Central and Sheung Wan is a historical place in
Western District of Hong Kong. When the British colonize Hong Kong, they were
first settled in Western District. Therefore, there are fruitful Chinese and
Western historical structures preserved. Western Market and Man Mo Temple are
two hotspots of them and reveal the fusion of culture.
Western Market
Western Market located at 323 Des Voeux Road
Central is one of the oldest structures in Sheung Wan. It came into business in
September 1844 and later consisted of two separate blocks: South Block
(demolished) and North Block (the current "Western Market"). The
building is in Edwardian style that was popular in England from 1901 to 1918.
Here are two pictures showing its old appearance.
Western market operated as a food market until
1988. In 1990, it was declared a historical monument and the renovated market
building re-opened as "the Western Market" in 1991. And further
refurbishment work was conducted in 2003.
Nowadays it is reformed as a shopping mall with
shop selling traditional art, food and cloth. For example, Bavarian-style
bakery, Chinese dessert shop,
several curio shops.
There were foreign travellers buying cotton
material with Chinese style. On the top floor, there is a restaurant with
dancing and live music and a banquet hall used for weddings.
The temple was built on Hollywood Road in 1847. It
was dedicated to two of the most worshiped gods in ancient China: the God of
Literature, Man Cheung, and the God of War, Kwan Yu. The notice board written,
“The local people (plaintiffs and defendants) would come to the Man Mo Temple
and solve their problems the Chinese way. According to the legal system of the
Qing Dynasty, the plaintiff and the defendant would make a promise (and curse)
in the temple, then wrote it on a piece of yellow paper. They then killed a
chicken, chopped off its head, let the blood run on the yellow paper, and
burned it.”
We can imagine that how people in the past worship
Man Cheung and Kwan Yu. However, there is no more this kind of ceremony in this
temple today. But there was a foreign visitor holding his camera in one hand
and the other hand holding binds of incenses and candles walking through the temple. He was capturing the
moment of worshiping a Chinese god. He went in front of the altar then made a
wish. Maybe this was the first time he worshiped a Chinese god.
by Historian - Chan Wai Lam Rainbow 53391813