117-125 Nam Cheong Street, Grade III historic building in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong.
117-125 Nam Cheong Street is a row of five-storey tong lau tenements in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, listed as Grade III historic buildings. The facades feature open balconies and decorative wall tiles, which are typical of the mixed Chinese and Western building style used in early 20th-century Hong Kong.
The buildings went up in the 1920s, when Sham Shui Po was growing quickly as a mixed commercial and residential area. Number 117 started out as a pawnshop, and some of its interior features from that period are still in place.
The ground floor shops carry white signs with red Chinese characters, a style that has stayed on this street for decades. Wholesale traders and small retailers share the same old facades, giving the block a working character that has changed little over time.
The row sits in a busy shopping part of Sham Shui Po and is easy to reach by public transport. Visiting during shop opening hours gives a better sense of how the street works, since the ground floor units are active and the street is at its most lively.
This row is the largest surviving group of tong lau in Sham Shui Po, which makes it stand out in a district that has changed a great deal in recent decades. At least one of the buildings still holds original fittings from its time as a pawnshop in the 1920s.
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