Have you seen my most recent Hong Kong threads? Check them out here:
Part I +
Part II
I had a bit of extra time to kill last Monday so I decided to take the train up to Hong Kong's most northern reaches to wander around. It was a cold, gloomy day, which might not be good for taking photos, but it's certainly brisk walking weather.
Fanling and Sheung Shui are two contiguous towns in the north of Hong Kong's New Territories. They consist of old market towns, villages, suburban-style developments, plenty of industrial areas and many highrise housing estates. Together they cover three square miles and are home to about 250,000 people. That's relatively low density by Hong Kong standards.
Here's a map of my rather convoluted walking route. Check it out in street view.
FANLING
I wasn't intending to do anything special with these photos, so it's hardly a comprehensive tour. My first photo was taken about five minutes from Fanling train station, after walking through a shopping mall and a highrise housing estate.
Hong Kong people love to barbecue, especially in the winter, so if you've got any sort of patio, rooftop or terrace, it's pretty much a guarantee that you've got a grill sitting around.
This is suburban planning, Hong Kong style. On the left, there's a large arterial road heading towards an industrial area. On the right, a village. It's the same superblock concept as in suburbia anywhere, but in this case, the densities are higher and it's not as auto-oriented.
We've crossed into Luen Wo Hui, an old market town about 15 minutes by foot from the Fanling train station. This building is the old Fanling Cinema, the oldest operating movie theatre in Hong Kong before it shut down last year.
Luen Wo Hui is built along a street grid. It was one of several small towns where people from the surrounding farmland and villages brought their goods to sell.
The scale and density is similar to many parts of urban Hong Kong, albeit with more low-rises.
One of the great things about the old market towns is that, because rents are lower and there's less redevelopment pressure than in the city, it's easier to find businesses that have been around for decades.
There's also a greater variety of architecture. These corner buildings seem to date from the early 20th century (notice the pitched roofs) but they had some post-WWII additions, like the big balconies, which have since been enclosed.
This building has had 50 years worth of alterations and additions.
Luen Wo Hui has become a bit of a backwater over the years -- the real action around here takes place in the malls and housing estates.
60 years ago, though, this was the only real town for miles. Luen Wo Market was built by a farmers' cooperative in 1948 and it functioned as a public market until 2002, when it was replaced by a new air-conditioned market nearby. It is currently vacant and I'm not sure what will happen to it. There's a large open space behind the market that is now used as a parking lot. It would make a great central square for the area.
There was a temporary exhibition on Luen Wo Hui's history taking place inside the market when I visited.
The blocks in Luen Wo Hui are divided by I-shaped alleyways. Inside the alleys are small market stalls, most of which seem to be used for storage. A second storey was added onto this stall.
Hong Kong pawnshops act as money lenders. You give them something as collateral but they'll only sell it if you don't pay your debt.
Luen Wo Hui's streets were originally lined by two-storey shophouses. In the 1950s and 60s those were replaced by 5-6 storey tenements.
This is the edge of the old market town; beyond is a shopping mall surrounded by a large housing estate.
Along with the housing estates, Luen Wo Hui is surrounded by old country villages. Most of these villages are hundreds of years old. When the British leased the New Territories from China in 1898, they set up a system of local councils that allowed each village to elect its own chief. In the 1970s, the colonial government passed a law allowing each male member of an indigenous village family to build a tax-free house of no more than 2,100 square feet.
This has created a strange kind of sprawl: thousands of cookie-cutter three-storey houses, some of them single-family, most divided into three or more flats. It has also meant that indigenous villagers get money for nothing. Because most villages are now within easy commuting distance of the city, a villager can build a house for virtually no money and flip it for millions.
Anyway, long story short: despite the fact that villages like this one are ancient, their building stock consists almost entirely of houses built post-1970. The only reminders of the past are ancestral halls, study halls and temples like this old building in the centre of the frame.
This bamboo scaffolding was being set up for a ceremonial banner, maybe for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
This is Fanling Wai, about five minutes from the train station. It's 900 years old. The entrance to the village is the little archway flanked by red banners on the left.
SHEUNG SHUI
Right next to Fanling Wai is the North District Park, and beyond that is Sheung Shui. I didn't take any photos in the park -- don't ask me why -- so we now find ourselves in the old market town of Shek Wu Hui, next to Sheung Shui train station, one stop away from Fanling.
The next two photos were taken on a similarly gloomy day two years ago, but I wanted to give you a sense of Shek Wu Hui's scale. There aren't as many highrises as Luen Wo Hui but it's actually a lot busier.
There isn't much you can't buy in Shek Wu Hui.
It's a transportation hub for the surrounding area. Aside from the train and regular buses, you can catch minibuses that will zip you to Mongkok, Yuen Long and other parts of town at dangerously high speeds.
This particular minibus was slowed down by a dog that dashed into the street, squatted on the pavement and took a big shit.
It's not pretty but it has a lively, gritty feel.
Time to head back to town and meet my girlfriend as she gets off work at 6:30. This is the train pulling into Sheung Shui station, the first stop after the border with China. Shenzhen and all its madness is just one station away.
The train was packed. I got off at Fanling station, walked to the far end of the platform and waited for the next one so I could get a seat for the 40-minute ride back to town.
Hope you enjoyed! If the response is good I might do some more comprehensive Hong Kong neighbourhood tours.
Also, at some point in the future, I'll finally finish working on all my photos from the past year and post threads for Beijing, Guangzhou, Seoul, Bangkok, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket and Macau.
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Yes, one of the things I'm gradually learning. I must get over there one of these days.
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