Written by George Major
Sheung Wan is one of Hong Kong’s best places to explore. Hip bars and modern coffee shops share the streets with traditional dried seafood wholesalers. Street art sits alongside historic temples. And it’s one of the cheaper neighbourhoods, too. Here are our favourite cheap and free things to do in Sheung Wan.
Take in the aroma of dried seafood
Wing Lok Street is Hong Kong’s biggest centre for dried seafood. If you can’t afford a snorkelling trip to some nice coral reef somewhere, you’ll see a huge array of biodiversity right here. Seriously, buckets of dried starfish, seahorse, sea cucumbers, sponges… you name it.
Befriend Sheung Wan’s famous shop cats
Where there’s seafood, there are cats. For years, the shopkeepers of Sheung Wan have used cats to keep away vermin. Apparently, many of the cats start off as strays, wander in off the street, and offer their rat-killing services in return for room and board.
Anyway, photography projects and social media accounts have been inspired by Sheung Wan’s shop cats. And they’re generally happy to pose for a good selfie.
Pick up some antiques
Look in the right places, and you can see centuries of Hong Kong’s history in Sheung Wan.
Back in the 19th century, Hong Kong Island’s coast line was somewhere around where Queen’s Road Central runs today. Land reclamation has now left the road far inland, but there are still clues to the area’s history to be found. For example, Possession Street used to be a headland where, in 1841, the British took formal possession of Hong Kong.
A few streets over is Lascar Row. The Lascars were South Asian sailors who worked for the British. When this road was part of the coastline, this was where these sailors would come to trade trinkets acquired on their travels. Nowadays, the legacy of this period remains, and Lascar Row is crammed with antiques dealers. The outdoors stalls are great for picking up a unique (but maybe not altogether genuine) souvenir, while the high-end dealers on the street sell some impressive antiquities. And the trade spills over onto Hollywood Road, where there’s a mix of antiques dealers and more contemporary galleries.
Explore trendy Tai Ping Shan
Across Hollywood Road you’ll find the little neighbourhood of Tai Ping Shan. Hip coffee shops and bars sit alongside old-school cha chaan tengs, the area’s boho vibe has led some to call it Hong Kong’s hippest neighbourhood.
But the neighbourhood has a dark side too! Early on in the colonial period, it was a red light district, densely populated with no proper sanitation. When the bubonic plague outbreak hit in 1894, Tai Ping Shan was at the centre of the outbreak. The British occupiers responded by demolishing the neighbourhood.
Rent a cheap apartment
It’s no secret that many Hongkongers are superstitious. That’s one reason you don’t see a lot of funeral directors operating openly in Hong Kong. But there are several around the Sheung Wan end of Hollywood Road, plus many grave-goods shops to be found a little further towards Sai Ying Pun on Queen’s Road West. This, along with the proximity of the aforementioned plague outbreak might go some way towards explaining the area’s comparatively cheap rents.
I’m not saying that the entire neighbourhood is haunted. But you will see a lot of offerings left out on the street during hungry ghost festival. Anyway, if you’re looking for cheap rent only a few minutes from Central, and if you don’t mind the occasional haunting, start your search here.
Visit the Museum of Medical Science
Sorry to bang on about the plague, but during that 1894 outbreak the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin discovered the plague-causing bacillus – leading to the elimination of the disease – right here in Sheung Wan.
The authorities didn’t make it easy for old Alexandre. They had their preferred guys working on the task, so he had to pay a few bribes and steal a few cadavers to get his samples. But if it gets the job done…
Anyway, you can learn everything you need to know and more at the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science.
Check out some street art
Had enough of historical facts? Let’s go see some street art. There’s loads to be found around Tai Ping Shan Street and Square Street. The arts charity HKwalls is a great resource for discovering street art in Sheung Wan and beyond.
Climb some stairs
Yeah, this is an odd one, but while you’re discovering Sheung Wan’s street art, cafes and bars, you’re likely to have to climb some stairs. And I think this is one of the things that gives the area so much character. Pound Lane, Ladder Street, Upper Station Street, despite having normal road names, are actually really long, steep stairs. Frankly, it’s a pain if you want to get somewhere fast or have limited mobility. But the labyrinth of passageways between Sheung Wan and MId-Levels is well worth exploring.
Look around the Western Market
The Western Market is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong. While nearby Queen Street Cooked Food Market has had a recent refurbishment, and Central Market (the best example of Bauhaus architecture in Hong Kong) has been wonderfully restored, the Western Market is looking a little worse for wear these days. Thankfully, it is due to undergo a major restoration. Watch this space for updates!
Visit a cooked food market
Speaking of Queen Street Cooked Food Market, this has to be one of the best cooked food centres. Alongside the shops selling classics of Chinese cuisine, you’ll find the wonderful ABC Kitchen, which has some of the best – and cheapest – European cuisine around. And right next door is Chautari Indian and Nepalese Restaurant, which is hands-down one of my top eateries in the city.
See the Man Mo Temple
Man Mo Temples are dedicated to the god of literature, Man Tai, and the martial god, Mo Tai. The one on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan is Hong Kong’s best-known. Traditionally, students hoping to progress in their studies, or scholars trying to work their up through the Imperial Chinese civil service examinations would come here to enlist some divine help.
Enjoy a harbourfront walk
There used to be a really popular Instagrammer spot just along the harbourfront in Sai Ying Pun. Its proper name is Western District Public Cargo Working Area, but everyone just called it Instagram Pier. It was the perfect place to catch a dramatic sunset. Anyway, the authorities decided that having a bunch of people taking selfies on a working harbour wasn’t ideal, and the area has been closed to the public.
But don’t despair! You can still get a picture of the sun setting over Victoria Harbour. The catchily-named Central and Western District Promenade has undergone a significant upgrade. From Kennedy Town to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, via Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, take a stroll, enjoy the sea-breeze, get the shot.
Go to Macau
Let’s end our tour at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, where you can either hop onto the MTR (Sheung Wan station, exit D), or jump on a ferry to Macau. The terminal is located inside the Shun Tak Centre. Here, you’ll find an Marks & Spencer and a branch of Genki Sushi (where your food arrives at the table on a miniature shinkansen train), in case you need a snack before your next adventure.
