February Newsletter
February is an ideal month for walking in Hong Kong, as the weather is so cool and comfortable. With our 2011 programme now in full swing, now is the time to get out and about.
Our first full day trip for 2011 is an exploration of Hong Kong's Battlefields and wartime sites. Our visit will extend from the tunnels of the Inner Line ("Gin Drinker's Line") at Shing Mun in the central New Territories to Sai Wan Hill above Shau Kei Wan, on to pillboxes and bunkers along the water catchment at Wong Nai Chung Gap, down to Stanley, and finishing at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery near Chai Wan. You will hear stories of courage, strength and sacrifice.
In Central significant buildings, unexpected sites of historical and cultural interest and surprising historical clues to earlier lives and times await discovery. As this is an area which many of us believe we know well, a more thorough exploration will surprise and intrigue even long-term residents.
Step over to the Kowloon side and into a very different side of Hong Kong life. Yau Ma Tei is quite often overlooked as an area of interest. Yau Ma Tei's long-established Wholesale Fruit Market is where most of Hong Kong's fresh fruit is traded, is an important part of local life and not to be missed. A bustling, noisy place in the small hours, there is still much of interest by mid-morning.
Or spend a day in the New Territories, visiting a number of wai tsuen (walled villages) and well-maintained clan halls. Highlights include a visit to Tai Fu Tai, a beautifully-maintained Ching-dynasty era rural mansion and the locally-famous shu uk, or "tree house" – an enormous Yung Shue ("Chinese Banyan") which eventually devoured several houses.
Shau Kei Wan and Stanley finish up a full month of Hong Kong historical exploration.
Kung Hei Fat Choy!
Forthcoming February Walks:
Battlefields - Sunday 13th
Central - Tuesday 15th
Yaumatei - Wednesday 16th
New Territories Walled Villages - Sunday 20th
Shau Kei Wan - Tuesday 22nd
Stanley - Thursday 24th
Please visit our Event Calendar for more.
Recent Walks:
Wan Chai - January 20th
Wan Chai, an area many of us walk through regularly, has so much more to offer than bars and restaurants. In fact Wan Chai's famous - or notorious - reputation as Hong Kong's "party district" only really developed in the post-war era. Prior to the Pacific War there were few bars in the area.
Stories of a "garden Gnome" of sorts..... a patriotic gift from the mother land and wartime tunnels in plain view - Wan Chai's historical interest was evident on every corner.
An enjoyable afternoon was had by all.
AWA Yaumatei - January 10th
A fascinating yet often overlooked part of Kowloon, between Tsim Sha Tsui's tourist glitz and Mong Kok's commercial frenzy, this little corner of town is buzzing with community life.
Yau Ma Tei's famous "Temple of Temple Street" enjoys pride of place - once looking out to sea, land reclamation leaves a somewhat more "concrete" view, but still provides a solid community focal point, as it has done for over a century.
AWA visited Shanghai and Reclamation Streets - both are essential adjuncts to the local restaurant trade. Here you will find every possible variety of cooking pot, wok, cleaver and kitchen utensil – at very reasonable prices. Nearby, the Yau Ma Tei Theatre, the oldest cinema in Kowloon, has been spared from demolition and is being renovated for other uses.
Kowloon City - January 5th
A trip to Kowloon City commenced the new year. The weather proved fresh and crisp, to be expected in early January.
This excursion into the "real Kowloon" did not disappoint. Exploring the vast open garden and remains of what was a notorious crime-ridden slum, it is difficult to imagine life in the Kowloon Walled City prior to it's demolition in the mid-1990's.
Housing estates, Chinese naming techniques and Hong Kong's overwhelming post-war success story, as represented here, gave us much to ponder on.
An insightful morning to bring in 2011.