King of Kowloon (Hong Kong)

Do you know that Hong Kong was once under the rule of the King?

What king, you ask…?

Blasphemy!

How dare you not know about our great king, the King of Kowloon, Tsang Tsoi Choi (曾灶財)?

For those who don’t know, Tsang was a famous (I wonder if “famous” is the correct word) old man in Hong Kong because he believed that his ancestors once ruled Kowloon, thus claiming himself to be “the King of Kowloon” and said the government should pay him the taxes for “his land”; though these seem to be nothing more than his delusion. Annoyed by his claim and behavior, his family disowned him and his wife left him.

However, what makes him really famous is not his claim of being the king, but his calligraphy. He painted the messages about his title, his family tress, how he owned Kowloon and the like on almost everything on the street. Post-boxes, lamp posts, walls, telephone booths, pedestrian underpass…everything was covered in his calligraphy. He was arrested and fined a few times, and his graffiti was always cleaned up afterwards, but he would always come back and re-apply his messages. And he has been doing that for over 50 years (dedicated, isn’t he?)!

His writing can’t really be called “beautiful”, but it sure is unique. The calligraphy has inspired the art community and he was deemed as “one of the earliest modern graffiti artists in Hong Kong”. There were even exhibitions of his works held by those who admire his typography.

Sadly, Tsang suffered a heart attack and passed away in 2007. People from the art community thought that was a pity, and urged the government to preserve Tsang’ legacy because of its artistic and cultural value. While the government promised that, it failed to do so (as if it has succeeded in doing anything good) and only a few pieces of Tsang’s works remain nowadays.

Some people think Tsang’s writing is a nuisance to a modern city like Hong Kong, but I think his graffiti gives Hong Kong a sense of cultural uniqueness and has already become one of the most symbolizing images of this place.

Requiescat in pace, King Tsang.