Wet Market in Hong Kong

Do you know that the wet markets in Hong Kong are called 街市 (“street market”) because in the past, most of them were set up along the streets?

Allow me to explain what a “wet market” is, my good sir, if you come from a highly modernized / urbanized region and never been to place like this before. It is a marketplace which sells variety of fresh meats and products, like fish, chicken, pork, vegetables, fruits, dried goods etc. Unlike supermarkets, wet markets provide fresh and unprocessed goods that usually come directly from the farms.

That is correct. Fresh. So fresh that lots of them are still alive. You can still hear the chicken squawking and see the fish swimming. You even get to see how the butchers kill them and cut the...

What? That’s disgusting?

I concur. And it’s very unhygienic. It’s “wet” mostly because of the water the shopkeepers used to store fish, or to flush away the trash, or to clean the blood stain…It’s obviously not an ideal place go, especially during the moist summer…

However! It’s welcomed by the older generation and the grassroots mainly because the stocks they have there are cheaper. And you know how the elders enjoy checking the status of their food first hand? It would be easier to tell if the meat is tender, or if the poultry have been fed with chemical products. Moreover, people love visiting the wet market because they can bargain for a better price and, more importantly, they get to develop a bond with the shopkeepers. It sure is comforting to have the acquainted owners to greet you like a friend and provide what you want every time you arrive. Sometimes they may even give you some goodies for free! Not a scene you can find in those chained supermarket, right?

While those big corporations claim how bad the environment is in the wet market and how wet markets should give in, not everyone think the same. In recent years, more tourists and nostalgics tend to visit wet market deliberately because they feel that “this is what the REAL Hong Kong should look like”.

What is Hong Kong?

A modern and international city of finance? Maybe.

But let’s not forget the unique local element: messy, noisy and crowded wet market where even the poorest can afford, and the loneliest can find warmth.

“Transport head” estate in Hong Kong

Do you know that Wan Tau Tong Estate (運頭塘邨) is rumored to be one of the burial grounds in the past in Hong Kong?

…Actually lots of places in Hong Kong are rumored to be burial grounds in the past. People who spread the rumor probably just wanted to scare the others, or simply to look for fun, though.

Anyway, Wan Tau Tong Estate is the latest public housing estate in Tai Po, completed in 1991. This place holds so many residents and is so lively that you will think it has nothing to do with ghost stories…but it does. I mean, the name of the estate itself is spooky enough (運頭 literally means “transport head”)…

There were two versions of the story: one has it that in early 1900s, lots of natural disasters happened and killed many people. In order to prevent the spread of disease, the corpses had to be burnt, leaving the bones behind. Undertakers therefore had to transport the bones and skulls to the burial ground in Tai Po (which is supposed to be the Wan Tau Tong Estate today, hence the name) and had them buried.

The other version is that many civilians were killed and had their heads chopped off during Japanese occupation in 1940s. For some reason this yet-to-be estate became an excellent choice for the Japanese soldiers to ditch the heads.

Whatever the reason was, many people died and have to be buried in this place. Then there started to be rumors about how people would see headless figures pushing a wheelbarrow carrying many heads at night. There was also a spookily hilarious story about a construction worker finding out the headless ghosts using white glue to glue their loose heads on their necks…

If you really are interested in this spooky-name estate, you can give it a visit, preferably at night.

But you would definitely be disappointed. You would only find a modern yet peaceful residential area there. No burial grounds, no headless ghosts, no wheelbarrow carrying heads either.

…We already have them glued up, after all.

What? No, I didn’t say anything.

Don’t mind me…

Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong

Do you know the Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong was originally called “Hong Kong Harbor”?

Yeah, I know. That’s not very original…

But it’s true. The name didn’t change to “Victoria Harbor” until it became the shelter for Queen Victoria’s British fleet.

Victoria Harbor has always been famous for its depth (12 meters on average) and wideness. Together with Hong Kong’s overall climate and its sheltered location, the harbor becomes an ideal choice for entrepot. This makes Victoria Harbor one of the busiest ports in the world, with over 220,000 ships visiting each year.

But who cares about the business potential of the harbor? You don’t come here to do business, do you (if you do, you are reading the wrong article)? Victoria Harbor means more than just an entrepot to foreigners (especially tourists) because it’s one of the most iconic landmarks for Hong Kong, and more importantly, a really popular tourist attraction.

You can take a walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, enjoying the view of Victoria Harbor AND visiting the Avenue of Stars at the same time. Or you can take a ride, either on the tourist-only junk boats or the historical Star Ferry, and sail along coast.

You can even swim across it…No, I am not kidding. If you come at October, you can participate in the Hong Kong Cross Harbor Race, which has a history of more than a hundred year.

If you don’t prefer swimming, you can come during Tuen Ng Festival and watch the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Regatta. I doubt you can join it easily, since it’s some kind of international event. But you can always watch the competitors row row row their boats fiercely against the stream.

You don’t like sports? Fine, just come during Lunar New Year and watch the annual fireworks display held here. All you have to do is just tilt you head upward and respond with “wow” from time to time. Easy, no?

But because of the rapid development of Hong Kong, there have been more and more reclamation on both shores of the harbor. The harbor is unfortunately becoming narrower.

So, those who are interest in the harbor, you better give it a visit before it is turned in to Victoria River…

Traditional Chinese in Hong Kong

Do you know that Hongkongers (and Taiwaneses and Macau people) use traditional Chinese characters (繁體字)?

If your response is “What?! Really?!”, then yes, I am making that clear to you.

Chinese characters are logograms, and each character is form under the combination of strokes and radicals. Though some radicals can be used as stand-alone characters themselves, like 日 (sun) and 火 (fire).

Traditional Chinese appeared as the creation of clerical script (隸書) during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and has more or less remained unchanged since the 5^th century. In other words, we are using a writing system with a history of over a thousand years. That is why the native users / supporters of traditional Chinese always say that the character is the heritage of Chinese Culture and has witness the change and evolution of Chinese writings.

But then why would there be “simplified” Chinese? Actually, there have been voices about simplifying Chinese characters since early 20^th century, which is way before the ruling of PRC government started in 1949. Some people seemed to have come to the conclusion of “Chinese characters should be destroyed or China shall perish”. So simplifying it became a way to destroy (or at least revolutionize) Chinese and a great way to save China. Not to mention that reducing the strokes of the originally complex characters make learning Chinese easier and help raising the literacy rate! That kills two birds with one stone!

…Or so they claimed.

While simplified Chinese does require less effort to write, it is not really easier to be learnt.

Chinese characters, either traditional or simplified, are just bunch of meaningless symbols to those who can’t read them. Why would having 3 strokes less or so make the words easier to understand?

And lots of the radical use for simplified Chinese is pretty random, since that destroy the original connection between the meaning and the words, like removing the “heart” (心) from “love” (traditional: 愛 / simplified: 爱) and removing “rain” (雨) from “lightning” (traditional: 電 / simplified: 电). How could it help the learners if you take away the rationale behind the pattern?

Most importantly, and lots of scholars would agree that, writing is not just a tool for communication, but also the medium of culture. Simplifying the words without a good reason and standard is no different from making up your own words. That way, people are only destroying what have been passed down since the ancient times, instead of protecting it.

So if you plan to learn Chinese…

Well, to be honest, I won’t force you or tell you which one is more “correct”.

But destroying the historical and cultural legacy of millennia so that you can write faster?

That really doesn’t worth it.

Ask yourself, what do you want to learn?

Symbols? Or the embedded culture of the symbols?

East Town Theater in Hong Kong

Do you know there was a cinema in Hong Kong that was remodeled from a funeral parlor?

That doesn’t sound like a good place to do business?

Oh, but the owner of East Town Theater  (東城戲院) seemed to think otherwise.

Also called Tung Shing Cinema, opened in Wan Chai in 1964, equipped with some of the most advance filming equipment and 1300 seats, the cinema was one of the best theaters in town. But it closed just in 10 years.

Poor business? Maybe.

But there also tended to be some spooky reasons behind…

The most famous rumor about the cinema was how only some tickets were sold, but the place was ALWAYS FULL at night. A customer recalled what he experienced: While the film was being played and lights were off, he could see the whole theater full of people. When the lights turned on during the mid-break session, however, the once full theater held only ten people or so. The customer, after visiting the washroom, ran into an old lady…without her jaw. He was so scared that he ran back to the theater for help, and find out the theater was full again. But this time he could see it clearly. Most of the “people” there were without jaws as well…

There was also a story about female customer visiting the washroom (yeah, you know a good ghost story can’t be without washrooms). She saw another female customer inside standing in front of the mirror. Normal, right? I assure you not. When she looked closer at the reflection, this time, instead of missing the jaw, the “woman” was missing her face…And you know that you should run away as fast as possible in a ghost story? Well, she didn’t. The poor and spooked female customer sought help from another customer trying to enter the washroom, saying that there was a faceless ghost inside. This “another customer” then asked, “like this?” and cheerfully showed her faceless face…I swear if the story was not that creepy, I would have laughed at this reply.

But these are probably just urban legends, and are likely made up by the cinema’s competitors to damage its reputation.

Whatever the reason is, the cinema’s business declined and had to be closed in 1974.

The cinema is no more and has been turned into the East Town Building since then.

…One less place for the restless souls to seek entertainment. What a pity. *eerie sobbing*

Tai O in Hong Kong

Do you know that Tai O (大澳) is nicknamed the “Venice of Hong Kong” because of its water town appearance?

Tai O located on the west side of Lantau Island. It’s one of the last fishing villages in Hong Kong.

It is also the home to those who live on water, like Tankas and Hoklos. This place was once flourished with fishing industry and salt production due to its proximity to the sea. But the fisheries nowadays barely sustain the villagers’ income.

However, because of how remote it is from urbanized area, Tai O get to preserve its village-like lifestyle, as well as its nostalgic fishing village scenery. This draws lots of tourists and even Hongkongers to visit every year.

So…what’s so charming about this backwater (pun may or may not intended) town?

A lot of photographers find this place a paradise since it holds some of the most pristine views in Hong Kong, and the clusters of stilt houses (棚屋) is an interesting sight to those who grow up in concrete jungle.

Since Tai O and the Lantau Island are actually separated by a canal, crossing the bridge that connects the two places sure is fun. If you could have come like, 20 years earlier, you would even see the rope ferry, managed by the locals, taking people from one side to the other side.

You are in “Venice” after all. Why not take a boat ride? The villagers will gladly offer you a tour on boat (for a price, of course) so that you can sight-see from another angle. The boats will also go to the open seas, where you can take a look at the fishermen, who should be busy working on their ships, and the beautiful coastline of Lantau Island. Oh, and if you are lucky, you may spot the famous Chinese white dolphins!

You are hungry? Let’s get back on the land and eat something. There are lots of cafés and restaurants at your choice. But! It would be a shame if you don’t try out the popular oversize fish balls which can only be found in Tai O, or that huge squid, or the grilled cuttlefish…

But don’t just enjoy yourself and forget the souvenir! You don’t know what to buy? Come on, what else but dried seafood? Please don’t even claim that you have been to Tai O if you don’t buy some salted fish, or shrimp paste, or both.

But…yeah, not everyone can stand the smell…

Shing Mun River in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Shing Mun River (城門河, literally means “City Gate River”) of Shatin District was once an important source of irrigation water for the local farmers who lived along it?

The original Shing Mun Rver started at Needle Hill and flowed into Tide Cove. In 1970s, the cove was reclaimed and developed as the Shatin New Town we have nowadays. Shing Mun River thus was turned into a 7 km long and 200 m wide artificial channel connecting Tolo Harbor.

And of course the area around the river is no longer farmlands. It is now packed with residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The river itself is a landmark of Shatin district and the landmark of landmarks as well since you can find lots of popular recreational facilities / tourist spots along it, like Shatin Sports Ground, Shatin Park, Shatin Racecourse and Star Seafood Floating Restaurant. Seeing how the river is close to these facilities and the potential it has, the government plans to develop it into a water-related tourist attraction.

It’s also a popular place for water sports. You can see people practicing canoeing or kayaking here from time to time. Dragon boat races would usually be held here as well, so this place would provide a magnificent sight during Tuen Ng Festival.

Hard to imagine the river is heavily polluted 30 years ago, isn’t it? But it WAS seriously polluted because of the domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes discharged from the nearby. The result was a stinking and lifeless river. After a decade of hard work, the water quality has finally improved in 1990s, where fish and invertebrates could live inside the river.

However, in 2015 Decemeber, Fo Tan Nullah, which flows into Shing Mun River, turned into blue and in 2016 February, thousands of fish in Shing Mun River were found dead. This raised concern of the environmentalists and after a lab test, it was revealed that the bacteria, acidity and solid waste level of the river all exceeded the standard allowed. In the end, real estate company Link was found out responsible for and it and fined (for a mere amount of HK$15,000).

With this in mind, turning the river into a tourist attraction doesn’t sound like good idea…

I doubt the tourists will find a rainbow-color river filled with dead fish appealing…

Maybe people should at least learn how to respect the nature before they take advantage of it?