Travel
Treasure trove hunting in Sham Shui Po
by Helen Cheng and Amy Nip
Shopping in Sham Shui Po is like hunting for hidden treasures.
Despite it being one of Hong Kong ˇ¦s old districts and under urban renewal, its streets are vibrant. People and shops in this district are a statement of the cityˇ¦s local characteristics.
Here, shops sell a wide variety of materials, products and second-hand goods. Specialised items are sold at wholesale prices. Going into a second-hand store, browsers may end up, unexpectedly, finding some gems.
People can search for what they need among the shops. Women look for materials to make their own clothes and accessories. Men find hardware to assemble computers. Kids and kidults are spellbound by the numerous choices of toys.
ˇ§If you find them useful, they are treasures. Or else, they are just rubbish,ˇ¨ said a woman who squatted and dug deep in a big paper box of ribbons outside a shop for her ˇ§treasuresˇ¨.
Sham Shui Po has several streets selling distinctive goods: Apliu Street for electronic products, Yu Chau Street for beads, Nam Cheong Street for buttons, Fuk Wing Street for toys, Ki Lung Street for fabrics and Cheung Sha Wan Road for apparel.
Getting out from A2 or C2 exit of the Sham Shui Po MTR station, visitors can easily reach the bustling Apliu Street .
The street owes its name to duck sheds located there years ago. It has now become a flea market where visitors can find a good mix of products, such as mobile phone components, camera tripods, light bulbs, hi-fi amplifiers, electronic toys and disco balls. Tiny parts can also be found in the market, such as different sizes of screws, and stall owners are ready to offer any professional advice to customers.
People can trade second-hand, even broken, products there. ˇ§I collect any kind of electrical products. In the past, they were Walkmans and Discmans. Now they are mobile phones and digital cameras,ˇ¨ a sidewalk-store owner said.
Other second-hand stalls display DVD players, electronic cookers alongside saucepans and cups, as well as other kinds of cooking utensils and old magazines. Antique collectables or black vinyl records can even be found with a bit of luck.
