While Richard Manson’s 1957 novel, The World of Suzie Wong takes the reader on a journey through Hong Kong’s infamous Wan Chai district, where yum-yum girls lure drunken American soldiers into their pleasure coops, the subsequent times have seen the area evolve into something more, and better. The present day sees Wan Chai acting as Hong Kong’s cultural and commercial hub with looming skyscrapers, preserving colonial structures, traditional street markets, and gourmet restaurants. However, beyond its bacchanal delights and commercial advancements that are sure to satiate a casual traveller, it also keeps many bygone-era marvels for the curious eye.
Tong Laus: Time Machine
HK’s famous architectural heritage—balconied tenements houses known as tong laus—was originally built for commercial and residential use in the late 19th century, but the post-war influx of migrants soon had them serving as rental complexes. The most renowned of them, the Blue House, owes its curious name to 1920s overhaul that got it painted in the only colour available, blue. Much more intriguing is its journey through the years that once saw it acting as the first facility to provide traditional Chinese medicine, the other time as a temple, and yet another time as a martial arts school. It today stands quietly on the busy Stone Nullah Lane among the lively chatter from Dai Pai Dongs (Chinese eatries), the colossal shadow of skyscrapers and the beckoning glow of taverns.
Pak Tai temple: Holy Stop
A few steps ahead on the Stone Nullah Lane lies picturesquely secluded and beautifully restored 150-year-old Pak Tai temple. With an entrance guarded by two monstrous Banyan trees and its roof adorned with sculpted dragons, the temple’s mesmerising visage is a perfect accord to the deity it is dedicated to—“Mysterious Supreme Emperor of Heaven”, the Taoist God of the Sea, known as “Pak Tai”.
Huge incense coils adorn the ceiling and the calming fragrance fills the air in this three-hall temple designed in the Chinese courtyard style. In the main hall, the three-metre tall statuette of Pak Tai, barefoot with long, flowing mane and golden armour, kindles a majestic tranquility further enhanced by intricate stone and woodcarvings and elaborate mouldings that grace the temple’s interior. A beautiful solace from the urban undulations, this small temple offers any seeker a peaceful place for quiet musings, observations, or meditation.
Nam Koo Terrace: Ghost Story
“Fondly” called “the Wan Chai Haunted House”, Nam Koo Terrace is a Grade 1 Historic building on Ship Street that has earned its sobriquet as much by its seething past as by its eerie feel. Built in 1918 by a wealthy merchant family that was kicked out during the Japanese occupation during World War II, the mansion now looms atop over a hundred heaving steps covered by dense foliage, with the cocoon of silence lending it a spooky feel. The locals talk of this place as an abode of vengeful spirits of the ‘comfort women’, who committed suicide after being forced into carnal amusements.
Tramways: Transport
By now, you must have heard and seen a lot of them, so head to Admiralty Station to catch the next rattling tram ride. An exact fare of HKD 2.3 will not only have you rumbling and snaking through Hong Kong’s vigorous life, but will also bestow on you the pleasure of riding in the only double-decker operated tram systems in the world. Not bad for HKD 2.3, huh?
The Pawn: British Cheer
It’s another famous tong lau on Johnston Road, its name a not-so-subtle clue to what it once used to be. After its restoration in 2007 to give it contemporary highlights while retaining some of its original features, the three-storied building now accommodates two restaurants and a furniture shop.
An old pawn shop with a hearty British fare, the bar and lounge, with wooden benches, vintage leather chairs and high ceiling, appears to be a queer cross between a church and a ski lodge, and its array of beers, spirits and wines still make it an ideal place, be it a romantic tête-à-tête or a no-holds barred slosh.
The culinary servings upstairs are A-Okay, so head out to the balcony area overlooking busy streets, where you can just relax, ponder, giggle, or scream, over a sip of their delicious signature cocktails or an afternoon tea, while Hong Kong goes by below.
Tai Yuen Street: Junk Street
Clothes, souvenirs, collectors’ items, kids’ toys, the market is every budget shopper’s paradise and a great place to rub shoulders with local shoppers and hear them haggle. The streets is packed with little shops and stalls selling everything from fresh produce, duck eggs, dried pork, potted plants, umbrellas, jewellery… you name it. Do keep some free space in your suitcase for all the buys as you dig your way through piles of pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, lingerie, baby clothes at dirt-cheap prices.
Old Post Office: Old Stamp
The end of the street—the junction that joins it with Queen’s Road East—beholds the oldest, and the only, surviving post office in Hong Kong. While this green and white L-shaped structure was erected in 1912, it wasn’t until the March of 1915 that it started being utilised as a post office. It serves as Environmental Protection Resource Centre today. So, steal a peek inside and marvel at those preserved letter pigeon holes and its colonial architecture all you want, but do spare a thought or two for the Chinese couplet at the entrance: “If we foul our world that sustains us, what then shall we eat? Scorn hygiene that protects life, where then shall we live?”