EditorialHong Kong’s money well spent at Central Market
- Planners have made a conscientious effort at historic Hong Kong site to get the balance right between old and new, and it may well again play an important part in the lives of ordinary people
Newcomers and residents alike have for some time been baffled by the Central Market site, prime real estate that has long been underused. Its reopening with a focus on preserving the old while keeping it fresh for present generations is a tried-and-tested formula in many places.
Hong Kong’s success in retaining its built past has been mixed, but increasingly, it is getting the balance right. It is to be hoped that this latest effort, a dozen years in the making, meets expectations.
A fresh produce market was first built on the site in 1895 and the present building was opened 82 years ago. When the last meat and vegetable stalls closed in 2003, the government had plans to sell the land for redevelopment.
But a public movement for preservation of the past was growing and the idea of yet another skyscraper blocking light and airflow in Central was unpopular. A campaign based on Central Market’s Bauhaus style of architecture being worthy of protecting succeeded and, in 2009, efforts began to find a way of converting the structure to a use befitting its historical importance and location.
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The Urban Renewal Authority’s project has shops largely featuring local products and souvenirs, eateries, food and drink stands and recreation and display spaces. A few attributes of the market have been preserved as a nod to the building’s former use, among them weighing scales and stalls.