OUTDOORS

Clear skies ahead

Nicole Slater conquers the mountains on these quick and easy hikes

Now that mandatory mask restrictions have been relaxed for outdoor exercising, it’s time to ease your way back up the mountains. Here are some of Hong Kong’s easiest hikes to get you out and about.

Rhino Rock

Well-known for its rhinoceros-shaped rock formation, this Stanley trail is one of the shortest in Hong Kong, taking less than 30-minutes. Starting at Stanley Fort, the trail is just one-kilometre each way and leads you to the perfect Instagram location. 16 | SOUTHSIDE SOUTHSIDE

Lung Ha Wan Country Trail

Lung Ha Wan Country Trail is perfect for those wanting a hiking experience without feeling exhausted. The two-kilometre hike will take you above Clearwater Bay Country Park where you can enjoy fresh air while overlooking Sai Kung and the outlying islands.

Bowen Road

Popular with joggers and dog-walkers alike, Bowen Road is the perfect place for an evening stroll, offering panoramic views of Central, Wan Chai and Happy Valley. The four-kilometre trail is paved and flat, with plenty of rest stops so you’ll never be short of breath.

Braemar Hill

A short 20-minute hike will take you to one of Hong Kong’s most iconic viewing points. The trail starts off steep but soon flattens out. Follow the red ribbons conveniently located along the route and be rewarded with stunning views of Hong Kong Island.

Trio Beach

This scenic stroll in Sai Kung leads you to Sai Kung’s best beach, as voted in our Readers’ Choice

Awards. The trail is mainly flat with a gradual incline half-way through taking around 30-minutes to reach the beach. With current beach regulations you won’t be able to cool off at the end, but you can enjoy some shady grassland nearby.

Peak Circle Walk

A classic in our books, this trail is the perfect way to up your step count and enjoy some of Hong Kong’s finest views. With seating areas and shady spots spread throughout it’s easy to stop and take a breather when things get tough.

Wong Chuk Hang anew

Apple Lee meets the faces and places of the burgeoning Southside arts and cultural hub

Wong Chuk Hang has come a long way from the booming manufacturing hub it was in the 1980s. At the peak of its prime, the light industrial area was home to over 1,190 factories. Soon after in the 1990s, the majority of manufacturers migrated to Mainland China, leaving many former factory buildings deserted.

In the last two decades, the area was rejuvenated by an influx of creatives and small business entrepreneurs. A flurry of art galleries, boutique shops and hole-inthe-wall cafes have taken over the vacated factory buildings and given them a new life.

When the MTR station opened in 2016, the new railway network vastly improved accessibility to the area and shortened the transport time to Admiralty to just 10 minutes. At the same time, new office 18 | SOUTHSIDE

towers were built, ushering in even more corporates and smaller companies with cheaper rent compared to the city centre.

A big residential project, led by a consortium made up of Kerry Properties, Swire Properties and Sino Land, is currently underway at the old Wong Chuk Hang depot and estimated to be completed by 2025. The opening of the housing complex is expected to invite a younger population into the area and will mark the start of the neighbourhood’s gradual transformation into an up-and-coming residential district.

As Wong Chuk Hang continues to change and evolve, some have voiced concerns of the neighbourhood’s gentrification.

“I suspect the area will lose its soul once the new residential and commercial projects are open. They will certainly drive up the rent of the industrial buildings, which are currently home to hundreds of start-ups, designers and new businesses,” says Delphine Lernoud, founder of Lumeun, a pre-loved furniture shop based in Wong Chuk Hang.

Others are more optimistic about the future of the burgeoning creative hub.

“Hong Kong is a place where the land is outrageously scarce, which is why cultural and heritage projects often have to make way for residential projects. With the ongoing new developments, I hope to see Wong Chuk Hang remain a hub for arts and culture that is intertwined with housing, just like Soho,” says Kenny Chan, a long-time Southside resident.

Chan is the founder of Seayou Explorer Travel, a yacht charter platform that offers curated boating packages and tours at sea for locals and tourists alike. The travel company operates out of an office in Wong Chuk Hang. In 2019, Chan launched a cultural tour that takes visitors around Aberdeen Fishing Village aboard a sampan and a traditional Tanka-style houseboat.

“I want to run a tour that highlights the origins of Hong Kong as a small fishing village and allow people to explore a lesser-known side of this cosmopolitan city,” says Chan.

Adjacent to Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen Fishing Village used to be a major entrepot port in Hong Kong and was once crowded with sampans. Today, the typhoon shelter blends the old and the new. You can find an interesting juxtaposition of antique sampans floating just metres away from fleets of luxury yachts – all set against the backdrop of modern skyscrapers.

“Nowadays, the traditional fisherman’s lifestyle preserved in Aberdeen may seem insignificant to many. But this tiny fishing port is actually Hong Kong’s place of origin and where the name of the city came from,” he says.

“This simple way of living on boats reflects the true spirit of the city. Even in the face of adversity, Hongkongers still work hard and help each other out – which allowed the city to grow into the international metropolis that it is today.”

American architect and art curator Dembski started non-profit arts organisation HKwalls in 2014 to promote street culture in Hong Kong. Each year, he organises a street art festival that takes place around the city. The 2017 edition of the annual HKwalls festival took place in Wong Chuk Hang and featured over 25 artworks and murals created by local and international artists.

“Prior to HKwalls 2017, we had only ever hosted the festival in residential and commercial areas like Sheung Wan and Sham Shui Po, so Wong Chuk Hang’s industrial nature felt like a nice change of scenery. There is an amazing creative community in Wong Chuk Hang. From the design, photography and art studios, to South Island Cultural District’s amazing group of art galleries who were very enthusiastic about us hosting the festival there,” says Dembski.

Three years on, some of the pieces from the 2017 festival have disappeared, which Demski remarks is normal as the neighbourhood evolves. Others, especially those located near the MTR station, still get a lot of attention.

“A mural that the community seemed 20 | SOUTHSIDE

Wong Chuk Hang timeline

1960

Development of low-cost public housing project Wong Chuk Hang Estate

1980

More than 1,190 factories operating in Wong Chuk Hang

2009

Wong Chuk Hang Estate demolished

2025

Completion of Wong Chuk Hang residential development project by a consortium formed by Kerry Properties, Swire Properties and Sino Land 1982

Opening of the Aberdeen Tunnel

1990

Many factories relocated to Mainland China

2018

Opening of Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel

to really enjoy was the one that read ‘Wong Chuk Hang’ really big at the LCSD Heung Yip Road Sitting-out Area by graffiti artist EDGE,” says Dembski. The piece was damaged sometime last year, but LCSD

Jason Dembski

agreed to let another artist repaint it with something else. The new mural, which is a painting of a pair of lovebirds, was recently completed by local artist Christine Wong last month.

Lernoud started Lumeun two years ago to offer a range of hand-renovated vintage furniture sourced from around Asia. The brand has since expanded to offer contemporary metal furniture and

Esca

If you worked around Wong Chuk Hang a few years back, you have probably been

eco-friendly home textiles made and tailored in Hong Kong.

Before founding Lumeun, Lernoud worked in the beauty and cosmetics industry, opening new markets and new points of sale for international brands in Asia. She decided to make a career switch when she realised she was contributing to the waste problem and that it was going to take a long time for corporations to adopt more sustainable practices.

“I wanted to create a business that was meaningful to me and respectful to the environment. I also wanted to support local small businesses. That’s why we produce our home textile collection exclusively in Hong Kong,” says Lernoud. Lernoud has a showroom in Wong Chuk Hang where visitors can check out the furniture and get a better sense of the brand ethos. “When I visited the area for the first time, I knew immediately it was the place to open my showroom. There are no white collars, no ties, no boundaries – that’s how I would describe Wong Chuk Hang. People know each other for what they do and not for who

WCH classified

Restaurants and bars

they are.” to 3/3rds, a boutique cafe and restaurant popular amongst the office lunch crowd. When the cafe closed its doors due to a complaint filed to the Lands Department, many decried the government decision. Two years later, Wesley Wan, one of its co-founders, returned to the same building with a new plant-based concept, Esca.

“It has been great returning to Wong Chuk Hang. There is a great community vibe here. Although we have been open for just a year, I consider many of the customers my friends,” says Wan.

escahk.com

Sensory Zero

With five locations dotted across Hong Kong, Sensory Zero is one of the fastest growing coffee chains in the city. Its flagship store is an industrial loft-style space, located conveniently across from the MTR station. The roaster offers regular coffee workshops for both hobbyists and professional baristas looking to practice roasting coffee or brush up their espresso and latte art.

sensoryzero.com

Delphine Lernoud

Young Master Brewery

As one of the leading craft beer breweries in Hong Kong, Young Master operates two production facilities – one in Ap Lei Chau and another in Wong Chuk Hang. Inside its forty-hectolitre brewery in Wong Chuk Hang, you can find a fully automated CraftStar brewhouse from Germany along with bottling and canning lines where the brewery packages its own beers. Young Master runs its own barrel-aging and mixed fermentation programmes, creating locally-inspired flavours veering from classic pale ale to salted lime Gose. For those who are curious how the beers are made, the brewery hosts guided tours on Saturdays. youngmasterales.com

Pomegranate Kitchen

Eastern Mediterranean flavours meet southeast Asian spices at Pomegranate Kitchen. Founded by Lebanese chef Maria Bizri, the boutique caterer offers a range of canapes and sharing platters inspired by Bizri’s cultural roots and travels around Middle East and Asia.

“I started Pomegranate from my home in Headland Road in Repulse Bay. When it got to a point where my kitchen was overflowing with so much food that my family didn’t have space to eat, I moved to our current space in Wong Chuk Hang,” Bizri says. pomegranate.com.hk.

Above

Nestled on the rooftop of Ovolo Southside, this cosy hotel bar offers glorious panoramic views of the neighbourhood. Out on the terrace, the walls are covered in edgy street arts that punctuate the space with a cool hipster vibe. ovolohotels.com

Blindspot Gallery

Founded in 2010, Blindspot Gallery started with an initial focus on contemporary photography and image-based art. Over the years, it has expanded to showcase a diverse collection of contemporary artworks across various media. The gallery has represented a number of emerging and established artists including renowned London-based photographer Nadav Kander, local talent Angela Su and awardwinning Chinese abstract artist Jiang Pengyi. blindspotgallery.com

Rossi & Rossi

Founded by mother and son duo Anna Maria and Fabio in London in 1985, Rossi & Rossi is a leading dealer of antique Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art. With a headquarters and showroom in Wong Chuk Hang, the gallery attracts high profile clients from around the world including private collectors and major museums with the likes of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. rossirossi.com

Pekin Fine Arts

Founded by 20-year China resident Meg Maggio, Pekin Fine Arts first opened in Beijing in 2005 and established its second outpost in Hong Kong in 2012. With a 600-square-metre exhibition space designed by internationally acclaimed artist and architect Ai Wei Wei, the gallery is responsible for promoting the work of many important Asian artists.

pekinfinearts.com

Lump Studio

Opened in 2017, Lump is a fully-equipped pottery studio that welcomes ceramic artists of all levels. The studio offers both private and group classes for those interested to learn ceramic making. Its workshops cover a range of techniques from wheel throwing to hand-building methods like pinch, coil and slab building.

lumpstudio.com.hk HULA

HULA is an online platform that retails preowned designer women’s wear from over 1,000 luxury labels, including Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton. In 2019, the company opened a warehouse space in Wong Chuk Hang. Founder Sarah Fung has over 15 years of fashion experience but after being inspired to pursue a more sustainable approach, she launched HULA.

“In Asia, buying pre-owned is often frowned upon, many people turned their noses up when HULA first started. However in the past few years, I have seen the perception of pre-owned change, largely due to growing sustainability awareness in Hong Kong. Sustainability is so important, and almost trendy, right now,” says Fung. thehula.com

Mirth Home

Founded by Australian designer Kylie Platt, Mirth is a homeware and lifestyle concept store that stocks everything from home decor, artwork to children’s clothing, books and toys. Tucked away in a former stool factory building that dates back to the 1960s, the 4,000 square foot space has been transformed into a bright and cheerful showroom. mirthhome.com