On January 31, the Yen Chow Street Temporary Hawker Bazaar in Sham Shui Po — one of Hong Kong’s last fabric markets — will close to make way for public housing. Known in the city as Pang Jai (a small market built with a tin roof), it is Hong Kong’s oldest operating outdoor fabric market.
In 1978, the market was set up at the intersection of Yen Chow Street and Lai Chi Kok Road, when stall owners had to move from their previous location because of the construction of the Tsuen Wan MTR line.
It became a Hong Kong landmark for its maze of stalls attracting craft enthusiasts, designers and tourists, and had more than 190 stalls selling several varieties of fabric.
In August 2016, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department issued a notice the tenants of the market, stating that they could move to Tung Chau Street Temporary Market and rent pitches there. Those who chose not to move could sell their licences back to the government.
There are currently 50 vendors at Yen Chow Street Temporary Hawker Bazaar, but only around 16 will move to the new market that opens on February 1. The Tung Chau Street Temporary Market can accommodate up to 53 stalls.
Header image credits: Octavia Anderson via Flickr
