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Stanley Street, Central

Stanley Street slices through Central, stretching from D'Aguilar Street and the heart of the business district to Graham Street on the fringe of Sheung Wan. Narrower than the thoroughfares of Queen's Road Central and Wellington Street, which lie on either side, the pavements of Stanley Street don't leave a lot of space for dawdling.

Drivers carefully manoeuvre delivery vans into cramped parking spaces, creating a chorus of beeps as they reverse. After unloading their goods, they somehow squeeze past the luxury cars waiting for bigwigs to finish their dim sum or return from some surreptitious- possibly mistress-related- shopping.

Executives scurry past in dark suits, chatting into mobile phones. A beauty-shop clinician in white scrubs takes a break from her makeover duties to pick up a takeaway snack in a plastic bag. Western tourists take it all in, newly purchased digital SLRs hanging from their necks.

Stanley Street is best known for its camera stores, which attract as many local hobbyists and professional photographers as they do overseas visitors. The sales strategy is more low-key than that seen at the pressure-cooker joints of Tsim Sha Tsui, and there's even after-sales service if you're lucky (and persistent).

Kinefoto (60 Stanley Street, tel: 2523 2087) has an aged brown sign with original 1960s lettering so grubby and retro it outdoes the imitation-antique Hasselblad camera cases in the window. Next door the new Tin Cheung Camera (tel: 2722 1838) has a selection of Leica cameras, such as the S2 digital SLR, priced at HK$210,000.

The street also has a couple of traditional Chinese medicine stores, including a branch of the Hoi Tin Tong chain, which specialises in turtle soup and snake-gall mandarin peel powder. A cup of cold tea infused with snake gall will set you back HK$27.

A little less formulaic is Good Spring (8 Cochrane Street, tel: 2544 3518), at the intersection where Stanley Street runs under the Mid-Levels escalator. In business since 1916, it sells sweet flower tea, American ginseng tea or five-flower tea for HK$6 a cup. For those with a sore throat or the sniffles, there's also the bitter blackness of Hong Kong's iconic 24-herb tea.

Stanley Street is named after Lord Stanley, British secretary of state for war and the colonies in the 19th century. He later served three times as British prime minister and remains in the record books as the longest-serving leader of the Conservative Party.

Around Stanley Street

1 Down at the dong

The dai pai dong at the end of Stanley Street offer one of the few places to eat alfresco in Central. At Chan Sze Kee (opposite 74 Stanley Street, tel: 2545 2834), Sze Soh ('sister four') cooks her claypot casseroles entirely in the pots, rather than starting the process in a wok. Sizzling chicken stew is another speciality. Sze Soh says she never uses MSG as she's allergic to it.

2 Fancy a flutter?

The Jockey Club branch on Stanley Street (10 Stanley Street) is known as Hong Kong's luckiest betting shop, having produced 36 winners of the Mark Six since 1994, more than any other location. When the betting pool swells, such as with the HK$100 million payout in May, lines of people seeking a little good fortune spill out into the street.

3 Tea time

Luk Yu Tea House (24 Stanley Street, tel: 2523 5464) is arguably the street's most storied establishment, dating back to 1933 and having catered to several generations of dim sum diners. During the day, you can forget about finding a seat on the ground floor, where the tables and booths are set aside for regulars. The tranquil environment was shattered one November day in 2002, when mainland hitman Yang Wen shot Harry Lam Hon-lit to death while the Hong Kong tycoon was enjoying his customary breakfast here. The assassination was traced to a dispute with a triad boss over a land deal gone bad.

Average house price HK$12 million for an 800 sq ft flat in a low-rise building

Average rent HK$16,000 for a 500 sq ft walkup

Nearest shop Camera gear and Chinese medicine stores on the street, with the odd computer store thrown in

Nearest ATM HSBC on Lyndhurst Terrace, or at the intersection of Queen's Road Central and Pedder Street

Nearest MTR Central MTR station is a five-minute walk

Nearest restaurant Six dai pai dong at the western end of the street, a classic Hong Kong street scene

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