16-05-19
Life is as fast as a turbojet, isn’t it?
When I was a little boy, my mother used to take me to the Western Market in Sheung Wan. It was a wet and smelly place housing humble stalls for pretty much everything, all fresh, including meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. Built in 1850s, the market was an architecture made of brick and stone. The South Block at Queen’s Road Central was brutally demolished in 1980s but the North Block at Connaught Road was preserved; and the surviving tenants are chiefly old fabric merchants. The South Block is now replaced by the Sheung Wan Complex comprising a Civic Centre for theatrical performances. Time & tide wait for no man.
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra held a Chinese music concert in their rehearsal room for the kids in the Sheung Wan Civic Centre. I was logically not invited but I bought my own ticket as an attempt to bolster the morale of the musicians who took part in such a meaningful music education project.
They demonstrated 4 major kinds of Chinese musical instruments to the children:
- bowed-string
- wind
- plucked-string
- percussion
The concert features many classic pieces which are popular, stimulating and easy-listening. The kids enjoyed the music so much that they laughed, swung and yelled. Thanks to the parents who devoted warm care to the upbringing of their children. Plus, the 3 actors guised as wanderers in the time tunnel were entertaining and had left the children in awe.
Incidental to my visit to the Civic Centre, I also walked around in Sheung Wan―delightful night strolling in the oldest district of Hong Kong in pursuit of the lost time and faded stories of a British colony 100 years ago. Sheung Wan was filled with nostalgic beauty every which way you looked, from swarming Des Voeux Road Central to quiet small walkways on the hillside. At night, the electric lights were powerless to make the old district less lonely or sequestered. Out of step with the time, Sheung Wan was forgotten by us and had fallen from her peak of being the centre of capitalism and colonialism in 1800s. There are still many old people living in Sheung Wan, out of time but paradoxically had now more time to burn now on a moonless night.
Not to a definite goal, my loitering was objectless and purely vagabond. I walked past Bonham Strand which was once a shoal next to Queen’s Road Central. Near Jerrvois Street, one could see the old stone staircase merging into the water in the past. A number of old ginseng and dry seafood shops in this area lingered on.
Opposite to Sheung Wan Civic Centre is Possession Street. In 1841, the commander of the British Fleet came to Hong Kong. The flag-raising and gun ceremony marked the official possession of the island as a colony. The name of the street in Chinese is ‘Shui Hang Hau Street’, a reference to the mouth of the stream once here that discharged its water into the sea.
An amble up to the hillside would take you to Hollywood Road where one could find Man Mo Temple, a place of political significance in Hong Kong. Built in 1847, Man Mo Temple was a structure having a gable roof supported by ornate granite columns with traditional Chinese motifs. The period of British colonial reign witnessed limited power being given to the local Chinese to regulate their lives through Man Mo Temple. For instance, Chinese could settle their disputes in the temple through the mediation of men of standing. Apart from being a place of religious worship, the Temple was also a meeting hall of the wealthy Chinese merchants.
Finally, I visited Tai Ping Shan Street―a place that would still make me tremble. In 1860s, the street was full of brothels and gaudy houses. In May 1894, the bubonic plague, caused by infected rat flea, erupted and caused massive deaths in the area. Aligned with the army, the policemen searched each and every house to remove dead bodies and suffering patients. The government cleaned up the street and demolished residences to build a park Blake Garden. Lots of nightmarish ghost tales about the plaque can still freak you out.
Inconceivable! A beautiful children concert was metamorphosed by me into a night stroll of fun memories, facts and anecdotes, sure to delight any fan of the wistful and sentimental past of Sheung Wan, and of Hong Kong…
This article can also be found at the following site:
