We recently invited students from Year 4 and above to submit stories celebrating some of their favourite experiences in Hong Kong. Here are a couple of entries from one school that took part.
Visiting Tai Yuen Street
“Tai Yuen Street is a famous street in Wan Chai and one of my favourite places in Hong Kong. Many people will know it by its other name, Toy Street. My family always took me there when I was young. It’s a place to browse for affordable toys and other low-priced goods sold by hawkers at different stalls. This area has developed quickly over the past years, but we’re lucky enough to still experience a bit of traditional Hong Kong here.
On my last visit to Tai Yuen Street, I got there by tram with my friends. It’s very close to the Wan Chai MTR station so you can also take the train there. At the market, I took some pictures and bought some traditional souvenirs for my family. I saw toys for children of all ages. The shopkeepers were very helpful if we needed advice. However, the street was quite crowded because it was a weekend.
After shopping, we were starving, so we decided to go to a Hong Kong-style restaurant for lunch. We ordered some traditional fast food like barbecued pork pasta with soup as well as fish balls. When we left, we saw a snake soup restaurant on the opposite side of the road. None of us had tried this traditional food so we decided to try it! I didn’t like the taste, but it was still an interesting experience.
I definitely recommend Tai Yuen Street as a must-see attraction because you get to see more traditional parts of Wan Chai in between all of the new development. You also see part of Hong Kong’s history as a toy manufacturing city”
– Ayur Cheng Wai Chung, Secondary 2, Buddhist Wong Fung Ling College.
A day out at the Peak
“I’m going to tell you about the last place we went to before the pandemic hit Hong Kong. We went to Central on the tram. It was a slow journey from where we live, but I think it’s one of the most iconic things you can experience in Hong Kong, and it’s cheap. Then we took the Mid-Levels Escalator to Soho for lunch. There were so many restaurants with different cuisines! We ate at an Indian restaurant since we were all craving chicken curry.
After lunch, we went to the Peak. We took the Peak Tram, which is basically a tram but way more fancy. When we arrived at the Peak, my mum immediately wanted us to take pictures together (a lot of pictures!). We walked around in the mall where we saw many souvenirs, cool gadgets and snacks. We went up the escalator until we arrived at the top of the Peak. We had to pay to go to the viewing deck which was kind of disappointing, but once we saw Hong Kong from the top of the Peak I think it was worth it because the view was absolutely amazing!
Afterwards, we came across Madame Tussauds, which is kind of like an art exhibition but with celebrities. The wax statues were super lifelike! When we were done, we got some dinner at a pizza restaurant.
After a long and eventful day we took the15C bus home. Hong Kong has so many unique areas and experiences. It’s also very culturally diverse. I would definitely tell visitors to explore the Central district because there is so much to see and do, from great restaurants and shops, to history and breathtaking views.”
– Joshua Paul Lucing Maguigad, Secondary 2, Buddhist Wong Fung Ling College
Tell us a tale and receive $200
Here’s your chance to get published – and make some money at the same time. We’re looking for 500-word written contributions on any funny, poignant, practical or even controversial topic that touches on expat life in Singapore. Simply email your stories in a Word document to contribute@expatliving.sg and we’ll consider them for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
This article first appeared in the June 2020 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
