While my previous blog-entry was about how to cover Hong Kong's must-see sites in one single day (and hence I called it Covering Hong Kong's "must-sees" in a day), this entry, as well as the ones that will follow it, will provide detailed suggestions for themed day-trips in Asia's World City…
Since most visitors justly consider Hong Kong as the gateway to China, spending your day-long stopover around Chinese temples, historical sites and "local markets" might be quite a good idea, especially if you are enroute to Australia or New Zealand and do not plan to visit any other East Asian destination.
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From the airport
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My first blog-entry, Getting from/to Hong Kong Airport, covers all the aspects of Hong Kong Airport's luggage storage facilities, as well as transport to the city, so there is no point to repeat all that...
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Chi Lin Nunnery is probably the right place to start your day from. Located in Diamond Hill, northwest of
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Using special Tang Dynasty architectural style, the nunnery's beautiful timber buildings were constructed without using a single nail. The gardens around the compound are just as beautiful... with Chinese pavilions, goldfish ponds with water lilies, rock - gardens and meticulously manicured Bonsai trees.
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At the nunnery, you can also see some exceptionally beautiful statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, Kwun Yam (Guanyin): The Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion, and other bodhisattvas. These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.
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The nunnery can be accessed via MTR-Diamond Hill (its just a few steps away): Take exit C to Plaza Hollywood, walk out of the mall, turn left and walk along the street for two minutes (pass the curve), till you get to the corner of Fung Tak Road. The entrance to the Nan Lian Garden is on your right hand side, across the street.
From the garden, there is a stone footbridge to the nunnery itself, across
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The compound is open daily, from early morning till late afternoon (The garden is open from as early as 7am, while the nunnery opens at 9am)
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Wong Tai Sin Temple is, possibly, one of
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The large temple started its way back in 1915 as a humble shrine, located in a small Wan-Chai apartment. Leung Renyan, a Taoist priest brought the message of Wong Tai Sin (The Great Immortal Wong), a Chinese Taoist deity with a power of healing, from
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Initially, Leung set up an altar in his rented Wan-Chai apartment. Later he opened a herbal medicine shop nearby and moved the altar to the back of the shop. Customers coming to his shop could pray at Wong Tai Sin's altar and seek advice for their ailments.
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In 1921, three years after his shop was destroyed by fire, Leung claimed he received a message from Wong Tai Sin instructing him to build a new temple. The deity's chosen site, according to "the message", was 3,600 paces from a pier. Leung soon found the spot at the foot of Lion Rock Mountain, near Chuk Yuen village, which was the right distance from the Kowloon City Pier.
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As a part of its miraculous history, the temple managed to survive the brutal Japanese occupation with hardly any damages... (During World War II).
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Most visitors come to the temple for Kau Cim, a Chinese fortune-telling practice in which the devotee shakes a small bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes. Some booths also offer palm reading service.
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The architecture of Wong Tai Sin Temple is the traditional Chinese temple style, with grand red pillars, a magnificent golden roof adorned with blue friezes, yellow latticework, and multi-colored carvings.
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Enter the compound, turn left and walk to The Main Altar, the compound's most important building, where a sacred portrait of Master Wong Tai Sin is held.
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The beautiful Nine Dragon Wall, in the garden to the left of the main altar, is a replica of the famous Nine Dragon Wall in
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Next in line is the Three Saints Hall, next to the main altar, where three important deities are worshipped. Those are: Kwun Yam (Guanyin), the Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion, General Kwan (Guan Yu), a historic hero, and the Taoist immortal Lǚ Dòngbīn.
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Yue Heung Shrine, in the middle of the courtyard, is a small hexagonal building dedicated to the Buddha of Lighting Lamp, representing "Fire" in the five geomantic elements.
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The Memorial Hall, on the right side of the Three Saints Hall, is where the spirit tablets of the deceased "Pu Yi Tan" Taoist members with significant contribution to the Yuen are kept.
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The Bronze pavilion, in between the Three saints Hall and the Memorial Hall, is the private study of Master Wong Tai Sin. Its bronze plating symbolizes the "Metal" in the "Five" elements.
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The Good Wish Garden, just behind the Three Saints Hall and the Memorial Hall, is a beautiful garden with typical Chinese architectural features, such as artistic fish ponds, pavilions and small bridges...
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A few steps away from the Memorial Hall, the hexagonal Confucian Hall is dedicated to Confucius, Master K'ung, and his 72 followers.
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Po Chai Hall, a two-storied red bricks building near the entrance/exit, is also known by its former name, "Medical block", thanks to the herbal clinic on its ground floor, where you can get free medical consultations.
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As you can expect, the temple is jam-packed on Chinese holidays, and especially on Chinese New Year, when droves of worshippers are waiting outside the temple before midnight and rush in to the main altar to offer Wong Tai Sin their glowing incense sticks, as soon as the year starts. As the tradition goes, the earlier you offer the incense, the better luck you will have that year...
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Wong Tai Sin's birthday, on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month, is also a very busy time at the temple.
The temple is open from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm daily, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve.
Getting to Wong Tai Sin Temple is very easy. Just drop off at MTR-Wong Tai Sin ... and you are basically there...
- Important note : The Main Altar is currently under renovation, so the activity has temporarily moved to the Fung Ming Hall (the large bricks building, on the right hand side of the Confucian Hall)
After completing the visit to Chi Lin Nunnery and Wong Tai Sin Temple, you basically have two options: Either to proceed to the areas of Yau ma Tei and Mong Kok (in Kowloon), where local markets and bazaars can be found, or to travel to Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, where traditional Chinese shops and a few old temples can be visited.
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Important note: You can also start the day at either Sheung Wan or Yau ma Tei / Mong Kok, and proceed to Chi Lin Nunnery and Wong Tai Sin Temple later on, after lunch…
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Option A
The visit to Yau ma Tei and Mong Kok should probably start from MTR-Jordan (From Chi Lin Nunnery or Wong Tai Sin Temple, you should take the green marked Kwun Tong Line to either Prince Edward, Mong Kok or Yau ma Tei, switch to the red-marked Tsuen Wan Line and proceed with it to Jordan's MTR station. If you don't mind walking a bit, alight at Yau ma Tei Station, come out through exit C and walk down
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Take exit A to
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Temple Street 's Night Market is a good place to fetch a few bargains and feel a bit of a true
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Cantonese opera singers and fortune tellers can be found in Yung Shue Tau Square, on the other side of
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The market is open daily from 4 pm to 11 pm (although it gets busy only from 7 pm and onwards… so you should probably come back here after you visited Mong Kok).
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Next in line are
Jade and its products are the specialty of most of the shops along this section of the road, and there is certainly a lot to see (and to buy...). From
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Onward along Canton Road, turn right to Kansu Street and after a few steps you will see the Jade Market (on the corner of Kansu and Battery, just a stonethrow from Canton Road). The market boasts plenty of specialty shops and you can easily spend a few hours here, admiring the perfectionism that some of these artists demonstrate, but be careful not to invest a substantial amount of money unless you are familiar with gemstones or if you are accompanied by an expert.
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The market is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm. Try to come early if you want to put your hands on the best stuff, before it disappears (this advise is relevant to both the market and
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Keep on walking along Kansu Street for a couple of minutes and turn left to Temple Street (on the right side of the massive carpark building) which will bring you to Yung Shue Tau Square and the old Tin Hau Temple .
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Built in the 1880s, this is one of
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The temple is open daily, from early morning till around 5:30 pm and although it is not one of
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Yung Shue Tau Square , just outside the
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Mido Café, on the other side of the temple (corner of Public Square Street and
Another "culinary institution" around this area is Tak Yu Restaurant, on the corner of 378
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From the square, turn right to Public Square Street, walk along it till you reach Nathan Road (a minute or two), turn left and walk a couple of minutes to exit-C of Yau ma Tei MTR Station, from which you can take the train to Mong Kok (one station away).
Alternatively, you can keep on walking along Nathan Road to Mong Kok: Cross Waterloo Road and continue until the corner of Dundas Street (third street after Waterloo), where you turn right, cross Nathan Road and enter the second street on your left (Tung Choi Street - also known as "The Ladies Market") - All in all, it's something like a 15 minutes walk from the Old Tin Hau Temple.
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If you took the MTR: From Mong Kok MTR Station - take exit D-3 and you are exactly a step away from the market.
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Ladies' Market stretches along Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok and is one of Hong Kong's most popular open-air markets. As its name denotes, this market specializes in women's clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and the like, although you can find here more than a few stalls that sell men's and children's products... Soft toys, clothes, bags, jeans and watches... just to name a few.
The market is open daily from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm.
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Sai Yeung Choi Street South (parallel to Ladies' Market - between the market and Nathan Road) is a hot spot for Hongkongers. The section south of Argyle Street concentrates shops of consumer electronic products at street level and upstairs bookstores above. Some good cosmetics shops can also be found here.
To get here: take exit D-3 of MTR-Mong Kok and you are there...
Fa Yuen Street (also known as Sportswear Street) is a small street that runs parallel to Ladies' Market, with many small retailers which sell sports equipment and clothing. It has a wide diversity of sports shoes. Many shoes of rare or special editions from different places are available here.
Goldfish Market - is located along the north part of Tung Choi Street (the street of Ladies' Market). There are dozens of shops here that sell various tropical freshwater or marine fish, as well as different types of aquarium equipment.
Open daily from 10 am to 9 pm.
Fa Yuen Street Market is situated along the north part of Fa Yuen Street . It is full of shops selling bargain-priced trendy fashion and casual wear for men, women and children and they usually open between 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. daily (the market also stretches along Nullah Road , all the way to Prince Edward Road West).
Flower Market is a street market in the northern part of Mong Kok, where many flower shops can be found. It opens daily from 7 am to 7:30 pm, and there are two ways to get there: A) If coming from Ladies' Market: continue northward with Tung Choi Street (Goldfish Market) till you get to the corner of Prince Edward Rd., cross it to the other side and turn right, then enter the second street on your left (Sai Yee Street) and the first street on your right is the market.
B) Take exit A of MTR-Prince Edward to Playing Field Rd. and walk along it to its end. Turn right to Sai Yee St. and left to Flower Market Road and you are there...
At the far end of Flower Market Rd., turn left and enter Yuen Po Street Bird Garden (or, simply, the Bird Garden ), where dozens of bird shops are located and hundreds of colorful songbirds in exquisitely crafted cages can be seen... The market also makes a popular meeting point for elderly bird owners... Open daily from 7 am to 8 pm.
From here, you can walk back to the other end of Yuen Po Street, from where you can turn right to Prince Edward Road and walk along it, back to Nathan Road and Prince Edward MTR station (exit B-1 is right next to the corner of Nathan and Prince Edward).
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Mong Kok is also a good place to indulge on an authentic meal… Whether it's street food shops you are after, or a fancy restaurant, you can enjoy some delicious local food at relatively reasonable prices…
Here are some of Mong Kok's most recommended eating places:
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Option B
The visit to the area of Sheung Wan should probably start from MTR-Sheung Wan (From Chi Lin Nunnery or Wong Tai Sin Temple: take the green marked Kwun Tong Line to either Prince Edward, Mong Kok or Yau ma Tei, switch to the red-marked Tsuen Wan Line and proceed with it to either Admiralty or Central, switch again to the blue-marked Island Line and proceed with it to Sheung Wan MTR station… I know it sounds like a lot of headache, but it's not complicated at all, because you don't have to leave the station building when changing trains, and proper signs are everywhere…).
Walk out of the station through exit B and walk two minutes (along Des Voeux Road Central) to Western Market, where our Sheung Wan journey starts from.
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Another option (which is probably better) is to alight at MTR-Admiralty and walk out through exit C-1 to Queensway, from where you can take the Tramway to Western Market (make sure you board the westbound tram). You can also alight at MTR-Central (one station after Admiralty) and walk out through exit G to the corner of Des Voeux Road Central and Pedder Street, from where you can board the westbound tramway to Western Market.
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Housed in a beautiful Edwardian style structure, highlighted with "bandaged" brickwork on its four corner towers, the Western Market is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong. It originally consisted of 2 separate blocks: The South Block on Queen's Road Central was built in 1858 and demolished in 1980 while the North Block, smaller and more compact in design, was built in 1906 and was preserved and renovated by the Land Development Corporation, after being declared a historical monument.
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The market comprises quite a few traditional Chinese shops that sell everything, from souvenirs and cheap fakes to jade stones, handcrafts, fabrics and more... Open daily, from 10 am to 7 pm
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From the market, you can take either Morrison Street or Ontai Street : Walk a few steps and turn right to Wing Lok St., also known as the Ginseng and bird's nest street. Here you can start your "windows shopping safari", exploring traditional shops that sell all sorts of exotic products like shark's fins, birds nests, dried seafood, Chinese herbal medicines and what have you... Pop into Man Wa Lane, also known as Chop Alley, where there are many stalls of chop-makers. The chops are traditional Chinese stamps and seals, engraved on various materials like wood, bamboo, stone, bone and the likes... Continue walking along Wing Lok to its end and turn left to Des Voeux Road West, known also as Dried Seafood Street.
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From Des Voeux Road West, you can turn left to Ko Shing Street, which is known as the Herbal Medicine Street. From there, turn right to Queen Street and right again to Queen's Road West, and left, to Hollywood Road.
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Historic Hollywood Road was the first road to be constructed in the crown colony and, contrarily to what many people think, it is not named after the Californian film industry mecca, but after the Holly-Wood shrub that used to grow around this area (In fact, the road was put up early in 1844, at least forty years before the more famous Hollywood in California was settled).
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In the old days, before reclamation projects started to flourish, the road was much closer to the coastline and foreign merchants, as well as sailors, used to sell here antiques and artifacts they "collected" from China, on their way back to Europe. This is probably how Hollywood Road began its role as an antiques market...
In the early 1960s, the road became internationally known when part of a famous Hollywood movie, called The World of Suzie Wong, was shot here.
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Today, the road is filled with trinket and antique shops of all sorts: from Chinese furniture to porcelain ware and from Ming dynasty ceramic horsemen to kitsch Maoist memorabilia... Visiting some of these shops is truly an authentic experience, so even if you don't really plan to buy anything, you should make a point to visit both Hollywood Road and Upper Lascar Row (Cat Street) underneath it.
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Other than its exotic shops, the road also houses some points of interest: On the western end of the road, between Hollywood Centre and Hollywood Road Park, you can enter Possession Street. The street itself doesn't look much different than other streets around it, but it is well-known for its history: in January
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Moving eastwards along the road, Man Mo Temple, on 126 Hollywood Rd. (near the corner of Ladder Street) is full of spiritual ambience... This old temple was built in 1847 to worship two gods, namely Man, the god of literature and Mo, the god of war. The coils and incense sticks, hanged inside the temple, fill the place with their strong, aromatic smells, and paper-made offerings are burnt to please the spirits of the dead...
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Next to the temple is Ladder Street, composed entirely of stone steps. In the old days there were some funeral homes around this area and when people died, their bodies were rested here for funeral services before they were carried to their home villages, back in China. You can walk down Ladder St. to get to Upper Lascar Row (Cat St.) and the neighboring streets.
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Climbing up Ladder Street brings you to Bridges Street (turn right from Ladder, when going up) and Tai Ping Shan Street: a historic street, where an interesting 1850s ancestral hall can be visited. Tai Ping Shan is the continuation of Bridges, which means it is parallel to Hollywood (above it). You can also access it from Po Yan Street, which branches off Hollywood next to Hollywood Road Park.
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The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences is located in a renovated 3-storey Edwardian building that used to house the old pathological institute, just above Hollywood Road.
Opened in 1996, the museum displays materials of historical interest relating to the development of the medical industry in Hong Kong and is one of the first museums in the world to compare traditional Chinese and Western approaches to medicine.
The museum's address is: 2 Caine Lane. (From Man Mo Temple: walk up Ladder St. to the top and turn right to Caine Lane).
Opening Hours : 10 am - 5 pm, Tuesday-Saturday and 1 - 5 pm on Sunday and public holidays (closed on Mondays)
Admission fees are HK$ 10 for an adult and HK$ 5 for kids, students, disabled and elderly people.
Website: www.hkmms.org.hk , Tel: 2549 5123
The Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum commemorates the activities and the philosophy of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the renowned Chinese revolutionary and political leader who played a major role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and assisted in transforming China from a monarchy to a republic.
Sun, who is often referred to as the "father of modern China", received his education in Hong Kong and his epoch-making career was inseparable from Hong Kong, where he nurtured his revolutionary ideas.
From the establishment of the Xing Zhong Hui (Revive China Society) in 1894 to the founding of the Chinese Republic in 1912, Dr. Sun kept using Hong Kong as a base of his revolutionary campaign.
The museum, which was opened in 2006, is housed in the Kom Tong Hall, a magnificent colonial-era mansion, built in an Edwardian classical style with Greek-style granite columns that surround the curved balconies at the façade.
Inside the museum, there is quite an interesting showcase of Dr Sun's activities, including exhibition galleries covering his life history and his close relationship with Hong Kong. The 150 exhibits include clothes and personal manuscripts which bring alive the revolutionary spirit of Dr Sun. Visitors can gain other insights by visiting the reading room, video room and an interactive room.
The museum's address is: 7 Castle Road (from Hollywood Rd.: you can either go up with the escalator and turn right to Caine Rd. or walk up along Aberdeen Street, which brings you right to the museum)
Opening Hours: Daily (except Thursdays), 10 am - 6 pm (on Sunday and public holidays the museum stays open until 7 pm)
Closed on Thursdays (unless it falls during a public holiday) and on the first two days of the Chinese New Year.
Admission fees are HK$ 10 for an adult and HK$ 5 for kids, students, disabled and elderly people
Website: http://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/index.php , Tel: 2367 6373
- After visiting the museum, you can also walk along the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail, passing through historic buildings that played a certain role in Sun's life.
The Former Central Police Station is located at the eastern end of Hollywood Road, not far from the escalator (10 Hollywood Rd.). The oldest structure within the police station was built in 1864 and more building were added on at the beginning of the 20th century, due to the large number of people who moved to Hong Kong from mainland China and the corresponding increase in difficulty with maintaining law and order.
The main building (or Headquarters Block), built in a classical style, has four storeys and a grey and blue colour scheme, with Doric-style columns.
The compound comprises of other interesting buildings from Hong Kong's early colonial past, such as the Victoria Prison (on Old Bailey Street) and the Former Central Magistracy (which is facing Arbuthnot Road). Some of those buildings are not open to the public, but that doesn't really matter, cause seeing their impressive exterior is the main thing.
From the Police Station you can walk down Pottinger Street, with its historic granite steps and its little shops, turn left to Lyndhurst Terrace and climb up to the corner of Cochrane Street... At this point, you can take a ride on the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system, connecting Central with the upper parts of Mid-levels. There are some great shopping and entertainment areas along the escalator's route, such as: SoHo (see details in Hong Kong Restaurant and Nightlife Guide), Gage Street Market (below Hollywood), Stanley Street and "The Lanes".
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Your sightseeing circuit will probably end at MTR-Central
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