post

By the time Hong Kong’s heritage preservation movement finally went mainstream in the mid-2000s, the great majority of its prewar tong lau—the arcaded Cantonese shophouses that once defined streetscapes across the city—had vanished. Precious few remain today and their numbers continue to dwindle. Thankfully, the restored facades and verandas of 10 historic tong lau (constituting the largest surviving cluster in town) have been incorporated into 618 Shanghai Street, a not-for-profit mall in Kowloon’s Mong Kok neighborhood that opened at the end of 2019. Independent local brands take center stage here: Wai Chi Street Playground offers an assortment of home goods such as old-school porcelain bowls, vintage glassware, and made-in-Hong Kong Camel flasks; incense-scented Douguya sells refined Japanese teaware and antiques; while REstore is stocked with a smorgasbord of quirky souvenirs. Also noteworthy is the excellent Malaysian eatery Semua Semua and Japanese rooftop café Poach, which serves a moreish grilled eel and ochazuke bento. —James Louie
<a href="https://618shanghaistreet.com/en/home-en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">618shanghaistreet.com</a> 
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/LfvCyuHzGGC3avCz8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong</a>

618 Shanghai Street: Quirky Souvenirs