Hong Kong’s Mong Kok (旺角) district is crowded. At one point, it was ranked the most crowded place on earth. While other places today carry that dubious accolade, the Kowloon district remains packed with malls, shops, restaurants and street food stalls – plus vast amounts of human traffic, both locals and tourists.
But people will be surprised to hear that the area was originally farmland. Here’s a brief history.
In mid-1800s, Mong Kok, which literally means “prosperous point” in Chinese, belonged to a farming zone where residents made ends met by growing vegetables. Mong Kok’s original name in Chinese (芒角) referred to the glowing plumes of silvergrass (芒草) prevalent in the area.
At that time, Mong Kok was low-lying and fertile land suited for growing crops. Sai Yeung Choi Street (西洋菜街) and Tung Choi Street (通菜街) were named after indigenous Hakka villagers grew vegetables there. The first can be read as “watercress street” and the second as “water spinach street”.
In early 1920s, Mong Kok emerged as one of core districts for developing light industries in Hong Kong.
Mong Kok was then renamed to its current Chinese appellation (旺角), whereas its English name remained unchanged.
Some Chinese enterprises established laundries, textile factories and dyeing mills on Sai Yeung Choi Street and nearby areas. The current names of some streets, such as Yim Po Fong Street, which literally means “dyeing mill street”, (染布房街), and Hak Po Street (黑布街), which means “black cloth street”, reveal the presence of the textile dyeing industry in the area.
Between the 1950s and the 1960s, enterprises started relocating factories and dyeing mills from Mong Kok to other districts, such as Tsuen Wan, in a bid to lower operation costs amidst soaring rental levels in the area.
Sai Yeung Choi Street is now split into two streets – Sai Yeung Choi Street North (西洋菜北街) and Sai Yeung Choi Street South (西洋菜南街), which runs parallel to Nathan Road.
The North street leads to Prince Edward area, and the South street is a sought-after area for shopping and entertainment, glittering with neon signs every evening.
LADIES MARKET
Hawkers offered goods from food, clothes, household goods and daily necessities on Tung Choi Street in the 1960s. In 1975, the British authorities granted hawkers permits and established the city’s first hawking zone, now known as Ladies Market, on Tung Choi Street. Hawkers sold women’s clothes and accessories in the zone and so it got the name Ladies Market.
Today, Ladies Market is one of the most popular street markets in Hong Kong. Many visitors to Hong Kong believe that the street market is a must-do in their travel itineraries as one of the best ways to experience the hustle and bustle of local life.
In the open-air street market, there are all kinds of inexpensive and affordable products ranging from clothes, cellphone accessories, handbags, watches, T-shirts to Hong Kong-themed souveniors. There are also plenty of stalls selling necklaces, earrings and rings.
The market is a treasure trove for shoppers who can bargain with stall owners over the cost of items.
TRENDY ZONE FOR HIPSTERS
Since the late 1980s, Mong Kok has become one of hottest places in Hong Kong for trendy items – that’s where you go for phone cases or the latest digital camera. It has become a favourite place for local young people and hipsters for shopping and entertainment, and a renowned sightseeing destination for Mainland and overseas tourists.
On Sai Yeung Choi Street South and nearby areas, there are various shopping malls, cinemas and retail outlets. These retail stalls sell a plethora of products such as cameras, cosmetic products, electronic gadgets, clothes and others. Restaurants and cafes are available there.
There are also various shopping malls, including Sim City (星際城市), Trendy Zone (潮流特區) and Sino Centre (信和中心), which target tech-savvy and young people.
In Sim City, there are shops selling computers, cameras and lens, photographic equipment, as well as electronic gadgets. In Trendy Zone, it epitomizes Korean and Japanese fashion, watches and accessories for young people.
In the Sino Centre, retailers mainly sell Japanese anime cartoons and movies, comics, action figures, vintage toys, video games and other collectibles.
There are stalls which sell street food such as curry fish balls, egg waffles and stuffed treasures (煎釀三寶), which are eggplants (茄子), tofu (豆腐), and bell peppers (青椒), which are filled with fish paste.
These street delicacies are facet of Hong Kong’s gourmet reputation.
Having been transformed from a farmland zone, Mong Kok has become one of the liveliest areas in Hong Kong. With immense vibe and ambience, Mong Kok has become a fast-paced yet sought-after area for tourists to explore, dine and shop at day and night.
Image at the top from Paul Ngan/Unsplash.