The wall for which the Walled City was named, however, was not built until after the 1842 Opium War, as a defense against the British on Hong Kong island, who were covetously eyeing the mainland from across the water.
但此地設城寨則是在鴉片戰爭以後。清政府在一八四二年南京條約中，把香港割讓給英國後，英人就在島上大興土木，築路建樓；清政府只得加強九龍半島的管理，建九龍城寨，向隔著海峽、虎視眈眈的英人，擺出積極防禦的姿態。