筲箕灣 Shau Kei Wan @Hong Kong

Happy couple

During our previous trip to Hong Kong, we enjoyed the Ping Shan Heritage Trail 元朗屏山文物徑 very much. This time, we decided to check out 筲箕灣 Shau Kei Wan, which was a fishing village in the olden times, and now, a place quite popular for food. We roughly followed the guide by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, that would bring us to various places of worship (link below).

But first, we needed breakfast! We took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan Station 筲箕灣站. From Exit A2, we walked along Aldrich Street 愛秩序街, and turn left into Kam Wa Street 金華街 to the Shau Kei Wan Street Market 筲箕灣街市. It was a very bustling place, with many locals doing their groceries, fishmongers with their fishes jumping around… What a sight!

We continued to the end of the market to find breakfast. After which, we went in search of Shing Wong Temple 城隍廟, passing by many local shops. It was yet another sunny day, and we found ourselves going into the shops with air-conditioning 😛

Shing Wong Temple 城隍廟, is a Grade III historic building has been especially popular with local residents ever since the early 1900s due to its convenient proximity to the Shau Kei Wan tram terminus. Quite a few locals were praying while we were there.

Next, we continued along Shau Kei Wan Main Street East 筲箕灣東大街, until we reached Tin Hau Temple 天后廟 at Miu Tung Street 廟東街. Tin Hau Tample 天后廟 is a Grade II historic building dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea and a number of lesser deities dates back to 1876.

Shing Wong Temple 城隍廟

Tin Hau Temple 天后廟

Next stop was supposed to be the Tsung Tsin Church 巴色差會崇真堂. Basically, we just continued walking along along Shau Kei Wan Main Street East 筲箕灣東大街 and turn right to Basel Road 巴色道 and from there, it was a rather steep climb up the slope. However, we did not manage to enter the church, as it appeared to be close. Here, we took a toilet break at the school next door, and also spent a bit of time looking at the work done by the school children.

Yuk Wong Temple 玉皇寶殿

When we were ready, we went back downhill and continued along Shau Kei Wan Main Street East 筲箕灣大街 again, then made a right turn to A Kung Nam Village Road 阿公岩村道, and proceeded along the Tung Wong Road 東旺道 to reach Yuk Wong Temple 玉皇寶殿. We almost missed it, because it was a very small temple right next to some motor shop!

Finally, we followed the signboard to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence 香港海防博物館 (admission: HKD10 per adult). Note that you need to use the pedestrian crossing to cross Tung Hei Road 東喜道, then turn right and walk all the way. We spent some time exploring the museum, taking frequent breaks as we went to the various exhibition rooms.

When we were almost ready to go visit the outdoor historical trail, we heard an announcement with a thunder storm warning, and visitors were advised to stay indoors, and the outdoor exhibits would be closed 😮 We were very surprised because it was super sunny! The security guard explained that it was a precaution, and it was not a definite thunder storm. At the upper floor of the building was a small outdoor area, and we took a quick peek at the lovely sea view, since it was still very sunny and rather windy, but when we turned around to go back indoors, we saw these huge dark clouds gathering near!! That really sent us scrambling back indoors 😮

We hung around till the warning alert was off, and went on to the outdoor historical trail, having a leisurely walk downhill, all the way to the exit.

Tam Kung Temple 譚公仙聖廟

Next, we walked back along Tam Kung Temple Road 譚公廟道, following the signs to Tam Kung Temple 譚公仙聖廟, a Grade I historical building. This temple is dedicated to Tam Kung, a much-loved patron of fishermen and one of the few deities known only to Hong Kong.

Aldrich Bay Park 愛秩序灣公園

This marked the end of the temple visits, and we continued on to Oi Lai Street 愛禮街, and cut through a park to Aldrich Bay Promenade 愛秩序灣海濱花園. It was quite a lovely stroll to look at the sampans, and there was a light breeze as we walked. We also took a short break at Aldrich Bay Park 愛秩序灣公園, and saw this full size model of a wooden fishing junk within a pool of shallow water, and there were even couples on-board for selfies, with some trying to mimic the classic pose in Titanic, haha! It was also a park for the locals, for many of them were strolling and taking breaks here too.

We went for a late lunch nearby, before going to the Hong Kong Film Archive 香港電影資料館, visiting the exhibitions, and the library. This marked the end of our day trip. While we preferred the Ping Shan Heritage Trail 元朗屏山文物徑 to this, it was quite still quite fun to do something else, other than eat and shop 😛

Useful URL:

• Discover Hong Kong – A wonderful site by Hong Kong Tourism Board which contains lots of information for tourists
• Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence 香港海防博物館 – A very informative museum
• Sassy Hong Kong – Another website detailing a walk in the East side of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Film Archive –  50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Tel: 2739 2139