Having undergone rapid modernization in the 1960s and 70s, Hong Kong saw itself transformed into a bustling metropolis in a blink of an eye. Today, the ‘Asian Tiger’ is known for towering sky-scrapers, densely packed apartments and the high cost of living. Nevertheless, most Hongkongers remain fiercely proud of their culture and you’ll be glad to know the city is still very much steeped in the rich and incredible history of Old Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government has played a crucial role in preserving many important places and practices as reminders of the city’s past. These include old temples, dwellings and even eateries that tell the colourful story of Hong Kong and its inhabitants.
Take a day to explore the spiritual side of the city and escape the rat race.
Offer up a prayer at Wong Tai Sin
In Chinese culture, temples are usually built around a certain god or goddess, and within Hong Kong itself there are over 600 shrines, temples, and monasteries, big and small dedicated to various deities. One of the most-visited taoist temples, Wong Tai Sin is a site of worship for the Great Immortal Wong, or Wong Tai Sin, the temple’s red and green tiled exterior making for an attractive tourist spot. Great Immortal Wong is said to be a deity known for his impressive powers of healing. Having experienced great poverty and hunger when he was a boy, Great Immortal Wong sought solace by practicing Taoism. He was apparently able to turn stones into sheep, with his great powers.
Visitors come from far and wide to offer up prayers at the temple as it is famed for having answered many prayers. So much so that the Hong Kong people have coined an endearing phrase for the temple, 有求必应, or “you get what you ask for”. This is done through the act of kau chim, or lottery poetry. When you kau chim, you will be asked to shake a bamboo cup full of chim, or sticks, until one falls out. There are one hundred sticks in all, each corresponding to a different fortune. The fortunes will let you know whether your prayer has been looked upon favourably or not.
If you are visiting during Chinese New Years, you can join the thousands of worshippers waiting outside before midnight. When the clock strikes twelve, everyone rushes to place their joss sticks at the altar. The earlier they manage to offer the incense, the better their luck will be in the coming year, and the higher chance of their wish coming true.
Address: 2 Chuk Yuen Rd, Chuk Un, Hong Kong
Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 7am - 5pm
Get Your Fortune Told at Temple Street
You might have heard of Temple Street thanks to it’s wildly popular night market, where people flock to amass cheap goods, street eats and have a good time. There’s also a Catonese Opera Show you can watch on most nights. Amateurs are invited to sing old cantonese folk songs, making for an atmospheric journey throughout the market.
Fortune tellers can usually be found outside of the market, closer to the temples. Follow the heady scent of incense towards the temple garden near Yau Ma Tei library to find the various colourful tents, where old folks sit ready to help you map out your future. Most fortune tellers can speak enough english to give out readings for tourists, but be sure to check ahead of joining the queue.
Before you get all skeptical and roll your eyes, fortune telling is actually quite commonplace in the superstitious city of Hong Kong. Chinese fortune telling is more than just gazing into a crystal ball, the various methods involving examining one’s hands, eyes and ears as well as the use of chinese astrology.
Another unique method of chinese fortune telling includes the bird method, where caged birds are released by the fortune tellers to select a card from the stack, just for you. The experience alone is interesting enough, even if you choose to take these predictions with a pinch of salt.
Have a Hearty Meal at Tai Wo Tang
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a branch of traditional medicine that developed in China over 3,500 years ago. It encompasses a variety of medical practices including herbal medicine, cupping, acupuncture and chinese massage. The Chinese believe in the notion of Qi, a life-giving energy that circulates through your organs. Chinese medicine is meant to restore, rebuild and replenish this Qi in order to bring balance to the body. A feature of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hall, crowded shophouses selling herbs and medicinal powders to eager clients.
One such place is Tai Wo Tang Cafe, a refurbished former medicine hall turned into a modern cafe. The cafe’s unique concept is derived from the building itself. Built in the 1920s, the medicine hall was initially known as Yamato Hall, short for Yamato-do’s Ayurvedic Medicine Hall. It stayed a medicine hall for 80 years, passing through the hands of three generations, and survived many historical events such as the Japanese invasion of China and the return of Hong Kong. The Hall was then run by the esteemed Dr Zhong Bo Ming, whose prestigious reputation attracted locals and celebrities alike to seek his treatment.
After the death of Dr Zhong’s eldest grandson, the medicine hall was converted into a cafe, as part of an effort to preserve the medicine hall’s extensive history. The moody interior of the cafe is filled with drawers stacked to the ceiling, and photographs of the medicine hall throughout the ages are also on display. The menu is distinctly Western, filled with brunch foods, hamburgers and coffee.
Address: 24號 Nga Tsin Long Rd, Kowloon City, Hong Kong
Opening Hours:
Monday: 8am - 6pm
Tuesday - Sunday: 8am - 9pm
Cleanse Your Negative Energy with Villain Hitting
Started by the cantonese, the ancient practice of Villain Hitting or Da Siu Yan will be novel to most. Make your way to Canal Road Flyover where you’ll find people clustered under the bridge, looking to get their negative energy dispelled. Whether you’re struggling with personal matters, facing a hurdle in your career or just looking for a bit of fun, Villain Hitting is the cure-all that will get you back on track.
Villain Hitting was actually started by farmers a long time ago. Back then, farmers feared the mythical white tiger that would hunt them and those in their villages. So come springtime, when most animals awoke from hibernation, the farmers would burn paper tigers smeared with pig’s blood as offerings to the White Tiger
The practice has since evolved beyond agriculture. Today, Villain Hitting is carried out most days of the year, by old women sitting beside luminous red altars. You’ll often spot the notorious paper figure of the tiger nestled amongst offerings, but the modern day villains have since evolved into people; customers can put a picture or give a name to the villain hitter if they have a specific person in mind, whether it be a politician, a love rival, or a hated enemy. If not, you can also opt for the villain hitter to target a more general villain.
There are eight steps to the ceremony. Villain hitters will start by producing a human shaped paper, which they will first sacrifice to the Gods to begin the ceremony. Then, they will ask you for your name and date of birth. If you have a specific person you want to target, now is the time to tell them the person’s name and date of birth as well. The Villain hitter will begin using a shoe or incense sticks to beat and hurt the human shaped paper, often accompanied by chanting. The Villain Hitters will then burn an offering to the white tiger, after which there will be reconciliation. The Villain Hitters will pray on your behalf for blessings and help from the Spirits with a red paper offering which will also be burned.
Villain Hitting is a popular way to get things off your chest and makes for a great show. After all, there’s no use holding onto resentment. Recently, the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau listed it as part of Hong Kong’s “intangible cultural heritage”, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Gulp Down Some Delicious Snake Soup at Snake King Lam
Not a dish for the squeamish, Snake Soup or She Geng is a famous cantonese delicacy known for its nutritional benefits. The soup is said to nourish blood, improve skin quality and increase one’s qi (the term in traditional chinese medicine for energy). It is also supposed to be effective in keeping you warm during the winter season.
With a history of over two thousand years, the earliest recorded instance of people eating snake soup was in the Qing dynasty. Snake Soup was popularized and considered a delicacy as it was associated with wealth, bravery and respect, only served to those in the upper echelons of society. The dish actually reached the height of its popularity in the 1980s, during which there were more than a hundred stores in Hong Kong selling snake soup, and vendors struggled to meet the high demand. Today however, there are only twenty stores left.
The soup itself is made from at least two different types of snake, shredded and boiled with chicken, pork or some other meat, and a variety of spices including fungus, ginger and lemon leaves. The soup is painstakingly stewed over six hours. Typically restaurants use the water snake, chinese cobra and the Python snake, but at most places customers are encouraged to choose from the breeds of live snakes.
Snake King Lam, or She Wong Lam, has been selling snake soup to satisfied customers for over a hundred and ten years, the first store in Hong Kong to specialise in this special soup. The store sells only a limited hundred and twenty bowls a day, and also offers specialty snake wine brewed in house.
There are worries that the snake soup industry is on the decline, as few youngsters want to take up the trade, which is often considered dangerous. The industry also faces supply issues with importing the snakes due to erratic demand, so be sure to give it taste before this ancient tradition dies out.
Address: 13號 Hillier St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 9am - 6pm
Sunday: 9am - 4pm
