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Danny Lee

The Old China Hand, one of the most famous pubs in Wan Chai, has been suddenly cleared out and had its sign removed.
A veteran 45-year tenant of Lockhart Road, the bar appears to have shut down.
However, one Wan Chai bar manager said it was moving next door to become a neighbour of its biggest rival, the Queen Victoria pub.
Read more: Hong Kong rents too high even for Gucci, so pity the small guys

The move, according to regulars, is set to reignite hardened rivalries between the two pubs, which have the same crowd, drinks and bar theme.
The Sunday Morning Post understands that the Old China Hand refused to accept the high rental demand made by its landlord of over three decades.
"There's a big problem with the rent negotiation between the landlord and the boss. At the end, they just cannot meet the financial demands. They will move next door," one manager of a rival bar said on condition of anonymity. "Wan Chai will not be the same without the Old China Hand."
"The main issue here is definitely the rent. Landlords becoming too greedy, it's the reality, and it's ridiculously high, and the bars are just not making any money. No wonder bars all over Wan Chai are closing."
Read more: Hong Kong landlord calls time on Wan Chai drinking institution Delaney's
No one from the Old China Hand was available for comment.
Two weeks ago, the Irish bar Delaney's - another Wan Chai drinking institution - shut due to a staggering rent rise and the fast-paced gentrification of the red light district.
Delaney's boss Noel Smyth described the closure as the "final nail in the coffin" for a watering hole that became a staple of nightlife.
Another long-serving bar in Wan Chai, the original Joe Bananas, shut in February last year after losing its lease. It later reopened in the same location under different ownership.


Rent rise forces legendary Hong Kong watering hole Old China Hand to relocate next to rival pub

The Old China Hand in its old location in Lockhart Road, Wan Chai. Photo: Nora Tam

Rent rise forces legendary Hong Kong watering hole Old China Hand to relocate next to rival pub

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}.css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}Read more: Hong Kong rents too high even for Gucci, so pity the small guys

Read more: Hong Kong rents too high even for Gucci, so pity the small guys