Tai Ping Shan and the backstreets of old Hong Kong
Finding the mystique of a bygone era in the heart of the city
Tai Ping Shan and the backstreets of old Hong Kong
Finding the mystique of a bygone era in the heart of the city
On the morning of January 25, 1841, Captain Belcher and the crew of HMS Sulphur came ashore on Hong Kong Island. They pitched their tents on an elevated patch of flat ground, cracked open a bottle and hoisted a glass of something nice to the health of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. It wasn’t until the next day that Commodore Sir J. G. Bremer and the rest of the squadron arrived, hoisted the British flag and formally took possession of Hong Kong.
At that point, the island was little more than a collection of fishing villages with a total population of about 7,450, living mostly on their boats. The camp that Belcher and his men set up was named Possession Point, and a road that was built up from the shore became Possession Street.
Possession Street (left) and Possession Point which is now an ornamental garden called Hollywood Road Park.
There is nothing about either place that betrays their historical significance. Thanks to subsequent land reclamation, Possession Street is now about half a kilometre from the shore. A sharp kink in Queen’s Road, just to the west of Possession Street, identifies the original waterfront. The camp is now an ornamental garden with pavilions, fish ponds and a children’s playground called Hollywood Road Park.
But it does serve as a good entrance to the Tai Ping Shan area. This is the city’s oldest neighbourhood and one of the few areas left where you can still find traces of old Hong Kong.
I lived just up the road from here when I first came to Hong Kong. The rents were quite reasonable in those days on account of the area’s dreadful feng shui. Just across the road from my flat was the Tung Wah Hospital. Opened on February 14, 1872, it was the first public hospital in Hong Kong and is now listed as a grade 1 historic building.
Interior of the Pak Shing Temple and Kwong Fook I-tsz ancestral hall.
The impetus to build the facility came when the acting Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, Alfred Lister, found out about the appalling conditions at Kwong Fook I-tsz, a small temple and ancestral hall on Tai Ping Shan Street. Along with a pack of journalists, he discovered a community of sick and homeless people living amidst the corpses of those who had already departed.
Kwong Fook I-tsz still stands, though it is more often marked on maps as Pak Shing Temple. It is dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the King of the Dead. Back in those days, many labourers came to Hong Kong from China to find work. Those who died here had no relatives to claim them and, according to local beliefs, were in danger of becoming hungry ghosts. In 1856, a group of merchants and residents solved the problem by establishing it as a place where the ancestral tablets of wandering souls could be placed. Since it also dispensed free Chinese medical services, it became a magnet for the sick and the homeless.
The management of Kwong Fook I-tsz was taken over by the Tung Wah Hospital in 1872. Today it is an imposing sight, seemingly caged in and perched atop a block of red-painted concrete. Dozens of incense coils burn by the steps that lead up to the main floor. Behind the altar is a room where the ancestral tablets are still kept. The neighbourhood has gentrified considerably over the last twenty years or so, but there are still numerous undertakers in the area.
Shui Yuet Temple, dedicated to the goddess Kwun Yum (left). Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road (main picture and right).
p the steps on Tai Ping Shan Street are two curious temples. Both honour Kwun Yum, the Goddess of Mercy. The first, half way up the steps on the left, is Shui Yuet Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess as a bodhisattva. Shui and Yuet mean water and moon, respectively, representing tranquillity and transcendence from materialism. At the top of the steps on the right is the Kwun Yum Temple. An elegant choi mun, an intricate boat-shaped carving believed to bring luck, hangs above the entrance.
Back on Hollywood Road, the Man Mo Temple is one of Hong Kong’s most famous. Built in 1847, this grade one historic building is dedicated to the gods of literature (Man) and of War (Mo), both of whom were worshipped by students looking to get a leg up in the civil examinations of Imperial China.
The main hall is much larger inside than at first appears. Incense drifts from hundreds of coils hanging from the rafters, each with a petition from the devotee who placed it. In front of the altar, worshippers and sightseers mingle in the dim light around a richly decorated table for offerings, and two braziers for smaller incense sticks.
The section to the left of the main hall is the Lit Shing Kung, for the honouring of all the heavenly gods. The Kung Sor on the right is an assembly hall where community affairs and disputes were discussed.
Ladder Street
Next to the Temple is a flight of granite steps that climbs 373 steps from Queen’s Road up to Caine Road. It was built sometime in the 1840s and is now also boasts a grade one historic status. Although this one is actually called Ladder Street, it is only one of several staircases that can be found on the backstreets between Central and Sheung Wan.
Despite the hectic pace of development some of Sheung Wan’s backstreets remain very atmospheric.
The old Pathological Institute stands at the top of Ladder Street. The two-storey red brick structure was built in 1906. Its original name was The Bacteriological Institute but was renamed after World War II. The building was declared a monument in 1990 and converted into the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences in 1995. It consists of eleven exhibition galleries, including a gallery for Tai Ping Shan itself.
Just before you ascend the last flight of steps to the museum, you will see a small set of steps on your left. These lead to Wing Lee Street, a row of old houses that became famous as the location of the movie Echoes of the Rainbow, which won the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Children’s Jury “Generation Kplus” category at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival. The Urban Renewal Authority had planned to redevelop the street, but after public pressure, it was preserved instead.
Descend Ladder Street on the other side of Hollywood Road to find Cat Street, on the left. This little lane is famous for its antiques and curios shops. The road’s official name is Upper Lascar Row. Lascar was an English word used to describe sailors or militiamen from South Asia or the Middle East who worked on European ships. A number of them had joined the Hong Kong police force and formed a community in the area, which gave the street its name.
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (left). Cat Street (right).
Over the years, the community dispersed, and the local bazaar evolved into a second hand market where many of the goods on sale were believed to be stolen. Stolen items are called rat goods by the Cantonese, and the people who buy them are called cats; hence the popular name Cat Street Bazaar. There are still some genuine second-hand stalls and shops, but these days it is more a collection of curiosities and antiques, as well as old photos and Bruce Lee film posters.
The Central end of Hollywood Road has long been known for its antique shops. In recent years, these have crept along the street to the Tai Ping Shan end, along with art galleries, trendy little bistros and coffee shops. And a nice little coffee shop is the perfect place to rest and recharge after an afternoon’s exploring.
Related: Salt, Fish and the Battle of Tai O Bay
Exploring Hong Kong’s New Territories
The New Territories represents around 85% of Hong Kong’s total land area. It is an area of coastal wetlands and mountains boasting a history of more than a thousand years. There are many ancient monuments, well-maintained hiking trails and outlying islands with old fishing communities. Yet to most visitors, it remains largely unknown.
I spent the Covid years researching, writing and photographing it. Exploring Hong Kong’s New Territories is 332 pages with around 400 colour photographs plus maps and directions. More information here