DK Travel : Hong Kong : Around Kowloon : Places of interest

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Apliu Street

This huge street market is full of all sorts of strange junk and pirated goods. You’ll feel you’re on another planet here – this is as “local” as Hong Kong gets. It includes perhaps the world’s biggest collection of secondhand electrical stuff. Occasionally you can spot the odd retro turntable or radio, but most of it is rubbish.
Bird Garden

The small but pretty Bird Garden is where local folk, mostly elderly, take their birds to sing and get some fresh air. There’s also a small bird market here selling sparrows, finches and songbirds in elegant little cages. Fresh bird food, in the form of live grasshoppers, is fed to the birds through the cage bars with chopsticks.
Boundary Street

History is visible in the ruler-straight line of Boundary Street, which marked the border between British Hong Kong and China between 1860 and 1898. The lower part of the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded (supposedly in perpetuity) by China to the British, who wanted extra land for army training and commerce. The British then became worried over water shortages and wanted yet more land to protect Hong Kong Island from the threat of bombardment from newly invented long-range artillery. In 1898 the border was moved again to include the entire New Territories, this time on a 99-year lease (see 1898: The 99-Year Lease).
Chi Lin Nunnery

It is said that not a single nail was used in the construction of this lavish replica of a traditional Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907) place of worship. The nunnery opened in 2000, funded by donations from wealthy families, whose names are inscribed under the roof tiles. Few original structures survived the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, so this is a rare chance to see the ingenuity of ancient Middle Kingdom architecture. There are also impressive statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, ornate gardens and gently whispering waterfalls, and the underlying hum of the chanting, shaven-headed nuns.

Chi Lin Nunnery complex
Clocktower

The Kowloon-Canton Railway, which now ends at Hung Hom, used to finish at this clocktower, as did the rather more famous Orient Express (see Clocktower). Plans are afoot to extend the KCR to Tsim Sha Tsui again by 2003 or thereabouts. From here, you can walk for more than a kilometre around the TST waterfront and marvel at the odd optimistic fisherman dangling a line in the harbour.
Cultural Centre

With a peerless view beckoning across the water, the geniuses in charge decided to build the world’s first windowless building, and covered it for good measure in pink public toilet-style tiles. Wander around and marvel at one of the great architectural debacles of the 20th century. That said, it hosts some good dance and theatre.
Fat Jong Temple

Although it is one of the most famous Buddhist sites in Hong Kong, the Fat Jong Temple is little visited by foreigners. Making it well worth the journey to see is the striking colour scheme – with red pillars standing out from the white walls – ornate decorations and magnificent Buddha sculptures. The temple somehow manages to be be both busy and serene at the same time.
Flower Market

Near the Bird Garden is a vibrant flower market, at its best and brightest in the morning. The stalls and shops lining the entire length of Flower Market Road sell a wide variety of exotic flowers – a wonderfully colourful sight and a good place to take photographs. The busy market is especially exciting to visit during the Chinese New Year.
Hau Wong Temple

Quaint and tiny, Hau Wong is hardly worth a special trip, but take a look if you’re in the area. It was built in 1737 as a monument to the exiled boy-emperor Ping’s most loyal advisor. Usually fairly quiet unless a festival is in full swing.
Jade Market

The small, covered Jade Market is worth a quick forage even if you’re not intending to buy any jade. Dozens of stalls sell jewellery, small animals (many representing characters from the Chinese zodiac) and beads in jade. There will be few bargains on sale, particularly to those without a knowledge of good jade, but there’s plenty of cheap jade here if you just want to own some trinkets.