Getting together with other homeschoolers for activities has been a great part of our homeschooling experience. We've made friends, learned new skills, explored parts of Hong Kong, shared talents and ideas, played games, and been inspired with different homeschooling ideas and methods. One of my favorite activities with our homeschool group is the Show and Tell activity. Periodically, we gather to allow the kids an opportunity to share something they've been working on in their homeschooling. The kids not only get a chance to share talents and/or projects but they practice their public speaking and listening skills. During these activities we also have a special guest speaker or presentation.
A few months ago we had a fantastic Show and Tell activity. As usual, the kids shared some great projects. Cade read some poems we'd been studying and Abby explained how paracord bracelets are made and showed many of the bracelets she and Aunt Nicole made together. Following the presentations and a delicious potluck lunch, we had an amazing guest speaker, Jackie Pullinger.
Jackie was born and raised in England. She sailed to Hong Kong in 1966 at the age of 21 in hopes of fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a missionary. Although not sponsored or guided by any specific church and with only $100 Hong Kong dollars, she set out to find a way to do God's work and help people. Jackie discovered a great need in the Walled City, the densely populated walled settlement filled with crime, filth, and lawlessness. There she established a youth club to provide a safe place for people to not only learn about Jesus but also recover from drug addictions. Jackie's been a tireless, charismatic, dedicated missionary in Hong Kong for almost 50 years now. She continues to preach and serve and help people overcome additions through faith in Jesus Christ.
In a very engaging and animated way, Jackie shared her story of coming to Hong Kong, being in the Walled City, and helping people find a better way of life. She's an inspiring woman whose done amazing work. It was a privilege to meet her and hear her story.
The Walled City was torn down 20 years ago and replaced with a beautiful, memorial park.
After hearing Jackie's story, a spark of interest about the Walled City emerged in us and we visited the park to learn more about this interesting part of Hong Kong history.
The Walled City was originally a Chinese military fort. In 1898 when China agreed to extend the area of the British colony to include the New Territories, the Walled City remained under Chinese control. A year later the Chinese troops and officials left the Walled City leaving a settlement void of any governance where gangs (primary the Triads), crimes, and illegal activities flourished, including illegal construction, drug trafficking (especially opium), prostitution, unlicensed dentistry and medical clinics, and a place to get dog meat. This lawless enclave became the most densely populated area on earth covering only 6.5 acres and housing 33,000-40,000 people. Jackie described the buildings as looking like a tower of playing cards, leaning haphazardly on each other with electrical wires hanging precariously above walkways and through windows and doorways.
The buildings were so close together that little or no sunlight reached the ground floor leaving a dark, damp maze of narrow paths. Before tearing down the buildings, a Japanese company took precious measurements of the buildings to recreate this accurate model of the area.
The Walled City Park restored the yamen building which housed the Chinese officials.
A small section of the original south gate foundation was also preserved
with the 2 plaques that say "South Gate" and "Kowloon Walled City".
There are also many rock memorials throughout the park,
including the Jackie Pullinger Rock.
The Walled City, also known as the City of Darkness, is a very interesting part of Hong Kong history and I'm glad we got to learn a little more about it from Jackie Pullinger and the memorials at the Walled City Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment