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Central & Sheung Wan: Temples, Trams, and the Harbour

Hong Kong · 7 stories · 1.5–2.5 hours

A hilly walk — expect steep sections and steps. From a temple that doubled as a courthouse, up the Mid-Levels escalator, on to the Peak, and down to the Star Ferry and its 1966 riot.

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Stories along the way

  1. 1. Literature and War, Under One RoofPush through the doorway on Hollywood Road and the first thing you meet is the smoke. Great coils of incense hang from the ceiling, burning slowly for days at a time, and the…
  2. 2. The Three Lives of PMQLook closely at this modern cluster of design studios and boutiques, and you might not realize that the ground beneath it has lived three entirely different lives. In 1889, this…
  3. 3. The Longest Escalator in the WorldHere is a piece of infrastructure that accidentally became a tourist attraction, and the accident is instructive. Hong Kong Island is steep. The flat land is at the bottom, along…
  4. 4. From Matchmakers to Nightlife LegendLong before it became world-famous for late-night drinks and neon signs, this small grid of alleys in Hong Kong’s Central district served a very different social purpose. In the…
  5. 5. Upper Albert RoadIf you want to understand power in Hong Kong, look no further than the sweeping, irregular curve of Upper Albert Road. Carved into the steep incline of Government Hill back during…
  6. 6. 552 Metres Above the HeatAltitude, in a subtropical colony, was never about the view. It was about the air. Victoria Peak rises five hundred and fifty-two metres, the highest point on Hong Kong Island,…
  7. 7. Crossing the BarThe cheapest famous view in the world is about to cost you the price of a bus ticket. The Star Ferry has been crossing Victoria Harbour between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui since…