Do you know that the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market (油麻地果欄) has a history of over 100 years?
The market was founded in 1913 (yes, pre-WWI!), being a traditional
market. The marketplace located between Waterloo Street, Ferry Street and
Reclamation Street, and used to consist of only straw pavilions. There were no solid buildings until 1920s and 1930s.
The market was originally called Government Vegetables Market,
selling not only fruits, but also fish and vegetables. Later, after the Cheung
Sha Wan Vegetables Wholesaling Market and Cheung Sha Wan Fishery Wholesaling
Market were established, the vegetable and fish stalls moved out, leaving only
the fruit stalls behind. The market has become the specialized place for fruit
wholesaling since then.
Yes, “since then”. The market is still a to-go place for most of the
fruit vendors to get their goods nowadays. While the wholesale market looks kind
of dead during daytime, it’s a completely different story at night! As midnight
approaches, the place truly comes to life: workers busy dragging and
transporting cartons and cartons of fruit, buyers diligently checking the quality
of the fruits, vendors and wholesalers shamelessly bargaining for the price in
order to strike the best deal…a once torn-down and deteriorated looking old market
become a ferocious battleground of wit and sweat as the city sleeps…ahh, such
is the romance of real men…
Nah, they are just working hard to earn their living, nothing is
romantic here.
Still, the scene really is a manifestation of Hongkongers’ “work
hard” and “do the impossible” spirit…OK, that’s too hard-selling.
The market is now a Grade II Historic Building, and you can find a
considerable amount of pre-war structures at the site. It may not be a famous
tourist attraction, but foreigners seem to be interested in it, not to mention the nostalgia-seekers visiting for the
old-school architecture style and layout.
It’s also a good place for us, the customers, to buy high-quality
fruits imported from different parts of the world…if you don’t mind paying a
few more pennies, that is.
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