Marked For Death
Hong Kong’s oldest street market will be demolished to make way for four high-rise buildings in Central, Winnie Yeung and Ophelia Lui thinks it's time to save it.
As you would expect from the center of the city, Central is constantly changing. It’s no surprise that parts of the area are sometimes redeveloped and new buildings go up from time to time.
But this time is different. Opposite the skyscraper named The Center on Queen’s Road are two little streets called Graham and Peel, home to Hong Kong’s oldest wet market (and one of only ten remaining in the city). For more than 150 years, this market – now with 130 stalls – has been running day in, day out, providing fresh produce to chefs, amahs and housewives in the area. It’s also a regular feature in Hong Kong marketing campaigns, and a must-visit destination for tourists. In fact, the Tourism Board maintains that Hong Kong’s open-air markets are the second most-visited attraction in the city, just behind The Peak.
But now, just as it did with the Star Ferry Pier, the government will be tearing down this valuable tourist attraction and historic area – with little public input.
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) announced earlier this year that they will demolish the area, including most of the nearby buildings, to make room for four high-rises – two residential blocks, one hotel and one office tower. In the process, Central will lose its only street market and one of its oldest and most-beloved features. (And don’t be fooled by the URA’s attempts to spin what they’re doing.)
Conservationists estimate that the government will be able to begin the demolition within two years – maybe earlier. HK Magazine believes this street market is too valuable a feature of Hong Kong to be torn down.
The City’s Oldest Street Market
Historian Roger Ho, director of the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage (CACHe) and lifelong Central resident, tells HK some of the market’s long history.