Just a stone's throw from some of the most prestigious commercial and residential sky scrapers in…read moreHong Kong, there is a two-storey red brick building, that juxtaposes these Wan Chai high rises, and the hustle and bustle of the area's notorious bar scene. This building is officially known as Nam Koo Terrace, but less officially known as "The Wan Chai Haunted House". From WW2, when it was used as a military brothel by the Japanese, it is alleged that local Chinese women were being kidnapped and killed by the soldiers, before being dumped back on the streets of Hong Kong, through to it's current day reputation as a suicide house, where as many as 30 people have ended their lives there, Nam Koo has a pretty scary history. The most popular story is of a group of curious students who tried to stay the night there and play on a ouija board. They failed, and their attempt ended up with the police being called to rescue them, and some of them being hospitalised for mental breakdowns. All pretty gruesome stuff. Nam Koo is closed off now, but you can go and have a look at it from the outside. It is actually a very beautiful building, and if there wasn't such a horrific reputation, it would make an outstanding home. If you want to get more information on the house, there are a number of tour companies that include it on ghost tours or local history walks, as well as a plethora of information on-line. Personally, I pass by occasionally to just have a look from the outside, and during the day! The prospect of seeing headless women, or the alleged shadowy figures in the windows, is enough to make me stay out on the road side of this infamous building!

The clock tower is a landmark in Hong Kong, which is located on the southern shore of Tsim Sha…read moreTsui. It is now the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon station on the kowloon-canton railway. There's a beautiful pool right behind the tower.

A historical remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton…read moreRailway. Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower 尖沙咀鐘樓 is a photography site and also a tourist attraction as one of HK's iconic landmarks. It has been declared a monument in 1990.

Wandered around Wan Chai and noticed the 2F and 3F anime characters outside. Take the elevator up…read moreto the 4th floor and work your way down! Awesome little art galleries and looks pretty new.

When talking about the manga/anime culture, what is the first thing that comes into your mind?…read moreProbably Japanese manga (actually the word Man Nga is derived from the Kanji, that has the same pronunciation and meaning. Kanji are words that entered the Japanese language from ancient China, similar to how certain French had entered the English language system), cosplay (costume play) and the annual Anime-Manga Fair at Exhibition Centre. In fact, comics and animation has been active in many other countries too, for example the American comics of hero stories, the Hollywood/Disney production of (nowadays) computerized animations, the European comics often with political/fine arts themes, the Chinese comics of Sanmao, Chinese animation of folklore stories in Chinese water and ink style(such as Journey to the West, Nezha). Hong Kong , as such a small city in the world also have our own unique comics culture that is simultaneously influenced but different from those in China, Japan or the Western worlds, with a key focus on action, kung-fu, and triads stories, mirroring the success of Hong Kong movie industry. It is quite a refreshing turn of event that the government finally recognizes the importance of popular culture, and the choice of venue for commemorating the development of comics/animation culture in Hong Kong is equally amazing. The 10 no.s of pre-war tenement houses at Mallory Street, affectionately named the green houses after a casual repaint by the government after acquiring them in the 60s, and subsequently categorized as Grade 2 historic building, was chosen for rejuvenation for such purpose. The architectural team chose to gut out the narrow, dark and much deteriorated interiors of typical tenement houses and created a central courtyard area, as public space for the community, as if a secret garden hidden behind the facades of buildings. The usable space as on one side facing this central courtyard, with 2 bridges linking at third and fourth floor to the façades kept in place on the opposite side. The top two floors are exhibition and event space for rental purpose, whilst shops and restaurants occupies the first 2 floors. The most special use here is the Anime/Manga Salon. It is like a reference library, where important pieces of comic works are available for enjoyment within the salon. A good archive and relaxing space. On a side note, the project won the Medal of the Year 2013 and Special Architectural Award 2013 in the community building category, issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.

I've been here to walk around and look at the shops and also for a few events. This is mostly a…read morereview for the place as an event venue. It's a lovely old building from the outside and a great space to have an event. Opens up unexpectedly, with a stage and setup that feels bigger than most places in Hong Kong. I've been to a YoungLife fundraiser and the Got Balls circus themed bingo night and both were well set up with mini bars on the side and sound and lights and all that. I'd love to learn more of the history and culture that is found in the fabric stalls during the day time.

Western Market opens at 10AM. I proceeded with the Walking Tour around Sheung Wan starting off with…read morethe nearby Cafes to grab a breakfast. Inside the 1600 old building, we see textile and fabric stalls reflective of Hong Kong's culture and history.

The Murray House may look a bit odd in Stanley- a classical building jutting out to the sea like a…read moresore thumb- that's because the building wasn't here in the first place. The building was used as HQ for the joint forces back in the colonial days and it used to sit at where the Bank of China building in Admiralty is now. Thank god they had the good sense back then but they made the effort to dismantle the building brick by brick and it was put back to together here. When you go in now you can still imagine what it must have been like walking through the corridors back in the day- the guys must have done a bloody good job when taking it apart because I can't see major flaws with it now. It is now a 3 level building of wine and dine as well as a museum down on ground floor. The Museum is a maritime museum of Hong Kong though I haven't gone in there myself to know how good is/isn't. Upstairs though is where most people go. There are a number of restaurants, King Ludwig, Wildfire have been here as soon as it opened and they continue to be extremely busy today. You will find that it will take a lot of patience to get a table here but it is certainly worth the wait. You will see a lot of couples taking their wedding photos here; that's because there aren't a lot of classical buildings left in HK and this is a reminder to tell us how important preservation is.

The Golden Bauhinia…read more.. A giant statue of the Hong Kong flower sits prominently in front of Golden Bauhinia Square which is located on Hong Kong Island and is a popular tourist destination as it sits right along Victoria Harbour and with that there's no designated parking spot but we were blessed to have a friend that took us around the island and dropped us for a quick pic and to enjoy the stunning glory that represents Hong Kong. Yes it's absolutely a tourist spot as you need to be a bit patient to get a clear shot of it while avoiding locals making the most of it by asking for money in exchange to take your and/or group shot of it with ease. There's many spots to enjoy on this island and though this is a simple yet complex spot to get to does give you a lovely view of the harbour taking in the beauty that Hong Kong has to offer. Thank you!

Compared to the many landmarks and tourist attractions in Hong Kong (#1), the Golden Bauhinia…read more(金紫荊廣場) is not terribly impressive beyond its tasteful design and prominent position in front of the HK Convention Centre. It stands 6 meters tall overlooking the beautiful Victoria Harbour and faces the mighty skyscrapers of Kowloon. For those not in the know, this is where the "Handover" occurred (#2) almost exactly 20 years ago. Every single day there is a flag ceremony held by the HK Police Force, who yawnfully raise the flags of China and Hong Kong, while Police Band plays the national anthem, followed by a performance from the Police Pipe Group. This happens daily at 8am and it's a (boring) show from start to finish. Of course, a majority of the people here are heaps of tourists who came off of a shuttle bus. It's an attraction, but not a serious one. I'd bundle it along the same lines as the Symphony of Lights (https://www.yelp.com/biz/uNe6EPhUrC2sm-IHohSR2Q), just worse music and way less colorful. ___________ (#1) Is there more awe than the Tian Tan Buddha? The Peak? 10,000 Buddhas Monastary, Bank of China Tower, or Dragon's Back? Even he view from anywhere in the ICC? Exactly. (#2) England says farewell to Hong Kong. HK says hello to China.

Very cool gas lamps, but not worth a special trip. If you're walking by take a moment to stop and…read moreappreciate. Basically: there are four original gas lamps, awesome steam punk stuff, and an old flight of stairs.

Duddell Street is a street which at first glance looks just the same as any other in Central- its…read morenarrow, tall buildings on both sides and full of people everywhere. If you look closely though, you will note that there is a staircase at the end of the cul-de-sac; this isn't just any old staircase but one that is finely decorated with period streetlamps to the sides. You will start to understand the importance of these streetlights as most locals know this street as the "gas light street".The lamps are an object of the age; they are the four remaining gas streetlamps in Hong Kong and they give the street that specific aura that many people come here to take photos for that particular reason. The staircase itself was built in the 1880s and this is one of the few remaining locations in Hong Kong where things look pretty much the same it did 100 years ago. The entire area has a distinct European flavor to it and it reminds you that not too long ago this place was a British colony. Also strange is the fact that compared to the rest of the Lan Kwai Fong district- there is little to do in terms of entertainment here. Apart from the Starbucks half way up the stairs which features some unusual local design and décor (which can't be found anywhere else indeed), there are no bars or clubs here. It is odd that how two streets away from party central this place is very much a serious, business part of central. A day trip around Central should definitely include this as a location to take a few photos and do some day dreaming of the old days.

A very much underrated museum…read more Railway has been an integral part of the life of a lot of people, especially on the Kowloon side. Despite the fact that the original KCR (Kowloon-Canto Railway) served less people and had less stations than her little brother underground, they certainly had a much longer and richer history (KCR started operating since 1910, MTR started operating since 1979), and this place is a perfect spot for showcasing a snippet of it. The museum was the original Tai Po Market Station, as you could see the main part of the station entrance was preserved. It somehow shows the significant of the old stations, as there are only four stations in the whole KCR system that haven't changed their the locations nor names in the last 100 years. One of the other notable change was the Kowloon station, which was originally located at the Clock Tower you can see now in TST. Now other than walking on the railway and pretending you are in Taiwan, you can also hop on to some of the old, discommissioned trains. Some were meant to be coal-powered, and some were meant to be diesel-powered (me think). I do remember that when I was young (like VERY young, okay?), KCR replaced all the trains to be powered by electricity. But I was so confused (remember? I was young!) why the hell you'd like to have 電器化火車 (as in, "household appliance-ified" trains) which it actually meant 電氣化火車 (railway electrification system). Oh boy. I could totally imagine my kids would ask why do we even call it 火車 (like, "fire car"). Anyway, you are free to take pictures here, exceptional for events, commercial purpose, or wedding. I'm sure the "wedding" part was added later on as it was a overly popular place to take wedding pictures, and people practically affect the normal operation of the museum.

The Hong Kong Railway Museum is the site of the original Tai Po Market Station, built in 1913…read more When the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) went from 'choo choo' to 'swoosh' in 1983, Tai Wo and Tai Po Market station opened up to the north and south of this site, thus making it redundant as a working station. (Historical note: the KCR went 'doot doot' in 1997.) Now, the site is for people like me who love a bit of history, and who love their locomotive 'choo choo' trains. And it's all free! To be honest, the site looks a little fake because everything is restored in its full, vibrant colour, including the entrance of the station which is designed with the Chinese temple architecture. I guess I prefer a little more of the 'crumbling walls and cobwebs' history, but it was good fun walking down the old railway tracks in the open-air. The exhibition room has examples of train tickets and models of the KCR train, including a ticket office that has been restored and refurnished so you can see how it all was back in the day. It won't take you more than an hour to get around the whole museum. It does seem a bit strange that this relatively untouched piece of railway history is rather isolated from other tourist attractions, so I'm not sure how one could make a day of it. Being right next to a hectic local Tai Po street market, you could do a little food market shopping after, I guess? Or you could walk another 15 minutes to Man Mo Temple (in Tai Po). I guess Tai Po in itself is full of other less-touristy stuff to do, but if you're around the area, this little gem might be worth checking out.