Hong Kong - and especially Kowloon - is a city of markets. You can buy almost anything.

There's a flower district...

Flower market on Flower Market Road Vendors on flower market road

...a bird market...

Bird market on Yuen Po Street

Bird market on Yuen Po Street Birds at bird market

...and a fish market.

Fish market on Tung Choi Street

In fact, you can go down to the local food market and the butcher will sell you pieces of an animal that you didn't even know you want:

Pig face and hearts at butcher

This makes for a fascinating trip around the city as you walk from market to market. The first three markets in this post are all within walking distance of each other. If you approached them from our hotel, you'd also find yourself walking through the leather interiors, sewing and building materials districts:

Metal Shop in Kowloon

However, all this selling comes at a price. After a while, Hong Kong begins to feel like Manhattan with mountains instead of cultural institutions. You begin to realize that this is a city that exists solely for the sake of commerce. It's the market for the market's sake.

As Hong Kongers become very wealthy, they're adopting some of the shallower trappings of an upwardly mobile society. You can see this in the incredible number of subway ads for plastic surgery:

Hong Kong Beauty Ad Hong Kong Beauty Ad

Hong Kong Beauty Ad Hong Kong Beauty Ad

Hong Kong beauty ad

Hong Kong botox ad

Hopefully this isn't the new look of Hong Kong.


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