Unusual Markets of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, perhaps, is best known for shopping in its myriad markets. Leave high end shops and malls, here we will see some famous markets that have nothing to do with famous international brands ! So much so that one may call them a brand unto themselves. It makes a great outing since they are all within walking distance of each other in the MK or the Mongkok area of Kowloon.
Mongkok is a major shopping area of HK and is depicted as a place run by Triads in the movies!
We have earlier written about Stanley Market. We are going to show you the markets that are within 1KM radius from the Mong Kok MTR station.
Gold Fish Market:
Just east of Mong Kok MTR station lies the Tung Choi Street. Heading North for a few minutes leads you into the most colorful and amazing world. If in one shop there are Fish of all sizes and colors hung in plastic bags full of water then in another it is aquariums of various designs.
Bird market:
Walking further North we start to hear lilting music of the song birds. In a few minutes we enter the magical land of Bird Garden at Yuanpo Street. Exotic birds of all hues are kept in intricately designed bamboo cages. They are all for sale. Also for sale are bird food, porcelain dishes and other items needed for keeping birds. It appears as though the owners are in love with the birds as they lovingly pet them, feed them and talk to them.
Flower Market:
Next door is equally colorful if not more. Wafting fragrance greets you to dozens of flower shops with most of them are spilling onto the sidewalk. Of course we don’t mind what is spilling as they are quite enjoyable. The flowers range from purely decorative to the lucky charms to those used for religious purposes. I make a mental note to visit this during Chinese New Year just to experience the chaos. I can already vividly imagine the scenes!
Jade Market:
Another part of Mongkok is the Jade market. Jade has been part of Chinese life for eons. There would hardly be a Chinese house hold without things made of Jade. Most of the shops are street stalls selling Jade and other stone trinkets. Of course you need to be aware of fakes as well.
Ladies Market:
Hold on, Ladies are not sold here! While in the case of all the others, the markets were predominantly selling the adjective part of the market. Nothing of that sort here. I have to say that I don’t know why the Ladies Market is called so, I can only hazard a guess. In all probability all items required by Ladies were initially sold in this market. However now the wares include anything and everything under the Hong Kong sun.
Right outside Mongkok MTR stations, this is the place to pick up bootleg branded apparel and accessories, cheap electronics, souvenirs and things for people back home etc. Bargaining and bargaining hard is the name of the game here. One can easily spend a couple of hours here navigating through the hundreds of street stalls, just window-less shopping.
There are several such special and specialized markets in Hong Kong. One visit to Hong King is never enough to experience all these markets.
Do you also love markets? 😀