“Sunset is the opening music of the night”. In Hong Kong, the most photogenic moment of our Victoria Harbour is at sunset. One of the best angles to take such photos is from Garden Hill (嘉頓山) of a very old district Sham Shui Po (深水埗) which some call it “District of Sunset” as the old area is full of faded glories. But, every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn—Sham Shui Po is now being well gentrified! There are more and more trendy cafes near Ki Lung Street (基隆街) and the zone is often nicknamed as “The Brooklyn of Hong Kong”.
Sham Shui Po is situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, adjacent to the deep-water Victoria Harbour. “Po” means the flat land with a pier. Sham Shui Po Pier, now sadly gone, can be traced back to 1924 or an earlier date. In the late Qing Dynasty several hundred years ago, one of the customs stations was built in Sham Shui Po. It was usually the first stop for the boats coming from Pearl River (珠江) of the Mainland to the west of Hong Kong when they arrived here. Sham Shui Po thus became a busy marketplace with brisk business activities. Cottage industries such as footwear, clothing, household goods, herbal medicine, and many other trades flourished. These industries were usually housed in a 3-storey building with a covered verandah and the building is called “tong lau” (唐樓). Owners work in the ground floor shops and their families live upstairs. When several “tong lau”s are joined to each other, they form a long outdoor pedestrian porch with a cover. Hong Kong has a rainy climate in summer and the design of a tong lau can protect customers from getting wet in the street after shopping. Many such old shops still exist and some even have been in Sham Shui Po for over 70 years. Success comes to those who are busy with it. So, it is unfair to say everyone in Sham Shui Po is poor.
In 1955, a Han dynasty tomb was unearthed during the construction of a government housing estate in Sham Shui Po. The tomb comprises 4 chambers and there is an entrance passage in the shape of a symmetrical cross. It is known as the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum (李鄭屋漢墓博物館). It sheds light on the history that about 2,000 years ago, Sham Shui Po was already inhabited by people who were rich enough to build such a fine tomb. Do take a look on a beautiful day!
Sham Shui Po is more charming than other districts in Kowloon combined. It will take you more than one day to fully explore this old district and see things that already vanish in other places. Let me give you an example.
Apliu Street (鴨寮街) is an olden and famous “flea market” street for electronic products inclusive of second-hand components, parallel imports, and discontinued models. Also, old vinyl records, cassette tapes, newspapers, magazines, and books can be found. “Apliu” literally means duck sheds because in the past, the area was a cluster of matsheds on the beach and partly over water where sheds were built. The street is now a shopping paradise for men especially homebodies. It is difficult to find such a fascinating nostalgic street in other area of Hong Kong.
Sham Shui Po is well known for its cramped quarters, high population density and caged homes. Dilapidated buildings are everywhere. Many live in bad condition. The district is old and the residents, many being workers in the factories of Sham Shui Po in the past, are facing economic threats when their physical health now declines. Other old people are attracted to the district since housing and basic necessities in Sham Shui Po are affordable for them. An extreme imbalance between rich and poor in Hong Kong shows that our high degree of capitalism had to be wisely adjusted. Of course, poverty is not necessarily an enemy to happiness. Some live confidently there despite all the negative factors.
Sham Shui Po was the heart of Hong Kong’s textiles manufacturing industry in the 1960s. Now, these factories have gone but the district is still a popular market for designers and craftsmen to buy fashion materials which are in abundant supply. They include knitted fabrics, buttons, cotton cloths, needles and threads. These things are like a box of crayons that colour Sham Shui Po. The prominent streets are Nam Cheong Street (南昌街) and Yu Chau Street (汝州街).
In Hong Kong, snake soup (蛇羹) is considered a nutritious and expensive traditional dish. It is consumed in the cold months to make the body warm and strong. It may cure ailments such as arthritis. The well-known one is in Sham Shui Po and the restaurant is called “蛇王協” (Snake King Hip) in Apliu Street. Young people tend to dislike snake soup but you should try it before the gourmet food disappears in Hong Kong.
I want to salute Sham Shui Po with a passage in writing by the French photographer Chirstophe Agou: With every glance I take in the “negative-positive” of existence and the inevitability of impermanence to its glowing limits. Alone and haunted, I trust my inner eye, the heart. Everything, absolutely everything, becomes visible. Appearances, disappearances, nothing seems of secondary importance to me.
Sham Shui Po is nostalgically romantic.
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