City walk - Sheung Wan

The best way to see Hong Kong is by foot, especially on Hong Kong Island where roads are a bit hilly and full of nooks. Recently I have ‘discovered’ a cool neighbourhood in Sheung Wan which has become a sought-after residential area for expats (especially the French). Originally we planned to take a look at another newly opened restaurant – Oolaa on Bridges Street. 

Bridges street is in parallel of Hollywood Road where the popular Classified and Agnes B Café are just located.  The restaurant at the time of passing was packed and it has a great atmosphere. I am eager to try it out before long! 

So back to the cool area which begins at Bridges Street and loops around Tung Street, Sai Street, Tai Ping Shan Street and ends at Po Yan Street. Theses few short streets tucked away in the residential area are now scattered with art galleries and coffee shops. I love it because they really have a unique character.  Even it’s in the heart of Hong Kong, it’s very green and quiet in here.

Some investors have converted walk-ups into trendy apartments but lots still remain dilapidated. Having said that, there’s a romantic feeling about it.   Perhaps it’s because we are sick of living in a hundred-storey new apartment blocks with the same generic decoration and no view but your neighbour’s TV.  We crave for buildings with characters and not bling-bling chandeliers in the lift lobby!  In this area, you can find apartments with either a garden or a balcony, albeit a bit small, without costing you an arm and a leg, they are rare gems in the city.  This area is actually an old district with an eerie history relates to the outbreak of the ‘Black Death’ started here in 1894. Notable architectures in this area include:

• The Grade II listed building and the oldest temple in Hong Kong - ‘Pak Shing temple’ (Kwong Fook I Tsz) on the junction between Pound Lane and Tai Ping Shan Street. The ‘temple for spirits’ got its name from serving the general public (pak shing) back in 1856 by accommodating the tablets of the deceased Mainland Chinese who worked in Hong Kong. There are still over a thousand ancestral tablets and some bear photos of the deceased on the premises in its rear hall. During the outbreak of bubonic plague, it’s used for storing coffins and dead bodies. Many dead bodies and dying Chinese were seen cuddled in this temple. Because of the appalling condition and for hygienic reasons, the nearby Tung Wah Hospital was established. Nowadays, the temple is still thriving, if you are lucky, you can still see regular ceremonies performed for the ‘dead’ by monks dressed in yellow robes.

• Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences in Caine Lane – Built in 1906, it housed the Institute of Bacteriology in Hong Kong which was set up to combat the bubonic plague started in this area in 1894 for 30 long years. Until 1972, when the Institute moved to a new location, the Edwardian Building was then used as a storeroom for the Pathology Service of the Health Department. The most fascinating part of the Museum is its dimly lit basement. Almost everything remains exactly the same, the old dentistry chairs and the autopsy room are spooky.

• Wing Lee Street – A short street full of 1960s tenements, it is the film set of the Berlin Film Festival winner Echoes of the Rainbow.
  
• Of course you should not miss the famous Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road!

These buildings may not seem to be that old but if you know Hong Kong is notorious to knock down old buildings then you may feel different about it.


Click here for the historic buildings in Hong Kong.