11th April 2019 – (Hong Kong) Sham Shui Po is the blue collar ghetto of Hong Kong where you can shop for the cheapest electronics, toys, handicraft and savour amazing street food.
Nestled in the middle of the working class neighbourhood is Garden Hill, it only takes 15 minutes by walking up a flight of stairs behind YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel (70, Berwick St, Shek Kip Mei) to reach the top. From the top of hill, you can enjoy the Sham Shui Po’s colourful skyline and watch the sunset simultaneously in the evening.
Walk along Yee Kuk Street and you will come across a century old building which was home to a glass & mirror shop. At the corner of Yee Kuk Street, you can find Tin Hau Temple. Sham Shui Po was formerly a bay where many fishing junks berthed. The fishing folks worshipped Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea in this temple built in 1901.
Sham Shui Po is akin to a candy town as the buildings are painted in bright colours. Perhaps it is a way to brighten up the sombre mood of this working-class neighbourhood. Walk along Lai Chi Kok Road to enjoy decades old buildings painted in candy colours and most guides will tell you to check out Man Fung Building located on Tai Nan Street painted by a Madrid-based street artist Okuda San Miguel. He wittily transformed the facade with colours using geometric forms to make it resemble a psychedelic fox.
Some rooftops around the area are still accessible if you look hard enough. Search for old commercial building around the area and take the lift or walk up to the top to catch a glimpse of the building from the top.
Stroll in Han Garden which is located next to Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum on Tonkin Street for a break from the noisy Sham Shui Po neighbourhood.
Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum
Don’t miss out the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb which was discovered in 1955 when the Government was levelling a hill slope at the Lei Cheng Uk Village for the construction of resettlement buildings.
According to its structure, inscriptions on the tomb bricks and tomb finds, it is believed that the tomb was built in the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25 – 220). The tomb was declared as a gazetted monument in 1988 and is preserved permanently thereafter. Though it is closed to the public for conservation reasons, visitors can still have a glimpse of the interior of the tomb through the glass panel at the entrance passage.
The exhibition hall was built adjacent to the tomb. In addition to the display of pottery and bronze wares excavated from the tomb, there is an exhibition namely “Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb” on display.
Address : 41, Tonkin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.
Shopping
There are plenty of guides on internet to tell you the arrays of electric goods and second hand stuff at bargain prices on Ap Liu Street and Pei Ho Street, we will instead skip these mainstream areas and tell you the best place to shop for low-priced items.
This distinct electrical shop which stands out from the crowd sells everything from screen protectors for iPhone Xs MAX (HK$29), iPhone X (HK$19) to electronic tooth brush (HK$39) for prices lower than items sold on Taobao.com. The store is located a few steps away on the left side of Exit D2 of Sham Shui Po MTR Station.
Restaurants, cafe and street food
Sham Shui Po is full of modest eateries that serve varieties of cuisines from local delights to Indian cuisine. We love the colourful Nasi Lemak (Rice cooked in coconut milk and spices served with curry chicken), a popular Malaysian dish served at Kopitiam Bagus-bagus, Yu Chau St, Sham Shui Po.
The Michelin-guide recommended Kwan Kee Store is perfect for the in-between-meals snacks. This humble store sells homemade steamed rice pudding (put chai ko) black sesame roll and other traditional desserts for you to munch away while watching the crowd in the busy streets of Sham Shui Po.
Kwan Kee Store
115-117 Fuk Wa Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Stop by at the Lucy Coffee and Food at 55, Po On Road after you have finished visiting The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum as it is located a stone’s throw away of it. This hidden gem is a haven for vegetarians and vegans as they serve a variety of desserts, food and drinks with no sugar.
If you are a fan of Indian food, don’t miss out A Kashmir Curry House at 116B Pei Ho St, Sham Shui Po. Try their Chicken Tikka curry (HK$75) and Paneer Palak (vegetables and cheese in thick spinach paste and herbs) (HK$70). Both dishes served with plain naan.
