Keep the party going but add new blood: call to revitalise Hong Kong’s Temple Street, make night market permanent as crowds return

Hong Kong’s Temple Street tourist attraction is in danger of turning stale and needs a new bunch of creative young stallholders to revitalise and turn it into the city’s main souvenir market. Raymond Chan Kam-wing, chairman of the Yaumatei Temple Street Association of Hawkers and Shop Operators, called for fresh ideas to update the wares on offer. “The goods being sold now have remained the same for the past 10 or 20 years,” Chan said. Stretching through Jordan and Yau Ma Tei, the street is well known for numerous stalls selling kitschy souvenirs, clothes, antiques and watches, with a section for traditional fortune-tellers, street performers and several dai pai dong food hawkers. Urging new blood, Chan, in his 60s, said many of the current stallholders were well into their 70s and 80s and did not dare introduce new, trendy products and souvenirs. “We need to create space for a new batch of young, innovative vendors to be attractive to tourists,” he added. Vendors have long lamented that the area is not as lively as during its heyday in the 1970s, and the Covid-19 pandemic only made matters worse. Last year, authorities proposed a temporary night market with stalls selling food and drinks as part of the city’s “Night Vibes” campaign to boost the evening economy and attract tourists. ‘High hopes for tourist visits as revamped Hong Kong market boosts footfall’ The market opened last month with a planned initial run of six months. The good response so far already has stallholders hoping it can be made permanent. Chan said some non-profit organisations and young vendors were interested in running stalls at the street, but government coordination was needed. “These newcomers want to offer products such as handbags and crafts they have designed and made themselves,” he said. “You see a lot of young people setting up stalls for a few days at temporary markets around town like at Victoria Park.” One way to have a turnover of stallholders at Temple Street could be to take back vendor licences from those who did not want to continue and give them to interested newcomers. Chan recalled that some years ago the authorities offered HK$120,000 (US$15,345) to vendors wishing to quit, but he did not know whether such proposals would be made again. Temple Street and the nearby Ladies Market are often recommended as destinations to buy souvenirs, along with Stanley Market and Chun Yeung Street on Hong Kong Island. Tasty debut as crowds flock to Hong Kong’s revamped Temple Street night market Operators at the Temple Street temporary night market who spoke to the Post were pleased with business and hoped they could stay beyond six months, or even permanently. Turkish restaurant owner Nevzat Durmus, 51, who opened a coffee stall there, said the initiative provided a welcome boost for the food and beverage industry which was devastated during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I had seven shops and I lost five,” he said. “This market has made the public happy. I see smiles everywhere because people come here and buy something here, grab some stuff from another stall there.” He said he would stay as long as possible. Pakistani Sam Ali, 38, manning another stall selling snacks such as samosas and fried chicken, agreed that the street had become livelier, although fewer people were coming compared with last month when the night market first opened. “In the beginning we were selling 500 pieces of snacks a night, now we are selling 300, maybe 350 during weekends,” he said. “But you can see Jordan has become brighter. People are coming from all over Hong Kong.” At a stall selling soups, Cantonese desserts and herbal teas, Henry Chan, in his 30s, said fewer locals had been coming since the New Year holiday. Hong Kong hawker food likely to return to Temple Street, but fire may be off menu “At first, it was about 80 per cent locals. Now I would say the ratio between tourists and Hongkongers is split quite evenly,” he said. He said he was taking a “wait and see attitude” about staying on if the night market was extended. “I’m not sure I want to be here in the summer when it’s so hot and there is a lot of rain,” he said. “I have a day job as a food importer and I am just doing this with a few friends. We will see.” Li Cheung, in his 60s, who has been selling bags and trinkets at Temple Street for the past 20 years, said the night market had succeeded in drawing more visitors although actual purchases remained low. “Of course, if they can keep the night market running, we would want it. It’s better than nothing,” he said. Australian visitor Tessa King, 34, who was there with her husband Jake, 36, said they found the street “fantastic”. Hong Kong hosts Wan Chai bazaar but power supply glitches zap event energy “The atmosphere here is really cool. You feel like you’re in the real Hong Kong,” she said, adding that they tasted beef offal and bought Japanese-anime themed products from the stalls. Student Chen Yang, 23, from Guangdong province, said he learned about Temple Street on popular mainland Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. “The food market is small, but it’s interesting.” he said. “The market has ethnic snacks you don’t see often on the mainland.”