Sheung Wan 上環
- West of Central on Hong Kong Island
- One of the earliest settled areas of Hong Kong
- Retains a feel of the old Hong Kong
Sheung Wan is located to the west of Central and amid the modern development, traditional shops and businesses still survive particularly dried seafood stores and "wet" markets.
Shop
Dried foods of all sorts are available in the stores along Des Voeux Road West including dried duck, sea cucumber, abalone and a variety of seaweeds.
Indeed Sheung Wan is a center of the controversial shark's fin trade, which is causing havoc with the numbers of this amazing sea creature.
Around Queen's Road West and Wing Lok Street are a number of traditional Chinese medicine shops and stores selling intricate and imaginative paper funeral offerings and incense.
Western Market at 323 Des Voeux Road is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong and is preserved as an historical monument. The Edwardian style brick building opened in 1906 and operated as a food market until 1988. Now the space is occupied by a variety of modern stores.
A plaque in Hollywood Road Park next to Possession Street commemorates the British taking control of the island in 1842 when this area was then the shoreline.
Lok Cha Tea Shop (Tel: 2805 1360) at 290B Queen's Road is a local institution selling everything for the tea connoisseur: an endless variety of teas, tea sets and tea boxes. Cat Street (aka Upper Lascar Row) specializes in bric-a-brac and cheap jewelry. Man Wa Lane near to the Sheung Wa MTR Station has a number of name chop (personal seal) stores that can produce you a name chop from jade or wood.
Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan/SOHO is a popular local temple filled with the smoke of sandalwood incense. Man Mo is believed to be the oldest temple in Hong Kong.
Hip Bars, Cafes, Galleries
Sheung Wan has long had a reputation as the place for Hong Kong's hipsters to gather and they are served by a variety of cool cafes, bars and galleries.
Some recommended places include the Japanese-style izakaya 3 Monkeys serving Japanese craft beer and sake, more Japanese at the modern izakaya Ronin and coffee and art at Boom Art.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park
A 10-minute walk from Sheung Wan Station is the waterfront Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park. Initially opened in 1995 the park has a statue of the great man along with various sports facilities in the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre.
The urban park has various fountains and sculptures, a football pitch with artificial turf, jogging track, lawn and basketball courts. The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre has a gym, squash courts, table tennis rooms and a dance studio. The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool offers a 50 meter competition pool. The Western Harbour Crossing entrance is clearly visible from the park.
Cat Street
Upper Lascar Row aka Cat Street is a pedestrianized lane that specializes in antiques, modern replicas, jewelry and various curios. It's a fun place to stroll and search for a souvenir. There's lots of jade and replicas of ancient Chinese coins.
Western Market
Western Market on Des Voeux Road is home to a variety of textile vendors, toy shops, cafes and other merchants on its three floors. The distinctive, ornate brick building with fine stained glass entrance is the oldest market building still in existence in the city and dates from 1906.
Liang Yi Museum
The privately-owned Liang Yi Museum on Hollywood Road near Cat Street and the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science has a superb collection of antique Chinese furniture, mainly from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Other collections feature ladies' vanity cases, as well as both Japanese accoutrements and Western silver pieces. The museum also features regular temporary exhibitions on the themes of design and craft.
Recommended Hotels in SOHO/Sheung Wan
Recommended hotels in the SOHO and Sheung Wan areas of Hong Kong include the four star, modern Japanese style Ovolo Noho featuring free super speed Wi-Fi, free minibar items and free local calls.
Ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan has modern rooms all with en suite bathrooms and free Wifi.
Butterfly on Waterfront Boutique Hotel is located near the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal with pleasant waterfront views.
Citadines Harbourview Hong Kong on the western edge of Sheung Wan close to Sai Ying Pun MTR Station provides spacious international class accommodation.
Holiday Inn Express Hong Kong Soho offers 32-inch flat screen TV, a work desk and ergonomic chairs.
Sleeep again has a Japanese theme, this time the capsule or cabin hotel.
Sheung Wan Access
Take an MTR metro to Sheung Wan Station on the Island Line. Ride a #5, #5A or #26 bus or tram heading along Des Voeux. The Macau Ferry leaves from the ferry terminal at Shun Tak Centre. A high speed ferry sails from the Macau ferry terminal in Sheung Wan to Zhuhai. There are sailings from Sheung Wan at 8 am, 10.30 am, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. The fare is presently HKD 220.
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