Hong Kong 2024 - Mongkok

Mongkok, a district in Kowloon, is known for its shopping in the plethora of street stalls on streets like Women Street, Fa Yuen Street, Temple Street among others.  According to Wikipaedia, it has been pictured in films with its triad run bars, night clubs and massage parlours.  It has its own "Mongkok Culture" much revered by youth and is described as the busiest district in the world by the Guiness Book of Records.  When I was growing up, it was forbidden territory.  Since I have a luncheon date in the area, I decided to venture out to see what it's all about.  

Things have changed quite a bit now and from what I could see, it seemed quite safe for walking around. I was there midday and again after dinner. Of course I didn't delve into the depths of the area - walking on the long pedestrian bridge and the area near the MTR on Nathan Road was all I did so I can't say this with any authority.  It struck me as a vibrant area with lots of activities both day and night, and a lot of karaoke bars!  The traffic was astonishing especially near subway entrances.  The pedestrian bridge itself is quite impressive, linking two subway stations - Mongkok and Mongkok East stations.  It also connects to the huge MOKO mall, a modern shopping complex which includes a hotel.  So there is a full range of shopping possibilities in the area from street stalls to high-end shops.  Why not!

What you see below are just snapshots of the area from a few hours wandering around by myself.  If I have company, I would definitely revisit again deeper into the night on the next trip.

 
Mongkok MTR Station Crossing

The intersection of Mongkok Road and Women Street - day and night

Women street from the footbridge and at street level

  
One of many such intersections in the area  - mix of old and new buildings

And lots of construction activities especially near the Mongkok East station

The MOKO mall - the glitzy mall is quite a contrast to the rest of the area

Just outside the mall, the footbridge is the Sunday hangout for local nannies

The footbridge crosses quite a few intersections connecting two MTR stations - Mongkok and Mongkok East stations over an impressive 840 metres

The same section day and night - it seems there is even more traffic at night - looks like those buses were not going anywhere soon...

An artist's view of the same section

 Mini-bus alley - Day and night view

Section of Nathan Road as seen from the footbridge - Day and Night 

Mongkok station crossing - wonder if anyone keeps statistics on how many people cross here on a typical green light and how it compares to Shinjuku crossing in Tokyo...

A street singer singing old ballads provided a musical moment in the midst of the crowd scene

Stay tuned for my last post on Hong Kong coming up - Central District

Hong Kong 2024 - West Kowloon Cultural District

The typhoon was short-lived and by noon the following day, things were getting back to normal and people were going back to work.  Since it was still a bit windy with the occasional drizzle, it was the perfect time for museums and there are a few of these in the new West Kowloon Cultural District  (a new area of reclaimed land from the 1990's) just one subway stop from Tsimshatsui. It is actually within walking distance but since the weather is not great and there would be plenty of exercise walking inside the museum, I took the mini-bus, another great form of transportation.  

Panorama looking out from the Hong Kong Palace Museum

Heavy duty construction activity in the West Kowloon Cultural District 

The M+ Museum, supposdely modernist architecture, struck me as a bit brutalist, especially on the inside.  It is huge, apparently with exhibition space that is slightly larger than MOMA.  There are lots of contemporary art installations and you could spend hours going through them, including works and installations from local and mainland artists.  There was an interesting special exhibit on the architect I.M. Pei when I was visiting.

Entrance to M+

This spiral staircase seems to be a centrepiece on the second floor where the main exhibits were.  Not sure if it leads anywhere or if there is a practical purpose but it is certainly photogenic.

The main floor - quite brutalist

A couple of the installations in the Museum

View of the Hong Kong Palace Museum from M+

The ICC (International Commerce Centre)  a key building on the West Kowloon site can be seen from the Palace Museum entrance.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is a stunning building, with an exceptionally beautiful interior space with curves and lines that you could chase on different floors. It has over 900 artefacts from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing.  

The main lobby of the Hong Kong Palace Museum

Love that curved ceiling!

The Audditorium from above and below

A Ming dynasty vase among the artefacts

A screen depicting the "Four Friends" in cloisonné from the Qing dynasty

It seems to be a custom to dress up to go to Museums.  

A repeat of the lobby ceiling motif in another section

The Xiqu Performing Arts Centre is just a few minutes by mini-bus from the Hong Kong Palace Museum.  It has two theatres and aims to preserve, promote and nurture the local form of Cantonese opera.  The design is inspired by a traditonal Chinese lantern.  

Looking up from the entrance

Sunset in West Kowloon looking at the Arch Star Tower

The final stop at the High Speed Train station beside the MTR Kowloon station - another stunning building in the area.