Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of
Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots were previously located there. Blocks of high-rise residential b ...
, east of
Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District, which als ...
and south of
Shek Kip Mei
Shek Kip Mei, is an area in New Kowloon, to the northeast of the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. It borders Sham Shui Po and Kowloon Tong.
History
At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Shek Kip Mei was 72.
A major fire on 25 ...
(). It is located in and is the namesake of the
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is the poorest district in Hong Kong, with a predominantly working-class population of 405,869 in 2016 and the lowest median household income of all districts. Sham Shui Po has long ...
.
A predominately lower-income neighborhood, Sham Shui Po is one of the densest and most vibrant neighbourhoods in Hong Kong. It has a diverse mix of migrants from rural China, working-class families and seniors, with many living in
cage homes
A bedspace apartment (), also called cage home (), coffin cubicle, or coffin home, is a type of residence that is only large enough for one bunk bed surrounded by a metal cage. This type of residence originated in Hong Kong, and primarily exists ...
,
subdivided flat
Subdivided flats (also called subdivided units) are flats divided into two or more separate units to house more people. The flats' original partition walls are usually removed, and new ones are erected. New toilets and kitchens are installed, an ...
s and
public housing estates
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...
. Sham Shui Po has many lively street markets, electronics outlets, fabric stores, restaurants and food vendors. It is famous for Golden Computer Shopping Arcade for bargain electronics and accessories.
History
The discovery in 1955 of the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb indicates that as early as 2000 years ago there were Chinese people settled in what is now Sham Shui Po. Sham Shui Po means "Deep Water Pier" in
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
. At the time, the water in Sham Shui Po was deeper than the beach of Cheung Sha Wan to the northwest. It is close to the former peninsula of Tai Kok Tsui, the low ridge of which ends in Sham Shui Po.
At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Sham Shui Po was 1,577. The number of males was 1,028.
In the first stage, the town of Sham Shui Po was bounded by
Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street () is a main street in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs from hill side towards the shore of Victoria Harbour, between Castle Peak Road and Sham Mong Road. Its extension Yen Chow Street West () spans further to the r ...
Wong Chuk Street
Wong may refer to:
Name
* Wong (surname), a Chinese surname
Places
* Wong Chuk Hang, an area to the east of Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island
* Wong Chuk Hang Estate, a public housing estate in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
* Wong Chuk Hang Road, a ma ...
, and
Apliu Street
Apliu Street () is a street in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Location
Apliu Street runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui ...
. Part of the town was on
reclamation
Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back".
It may refer to:
* Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds
* Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...
land. The town was surrounded by the villages of , Tin Liu, and
Tong Mei
Tong Mei () or Tong Mi was a village and an area at the border of Kowloon and New Kowloon in Hong Kong. The village was located approximately present-day Boundary Street, Wong Chuk Street and Tai Nan Street.
Tong Mi Road Tong may refer to:
Chi ...
. A
nullah
A nullah or nala ( Hindustani or "nallah" in Punjabi) is an 'arm of the sea', stream, or watercourse, a steep narrow valley. Like the wadi of the Arabs, the nullah is characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall.
...
along
Nam Cheong Street
Nam Cheong Street ( zh, 南昌街) is a street in Shek Kip Mei and Sham Shui Po, Sham Shui Po District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It begins in the north at Lung Ping Road and Yan Ping Road in Shek Kip Mei and terminates in the south at Tung Chau ...
was constructed to drain the water of rivers to the north and east (which explains the street's wideness). The town was closed to
Cosmopolitan Dock Cosmopolitan Dock () was one of the major dockyards in Hong Kong.
History
Founded in 1880 and located on the exterior of former Tai Kok Tsui peninsula in Kowloon, the dockyard belonged to then-British owned Hutchison Whampoa. The dockyard was creat ...
on the outer shore of Tai Kok Tsui.
Under Japanese occupation, a concentration camp was maintained here for most of the duration of the Second World War. An account of life by a British POW has been published as ''The Hard Way: Surviving Shamshuipo POW Camp 1941–45'' by Victor Stanley Ebbage (Spellmount, 2011).
Land use
As Sham Shui Po was one of the earliest developed areas in Hong Kong, it was once a commercial, industrial and transportation hub of the territory. As of 2003, Sham Shui Po is covered mainly by residential buildings, with
public housing estates
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...
built on approximately of land. Factories and warehouses are still concentrated mainly in Cheung Sha Wan.
It is connected to the MTR rail network via the
Sham Shui Po station
Sham Shui Po () is an MTR station located in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The station is located under Cheung Sha Wan Road between and stations on the . Sham Shui Po's colour is . The station has an island platform arrangement which ...
on the
Tsuen Wan line
The Tsuen Wan line is one of the eleven lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map.
There are 16 stations on the line. The southern terminus is Central station on Hong Kong Island and the no ...
.
Cityscape
Urban renewal
Sham Shui Po is an area where
urban decay
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...
is serious in Hong Kong. The government is carrying out urban renewal projects.
In July 2003 the
Hong Kong Housing Society
The Hong Kong Housing Society or Housing Society for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong (the first being the Hong Kong Housing Authority). The Society housed around 130,000 residents as of 2020. The Housing Society ...
(HKHS) announced that its first urban renewal project would be to improve the living environment at Po On Road/Wai Wai Road in Sham Shui Po. Covering an area of and affecting approximately 500 households, this project will provide 330 residential flats and some retail units. Government, institutional and community facilities will also be erected for the community. This development will require the HKHS to acquire about 157 properties, costing an estimated HK$240 million. The total development cost of the project is about HK$720 million. To promote creative tourism in old Hong Kong districts of
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area n ...
and Sham Shui Po Hong Kong Design Centre unveiled a budget of $60 Million.
Shopping
The street market in Sham Shui Po is a hotspot for both locals and tourists.
The
Apliu Street
Apliu Street () is a street in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Location
Apliu Street runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui ...
market is well known in Hong Kong for its electronics. The vendors in this open-air street market sell a wide variety of products at reasonable prices, allowing individuals to trade second-hand goods here. Different shops sell a variety of goods including industrial electronics, analogue and digital radio communications equipment, disco effects equipment, crockery, 1940s-era radios, LPs, torches, and audiophile hi-fi amplifiers in various stages of repair. The Hong Kong government promotes
Apliu Street
Apliu Street () is a street in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Location
Apliu Street runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui ...
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
).
Golden Computer Centre is one of the major malls selling computer-related equipment (see next section).
The annual Hong Kong computer fair held in the streets of Sham Shui Po attracts a large crowd.
The market on Ki Lung Street is also famous for its fresh food and cheap prices. In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government rebuilt the market and also added air conditioning.
There are numerous fashionwear wholesalers along Cheung Sha Wan Road. On weekends, some shops allow retail purchases, offering quality clothes at very affordable prices.
Nam Cheong Street and Ki Lung Street are most famous for their
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
stores, containing cloth, sash, ribbons and buttons.
Golden Shopping Centre
Once infamous for counterfeit software but today considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong to purchase a
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
, the Golden Shopping Centre is a prominent IT shopping centre. Products range from complete systems, cell phones, to various peripherals. Unlike purely consumer-oriented IT shopping centres, Golden features several stores specializing in professional and esoteric network equipment.
The Golden Shopping Centre is also known for the number of
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
stores it contains, where people purchase gaming systems, software and accessories at either a slightly discounted price, or in special in-store packages which might include an extra game or extra accessories. Since the halls are extremely narrow, it is often very congested, especially on weekends. The mall has two floors. The upper floor, Golden Computer Centre (), mainly sells games and gaming
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...
, while the lower floor, Golden Computer Arcade (), focuses on the sales of computer-oriented hardware. They were originally fashion markets named "Golden Shopping Centre" and "Golden Shopping Arcade" respectively.
Dragon Centre
Dragon Centre is a nine-storey
shopping centre
A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre ( Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof.
The first known colle ...
. It was the largest shopping centre in
West Kowloon
West Kowloon () is the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong, situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District and Sham Shui Po District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jorda ...
As Sham Shui Po is usually regarded as one of the poorest and oldest districts in Hong Kong, it is well known for people to find cheap and local food in Sham Shui Po. A lot of local restaurants are located in Fuk Wa Street, Fuk Wing Street, Pei Ho Street and Kweilin Street. Some of the famous restaurants include Kung Wo Beancurd Factory, Wai Kee Noodle Cafe, Man Kee Cart Noodle and Kwan Kee Store, which are highly praised for their soy milk and pudding, pork liver noodles, cart noodles and traditional puddings respectively. Some of these unique restaurants are also starred by Michelin and recommended in its list.
Streets
Streets and roads in Sham Shui Po include:
*
Apliu Street
Apliu Street () is a street in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Location
Apliu Street runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui ...
()
*
Boundary Street
Boundary Street is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in an easterly direction from its start at the intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ends at its intersection with Prince Edward Road West in t ...
Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan Road () is a main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong going in a south-north direction from Mong Kok in the south to Lai Chi Kok in the north.
Description
It starts in Mong Kok near Boundary Street and at the northern terminus ...
()
* Fuk Wa Street – street market with numerous stalls selling varieties of goods like old books and clothes. It spans from Castle Peak Road to
Tai Po Road
Tai Po Road is the second longest road in Hong Kong (after Castle Peak Road). It spans from Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Initially, the road was named Frontier Road.
Location
The road begins at Nathan ...
. Unlike the names of streets nearby, it does not follow the place names in China. Its name means blessing (fuk, ) and prosperous (wa, ).
* Fuk Wing Street – Unlike the names of streets nearby, it does not follow the place names in China. Its name means blessing and glorious.
* Ki Lung Street ()
*
Lai Chi Kok Road
Lai Chi Kok Road is a road in western Kowloon, Hong Kong. It links Lai Chi Kok to Mong Kok, via Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan. It starts from a junction with Nathan Road near Pioneer Centre in the south and ends near Mei Foo ...
()
* Nam Cheong Street ()
*
Pei Ho Street
Pei Ho Street () is street in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street is also a market and full of hawkers. The former Urban Council had built a Pei Ho Street Municipal Services Building (then known as Pei Ho Street Urban Council Com ...
Tai Po Road
Tai Po Road is the second longest road in Hong Kong (after Castle Peak Road). It spans from Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Initially, the road was named Frontier Road.
Location
The road begins at Nathan ...
*
Tonkin Street
Tonkin Street () is a street between Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It runs northeast to southwest and crosses many major roads in the Cheung Sha Wan area. After extensive reclamation in West Kowloon during the 1 ...
*
Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street () is a main street in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs from hill side towards the shore of Victoria Harbour, between Castle Peak Road and Sham Mong Road. Its extension Yen Chow Street West () spans further to the r ...
Lui Seng Chun
Lui Seng Chun is a Grade I Historic Building located at 119 Lai Chi Kok Road, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, at the junction with Tong Mi Road. It is a four-storey ''tong-lau'' (the local term for Hong Kong shophouse typology) that was built in 1931 ...
*
North Kowloon Magistracy
The North Kowloon Magistracy (北九龍裁判法院 / 北九龍裁判司署 before 1 July 1997) is a historic building and former Magistrate's Court located at No. 292, Tai Po Road, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
The building was erecte ...
. In 2008, the building was part of the seven buildings of Batch I of the Hong Kong Government's
Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme
The Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme () is an initiative launched by the Hong Kong Government, part of a broader policy of heritage conservation in Hong Kong. In order to preserve and put historic buildings into good use ...
seeking
adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the o ...
of government-owned historic buildings. This building was used by the
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France.
Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...
Sham Shui Po Police Station
Sham Shui Po Police Station situated at the junction of Lai Chi Kok Road and Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po. It was built in 1924 with three storeys. It is graded as Grade III historic building.Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir
Education
The district is home to several prestigious schools, including
* San Wui Commercial Society YMCA of Hong Kong Christian School
* St. Francis of Assisi's English Primary School
* St. Margaret's Co-educational English Secondary and Primary School
* Tsung Tsin Primary School And Kindergarten, among others.
Sham Shui Po is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 40. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and two government schools: Fuk Wing Street Government Primary School and Li Cheng Uk Government Primary School.
Other facilities
*Lei Cheng Uk Swimming Pool
*
Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas)
Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas) () is a Roman Catholic Community Hospital in Hong Kong, located at No. 113 Castle Peak Road in the Sham Shui Po area of West Kowloon. It is a Roman Catholic Christian hospital, run by the Caritas group, as is C ...
Sham Shui Po Park
Sham Shui Po Park () is a park in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It comprises two physically discontiguous sites on either side of Lai Chi Kok Road. The larger site is more well-known as Sham Shui Po Park. The smaller, located within ...
Public housing estates in Sham Shui Po
The following is an overview of public housing estates in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, including Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), and Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) estates.
History
The site where Sham Shu ...
*
Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar
The Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar, also known as Pang Jai (), is a covered market located at the intersection of Yen Chow Street and Lai Chi Kok Road in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. The market is known for selling fabrics, textiles, and other f ...
Ng On-yee
Ng On-yee (; born 17 November 1990) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player who has won three IBSF World Snooker Championships and three World Women's Snooker world championships. She held the number one position in the World Women's Sno ...
grew up in the area, and learned the game at her father's snooker hall there.
See also
*
List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
The following is a list of areashttp://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/MusicOffice/download/imts18.pdf of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Island
* Central and Western District
** Central District
*** Admiralty
**Mid-Levels
***Soho
**Sai Wan
***Kenned ...
*
Sham Shui Po Barracks
Sham Shui Po Barracks was a British Army facility built in the 1920s in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The base was bounded by Fuk Wa Street to the east by Yen Chow Street and to the west by Tonkin Street and Camp Street.
The bu ...