Down and Out in Hong Kong? Then look no further than Chungking Mansions. First 'recommended' to me when I started my travels as a wee sprog, I have used and abused this building every time I have visited Hong Kong. Where the world comes to do business, most of the locals are terrified of this place, believing it to be a hotbed of dirty devious foreigners. Don't you just love the Hong Kong people?
So being a place where the outcasts hang out, I always make a beeline to it. If you want the best curry east of India, this is the place to come! If you want accommodation for £10 in the heart of Hong Kong, on the Nathan Road, this is it! If you want to buy something, you can get it here!
Yes, the building is filthy, and the whole place is a firetrap. One day, it is going to come crashing down and it will be redeveloped with the usual slick sanitary conditions that characterises the rest of the city. So while you can, enjoy this place. What is so special about Chungking Mansions? It is the world in a microcosm. Hong Kong is not a cosmopolitan city, despite the hype. But in Chungking Mansions you can find a genuine piece of humanity in this city...
2 comments:
This place has been described as an important piece of the Chinese Dream jigsaw puzzle...huge numbers of African traders frequent CM, particularly for the bulk purchase of mobile telephones...
80% of Kenya's mobile phones stem from here. Do not underestimate the economic importance of this building. Plus it's the last decent place in China to get a rice and curry...
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