon City District Council, Ms Venus So Yi-ching, former Assistant District Officer of Kowloon City District Office, and the representatives of the URF and the Welfare Council. A great number of guests from the district attended the ceremony.

Opening speech by the URF Board Chairman, Professor Steven Ngai, at the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail Kick Off Ceremony (Chinese version only)

Introduction of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

Project began operation on 1^st January, 2018. The 6.5km trail comprises 5 routes. The northern route starts at the Kowloon Walled City Park and passes Sung Wong Toi and To Kwa Wan to connect with St. Mary Church in Hung Hom in the south. The Walking Trail team has also developed various hardware facilities, organized cultural activities, prepared publications and established an Information Centre to connect with residents and stakeholders, prolong and promote the cultural history of Kowloon City while preserving the community spirit.

Introduction to the Routes

Route 1 “Walled City Historical Walk”: Starting form Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society Kowloon via Kowloon Walled City Park, Hau Wong Temple to Carpenter Road, this section mainly shows the history of Kowloon Walled City.
Route 2 Local Culture Walk: Starting from Carpenter Road via Hau Wong Road, Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sung Wong Toi Garden to Sung Wong Toi Road, this section shows the connection between Kowloon City district and history of Hong Kong highlighting Song’s official salt field and the happenings of Emperor Duanzong and Bing of Song during the stay in Kowloon City.
Route 3 “Community Art Walk”: Starting from Sky Tower at the junction of Sung Wong Toi Road and Pak Tai Street via Cattle Depot Artist Village and Gas holder to Kowloon City Ferry Pier, this section takes history and arts as theme, especially 13 streets and local shops.
Route 4 “Waterfront Leisure Walk”: Starting from the junction of San Ma Tau Street and To Kwa Wan Road along the harbourfront to Hoi Sham Park, this section takes To Kwa Wan harbourfront as theme, witnessing the change of coastline as well as the development of Hong Kong history.
Route 5 “Temple and Church Walk”: Starting from Hoi Sham Park via Sung On Street, Bailey Street, Ma Tau Wai Road and Station Lane to St. Mary’s Church, this section shows not only the indigenous religious beliefs, but also livelihood in the past.

Route 1 “Walled City Historical Walk” & Route 2 “Local Culture Walk”

Route 3 “Community Art Walk”

Route 4 “Waterfront Leisure Walk” & Route 5 “Temple and Church Walk”

Important Features

Technology Application: To use technology such as augmented reality (AR) and mobile APPs throughout the project to enhance interactivity and fun.
“KC Transformer”: The project will recruit and train residents and community members to become “KC Transformers” who are the volunteers of the project. Through a series of training and practical activities, participants will understand the culture and history of the Kowloon City district as well as participate in the planning and promotion work of various activities.
Cross-professional Team Cooperation: Experts and scholars from different disciplines including arts, architecture, urban planning, culture and history as well as preservation has been invited to provide professional advice on the project in order to generate synergies, activate cultural development, establish comprehensive community networks, co-create and inherit various types of public facilities, interactive spaces and cultural activities with local culture, arts, preservation, historical and religious features for the residents.

Kick-off Ceremony 2023

To announce the completion of the public facilities for the whole Walking Trail and share our works, a kick off ceremony and exhibition named ‘Kowloon City in Transformation: Inheritance and the Way Forward’ was held at the Sheung Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral on 4^th July, 2023. Eight officiating guests including Ms Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, JP, Secretary for Development; Prof. Steven Ngai Sek-yum, Chairman of the Board of the Urban Renewal Fund; The Very Revd Frankin Lee On-Yip Dean, Holy Trinity Cathedral Priest-in-Charge, St Augustine’s Chapel; Revd Canon Hon Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming, BBS, OStJ, JP, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council; Ir Wai Chi Sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority; Mr Arthur Chan Tsz-fung, former Assistant District Officer of Home Affairs Department, Kowloon City District Office; Mr Ho Hin-ming, BBS, MH, former Chairman of Kowloon City District Council; and Mrs Patricia Lau, CEO of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council were invited to the kick off ceremony and go for a short tour to visit King Wan Street located at Route 4 of the Walking Trail after the ceremony, to experience the trace of ferries in the past Kowloon City through augmented reality (AR) technology.

Information Centre

The Kowloon City in Transformation Information Centre has been in operation during February 2019 to December 2024, and regularly organise activities such as design workshops, DIY workshops, exhibitions, guided tours etc., so as to connect and engage with the community and promote history and culture. There was an exhibition equipped with elderly-friendly concept to facilitate local seniors and the general public in the district. The total number of visitors reached 20,000.

Programmes and Events

In the past 7 years, the Walking Trail has organised more than 1,000 activities, with 145,000 participants.

To raise public awareness of the community, the team organised guided tours on different themes such as industry, film, architecture, cuisine, religion, history and culture. A total of 276 guided tours has been organised since 2018, engaging with over 5,000 participants, exploring the historical aspects of Kowloon City and the hardware along the Walking Trail. Sketching, literary creation, etc. were also incorporated into the guided tours, allowing the public to record the community from different perspectives. Positive responses were received from the participants.

To encourage the public to visit and explore the community, the Walking Trail held the “Detectives in Kowloon City” Culture Orienteering activity on 20^th October, 2024. Participants transformed into detectives and wandered through different mission points in Kowloon City, by completing the tasks to experience the history and stories of Kowloon City. The event attracted more than 360 participants.

In addition, the Walking Trail aimed to bring the bottom-up participatory design concept into the community, allowing residents and stakeholders to participate together. Five “CityGuy” Tour Guide Training programs were held so far, attracted more than 50 enthusiastic Kowloon City residents and citizens who love to explore community culture to become docents. Through workshops, community inspections, guided tour skills training and practice, docents were required to design and plan the routes with different themes by themselves, and continue to run tours to promote and preserve community culture to the public.

The team also organised diversified workshops, introducing the history and culture of Kowloon City in various forms and themes, including experiential workshops, creative workshops, design workshops, family activities, and dialogue sessions for stakeholders. The Walking Trail have organised over 500 workshops in total, reaching more than 20,000 participants, achieving over 88% satisfaction on staff performance and activity content.

To promote the operation model of software activities and hardware facilities integration, the Walking Trail conducted the “Immersion in Old Kowloon Walled City” event from June to August 2022. Through data collection, on-site inspections, sharing, and interviews, participants deeply explored Kowloon Walled City, creating story texts and producing them into 10 sound stories, which was then presented in the hardware facilities outside the Kowloon Walled City Park. The participatory activity that combined with AR technology brought the hidden story of Kowloon Walled City to life and successfully won a Merit Award in the DFA Asia Awards 2024 under Service and Experience Design Category.

Professional Committee and Regional coordination

Kowloon City District Council

The project team regularly visit the district councilors of Kowloon City District Council and attend the Committee meetings to report the progress of the project and seek opinions on hardware design and software activities. The district councilors of Kowloon City District Council, deeply rooted in the community for many years, provide significant suggestions in utilising community resources to respond to the needs of the community.

Steering Committee

To ensure that the project closely aligns with community needs, a Steering Committee was assembled, comprising of Dr. Greg WONG Chak-yan, BBS, JP, Dr. Michael LUK Yan-lung, Professor Chu Hoi-shan, and three Kowloon City District Councilors to serve as committee members. They provide insights on the project’s work and development, conduct regular on-site inspections, review hardware samples, and ensure that the project’s hardware design and software activities meet the needs of community. The project has conducted 9 meetings to date.

Consultation Groups

Over the past 7 years, the team has visited shops and organisations through outreach teams, set up street stations to interact with community residents, not only listening to and recording their stories but also collecting opinions and support.

During the epidemic, the team also collected public opinions and suggestions on the project through online surveys. This helps the Walking Trail understand public preferences and expectations, allowing for improvements where needed, and striving to make the project even better.

The team has also invited residents to participate in the “Community Art Map Workshop,” where they collaboratively create thematic maps for the area. These maps were then displayed on hardware installations along the Walking Trail, providing alternative local information for citizens to explore and learn.

“KC Transformer”

The project team has successfully recruited 276 residents, 101 district organisations, and cross-sectoral stakeholders to form a partnership of “KC Transformer”, and jointly conceive, participate in design, assist in the implementation of activities, etc., to build a sense of community belonging.

Publicity

Community Picture Book

The team has published a series of community picture books, including “My Master is a Funeral Director”, “The Vehicle Hospital”, “The Story of Hoi Sham”, “Captain Tin and Sailor Hoi”, “Click, This is a magical camera!”, “Thai Fun”, “Mum’s Teochew Grocery Store”and AR picture books “Visiting Factories with Grandpa” and “The Next Station is…”, nine unique picture books in total.

To promote the picture books, the Walking Trail has organised more than 170 picture book reading workshops and community theaters, inviting parent-child families and primary schools and kindergartens in Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Yau Tsim Mong districts to participate. By sharing Kowloon City stories with children in a relaxing and interesting way, it helps to deepen children’s understanding of the community.

Hong Kong Book Fair

The team also participated in the Hong Kong Book Fair for three consecutive years starting from 2022, in order to reach out more people, including principals and teachers. During the Book Fair, activities such as picture book story sharing, pop-up workshops and community theatres were held to allow more children and parents to understand the history and culture of Kowloon City.

Quarterly Newsletter “Footprint”

The Walking Trail quarterly newsletter, “Footprints” was first published in October 2018, featuring different thematic content each season. It uses text and photos to promote the project and the historical culture of the Kowloon City district. A total of 25 issues have been published so far, with the total print run up to 200,000 copies. Free distribution has reached 50 locations, including the offices of the Kowloon City District Councilors, public libraries and shops in the district. The “Footprints” has also been invited by the Kowloon Public Library and To Kwa Wan Public Library to be included in their collections, and its publication content is highly recognised.

Oral History Book “Before Kowloon City in Transformation: Breath of Times”

Through the Oral History Interview Project, interns from different universities were invited to participate in interviewing the neighborhood or business organisations that have taken root in Kowloon City in different eras, including former Walled City residents, shopkeepers, second-generation Thais, etc., and record the precious Kowloon City stories and memories of 14 of them into a book. The Walking Trail has donated this Oral History book to local public libraries, tertiary institutions, and primary and secondary schools in Kowloon City for passing-on.

Social Media Platform

The “Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail” Facebook page and Instagram account were officially launched in 2018. Beyond promoting the project, they serve as interactive platforms with stakeholders through features like large-scale polls and sharing the latest event information. The team also produced short videos and uploaded them to the YouTube channel for public to view. A RedNote account was also created in 2024 to introduce check-in routes and promote Walking Trail activities in Kowloon City to attract more tourists to visit Kowloon City. By the end of 2024, the social media platform has reached over 4,300,000 people, with 19,700 people “Likes” or “follows” the accounts.

Website and Mobile Applications

The official website of the Walking Trail was officially launched in March 2019. It not only publishes the latest project development news, event promotion and media reports, but also contains thematic stories about conservation, urban planning, shops, architecture, culture and history along the trail. The page has accumulated more than 942,000 views by the end of 2024.

The mobile app was officially launched in July 2019, featuring functionalities such as activity registration, interactive maps, and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. By opening the interactive map, different guided tours would be provided for users to explore by themselves. Users could also scan the AR panels along the Walking Trail to learn about the background and history of different landmarks. The mobile app got over 11,700 downloads.

Media interviews and reports

The project has received a total of 106 media reports, including “Oriental Daily”, “HK01”, “Economic Times”, “The Standard” and “Commercial Radio Hong Kong”, etc. The team was also invited by Now TV Finance Channel 333 and RTHK TV 32 for an interview to introduce the fun places along the trail. Moreover, the project was featured in Cathay Pacific’s magazine “CATHAY”, providing an introduction to the features and stories of the Walking Trail for both local and foreign tourists.

Roving Architecture Exhibition 2023

In addition to publishing picture books and hosting various cultural workshops, the Walking Trail actively promotes Kowloon City’s unique culture to overseas. The team participated in the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation’s Roving Architecture Exhibition at Kuala Lumpur, Nanjing and Hong Kong in July 2023, October 2023 and February 2024 respectively. The theme of the exhibit is “In Search of Reminiscence in City” that aims to investigate the distinctive urban fabric of Kowloon City’s dwellings, lifestyle and public space with the use of multi-layer LED light engraving model to create a glimpse of the district. The art installation showcases scenarios from the transformation of rooftop settlements to martial arts school, residue space used as shops underneath the staircases, to the physical structures of temple in the streets mutated throughout time, so as to reveal the multiple layers of public space. The team hopes to bring out the diverse aspects of the old community through the work, and bring the characteristics of the Walking Trail and the story of Hong Kong to the world.

Retrospective Exhibition of the Kowloon City Themed Walking Trail

Approaching the end of the project, the Walking Trail organised a Retrospective Exhibition and an opening ceremony at the Central Market during 10^th – 17^th December, 2024. Representatives from different government departments, steering committee members, district partners, interviewees from oral history book, etc. were invited to attend the ceremony and visit the exhibition to witness the project’s achievements together. The exhibition has four main zones, including Explore, Connect, Co-create and Envisage. The team hopes to spread the spirit of the trail to the public through the exhibition, promote community participation and historical and cultural heritage, and extend this spirit to other districts. The eight-day exhibition reached a total of 8,361 visitors.