From museums to food to heritage and history, the West Kowloon neighborhood is here to surprise and delight!
Hong Kong’s vibrant neighbourhoods are some of the city’s greatest cultural assets. In particular, the streets of Yau Ma Tei and Jordan are filled with traditional shops, handicrafts and architecture. These neighbourhoods are further enriched by the upcoming openings of two new world-class museums – M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum – in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). All together, as a part of a larger West Kowloon neighbourhood, there is much to explore and rediscover from a new perspective. Start planning your weekend adventures and check out some of our favourite places in the West Kowloon neighbourhood!
Explore the West Kowloon neighbourhood: Cultural attractions
1. M+
Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, M+, will open to the public on 12 November 2021. Around 1,500 works – drawn from the M+ Collections of visual art, design and architecture, and moving image from Hong Kong, Greater China, Asia, and beyond – will be presented in the 17,000 square-metre exhibition space that spans across thirty-three galleries and other display spaces in the museum. Designed by world-renowned architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron, in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup, the 65,000-square-metre M+ building is among Hong Kong’s most iconic landmarks, both for its architectural form as well as its prominent location on the Victoria Harbour waterfront in the West Kowloon neighbourhood.
2. Hong Kong Space Museum
To spread their positivity and joy, pop-art duo Samuel Borkson from Florida, US, and Arturo Sandoval III from Cuba have brought their signature pop-art FriendsWithYou characters to the West Kowloon neighbourhood. The Hong Kong Space Museum is displaying the iconic smiley face of the FriendsWithYou characters on its exterior wall, radiating energy and optimism to passers-by. Looking for some company on your adventures in West Kowloon? Visitors can scan QR codes displayed at six different locations with their phones, and the FriendsWithYou characters will magically appear to take them on an augmented reality tour of West Kowloon’s arts and cultural highlights.
Explore the West Kowloon neighbourhood: Hidden treasures
3. The School, Yau Ma Tei
Declared a monument in 2020, The Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei renovated the southern chambers to become The School, Yau Ma Tei. Once the location for a private school, The School is now a self-service bookstore offering a selection of books and cultural goods, along with photos spots with a mini banyan tree and a cart noodle kiosk to recreate scenes from memory lane.
4. Cheung Shing Fans Factory
Second-generation owner Lowell Lo and his wife operate one of the few sandalwood fan makers in Hong Kong still in operation. Lowell noticed a growing appetite for incense among urban consumers in recent years, and began selling incense, as well as electrical incense burners and incense pots to attract younger customers.
5. Tung Nam Lou Art Hotel
Conveniently situated next to the Yau Ma Tei MTR station, the Tung Nam Lou Art Hotel opened in 2019. It was previously a traditional seafood restaurant, which has been transformed into a hotel with an art gallery and shared space, preserving its nostalgic interior décor. The hotel also hosts workshops and themed exhibitions.
6. Biu Kee Mahjong
There’s no time like the present to pick out your own mahjong set at Biu Kee Mahjong, which has been passed down from father to son for three generations. It is one of the few remaining artisan mahjong tile carvers left in Hong Kong. Owner Cheung Shun-king can customise characters and patterns on the hand-carved sets, which have been designated one of Hong Kong’s Intangible Cultural Heritages by the local government, to your individual taste.
7. Liu Ma Kee
Based in Hong Kong for over a century, Liu Ma Kee uses a traditional stonemill to make soybean products from secret family recipes. Liu Ma Kee now offers an array of present-day condiments, and has even invented a garlic-flavoured fermented tofu paste especially for western pasta dishes and a signature carbonara recipe fused with the classic taste of fermented tofu.
Plan your visit to the West Kowloon neighbourhood today!
This post is sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
