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The best way to explore this historic area in Hong Kong's Central District is undoubtedly on foot.
At the western end of the road is Hollywood Road Park, where a photo display shows the original old settlement close to this area, which was
constantly swept by outbreaks of bubonic plague
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Hollywood Road and Upper Lascar Row, also known as "Cat Street", are must-see stops on every visitor's itinerary. Crammed with antique shops and an open-air curio market, these locales are ideal places for picking up eclectic souvenirs and gifts. Everything from Ming Dynasty furniture and lotus lamps to Mao badges and ancient snuff bottles is on sale here. Bargain hunters will also enjoy the stalls on Ladder Street, just a few metres downhill - and haggling is all part of the game.
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For a change from shopping, several blocks uphill is the old red-brick Pathological Institute (now the Museum of Medical Science) where a Japanese scientist isolated the cause of bubonic plague. More history is evident back downhill at the original red-brick YMCA building, which contains a surprise in the basement - the territory's first indoor swimming pool.
Hollywood Road is perhaps as famous for the much-photographed Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo), as it is for its antique shops. The temple is located about halfway along the road and a stop in its quiet, incense-shrouded interior makes a pleasant break. |
Take the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) to its Sheung Wan terminus and begin walking away from the harbour. This walk in itself offers a wide variety of interesting old shops to on Queen's Road and up to Hollywood Road. Alternatively, take the Mid-Levels escalator uphill.
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