Sham Shui Po
From Freepedia
- This article is about the area of Sham Shui Po. For the administrative district covering Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok, etc., see Sham Shui Po District.
Image:Skyline of Shamshuipo.jpg Sham Shui Po (Chinese: 深水埗; Cantonese IPA: /sɐm55 sʊɪ35 pəʊ35/</span>, Jyutping: sam1 sui2 bo2, Yale: sam seuí bouh; Mandarin Pinyin: shen1 shui3 bu4; lit. deep water pier) is situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. It is located north of Tai Kok Tsui and east of Cheung Sha Wan. It is administratively part of Sham Shui Po District.
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Land use
As Sham Shui Po was one of the earliest developed districts in Hong Kong, it was once a commercial, industrial and transportation hub of the territory. As of 2003, Sham Shui Po is covered mainly by residential buildings, with public housing estates built on approximately 810,000 m² of land. Factories and warehouses are still being concentrated mainly in Cheung Sha Wan.
Urban renewal
In July 2003 the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) announced that its first urban renewal project would be to improve the living environment at Po On Road/Wai Wai Road in Sham Shui Po. Covering an area of 2,436 square metres and affecting approximately 500 households, this project will provide 330 residential flats, and some retail units. Government, institutional and community facilities will also be erected for the community. This development will require the HKHS to acquire about 157 properties, costing an estimated HK$240 million. The total development cost of the project is about HK$720 million.
Scenic spots
Image:Ap Liu Street in Shamshuipo.jpg
- Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb (李鄭屋漢墓)
- Dragon Centre (西九龍中心)
- Apliu Street (鴨寮街)
Shopping
Image:Snake restaurant in Shamshuipo.jpg Image:Erhu performance in Shamshuipo.jpg The street market in Sham Shui Po is a hotspot for both locals and tourists. For those who are looking for pirated software, the Golden Shopping Centre (黃金商場/高登電腦廣場) is a prominent local mall for such purpose (though its popularity has dropped significantly in recent times, in favour of other near-by centres). Besides software, the shops have extensive computer products from perpipherals to main components like motherboards, RAM, and CPUs, as well as complete systems. It is generally considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong (if not the world) to get (or buy parts to build) a personal computer.
For those who are looking for electronics and accessories, the Ap Liu Street market (鴨寮街) is well known in Hong Kong. This open street market provides a wide variety of products at a reasonable price, allowing individuals to sell and buy second hand goods here. The sheer variety of things available at the market is astounding - one shop may sell disco balls, crockery, 1940s-era radios, LPs, torches, and audiophile hi-fi amplifiers in various stages of repair. The Hong Kong government promotes Ap Liu Street as Hong Kong's answer to Akihabara (秋葉原) (in Japan). A Hong Kong computer fair held outdoors in the streets of Sham Shui Po every year attracts many visitors.
The market on Ki Lung Street is also famous for its fresh food and cheap prices. The Hong Kong government rebuilt the market in the early 1990s to a modern air-conditioned market.
Crime
At night, large numbers of prostitutes centre on inner streets and old buildings of the district, causing serious crime problems. Black-market labourers from mainland China gather at Ki Lung Street, working illegally for hard labour.
