Wan Chai Market from Johnston Road.
And wasn't it lovely of the Filipino maids to get out of the way of the photo, which was taken from the tram last night.
I shop here all the time and can honestly tell you it is well-worthy of this honour. The fruit, vegetables and meat are all very fresh and, yes, it's very cheap. And so is everything else. Along the two crossroads and the two lanes that comprise this market are the widest range of goods for sale so you can buy most everything you need there for a fraction of what you pay elsewhere.
And the traders always remember you and call you "my friend", even the ones who have no other English, so you end up feeling like part of an enormous family. And early on Sunday mornings, the very old men with the amazing goods come to work off the 'more usually closed' stalls. It's worth dropping by to check it out because these sweethearts aren't interested in making money. They are just there to chat, meet with old friends and maybe off-load some of their remaining collection of hand-woven silks or no-longer-made seriously fabulous "Old School Chinese" printed fabrics, or old Chinese vases, porcelain, jewelry, statues of Mao, or even toys and tat you haven't seen since you yourself were a child.
The bargains! The aching nostalgia! Always a winning combo!
(Hey, did you know there's a hip young couple who have started sourcing all these "old school Chinese trade good" and are selling them as collectibles? You can find them on FeelHappyHK.com)
And around these markets are the barrows, which, as I've already told you, are Hong Kong's answer to The Welfare State. Because there's no such thing as the dole or government handouts - they're too busy spending our taxes on Feng Shui experts and dining with developers - anyone broke and broken who goes to one of the local charities for help is given a bale of sell-ables and a barrow to sell them from and thus you can buy the latest of everything for practically NOTHING!
These barrows are frequently the best shopping EVER, so I simply cannot bring myself to pass any without looking! And such incredible bargains I've got over the years! Yes, my Christmas shopping list has frequently been filled by a wander through those barrows ... although please never tell folks I share Christmas presents with ... with the added pleasure of knowing I'm helping out someone in genuine need.
Another winning combo!
And it was here in these markets I had my infamous incident that's got a great many laughs over the years. What happened was that I got the most beautiful crocheted top at one of the stalls - so cheap but so chic, and handmade by the old lady who owned the stall. I wore it on holiday in Australia and constantly random strangers stopped me to say "That's the most beautiful top I've ever seen. Where did you get it?"
But, later on, back in Hong Kong, I put it through the wash - inside a pillowcase which itself was inside one of those laundry bags and on the 'delicates' cycle - but nonetheless ... dah dah dah dah ... that's supposed to be the theme music from "Jaws" ... it unraveled.
TRAGIC! Anyway, it was so beautiful I couldn't bring myself to throw it out so took it back down to the lady who made it to ask for her help ...
... AND THAT'S WHEN THE SCREAMING STARTED!!!
And it was all in Cantonese!
One of the loveliest features of living in Hong Kong is that language is seldom a barrier. People begin talking to one another in their own language and, because Chinese have this big thing about always saving face, anyone passing who speaks both languages races up to rescue folk from the embarrassment of incomprehension by translating. It happens all the time and is like a miracle.
But anyway, this time there's this Cantonese Crocheter screaming at me in Cantonese and bi-lingual passers-by are racing up to help out as usual, but the moment they hear what she's saying they go "Uh-oh!" and race away again, or "I'm staying out of this one!" and vanishing fast. However, what was particularly odd was, on this occasion, I didn't need a translator because I knew every word she screamed at me.
"You idiot! You fool! You put my masterpiece through the wash, didn't you!! How could you be such a fool! Do you know long it took me to make this? This took me weeks to make! How could you do this to me? Are you some sort of cretin?"
And I stood there taking it because, yes, I deserved it!
But eventually she calmed down and said - and I understood her perfectly - "Hand it to me!" and, grumbling nonstop about my abject stupidity, took out her crochet hook and repaired it the best she could. And she didn't want a cent for it. "Just you take care of my masterpiece properly this time." and "No more washing machines. You do it by hand!" and, yes, I understood every word and, yes, I obey!
So that's the spirit of Wan Chai street market. Lovely place. So, yes, I endorse this latest honour. It really IS the best street market in Hong Kong.
And since our government wants to do away with street markets in the future, thinking it gives HK a scruffy, tatty, cheap look, and thus will no longer issue any new licences, please please please support this Tangible Cultural Asset by shopping at these markets - any of these markets - any chance you get.
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