Sham Shui Po
Encyclopedia
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District
, Hong Kong
, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula
, north of Tai Kok Tsui
, east of Cheung Sha Wan
and south of Shek Kip Mei
. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.
of Tai Kok Tsui. The low ridge of the peninsula ends in Sham Shui Po.
In the first stage, the town of Sham Shui Po was bounded by Yen Chow Street
, Tung Chau Street, Wong Chuk Street and Apliu Street
. Part of the town was on reclamation
. The town was surrounded by villages of Un Chau, Tin Liu and Tong Mei
. A nullah
along Nam Cheong Street was constructed to drain the water of rivers north and east (which explains the street's wideness). The town was closed to Cosmopolitan Dock
on the outer shore of Tai Kok Tsui.
Under Japanese occupation
, a concentration camp was mainainted here for most of the duration of the Second World War. An account of life by a British POW has been published as The Hard Way: Surviving Shamshuipo POW Camp 1941-45 by Victor Stanley Ebbage (Spellmount, 2011).
is serious in Hong Kong. The government is carrying out urban renewal projects.
In July 2003 the Hong Kong Housing Society
(HKHS) announced that its first urban renewal project would be to improve the living environment at Po On Road/Wai Wai Road in Sham Shui Po. Covering an area of 2,436 square metres and affecting approximately 500 households, this project will provide 330 residential flats, and some retail units. Government, institutional and community facilities will also be erected for the community. This development will require the HKHS to acquire about 157 properties, costing an estimated HK$240 million. The total development cost of the project is about HK$720 million.
In 2008, the North Kowloon Magistracy
was part of the seven buildings of Batch I of the Hong Kong Government's Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme
seeking adaptive reuse
of government-owned historic buildings. On 17 February 2009, the government declared that the building will be used by the Savannah College of Art and Design
(SCAD) (Traditional Chinese: 美國薩凡納藝術設計學院) as the school building as well as helping the old court become a Digital Media Centre of Asia.
For those who are looking for electronics and accessories, the Apliu Street
market is well known in Hong Kong. The vendors in this open-air street market sells a wide variety of products at reasonable prices, allowing individuals to trade second hand goods here. The sheer variety of things available at the market is astounding - different shops sell industrial electronics, analog and digital radio communications equipment, disco effects equipment, crockery, 1940s-era radios, LPs, torches, and audiophile hi-fi amplifiers in various stages of repair. The Hong Kong government promotes Apliu Street
as Hong Kong's answer to Akihabara
(in Japan
).
The annual Hong Kong computer fair held in the streets of Sham Shui Po attracts a large crowd.
The market on Ki Lung Street is also famous for its fresh food and cheap prices. In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government rebuilt the market and also added air conditioning.
There are numerous fashionwear wholesalers along Cheung Sha Wan Road. On weekends, some shops allow retail purchases, offering quality clothes at very affordable prices.
Nam Cheong Street and Ki Lung Street are most famous for their fabric
stores, containing cloth, sash, ribbons and buttons.
, the Golden Shopping Centre is a prominent IT shopping center. Golden Shopping Center Shops has extensive lines computer
products from components like motherboards, RAM, and CPUs
, complete systems, to various peripherals. Unlike purely consumer-oriented IT shopping centers, Golden features several stores specializing in professional and esoteric network equipment.
The Golden Shopping Centre is also known for the number of video game stores it contains, where people purchase gaming systems, software and accessories at either a slightly discounted price, or in special in-store packages which might include an extra game or extra accessories. Since the halls are extremely narrow, it is often very congested, especially on weekends. The mall has two floors. The upper floor, Golden Computer Centre , mainly sells games and gaming software, while the lower floor, Golden Computer Arcade , focuses on the sales of computer-oriented hardware. They were originally fashion markets named "Golden Shopping Centre" and "Golden Shopping Arcade" respectively.
It was the first computer market in Hong Kong and today "Golden" (高登/黃金) is synonymous to "computer market" in the minds of Hong Kong people
even though many other similar computer arcades have been established today.
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
, north of Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots were previously located there...
, east of Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District. The Sham Shui Po District includes Mei Foo as well as Lai Chi...
and south of Shek Kip Mei
Shek Kip Mei
Shek Kip Mei, originally known as Kap Shek Mi, is an area in New Kowloon, the North Eastern Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong.-History:A major fire on 25 December 1953, destroyed the Shek Kip Mei shantytown of immigrants from Mainland China that had fled to Hong Kong, leaving 53,000 people...
. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.
History
Sham Shui Po in Cantonese means "Deep Water Pier". Its water was deeper than the beach of Cheung Sha Wan to the northwest. It is close to the former peninsulaPeninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
of Tai Kok Tsui. The low ridge of the peninsula ends in Sham Shui Po.
In the first stage, the town of Sham Shui Po was bounded by Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street is a main street in Sham Shui Po of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. The street runs from hill side towards the shore. It spans from Castle Peak Road to Sham Mong Road. Its extension Yen Chow Street West spans further to the reclamation shore.-Name:The street was named after Yen Chow,...
, Tung Chau Street, Wong Chuk Street and Apliu Street
Apliu Street
Apliu Street is a street in the Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui Po Station...
. Part of the town was on reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
. The town was surrounded by villages of Un Chau, Tin Liu and Tong Mei
Tong Mei
Tong Mei or Tong Mi was a village and an area at the border of Kowloon and New Kowloon in Hong Kong. The village was located approximately present-day Boundary Street, Wong Chuk Street and Ki Lung Street....
. A nullah
Nullah
A Nullah or Nulla is an arm of the sea, stream, or watercourse, a steep narrow valley. Like the wadi of the Arabs, the nullah is characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall...
along Nam Cheong Street was constructed to drain the water of rivers north and east (which explains the street's wideness). The town was closed to Cosmopolitan Dock
Cosmopolitan Dock
Cosmopolitan Dock was one of the major dockyards in Hong Kong. Founded in 1880 and located on the exterior of former Tai Kok Tsui peninsula in Kowloon, the dockyard belonged to then-British owned Hutchison Whampoa. The dockyard was created from land reclaimation in the 1870s...
on the outer shore of Tai Kok Tsui.
Under Japanese occupation
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
, a concentration camp was mainainted here for most of the duration of the Second World War. An account of life by a British POW has been published as The Hard Way: Surviving Shamshuipo POW Camp 1941-45 by Victor Stanley Ebbage (Spellmount, 2011).
Land use
As Sham Shui Po was one of the earliest developed areas in Hong Kong, it was once a commercial, industrial and transportation hub of the territory. As of 2003, Sham Shui Po is covered mainly by residential buildings, with public housing estates built on approximately 810,000 m² of land. Factories and warehouses are still concentrated mainly in Cheung Sha Wan.Urban renewal
Sham Shui Po is an area where urban decayUrban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
is serious in Hong Kong. The government is carrying out urban renewal projects.
In July 2003 the Hong Kong Housing Society
Hong Kong Housing Society
The Hong Kong Housing Society or Housing Society for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong . The HKHS is a non-governmental organization and non profit organization that was founded in 1948 by "members coming from all walks of life" with a donation of £14,000...
(HKHS) announced that its first urban renewal project would be to improve the living environment at Po On Road/Wai Wai Road in Sham Shui Po. Covering an area of 2,436 square metres and affecting approximately 500 households, this project will provide 330 residential flats, and some retail units. Government, institutional and community facilities will also be erected for the community. This development will require the HKHS to acquire about 157 properties, costing an estimated HK$240 million. The total development cost of the project is about HK$720 million.
In 2008, the North Kowloon Magistracy
North Kowloon Magistracy
The North Kowloon Magistracy is a historic building and former Magistrate's Court located at No. 292, Tai Po Road, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, Hong Kong....
was part of the seven buildings of Batch I of the Hong Kong Government's Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme
Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme
The Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme is an initiative launched by the Hong Kong Government, part of a broader policy of Heritage conservation in Hong Kong....
seeking adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
of government-owned historic buildings. On 17 February 2009, the government declared that the building will be used by the Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
(SCAD) (Traditional Chinese: 美國薩凡納藝術設計學院) as the school building as well as helping the old court become a Digital Media Centre of Asia.
Shopping
The street market in Sham Shui Po is a hotspot for both locals and tourists.For those who are looking for electronics and accessories, the Apliu Street
Apliu Street
Apliu Street is a street in the Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui Po Station...
market is well known in Hong Kong. The vendors in this open-air street market sells a wide variety of products at reasonable prices, allowing individuals to trade second hand goods here. The sheer variety of things available at the market is astounding - different shops sell industrial electronics, analog and digital radio communications equipment, disco effects equipment, crockery, 1940s-era radios, LPs, torches, and audiophile hi-fi amplifiers in various stages of repair. The Hong Kong government promotes Apliu Street
Apliu Street
Apliu Street is a street in the Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui Po Station...
as Hong Kong's answer to Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
(in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
).
The annual Hong Kong computer fair held in the streets of Sham Shui Po attracts a large crowd.
The market on Ki Lung Street is also famous for its fresh food and cheap prices. In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government rebuilt the market and also added air conditioning.
There are numerous fashionwear wholesalers along Cheung Sha Wan Road. On weekends, some shops allow retail purchases, offering quality clothes at very affordable prices.
Nam Cheong Street and Ki Lung Street are most famous for their fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
stores, containing cloth, sash, ribbons and buttons.
Golden Shopping Centre
Once infamous for pirated software but today considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong (if not the world) to get (or buy parts to build) a personal computerPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, the Golden Shopping Centre is a prominent IT shopping center. Golden Shopping Center Shops has extensive lines computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
products from components like motherboards, RAM, and CPUs
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, complete systems, to various peripherals. Unlike purely consumer-oriented IT shopping centers, Golden features several stores specializing in professional and esoteric network equipment.
The Golden Shopping Centre is also known for the number of video game stores it contains, where people purchase gaming systems, software and accessories at either a slightly discounted price, or in special in-store packages which might include an extra game or extra accessories. Since the halls are extremely narrow, it is often very congested, especially on weekends. The mall has two floors. The upper floor, Golden Computer Centre , mainly sells games and gaming software, while the lower floor, Golden Computer Arcade , focuses on the sales of computer-oriented hardware. They were originally fashion markets named "Golden Shopping Centre" and "Golden Shopping Arcade" respectively.
It was the first computer market in Hong Kong and today "Golden" (高登/黃金) is synonymous to "computer market" in the minds of Hong Kong people
Hong Kong people
Hong Kong people refer to people who originate from Hong Kong. The term has no legal definition in Hong Kong. Rather, terms such as Hong Kong permanent resident and Hong Kong resident are used...
even though many other similar computer arcades have been established today.
Scenic spots
- Lei Cheng Uk Han TombLei Cheng Uk Han Tomb MuseumThe Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum is composed of an ancient brick tomb and of an exhibition hall adjacent to it. It is located at 41 Tonkin Street, in Cheung Sha Wan, Sham Shui Po District, in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong.-The tomb:According to the structure,...
- Sam Tai Tsz Temple and Pak Tai Temple Complex
- Shek Kip Mei ParkShek Kip Mei ParkShek Kip Mei Park is an urban park located in Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong and located near an area famed for temporary housing built on a hill side...
- Dragon CentreDragon CentreDragon Centre is a nine-storey shopping centre in the Sham Shui Po district of Kowloon, Hong Kong; it was the largest in West Kowloon until the Elements opened its doors in above the Kowloon MTR Station.- History :...
- Apliu StreetApliu StreetApliu Street is a street in the Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs parallel to Cheung Sha Wan Road between Yen Chow Street and Nam Cheong Street. An easy way to reach it is to get off at the MTR Sham Shui Po Station...
- Lui Seng ChunLui Seng ChunLui Seng Chun is a Grade I Historic Building located at 119 Lai Chi Kok Road, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, at the junction with Tong Mi Road. It is a 4-storey tong-lau that was built in 1931 by Mr. Lui Leung. The architect was Mr. W. H. Bourne.-Historical background:Mr...