Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan is a charming, classic neighbourhood on the west side of Hong Kong island, starting at the northern shore but quickly climbing up the steep hillside. Located just west of Hong Kong's origins in Central, this is one of the oldest neighbourhoods.

Administratively, this is part of the Central & Western district, along with Central and Admiralty, but the atmosphere is clearly different up in these hills. Gone are the shiny office towers and luxury shopping malls. Instead, there is a clear feeling of “old Hong Kong”.

Mostly the buildings are quite low and criss-crossed by a maze of narrow, steep streets. Although there is no obvious division, the border to Central can be drawn somewhere around Aberdeen Street.

Points of interest

Although the quaint yet busy neighbourhood deserves mention in and of itself, there are a couple of buildings especially worthy of note. One is the Macau Ferry Terminal, down on the shoreline, just next to the MTR station. This is where you can take a nice day trip across the Pearl River Delta to Macau, as I have suggested in the Hong Kong itinerary.

This is also home to the Man Mo temple. Being built in the 1840's makes it one of the oldest temples in the city. It is attributed to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo). Don't ask me why the Chinese feel that these two gods should co-locate, but do step inside as you pass it by on Hollywood Road. It has all the feel of a traditional Chinese temple, right down to the distinct smell emanating from the outlandish incense coils.

Antiques shopping in Sheung Wan

These streets are filled by a myriad of informal shops. Particularly, when it comes to antiques Sheung Wan has become the centre for shopping in Hong Kong, with ancient Chinese furniture and similar treasures. Obviously, the prices for antiques can range quite high, but there are also many simple second-hand boutiques here that sell clothes, decorations and countless other odds and ends.

The focal point for antiques is around the street market on Upper Lascar Row. Historically, Upper Lascar Row was known for selling stolen goods, and is sometimes referred to as “Cat Street” to this day. This comes from Cantonese slang, where dealers in stolen goods are known as “cats”, as opposed to the thieves, called “rats”. People used to joke that if you had something stolen from you, you could probably buy it back on Cat Street!

Fear not though, as this is no longer a den of criminals. Like in other parts of downtown Hong Kong, what used to be relatively slummy areas have long since moved up the food chain.

Directions

But another way of getting in is by simply taking a nice stroll from Central. Simply get up to Wyndham Street, which is the ledge above Lan Kwai Fong. Start walking towards the northwest, following this street as it quickly turns into Hollywood Road. This way you will pass by the lovely Soho to the south (as Soho is short for south of Hollywood Road) and soon also come by the Man Mo temple followed by Upper Lascar Row.

Alternatively, you could take the long escalator system up the hill to Hollywood Road, starting from Central Market, in between Central and Sheung Wan MTR stations.

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