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Kowloon Walled City
Park
Few areas of Hong Kong have a richer historical background than
the Kowloon Walled City Park, originally the site of a walled fort.
A senior mandarin commanded the garrison with his own administrative
headquarters in an official "Yamen". While not particularly
distinctive to look at, being a rectangular structure with a typical
tiled roof, a Yamen represented the power of the Emperor as passed
down to the Mandarin in charge, and so was both highly respected and
feared by those who passed it. After Hong Kong Island was ceded to
Great Britain in 1841, the fort's role was to police the Chinese
side of Hong Kong Harbour. But the British seized on a minor
skirmish between the two sides to demand the garrison's withdrawal
on pain of a naval bombardment. Having already suffered enough from
British guns, the Chinese had the good sense to abandon the fort
although, by Treaty, the site remained theirs.
Squatters soon moved in and for about 100 years it remained a quiet
rural hamlet huddled behind its protective walls. However, during
the Japanese occupation of 1942-45 the walls were torn down and the
stone used to enlarge the nearby airfield at Kai Tak. War's end soon
saw hundreds of thousands of Chinese refugees flock to Hong Kong,
bringing a fresh wave of squatters, particularly criminal elements
attracted by this legal no-man's land. Lacking law and order, the
area mushroomed into a squalid eyesore of illegal buildings where
crime, drugs and vice flourished side by side in a maze of dank,
dark alleyways. The situation became so out of hand that the Chinese
and British authorities finally agreed to clear the festering slum
in 1994 and resettle its occupants. The cleared site was then
transformed into the beautiful Chinese park and garden which today
delights visitors from all over the world. It is built in the
classical Jiangnan style and its features include a Garden of the
Chinese Zodiac, a Mountain View Pavilion and a Hill Top Pavilion.
Amazingly, the Commandant's Yamen survived the chaos of the area's
worst years and has been perfectly restored. It is one of the few
remaining ones in South China. Other reminders of the old walled
fort include the original stone plaques from the South Gate, stone
tablets and Qing official inscriptions, plus the only two cannon to
survive. Catch Bus No 1 from outside the Star Ferry Pier at Tsim Sha
Tsui, or take the MTR to Lok Fu station and change to Green Minibus
No 39M.
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Food District Festival
Nga Tsin Long Road; Nam Kwok Road; Lung Kong Road; Prince Edward
Road. Over the years, Kowloon City has evolved from an industrial
district into a residential area, and today is a treasure-trove of
international cuisine with Asian eateries very much in the
spotlight. Delicious and inexpensive, they offer a variety of
Southeast Asian delights, Cantonese and Chiu Chow dishes, as well as
scrumptious local desserts. Most of the restaurants are small,
family-run businesses with friendly service.
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Whampoa Gourmet Place
Savour all the tastes and flavours of old Hong Kong in the heart
of the Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa shopping and entertainment
centre. Whampoa Gourmet Place is a fascinating culinary tribute to
high quality, affordable and uniquely Hong Kong dining from decades
past. The 4,500 square metre dining extravaganza is dedicated to
traditional Hong Kong fast food prepared by famous, authentic
eateries; many of which were in danger of fading into oblivion, the
victims of changing times.
Wander and try age-old delicacies such as Sichuan-style dan-dan
noodles, handmade extremely fine quality served in a rich spicy
broth. Or equally peppery Fortune Duck and Chongqing Chilli Hot Pot.
Choose from a bewildering range of handmade dim sum delicacies,
including pumpkin, seaweed and preserved egg, leek and mutton,
string beans and bitter melon and even shark's fin dumplings. Sample
pork ribs stewed in vinegar, roast goose in plum sauce, steamed
chicken with dates, sauteed prawns with chilli and the classical
poached mild curd cream dessert - the Shunde cuisine that dedicated
gourmets believe represents the very apex of Cantonese gastronomy.
Gorge on crisp, succulent honey-roasted char siu or barbecued port,
duck, chicken and goose that tastes better served with steamed rice
and a dollop of hoi sin sauce. Nibble at the hawker street snacks;
the dumplings, the fish balls, and meatballs that originated in the
murky depths of Kowloon's long-demolished Walled City and the
sweet-rice flour rolls dipped in peanut butter sauce. Turn back the
clock with classic dishes like horseshoe turtle soup, fried pig's
intestines, lotus root with fish intestines and chicken eggs in wine
that can be traced to the imperial courts of the Tang and Ming
dynasties. Sample simple yet satisfying "sampan dining" dishes -
such as stir-fired crab and clams cooked on a deep bed of garlic and
chilli - that evolved in the typhoon shelters where diners aboard a
restaurant sampan could enjoy fresh seafood cooked and served from a
neighbourhood "kitchen" sampan. Transportation: Take bus No 8A from
Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Bus Terminal, or take green minibus No 6 in
Tsim Sha Tsui (Hankow Road) and alight at the last terminal. Whampoa
Gourmet Place is adjacent to the terminal.
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Information provided by
Hong Kong Tourism Board.
