Sham Shui Po

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.

Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is a district of Hong Kong, best known for its street market for electronic devices. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui and east of Cheung Sha Wan. It is administratively part of Sham Shui Po District.

History

Sham Shui Po in Cantonese Chinese means Deep Water Pier. Its water was deeper than the beach of Cheung Sha Wan northeast. It is close to the former peninsula of Tai Kok Tsui. The low ridge of the peninsula ends in Sham Shui Po.

In the first stage, the town of Sham Shui Po was bounded by Yen Chou Street, Tung Chow Street, Wong Chuk Street and Apliu Street. Part of the town was on reclamation. The town was surrounded by villages of Un Chau, Tin Liu and Tong Mei. A nullah along Nam Cheong Street was constructed to drain the water of rivers north and east. The town was closed to Cosmopolitan Dock on the outer shore of Tai Kok Tsui.

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

Sham Shui Po is an area where urban decay is serious in Hong Kong, the government is concerned about the problem and has decided to carry out urban renewal project.

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.

Shopping

The street market in Sham Shui Po is a hotspot for both locals and tourists.

Once infamous for pirated software but today considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong (if not the world) to get (or buy parts to build) a personal computer, the Golden Shopping Centre is a prominent IT shopping center. Golden Shopping Center Shops has extensive lines computer products from components like motherboards, RAM, and CPUs, complete systems, to various peripherals. Unlike purely consumer-oriented IT shopping centers, Golden features several stores specializing in professional and esoteric network equipment.

The Golden Shopping Centre is also known for the number of video game stores it contains, where people purchase gaming systems, software and accessories at either a slightly discounted price, or in special in-store packages which might include an extra game or extra accessories. Since the halls are extremely narrow, it is often very congested, especially on weekends. The mall has two floors. The upper floor mainly sells games and gaming software, while the lower floor focuses on the sales of computer-oriented hardware.

For those who are looking for electronics and accessories, the Apliu Street market is well known in Hong Kong. The vendors in this open-air street market sells a wide variety of products at reasonable prices, allowing individuals to trade second hand goods here. The sheer variety of things available at the market is astounding - different shops sell industrial electronics, analog and digital radio communications equipment, disco effects equipment, crockery, 1940s-era radios, LPs, torches, and audiophile hi-fi amplifiers in various stages of repair. The Hong Kong government promotes Apliu Street as Hong Kong's answer to Akihabara (in Japan).

The annual Hong Kong computer fair held in the streets of Sham Shui Po attracts a large crowd.

The market on Ki Lung Street is also famous for its fresh food and cheap prices. In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government rebuilt the market and also added air conditioning.

There are numerous fashionwear wholesalers along Cheung Sha Wan Road. On weekends, some shops allow retail purchases, offering quality clothes at very affordable prices.