Just west of the central business district offers an experience which merges the city's trading roots with chic eateries, bars, art galleries and - more lately - serviced apartments.
Sheung Wan and Western can lay claim to being where British troops first landed in Hong Kong in 1841, at Possession Street which was then right on the harbour's edge.
The sometimes steep and winding area spans Des Voeux Road West and the renovated Western Market at the harbour front to the southwest and along and above Hollywood Road, a lengthy street stretching and winding above. Largely characterised by narrow streets often fronted by traditional shops, such as Chinese medicine stores and dai pai dong (officially meaning cooked food cafes or stalls), this street has recently evolved into something much more.
Historic Hollywood Road, for example, was the first to be constructed in the colony in 1844 and, while it retains elements of yesteryear, it is also now home to contemporary art galleries, upmarket serviced apartments, French and Italian restaurants and sleek urban bars serving everything from cocktails to calamari.
The road, named after the Hollywood shrub which used to grow in the area, is also the site of the aromatic Man Mo Temple near the corner of Ladder Street, which was built in 1847 to worship the gods of literature and war.
Moving up, prepare for the steep stone steps of Ladder Street and on to Cat Street, where there's a blend of pocket-sized galleries, low-rise apartment buildings with colonial-style wrought iron window grilles and peaceful cul-de-sacs.
The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science is also located in the area. It's a three-storey Edwardian building which displays materials relating to the city's medical development.
