Mongkok

Mongkok market

Mongkok or Mong Kok ( Chinese  旺角 , Pinyin Wàngjiăo , Jyutping Wong ⁶ gok ³  - "flourishing headland", English transliteration of the historical name 芒角 , Mángjiăo , Jyutping Mong ⁴ gok ³  - "headland of the reeds", due to linguistic misunderstandings of the English the dialect - speaking ferrymen with Tanka dialect (疍 民) spoiled the characters 芒 , máng , Jyutping mong ⁴ zum 望 , wàng , Jyutping mong ⁶ 望 角 , Wàngjiăo , Jyutping Mong ⁶ gok ³ , former name for a short time: Argyle ) is a district of Hong Kong on the Kowloon Peninsula . The quarter is centrally located, heavily frequented and with a population density of over 130,000 inhabitants per km² one of the most densely populated areas on earth.

In 1994 Mong Kok was merged with the former districts of Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui to form the new district of Yau Tsim Mong District .

Coordinates: 22 ° 19 ′ 1 ″  N , 114 ° 10 ′ 11 ″  E

history

The Lei Cheng Uk Branch Museum in Mongkok was built after a burial site from the Han Dynasty was discovered during construction in 1955 . This is the most significant excavation in Hong Kong and proof that the peninsula has been inhabited for at least 2,000 years. During excavations in Mongkok, pottery shards from the Jin dynasty were also found, which allow conclusions to be drawn that this area was already settled in the 3rd century AD. The Mongkok area originally looked much different than it does today. In the center of today's Mongkok, Ho Man Tin was originally located , while the actual Mongkok was north of it (near today's MTR station Mong Kok East ). Due to the agricultural development, the area was bordered south by Argyle Street and to the east by hills.

On August 10, 2008, a fire broke out in the Cornwall Court building , killing four people.

Streets and markets

Mongkok is characterized by a mix of old and new buildings. At street level there are mainly shops and restaurants, while the upper floors are mainly used by offices and apartments.

Mongkok has retained many of the old shops and shopping streets that have long since disappeared elsewhere in Hong Kong. Many of these places have nicknames that indicate their use:

• Ladies' Street ( 女人街  - “ Ladies Street ”), a section of Tung Choi Street between Dundas Street ( 登 打 士 街 ) and Argyle Street ( 亞 皆 老街 ): Shops selling women's clothing, fashion accessories and cosmetics.
• Sai Yeung Choi Street South ( 西洋菜 南街 ): Electronics and cheap book stores.
• Temple Street (Hong Kong), ( 廟街 / 男人 街  - “Men’s Street”), shops and street vendors, famous for typical Hong Kong items
• Yuen Po Street Bird Garden ( 園圃 街 雀鳥 花園 ): Hundreds of songbirds in precious, handcrafted birdcages can be seen in this market, which is across Nathan Road on Yuen Po Street near the KCR train station and the Mongkok Stadium. The garden was created by the government to improve the residential area as part of an urban renewal program.
• 

  Fa Yuen Street (Sneaker Street)
  Fa Yuen Street ( 花園 街 / 波鞋 街  - "Sportschuhstraße") Shops for different types of shoes, especially sports shoes
• Mong Kok Flower Market ( 旺角 花 墟 , on Flower Market Road in North Mongkok near the Prince Edward MTR stop): flower shops, flower market
• Goldfish Market ( 金魚 市場  - "Goldfischmarktplatz") / Goldfish Street ( 金魚 街  - "Goldfischstrasse"), corner of Tung Choi Street / Mong Kok Road or Nullah Road / Prince Edward Road: shops for goldfish and aquarium accessories
• Tile Street ( tile street , corner of Portland Street / Bute Street): Shop for building materials, materials for renovation
• Photocopy Street ( 影印 街  - "Photocopy Street "): Copy shops known for black copying
• Portland Street ( 砵 蘭 街 ): Hong Kong's most famous red light district
• Sino Center ( 信 和 中心 ): Shops with articles for the young audience, wristwatches, sports shoes, Japanese films, novels, manga , comics , magazines, CDs, DVDs, games, toys of Far Eastern and Western origin
• Ho King Shopping Center ( 好景 商場 ): PC and video game stores, porn movies
• MOKO / Grand Century Place ( 新 世紀 廣場 ): modern shops, close to the Mong Kok Station of the KCR as a connecting station to the People's Republic of China, which is particularly crowded on public holidays
• Mong Kok Computer Center ( 旺角 電腦 中心 , 旺 電 for short ): 50 to 70 computer shops
• Langham Place ( 香港 旺角 朗 豪 坊 ): with 59 floors tallest building in Mongkok.
• Argyle Center ( 旺角 中心 , short: 旺 中 ): cheap clothes and shoes, near the MTR station, very popular

traffic

• Part of Nathan Road is in Mongkok.
• The district is accessed by four railway lines.
• Two transition stations of lines Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong of MTR are located in Mongkok, the Prince Edward station in the north and the Mong Kok station in the south.
• The transit station Olympic Station of the Tung Chung Line of MTR is located in the west, in the area Tai Kok Tsui .
• In the east of the district is the KCR station Mong Kok East of the KCR East Rail .

gastronomy

Mongkok has many stalls selling quick take-away meals. Most sell well-known quick meals such as fish balls, deep fried tofu and various dim sum dishes. These snacks are very popular in Hong Kong.

In addition to street vending, there are restaurants of various flavors such as: B. with Japanese , Chinese , Italian or Thai cuisine.

Mongkok in the film

Mongkok formed the backdrop for the film One Nite in Mongkok by director Derek Yee ( 爾冬陞 ) in 2004 . The film introduces Mong Kok as a densely populated district and center of illegal activity. Similarly, in the 1996 film Mongkok Story ( 旺角 風雲  /  旺角 风云 , Wàngjiăo Fēngyún , Jyutping Wong ⁶ gok ³ Fung ¹ wan ⁴ ) by Wilson Yip ( 葉偉信 ), which shows a young man in a triad .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mongkok Story in IMDb (English)
2. ↑ Mongkok Story on movies.yahoo.com (English)