The Peak, Stanley Market, Big Buddha, the Escalator, Lan Kwai Fong, Man Mo Temple, Nan Liam Garden, Disneyland, Ocean Park, Wong Tai Sin, M+, museums…
Aside from these most recommended places, Hong Kong has so much more to see and experience. Hong Kong is a unique place. It’s a place of contradiction, depth, illusions, and surprises. Tall shiny modern skyscrapers, intense crowds, hills and trails, all kinds of foods…
Check out the Hong Kong Tourism Board for the latest, current, and seasonal events.
This past April, I went to Hong Kong for a family reunion. And I played tourist when my longtime friend from Singapore flew in for a few days. We mostly explored the Hong Kong, including nightlife. Thankfully the weather was still mild-ish. But the pollution! The first day I was already coughing riding the MTR, Hong Kong’s train system. If you’re like me, you may opt for the taxi, bus, and my favourite, the tram.
Hollywood Road
Hollywood Road is an interesting part of Hong Kong. Stretching from Sheung Wan to Central, this is Hong Kong’s oldest paved road. It held an allure for me when I lived there. Full of antiques, beautiful buddha sculptures, old cultural arts…and history. I didn’t go there much and when I did, I loved to browse the art and antiques. All the treasures in the gallery shops. On this road, I also found interesting shops, like organic baby clothes. That’s the thing about Hong Kong, which has a fierce entrepreneurial spirit. You don’t know what shops, what delights, are inside.
My friend and I went to Hollywood Road to check out a few clubs and also to visit the Man Mo Temple one day. Before heading to the temple, we started at the antique alley. Many of the shops had moved out long ago. She was looking for a few things and went home with a few other things. While she negotiated for them, I looked at the old posters and post cards.
Recently, I’ve been researching the last days of Shanghai and the subsequent and consequent growth of Hong Kong. The Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia was brilliant. The Last Kings of Shanghai by Jonathan Kaufman was another enlightening read. The names of places in Hong Kong made a lot more sense now. Opium was the door through which the British and other foreigners broke into China and opium was why many Chinese families carry shame. Reading these books has helped me better understand the history that shaped Hong Kong. British rule (1841-1997) and Japanese Occupation during WWII and now its return to China in the 1990s make Hong Kong so different. East and West.
Western Market
323 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan
On our way to Man Mo Temple, we first stopped at Western Market. From the hotel, we took the tram. I like standing at the rear for the view, and space. Or I head upstairs. When we got to Western Market, it was still early. It was just opening. This historic building is hard to miss, the red and yellow brick structure built in 1906 and renovated in 1991. (The red was originally blue.) Its architecture is Queen Anne Revival style of the Edwardian period. Interestingly, where the Western Market is used to be where the harbourfront was. The shoreline was a few steps away.
What is now Western Market is the North Block of the market that began in 1844. Along with the South Block, built in Victorian style and demolished in the 1981, this was a wet market that had stalls selling poultry and live fish. At the end of the day, water from a pump washed out the floors. Throwing water on the whole floor seems to be very Chinese.
The Western Market is a shopping complex with a bakery, florist, and mostly textiles. Redevelopment plans are in place for the area and the Western Market is closing for renovations, which will take about two years. The last shops, some having been there for decades, are due to move out by October 2025.
Man Mo Temple
Man Mo Temple, 124-130 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. 8AM – 6PM
Man Mo Temple is a popular tourist attraction and landmark. Built in 1847, it is one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong.
Before the street was named Hollywood Road, it was Man Mo Temple Street. Today, it is still a “working temple” for locals. The gods worshipped at Man Mo are Man Cheong and Mo Tai, an administrator from the Qin Dynasty and a general from the Han Dynasty. The Taoist god of literature and god for war/fighting. One wielding a calligraphy brush, the other, a sword.
At one time, locals convened at the temple to address disputes. Following the Qing Dynasty practice, both parties write down their promise and punishment on paper. Sealed by blood from a sacrificed chicken, it was a binding agreement.
It was full of tourists when we visited Man Mo Temple. Coils of incense hang from above, the smoke calling the gods. Some visitors were lingering to wait for crowds to move on to capture their own Instagram moments. People were also lining up to deposit cash for incense as an offering.
As I walked past the counter, a couple of tourists were trying to figure out how to interpret their fortunes. Seekers take a tube of fortune sticks and while holding a question, they shake the tube until one stick sticks out. Each stick has a prediction that you look up in a book.
Repulse Bay Beach
Repulse Bay is located on the southern side of Hong Kong. It is easily accessible by bus. From Central, take 6, 66, 260, 6A, or 6X. These all to Stanley as well. The double-decker buses also are a great way to watch the scenery. 40 and 40X minibuses from Jardine’s Bazaar in Causeway Bay. Taxis are also a great option and if you’re driving, there is parking next to the beach and also at The Pulse.
Beaches is not what comes to mind when people think of Hong Kong. So you may want to check out Repulse Bay or one of the many islands. The sand at Repulse Bay, an exclusive residential area, is soft and it is popular for sports, beach goers, the expat kids who live around there, and bus loads of Chinese tourists. It’s quite an interesting sight, the juxtaposition of nearly naked beachgoers and tourists covered head to toe. Repulse Bay, stretching nearly 300 metres, has been the main swimming beach for decades.
On a somewhat overcast day, I headed to Repulse Bay with family. My sister and I took the bus, empty and air-conditioned. We met my brother, sister-in-law, and niece there. After setting up under a tree with blankets and snacks they prepared, I looked around at the beach scene. I’ve never swam in Hong Kong that was not a pool. I’ve taken my dogs to many beaches, where they enjoyed being in the water. So it was strange being at a beach.
If you continue past Repulse Bay Beach, you can also visit Stanley Market. We went to Amalfitana at The Pulse to grab a bite to eat. The Pulse is a beachfront restaurant and shopping complex. It was handy for the baby nursery rooms for us. There’s parking redemption and EV charging if you drove as well.
The Repulse Bay Hotel
Repulse Bay Hotel (1920–1982) was the famous landmark here. A colonial style building built in the colonial times, Repulse Bay Hotel was owned by the Kadoorie family. If you’re not familiar with this family, read The Last Kings of Shanghai. As agreed, the government finished the road to Stanley, giving access to this more remote part of Hong Kong. Previously it was only reachable by foot or by boat. The building of Stubb’s Road, which began in 1924, also made the area more accessible from Victoria City (now Central). The hotel was becoming more and more popular.
The rich and famous, from George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemmingway, and Marlon Brando to Crown Prince Juan Carlos of Spain, stayed at the hotel.
Tiffin luncheons and afternoon tea at the Repulse Bay Hotel in the late 1930s, was a favourite weekend jaunt for city dwellers and expatriates far from ‘home’. The peerless view across the bay of the South China Sea, especially at sunset, was a significant draw. Thatched chalets, deckchairs and umbrellas were available on the beach for picnic parties.
-> see old photos of Repulse Bay Hotel
-> read South China Morning Post article How Hong Kong’s Repulse Bay Hotel Became a Haven for the Famous
Repulse Bay in Wartime
Repulse Bay Hotel also had a dark history. In the Battle of Hong Kong, the Japanese captured Repulse Bay Hotel. Civilians and British troops had been there previously. After the Japanese moved the civilians, the hotel became headquarters and a hospital for the Japanese. During the war, its name was Midorigahama Hotel.
Now another landmark stands here. The 1989 silver medal of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Awards, The Repulse Bay is a four-tower residential complex. It’s easy to spot with its famous “hole” created for feng shui purposes.
I have vague memories of the hotel, which had the famous Verandah restaurant at its front. You can sit outside for afternoon tea, with a view of the beach. Still serving continental cuisine, an updated restaurant opened in 2009, which also saw a facelift for the whole complex. The following year, the other restaurant, Spices, was also re-opened.
Nan LIan Garden
Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon. Take the Kwung Tong (Green) line to Diamond Hill Station and it’s 5 minutes from Exit C2 Plaza Hollywood (old shopping mall). Follow the signs from the train station. Free entrance 7AM – 9PM. Chi Lin Nunnery, 5 Chi Lin Drive, 9AM – 4:30PM.
Nan Lian Garden 南蓮園池 is a classical garden created in the style from Tang Dynasty (618-907). Within its nearly nine acres are the elements of a natural landscape – winding paths, rocks symbolizing mountains, ponds, and waterfalls. Pavilions and bridges give spaces for people to become part of that nature and find harmony with it.
Opened since November 2006, Nan Lian Garden is a project between the government and the nearby Chi Lin Nunnery. Nan Lian Garden is popular for its openness and simple and beautiful landscapes, a sanctuary away from the bustling city. The garden is literally surrounded by high-rises.
On my first day in Hong Kong, I went to Nan Lian Garden and had lunch with my mom and sister at its vegetarian restaurant. Located at the Silver Strand Falls, Chi Lin restaurant’s green building is layered, offering privacy for its diners. When we arrived, the restaurant was already packed, servers buzzing around. Photography is not allowed so no photos to show you the delicious dishes we had. We ordered one set lunch and added several more items. Their food is more creative than just mock meat. Reservations are highly recommended.
If it’s fully booked, try the Song Cha Xie Tea House.
This time, we didn’t visit Chi Lin Nunnery, which is in the same complex as the garden. This Buddhist nunnery was originally built in the 1930s. Since then, it’s undergone a major rebuild in the late 1990s and in 2018, a lighting system was put in place. Using an interlocking method, builders constructed the Chi Lin Nunnery in the Tang Dynasty Style using cypress wood without a single nail.
After the lunch, we stopped at the souvenir shop. Leave some time to browse its wide variety of cultural items.
