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Top Attractions | Worth Noting
Western has been called Hong Kong’s Chinatown, and despite the name this is the part of Hong Kong least affected by Western influence. Many of the narrow, jammed streets that climb the slopes of Victoria Peak seem to be light-years from the dazzle of Central, just down the road. Though developers are making short work of the traditional architecture, Western’s colonial buildings, rattling trams, old-world medicine shops, and lively markets still recall bygone times. Western is a foodie’s idea of heaven, as you’ll soon discover when you step into Sheung Wan Wet Market on Queen’s Road or browse the dried delicacies—abalone, bird’s nests, sea cucumbers, mushrooms—in shops around Wing Lok Street and Des Voeux Road.
The Territory
The Mid-Levels Escalator is the unofficial boundary between Western and Central. Several main thoroughfares run through Western parallel to the shore: Des Voeux Road (where the trams run), Queen’s Road, Hollywood Road, and Caine Road.
Western technically reaches all the way to Kennedy Town, where the tram lines end, but there’s not much of interest for a sightseer beyond Sheung Wan.
Getting Around
The most scenic way to cross Western is on a tram along Des Voeux Road; the route runs all the way from Central to Sheung Wan. From Central this is probably the quickest route into Western: no traffic, no subway lines, no endless underground walks. There are stops every two or three blocks. The Sheung Wan MTR station brings you within spitting distance of Western Market. Alternately, Bus 3B runs between Jardine House in Central to the university, as does green Minibus 8. Buses 40 and 40M also run through Central to the university. Expect a taxi from Central to the area around the Mid-Levels Escalators to cost about HK$24.
Quick Bites
Gage Street is great for Hong Kong fast food like a bowl of steaming wonton noodles, at any dai pai dong (street-stall restaurant).
Classified.
Sit on weathered wooden benches at Classified and sample cheeses from a vast selection. Or have a coffee, a glass of wine, or a hearty pasta. | 108 Hollywood Rd., Sheung Wan, Western | 2525–3454.
Lin Heung Lau Tea House.
Cracked Formica tabletops, cranky waiters, old men reading the newspapers: There’s nothing fancy about Lin Heung Lau Tea House, but it’s been doing great dim sum for years. Stop by any time after 6 am and fill up on such dishes as ha gau (steamed shrimp dumplings) and cha siu bau (barbecue pork buns), washed down with lots of tea. | 160 Wellington St., Sheung Wan, Western | 2544–4556.
Café O.
Café O has pizza by the meter and an assortment of salads and rice dishes, but the mega-breakfasts (served all day) are fierce competition. Fresher-than-fresh juices and smoothies help you keep your energy up. | 284 Queen’s Rd. Central, Sheung Wan, Western | 2851–0890.
Taking It In
Colonial Architecture. You can see Western’s colonial buildings on an hour-long stroll from the University of Hong Kong (take a cab or bus out). East along Bonham Road, which becomes Caine Road, are Victorian apartments. The Museum of Medical Sciences is at Caine Lane. Head down the staircase, then left onto Hollywood Road to Possession Street. Follow this downhill, doglegging right and left through Bonham Strand, onto Morrison, and to the Western Market.
Traditional Goods. An hour is enough time to wander Sheung Wan’s traditional shops. In the morning, when trade’s brisk, take the tram to Wilmer Street. Walk a block south and turn left onto Queen’s Road West (herbal remedies, temple goods). Walk left for a block at Possession, then loop left through Bonham Strand West (ginseng), right for a block at Des Voeux, then back along Wing Lok (dried seafood). Continue on Bonham Strand (bird’s nests), dipping left onto Hillier (snakes) and beyond to Man Wa Lane (chops).
Top Attractions
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences.
You can find out all about medical practices, disease outbreaks, and breakthroughs at this private museum, which is housed in a redbrick building at the top of Ladder Street that references Edwardian style architecture. The 11 exhibition galleries cover 10,000 square feet, and present information on both Western and Chinese medical practices. | 2 Caine Lane, Mid-Levels, Western | 2549–5123 | www.hkmms.org.hk | HK$10 | Tues.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. and holidays 1–5 | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
Man Mo Temple.
No one knows exactly when Hong Kong Island’s oldest temple was built—the consensus is sometime around the arrival of the British in 1841. The temple is dedicated to the Taoist gods of literature and of war: Man, who wears green, and Mo, dressed in red. The temple bell, cast in Canton in 1847, and the drum next to it are sounded to attract the gods’ attention when a prayer is being offered. | Hollywood Rd. at Ladder St., Sheung Wan, Western | Daily 8–6 | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
Fodor’s Choice | University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong.
Chinese harp music and a faint smell of incense float through peaceful rooms filled with a small but excellent collection of Chinese antiquities. On view are ceramics and bronzes, some dating from 3,000 BC; fine paintings; lacquerware; and carvings in jade, stone, and wood. Some superb ancient pieces include ritual vessels, decorative mirrors, and painted pottery. The museum has the world’s largest collection of Nestorian crosses, dating from the Mongol Period (1280–1368). These belonged to a heretical Christian sect who came to China from the Middle East during the Tang Dynasty (618–907).
There are usually two or three well-curated temporary exhibitions on view; contemporary artists who work in traditional mediums are often featured. TIP Don’t miss part of the museum: the collection is spread between the T.T. Tsui Building and the Fung Ping Shan Building, which you access via a first-floor footbridge. The museum is a bit out of the way—20 minutes from Central via Buses 3B, 23, 40, 40 M, or 103, or a 15-minute uphill walk from Sheung Wan MTR—but it’s a must for the true Chinese art lover. | 94 Bonham Rd., Pokfulam, Western | 2241–5500 | www.hku.hk/hkumag | Free | Mon.–Sat. 9:30–6, Sun. 1–6 | Station: Sheung Wan.
Worth Noting
Hollywood Road.
Hong Kong’s best antiques shops and classical-art galleries are on this street, named for the holly trees that once grew here. The farther west you go, the less genuine things get. Porcelain, curios, and not-very-old trinkets masquerading as artifacts make up most of the offerings on Upper Lascar Row, a flea market commonly known as Cat Street. | Hollywood Rd. between Arbuthnot Rd. and Queen’s Rd. Wes, Sheung Wan, Western | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
Possession Street.
A sign here marks where Captain Charles Elliott stepped ashore in 1841 to claim Hong Kong for the British empire. This was once the waterfront, but aggressive reclamation has left the spot several blocks inland. At the top of the street stands Hollywood Centre, home to a number of shops and galleries and the non-profit contemporary art space Asia Art Archive. | Possession St., between Queen’s Rd. Central and Hollywood Rd., Sheung Wan, Western | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
Tai Ping Shan.
The maze of streets west of Man Mo Temple is known as Tai Ping Shan (the Chinese name for Victoria Peak, which towers above it). It’s a sleepy area that’s filled with small shops. One of the city’s oldest residential districts has undergone major gentrification in recent years. | Tai Ping Shan St. between Upper Station St. and Square St., Sheung Wan, Western | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
The University of Hong Kong.
It’s worth a trip out to the western end of the Mid-Levels to see the imposing Edwardian buildings, most along Bonham Road, of the University of Hong Kong, where competition for a place is fierce. The institution opened in 1912 with the Faculty of Medicine. Today the exteriors of University Hall, Hung Hing Ying Building, and Tang Chi Ngong Building are on the government’s “Declared Momument List.” | Bonham Rd. at Pok Fu Lan Rd., Pok Fu Lam, Western | 2859–2111 | www.hku.hk.
Western Market.
The Sheung Wan district’s iconic market, a hulking brown-and-white colonial structure, is a good place to get your bearings. Built in 1906, it functioned as a produce market for 83 years. Today it’s a shopping center selling trinkets and fabrics—the architecture is what’s worth the visit. Nearby are the Chinese herbal medicine on Ko Shing Street and Queen’s Road West; dried seafood on Wing Lok Street and Des Voeux Road West; and ginseng and bird’s nest on Bonham Strand West. | 323 Des Voeux Rd. Central, Sheung Wan, Western | Daily 10 am–midnight | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit B or C.
Wing Lee Street.
Just minutes away from Man Mo Temple is one of the last streets in Hong Kong where every building features 1950s architecture. In 2010 the buildings on this tucked-away street were saved from being demolished, following a series of protests and a plea from the filmmakers of the award-winning local film Echoes of the Rainbow. | Wing Lee St., above Hollywood Rd. between Ladder and Shing Wong Sts., Sheung Wan, Western | Station: Sheung Wan, Exit A2.
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