On one level, Tsim Sha Tsui (universally truncated to
"TST" in a merciful gesture to non-Cantonese speakers) is still a
parody of a tourist quarter in an Asian port: its tailors and camera
salesmen do not suffer fools, its hostess bars are the scene of many a
ruinous round of drinks. But there is also much more to TST than that.
There is a profusion of world-class cultural venues, galleries and
museums. There are hotels – the Peninsula, the Inter-Continental, the
Langham – of jaw-dropping luxury. And in the monolith that is Harbour
City is every product and service the human mind can conceive of.
|
This grim and
squalid collection of guesthouses, flops and fleapits amid the glitter
of Nathan Road has become the stuff of legend over the years, resisting
attempts to knock it down. The bottom three floors are full of fabric
shops, fast-food joints and lurid video shops. You may trip over a
collapsed drug addict in amongst the rats and firetrap wiring. Hong Kong
auteur Wong Kar-wai made this the setting of his 1994 hit film, Chungking Express. The best way to experience the Mansions is in one of the cheap Indian restaurants (see Gaylord).
|
Sights in TST The Golden Mile This
strip that stretches up Nathan Road from the waterfront could be more
accurately dubbed the “neon mile”. It’s less glitzy than Central and
comprises mainly bars, restaurants, tailors, camera and electronic shops
and the odd desultory topless bar. The crowds are so great that walking
the Golden Mile becomes a major challenge.
The Golden Mile
Gargoyle, Boom Bar
The Peninsula Hotel The
last word in luxury accommodation and service. This venerable hotel
sits like a proud old dowager, gazing sedately across at the vertiginous
Hong Kong Island skyline. The cheapest rooms start where many other
luxury hotels stop, although special offers sometimes apply. A night in
the opulent Peninsula suite will set you back the price of a new car. It
boasts eight bars and restaurants, including the Philippe
Starck-designed Felix and cognoscenti-favoured Gaddi’s. If you desire, you can swoop onto the roof by helicopter. Otherwise you’ll be collected by Rolls-Royce.
Oysters, Sheraton Hotel
Museum of History This museum was built at a cost of almost HK$400 million, half of which was spent on its pièce de résistance,
the Hong Kong Story, which attempts to chronicle the 400 million-odd
years since Hong Kong coalesced from the primordial ooze. The story is
told across eight galleries contain-ing more than 4,000 exhibits, which
vividly outline the natural environment, folk culture and historical
development of Hong Kong. Space Museum When
you’ve had enough of history, come and peek into the future. This
odd-looking dome in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui includes an omnimax
theatre and interactive exhibits such as the jetpack ride. Cultural Centre Complex, 10 Salisbury Rd 2721 0226 10am–9pm Sat, Sun, 1pm–9pm Mon, Wed–Fri. Closed Tue Adm (free Wed)
Space Museum
Science Museum Some
fascinating interactive displays here if you don’t mind fighting your
way through the giggling, pushing throngs of schoolchildren. There are
enough buttons to push, gadgets to grapple with and levers to tweak to
satisfy even the most hard-to-please kids. Basic principles of
chemistry, physics, biology and other sciences are explained but in a
much more entertaining and less dry manner than in the classroom. Museum of Art You
may well be fed up with museums by this point. If not, here you’ll find
oil paintings, etchings, lithographs and calligraphy. One display
features pottery shards and suchlike from southern China dating back to
Neolithic times, and there is also a fine collection of elegant
porcelain from various Chinese dynasties. Kowloon Mosque When
the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer, the Jamia Masjid Islamic
Centre is where you’ll find most of Hong Kong’s Muslims. You can stop by
for a look, but take your shoes off and be respectful. Entry to the
inner part is not permitted unless you are a Muslim come for prayer. Cultural Centre With
a peerless view beckoning across the water, the geniuses in charge
decided to build the world’s first windowless building, and covered it
for good measure in pink public toilet-style tiles. Wander around and
marvel at one of the great architectural debacles of the 20th century.
That said, it hosts some good dance and theatre.
Cultural Centre
Cultural Centre
Clocktower The
Kowloon-Canton Railway, which now ends at Hung Hom, used to finish at
this clocktower, as did the rather more famous Orient Express .
A newly-opened extension now once again brings trains to the tip of
Kowloon. From here, you can walk for more than a kilometre around the
TST waterfront and marvel at the odd optimistic fisherman dangling a
line in the harbour.
Clocktower
Kowloon Park While
in TST, if you feel one more whisper of “Copy watch? Tailor?” may
provoke you to irrational violence, then venture through the park gates,
find a well-shaded bench and watch the world go by. There’s a big
swimming pool (reputed to be something of a gay cruising zone), an
aviary and a pond featuring flamingos and other aquatic birdlife. Haiphong Rd 6am–midnight daily
Kowloon Park
|
