No matter how many times you visit Hong Kong, there is always something new to see and experience. Paula Tan gets lost in the market and embraces the mystical curiosities that make this cluster of islands so beloved.

In the amber light of his table lamp, the old fortune teller scrutinizes my face the way his forbearers have done for centuries. He smiles gently and tells me my nose indicates a prosperous life. I sip my tong cha and contemplate the street before me, lined by other others of his profession who wait for willing strangers to share a glimpse of the future with. It is not the future, however, but the living present of this street that intrigues me. This is Temple Street or Miu Kai – Hong Kong’s most famous flea market.

Temples and Bargains

Built during the Qing Dynasty era and named after a Tin Hau temple that still graces the area today, Temple Street has an indomitable presence that has made it a Hong Kong icon. Ruling Kowloon and plying its trade from post-lunch to late night, Temple Street market straddles Jordan and Yau Ma Tei and consists of five blocks of hawkers offering everything from potent herbal panaceas to still-twitching crustaceans, while the quavering strains of amateur karaoke singers put on their bathroom best nightly.

From a mindboggling variety of apparel and souvenirs, to the latest action figures for your pre-schooler, this ghetto heaven is a one-stop shopping experience on all that is quintessentially Hong Kong. If shopping for that mahjong set has saddled you with a headache, pop into one of the old Chinese dispensaries that’s still open for business on this street. Here, a chap yok see, or pharmacist, will ease your pain with a centuries-old traditional Chinese cure. On the sidewalk one afternoon, I observed a medicine man who displayed his wares on a red cloth laid on the ground. On porcelain saucers lay his herbal remedies, red angel hair from a Tibetan flower, caterpillar fungus, and miscellaneous animal parts.

While immersing yourself in the street’s exotic culture, treat yourself to a delicious Hot Pot dinner. Select from a live seafood selection housed in plastic tubs and watch as your dinner is scooped out and prepared to order.

Here, wantan noodles, claypot rice, and ginger chicken served in alleyways take on new levels of culinary perfection and are the ideal representation of Hong Kong’s unique food culture.

Flash of Jewels

If you are a gemstone lover, avoid the bustle of Nathan Road and stroll your way through Kowloon Park to the Jade Market. Surrounded by Yau Ma Tei and located below Mong Kok, the market is linked via Shanghai Street as you move north.

While there has been much redevelopment in the area in recent years, some vestiges of the past remain. A three-tonne jade stone marks the strip of Canton Road known as Jade Street. The Jade Market in the flesh is a rich selection of baubles, home décor, and coins housed in two warehouses packed with vendors who have been trading for decades.

Jade has long been associated with long life and good health in Chinese culture, making it a prized material for good luck charms. However, tourists are often advised to view the locale as a source of trinkets and not an A-grade hotspot.

Despite being tenacious in their approach, vendors here are generally agreeable to about one-third of their opening price – especially if you are their first customer of the day. Interestingly, the Jade Market also features stalls occupied by operators in the now-rare trade of letter-writing.

Streets of Splendours

Further up, along the endless length of Shanghai Street, shop for a pack of custom-made joss sticks created from blocks of fragrant sandalwood. Walk next in the opposite direction, up Reclamation Street, where herbalists ply their business alongside a mindboggling range of hardware stores. From industrial-quality steel supports to a basic pair of pliers, there is nothing one cannot find down this street which, oddly, seems to comprise many pet-loving shop owners. Enjoy the sight of a contented cat napping at the cashier counter while you pick out a new pair of kitchen taps.

Several kilometers away, towards the Mong Kok MTR station, keep an eye open for Bute Street, which that must be walked down in order to reach the Flower Market. The latter is a vibrant splash of colour with its wealth of blossoms and foliage and this street is well worth a visit for a sturdy, leafy, feng shui plant that any vendor will gladly re-pot for customers to drive away with. Enhance your luck further with a specially-selected combination of plants and flowers that can be put together in minutes, complete with zodiac figurines and wealth-attracting garden ornaments.

The Animal Kingdom

In this merciless metropolis where everything has a price, the Bird Market on Yuen Po Street, adjacent to Flower Market Street, survives on its aviary of delicate offerings. Fancy a parakeet or some other feathered companion? Choices are plenty and come in elegant bamboo cages that are included in the price. Spend a morning at Yuen Po and you will observe visitors, many of whom are previous customers, taking their birds for “walks” as they pick up bags of live grasshoppers for lunch and hanging the cages within chirping distance of the market birds, almost as if allowing them prison visitation rights.

Cross the road to Tung Choi Street’s Goldfish Market and have fortune smile on you as you pass shop after shop stocking all types of goldfish, from the common variety to rare tropical species costing thousands of dollars. Trade can be so brisk that storefronts are lined with racks of bagged fish ready to go, or you may prefer something from the impressive range of turtles and tortoises, sitting mere doors away from pet stores filled with tumbling kittens and puppies.

Wardrobe refills

Just a block away from the Goldfish Market, Fa Yuen Street Market (or Fa Yuen Kai) is primarily a market for locals, but has become popular with tourists in recent years. Running along Fa Yuen Street from Mong Kok Road to Prince Edward Road, it is known for its factory outlet stores, cheap footwear, and hip fashion. Look out for a wide variety of other goods as well, from electrical gadgets to fruit and vegetables.

Fa Yuen is very close to the Ladies Market that lends a soft touch to the city bustle along parallel Tung Choi Street. When twenty locations in Kowloon were designated as “hawker accreditation areas” in March 1975 by the Hong Kong government, the Ladies Market was the first to receive this title. In November 2011, however, a tragedy occurred when, during the night, a fire broke out in one of the stalls and spread to an adjacent building resulting in the loss of nine lives.

A resilient bloom whose many petals pander to the feminine, the Ladies Street market continues to be a must-visit destination for females thanks to its girlish wares, from hair ornaments to crystal mobile phone cases, and even household products.

On the parchment that is Hong Kong, the original ink strokes are now blurred and faded by colonisation and change, and yet a fierce spirit of survival burns on, a tangible flame that has shown its people the way forward. Walk the streets of this dragon of Asia, and you will see.

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Malaysia Airlines flies to Hong Kong International Airport direct and the flight time is approximately three hours and fifteen minutes. For more details visit www.malaysiaairlines.com.

Travellers of most nationalities can arrive into Hong Kong visa-free provided their visit does not exceed a set number of days (usually 30 days but depends on the country of citizenship). Check before you travel by visiting www.immd.gov.hk.

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Source: The Expat February 2013

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