Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan retains a stronger connection to pre-1997 Hong Kong than the adjacent commercial districts. The streets west of Central Market have been occupied by Chinese trading businesses for over 150 years — dried seafood merchants, herbal medicine wholesalers, joss stick makers, and incense suppliers still operate from the same narrow shophouses their predecessors built. Des Voeux Road West, running close to the waterfront, is the wholesale centre for dried abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin (now restricted), and preserved seafood from across Asia.

Man Mo Temple, at the corner of Hollywood Road and Ladder Street, is one of Hong Kong's oldest surviving temples, built in 1847 when the street was at the edge of the settlement. The interior is permanently wreathed in incense smoke from the giant hanging coils; the two presiding deities are Man (the civil official) and Mo (the martial deity). The combination of darkness, heavy incense, and devotional activity makes it one of the more atmospheric religious spaces in the SAR.

Hollywood Road above the temple runs east towards Central, lined with antique shops and art galleries that range from reputable auction-house affiliates to smaller dealers in jade and period furniture. The standard of merchandise varies; knowledgeable buyers find the street worthwhile, casual visitors less so.

PMQ, at the corner of Aberdeen Street and Hollywood Road, is a converted former police accommodation block from 1951, now operating as a design and retail hub for Hong Kong designers. The courtyard building contains around a hundred small studios and shops, with a varying mix of quality.