Mong Kok
Encyclopedia
Mong Kok less often known as Argyle (see Name section), is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District
on Kowloon Peninsula
, Hong Kong
. Before the 1994 merger, Mong Kok was part of the Mong Kok District
.
The district is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurant
s at street level and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail
, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment
.
Mong Kok's population density
is extremely high. According to Guinness World Records
, Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world (mean 130,000 per km2 or 340,000 per mi2) and with a development multiple of four.
of its older Chinese name 望角 (or 芒角), which is pronounced "Mong Gok" and is named after its plentiful supply of ferns in the past when it was a coastal region. Its present Chinese name "旺角" is pronounced "Wong Gok". The name in Chinese means "prosperous corner".
The area was also called Argyle in English for some time in the past. This name was used for the MTR station in the area, when it was opened in 1979. Also, the office building 旺角中心, which was named after the area, is known in English as Argyle Centre instead of Mong Kok Centre.
show some antique potteries, indicating that there might be settlements that early as Jin Dynasty
(265-420).
The area of Mong Kok has changed significantly over the years. The heart of the present-day Mong Kok was Ho Man Tin
whilst the proper Mong Kok was north of it, near present-day Mong Kok East Station of MTR
. With cultivated lands, it was bounded south by Argyle Street
, west by Coronation Road (present-day Nathan Road), and east by the hills. To its south is Ho Man Tin and west Tai Kok Tsui
. Stream from the hills east offered water for cultivation.
On 10 August 2008 the Cornwall Court fire
broke out. More than 200 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation. Four people died, including two fire fighters.
Mong Kok got a lot of negative media attention when it was hit by a number of acid attacks on Sai Yeung Choi Street
from December 2008 through January 2010.
Mong Kok preserves its traditional characteristics with an array of market
s, small shops, and food stalls that have already disappeared from other areas in Hong Kong over the past several decades of economic developments. As such, a few of these streets in Mong Kok have acquired interesting nicknames reflecting their own characteristics. Some interesting sites are:
Some popular shopping plazas are located in this dense area, including:
". Most of them sell traditional snacks such as fish balls, fried beancurd
(tofu) and various dim sum
. These snacks and "fingerfood" are very popular in Hong Kong, especially for folks on the run.
Many different kinds of cuisines, Japanese
, Chinese
, Italian
, and Thai food, can be found in the area.
. The movie portrays Mong Kok, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, as a hotbed of illicit activity. Similarly, the district was also the setting of the 1996
film Mongkok Story (旺角風雲) directed by Wilson Yip
which depicts a young man who becomes involved in a Triad gang. The literal Chinese title of the 1988 film As Tears Go By by Wong Kar-wai
is "Mong Kok Carmen". Part of Robert Ludlum
's The Bourne Supremacy
was set in Mong Kok.
Yau Tsim Mong District
Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts...
on Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Before the 1994 merger, Mong Kok was part of the Mong Kok District
Mong Kok District
Mong Kok District was one of the districts of Hong Kong, covering the areas of Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui in Kowloon. In the 1994 district board election it was merged with Yau Tsim District as the Yau Tsim Mong District.With one of the highest population densities in the world Mong Kok District ...
.
The district is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s at street level and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
.
Mong Kok's population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is extremely high. According to Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world (mean 130,000 per km2 or 340,000 per mi2) and with a development multiple of four.
Name
The current English name is a transliterationTransliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of its older Chinese name 望角 (or 芒角), which is pronounced "Mong Gok" and is named after its plentiful supply of ferns in the past when it was a coastal region. Its present Chinese name "旺角" is pronounced "Wong Gok". The name in Chinese means "prosperous corner".
The area was also called Argyle in English for some time in the past. This name was used for the MTR station in the area, when it was opened in 1979. Also, the office building 旺角中心, which was named after the area, is known in English as Argyle Centre instead of Mong Kok Centre.
History
Displays at the Chinese University of Hong KongChinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
show some antique potteries, indicating that there might be settlements that early as Jin Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
(265-420).
The area of Mong Kok has changed significantly over the years. The heart of the present-day Mong Kok was Ho Man Tin
Ho Man Tin
Ho Man Tin is a mostly residential area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, part of the Kowloon City District.-History:The original area of Ho Man Tin was quite different from the present-day one. It was located in the heart of nowaday Mong Kok. With cultivated lands,...
whilst the proper Mong Kok was north of it, near present-day Mong Kok East Station of MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
. With cultivated lands, it was bounded south by Argyle Street
Argyle Street, Hong Kong
Argyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Hong Kong, connecting Mong Kok, Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street, Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west, and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east.The...
, west by Coronation Road (present-day Nathan Road), and east by the hills. To its south is Ho Man Tin and west Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots were previously located there...
. Stream from the hills east offered water for cultivation.
On 10 August 2008 the Cornwall Court fire
Cornwall Court fire
The Cornwall Court Fire was a building fire incident in Hong Kong. It began in a nightclub and karaoke bar on the morning of Sunday 10 August 2008, taking the lives of four people, including two firefighters, and injuring a further 55 people.- Incident :...
broke out. More than 200 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation. Four people died, including two fire fighters.
Mong Kok got a lot of negative media attention when it was hit by a number of acid attacks on Sai Yeung Choi Street
Sai Yeung Choi Street
Sai Yeung Choi Street are two streets in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, namely, Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Sai Yeung Choi Street North . Although officially two streets, local people seldom make distinction between them...
from December 2008 through January 2010.
Streets and markets
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s, small shops, and food stalls that have already disappeared from other areas in Hong Kong over the past several decades of economic developments. As such, a few of these streets in Mong Kok have acquired interesting nicknames reflecting their own characteristics. Some interesting sites are:
- Ladies' StreetTung Choi StreetTung Choi Street is a street situated between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street , is one of the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for...
(女人街, Ladies' market on Tung Choi StreetTung Choi StreetTung Choi Street is a street situated between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street , is one of the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for...
) - This market specializes in women's clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and the like. It is open daily from noon to 00.00 a.m. at Tung Choi Street on the east of Nathan Road. Typically, where there is a market, there are also food stalls selling noodles, seafood, and congeeCongeeCongee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...
for mid-afternoon or late-night snacks. A grocery market is also located in the vicinity, convenient for consumers searching from a diverse range of items; ranging from vegetables to clothing.
- Sai Yeung Choi Street South, (西洋菜南街) - A street full of shops selling consumer electronic products, comestics, and discount books, the last of which are usually located on the lower floors above ground floor of buildings.
- Temple StreetTemple Street, Hong KongTemple Street is a street located in the areas of Jordan and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is known for its night market and one of the busiest flea markets at night in the territory. The night market is in the Yau Ma Tei, Jordan part of the street and not the Mong Kok part of the street...
(廟街, sometimes referred to as Men's Street), extending into JordanJordan, Hong KongJordan is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District of Hong Kong. The unofficial area is named after a road of the same name.-Geography:Jordan is located in the central part of the Yau Tsim Mong District, as suggested by the name of some bus stops nearby...
, is also in the area, however, the area famous for the Hong Kong specific goods are only in the section between Yau Ma TeiYau Ma TeiYau Ma Tei, also known as Waterloo , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.-Name:Yau Ma Tei is a phonetic transliteration of the name 油麻地 in Cantonese...
and Jordan.
- Yuen Po Street Bird Garden (園圃街雀鳥花園) - Hundreds of songbirds in exquisitely crafted cages can be seen at this market, which is on the other side of Nathan Road on Yuen Po Street. The garden is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is close to Mong Kok East MTR Station and Mong Kok StadiumMong Kok StadiumMong Kok Stadium is a stadium on Flower Market Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With capacity of 8,500, the venue hosts Hong Kong First Division League matches, a football league in Hong Kong...
. Packed with booths selling birds, Hong Lok Street (Bird Street, 雀仔街) was closed as part of an urban renewalUrban renewalUrban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
project in June 1998. The Garden was constructed by the government to accommodate some of the booths. It was completed in March 1997.
- Fa Yuen StreetFa Yuen StreetFa Yuen Street is a street between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With over fifty stores selling sport shoes, the street is famous for selling sport gears and is known as Sport Shoes Street or Sneaker Street...
(花園街, sometimes referred to as 波鞋街, which means Sneakers Street) - This is a small neighbourhood with many small retailers which sell sports equipment and clothing. It has a wide diversity of sports shoes, including many shoes of rare or special editions from different places.
- Flower Market Road (花墟道) - This is a street market near the Mong Kok East MTR Station with lots of flower shops and street hawkers showing colourful displays, the sweet scents and the exotic blossoms of many houseplants.
- Goldfish Market - There are a dozens of shops and hawkers selling various tropical freshwater or marine fish near the MTR train station. Different types of aquarium equipment can also be found there. This market opens very early in the morning.
- Tile Street - This is a section of Portland StreetPortland StreetPortland Street is a popular street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street is known for its business and retailing skyscraper complex Langham Place, numerous restaurants and its famous red-light district.-Geography:...
near Argyle StreetArgyle Street, Hong KongArgyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Hong Kong, connecting Mong Kok, Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street, Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west, and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east.The...
and Bute Street with more than 50 retailers selling materials for construction or renovation, such as tiles, wall paper, window frames and bath tubs.
- Photocopy Street (影印街) - A neighbourhood near Ho Man TinHo Man TinHo Man Tin is a mostly residential area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, part of the Kowloon City District.-History:The original area of Ho Man Tin was quite different from the present-day one. It was located in the heart of nowaday Mong Kok. With cultivated lands,...
is noted for having remarkable number of photocopying shops due to the number of schools in the vicinity. The students from those schools have creates a great demand for photocopying, mostly for copyrighted textbookTextbookA textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s and class handout, in mass quantity.
- Portland StreetPortland StreetPortland Street is a popular street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street is known for its business and retailing skyscraper complex Langham Place, numerous restaurants and its famous red-light district.-Geography:...
(砵蘭街) - The best-known de facto red-light districtRed-light districtA red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
in Hong Kong.
- Dundas Street (登打士街) marks the southern boundary of the shopping area in eastern Mong Kok. Ho King Shopping Centre, Ka Lok Shopping Arcade and Trendy Zone are major shopping centres on the street. Various kinds of food shops concentrate on this street. Dundas street joins with the shopping area of Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Tung Choi StreetTung Choi StreetTung Choi Street is a street situated between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street , is one of the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for...
and Fa Yuen StreetFa Yuen StreetFa Yuen Street is a street between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With over fifty stores selling sport shoes, the street is famous for selling sport gears and is known as Sport Shoes Street or Sneaker Street...
; Kwong Wah HospitalKwong Wah HospitalKwong Wah Hospital is a major hospital in South Kowloon of Hong Kong. It is located at Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei.The former Main Hall Building of Kwong Wah Hospital is preserved and houses the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Museum.-History:...
is also situated on the street. Across Nathan Road, the section in the western Mong Kok is relative quiet and there are many caféCaféA café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s above street level in several buildings.
Some popular shopping plazas are located in this dense area, including:
- Sino CentreSino CentreSino Centre is a shopping centre at 582-592 Nathan Road in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. The shops in the centre mainly sell comics, Japanese magazines, records, sports equipment, watches, toys, and other goods favoured by youth since 1980s....
(信和中心) – In this plaza, there are many products about Japanese cartoons, such as Video CDVideo CDBefore the advent of DVD and Blu-ray, the Video CD became the first format for distributing films on standard 120 mm optical discs. The format is a standard digital format for storing video on a Compact Disc...
s, DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, and comics. Beside that, there are shops selling music CD albums, including ones by Hong Kong, Japanese, and western pop singers. The centre also hosts several Japanese style karaoke booths which can be booked by the hour.
- Ho King Shopping Centre (好景商場)- In this plaza, you can find many products having to do with computer and video games. They are sold for relatively low prices compared with other shops. The fourth floor of the plaza is infamous for being formerly the biggest base of pornographic CDs and DVDs. These have recently been diminished in a large operation by the police and customs, although this action has driven some shops to the office section of the building, with the products and customers causing distress to female workers there.
- Grand Century Place (新世紀廣場) - This is a new plaza next to the Mong Kok East MTR station. Most of the famous-brand and popular shops can be found here.
- Mong Kok Computer CentreMong Kok Computer CentreMong Kok Computer Centre is a shopping mall for computer and computer related products at 8 Nelson Street, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.The 3-floors shopping mall houses more than 70 computer shops and attracts some 10,000 customers daily. Shops sell various kinds of products, including laptops,...
(旺角電腦中心 )- This three-story computer mall has around 50 to 70 computer shops. They sell various kinds of products including laptops, software, hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and computer accessories.
- Langham Place (朗豪坊) - This shopping mall/hotel/office complex opened in 2004 in central Mong Kok. Built according to the Hong Kong Government urban redevelopment scheme, and at 59 stories high, it is the tallest landmark in Mong Kok.
- Argyle Centre (旺角中心) - This usually crowded centre, located next to the Mong Kok MTR station, has three floors of shops selling low-priced clothes and shoes, plastic toys and heavy metal CD's.
Food
The Mong Kok area has many curb-side "food-boothsStreet food
Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
". Most of them sell traditional snacks such as fish balls, fried beancurd
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
(tofu) and various dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
. These snacks and "fingerfood" are very popular in Hong Kong, especially for folks on the run.
Many different kinds of cuisines, Japanese
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, Chinese
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
, Italian
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
, and Thai food, can be found in the area.
Transport
- Part of Nathan Road is in this area.
- Four rail lines serve the district.
- The MTRMTRMass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines have two interchanges in this area: Prince Edward Station to the north and Mong Kok Station to the south. - The Tung Chung Line of MTR has a through station west of the area in Tai Kok TsuiTai Kok TsuiTai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots were previously located there...
, named Olympic. - MTR East Rail Line also has a Mong Kok East Station in the eastern part of the area.
In popular culture
Mong Kok was the setting for the 2004 hit film One Night in Mongkok directed by Derek YeeDerek Yee
Derek Yee Tung-sing , born in 1957, is a former Shaw Brothers actor from Hong Kong, currently a film director and screenwriter, who has achieved fame and respect in Hong Kong and international film festival circuits for treading carefully commercial viability concerns with artistic integrity...
. The movie portrays Mong Kok, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, as a hotbed of illicit activity. Similarly, the district was also the setting of the 1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
film Mongkok Story (旺角風雲) directed by Wilson Yip
Wilson Yip
Wilson Yip Wai-Shun is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker and screenwriter. His films include Bio Zombie, The White Dragon, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Dragon Tiger Gate, Flash Point, Ip Man, and Ip Man 2.-Early career:...
which depicts a young man who becomes involved in a Triad gang. The literal Chinese title of the 1988 film As Tears Go By by Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
is "Mong Kok Carmen". Part of Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
's The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It was the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller The Bourne Identity and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, The Bourne Ultimatum ....
was set in Mong Kok.
See also
- Nos. 600-626 Shanghai StreetNos. 600-626 Shanghai StreetNos. 600-626 Shanghai Street, or more specifically Nos. 600, 602, 604, 606, 612, 614, 620, 622, 624 and 626, is a group of ten pre-war shophouses in the Mong Kok section of Shanghai Street, in Hong Kong, that have been listed as Grade I historical buildings for their historical...
, a group of tong-lauTong LauTong Lau or Kee-lau are tenement buildings built in late 19th century to the 1960s in Hong Kong, Macau, southern China and Taiwan...
listed as Grade I historical buildings