iSurprise 1932

1932 shop houses; lonely survivors of a by-gone era

Pre-war Sham Shui Po streetscape

These two old shophouses give a good example of what this neighbourhood looked like before WWII.The streets of Sham Shui Po were lined with traditional shophouses with a shop on the ground floor and living quarters above, just like these two. At 51 Yen Chow Street was the Ling Nan tailor shop, renowned in the city in the 1950s and 60s.

The streets of Sham Shui Po were lined with traditional shophouses with a shop on the ground floor and living quarters above.

Rat proof

According to local historian Jason Wordie, in the old days, these buildings were advertised as being ‘rat proof’ although it is not entirely clear how they were able to justify that statement…

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