Mong Kok

Mong Kok

Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok
Chinese
Literal meaning flourishing/busy corner
Aerial view of Mong Kok
Argyle Street in Mong Kok

Mong Kok (also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK) is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District, on the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Prince Edward area occupies the northern part of Mong Kok.

Mong Kok is one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong. The area is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurants at street level, and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment. It has been described[1] and portrayed in films as an area in which triads run bars, nightclubs, and massage parlors. With its extremely high population density of 130,000/km2 or 340,000 per square mile, Mong Kok was described as the busiest district in the world by the Guinness World Records.[2]

Name

Until 1930, the area was called Mong Kok Tsui (芒角嘴).[3] The current English name is a transliteration of its older Chinese name 望角 (Jyutping: mong6 gok3; IPA: [mɔːŋ˨ kɔːk˧]), or 芒角 (Jyutping: mong4 gok3; IPA: [mɔːŋ˨˩ kɔːk˧]), which is named for its plentiful supply of ferns in the past when it was a coastal region. Its present Chinese name "旺角" (Jyutping: wong6 gok3; IPA: [wɔːŋ˨ kɔːk˧]), means "prosperous corner" or "crowded corner."

For a period, the area was also called Argyle, and this name was used for the MTR station when it opened in 1979. The office building 旺角中心; "Mong Kok Centre", which was named after the area, is known in English as Argyle Centre rather than Mong Kok Centre.

Administration

Mong Kok is part of Yau Tsim Mong District. It was part of the Mong Kok District before the district was merged in 1994. The area belongs to the Kowloon West geographical constituency of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

History

Displays at the Chinese University of Hong Kong include antique potteries indicating that there might have been settlements in the area as early as the Jin Dynasty (265-420).[4]

The area used to be a Hakka settlement, with about 200 villagers according to Bao'an records in 1819.[5]

The heart of the present-day Mong Kok is along Argyle Street near Sai Yeung Choi Street whilst the proper Mong Kok used to be to the north, near the present-day Mong Kok East Station. Mong Kok was an area of cultivated lands, bounded to the south by Argyle Street, to the west by Coronation Road (a section of present-day Nathan Road), and to the east by hills. To the southeast of Mong Kok is Ho Man Tin and to the west Tai Kok Tsui.

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 firefighters.[6]

Mong Kok received a lot of negative media attention for many acid attacks on Sai Yeung Choi Street from December 2008 through January 2010.

The area was the site of protracted demonstrations during the 2014 Hong Kong protests, including the gau wu campaign, and was also the site of the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest.

Streets and markets

Flower Market Road
Grand Century Place. Mong Kok East Station is visible at the bottom left. The area in the background is part of Kowloon City District.

Mong Kok preserves its traditional characteristics with an array of markets, small shops, and food stalls that have disappeared from other areas during the past several decades of economic developments and urban transformation. As such, a few of these streets in Mong Kok have acquired nicknames reflecting their own characteristics. Some interesting sites are:

Some popular shopping plazas located in this dense area include:

Langham Place, 4th floor

Other streets in the area include:

Food

The Mong Kok area has many curb-side "food-booths" selling traditional snacks such as fish balls, fried beancurd (tofu) and various dim sum. These fingerfood are very popular in Hong Kong, especially for folks on the run. In addition, there are restaurants serving different kinds of cuisine, ranging from Japanese to Thai to Italian.

Built heritage

Built heritage in Mog Kok includes:

Sport venues

Mong Kok Stadium in 2011, after renovation

Education

Educational institutions in Mong Kok include:

Transport

Traffic congestion in Mong Kok
Exit B1 of Prince Edward Station, with Exit C1 across Prince Edward Road West

The main thoroughfares are:

Three rail lines serve the area:

Mong Kok was the setting for the 2004 hit film One Night in Mongkok directed by Derek Yee. 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.[12][13] The 2009 film To Live and Die in Mongkok is also set in Mong Kok. 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 1986 novel The Bourne Supremacy was set in Mong Kok.

The area is known locally for a youth subculture, the Mong Kok culture.

2014 protests

Mong Kok was one of the main sites of the 2014 Hong Kong protests. Banks, jewelry stores and clothing stores were closed as a result of the pro-democracy protests.[14]

References

  1. Ruwitch, John; Baldwin, Clare (3 October 2014). "Hong Kong protesters face backlash, threaten to abandon talks". Reuters. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  2. Boland, Rory. "Mongkok Ladies Market". About.com Guide. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  3. Yau Tsim Mong District Council, You Jian Wang Qu Fengwuzhi(油尖旺區風物志), Hong Kong: 1999. p18. "Mong Kok Tsui"(芒角嘴)
  4. Kan, Nelson Y. Y.; Tanf, Miranda K. L. "Chapter two". New Journey Through History 1A. Aristo Educational Press LTD. p. 48.
  5. "旺角古名芒角 客家人聚居" [Mong Kok, the ancient name of the Hakka settlements Mangjiao] (in Chinese). Next Media. 1 August 2011.
  6. "Four dead as HK nightclub fire spreads". Yahoo!. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  7. "Yuen Po Street Bird Garden". Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
  8. "Theme Shopping Streets". Hong Kong Tourism Board.
  9. Yanne, Andrew; Heller, Gillis (2009). Signs of a Colonial Era. Hong Kong University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-962-209-944-9.
  10. "List of the Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 23 November 2011)" (PDF). Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2011.
  11. "Shui Yuet Kung, Shan Tung Street". Chinese Temples Committee.
  12. "Wong Gok fung wan". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  13. "Mongkok Story". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  14. "Protests in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay". The Standard. 29 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014.

Coordinates: 22°19′21″N 114°10′14″E / 22.32250°N 114.17056°E / 22.32250; 114.17056

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