My friend suggested a visit to PMQ when i was planning my Hong Kong itinerary as she knows the normal shopping centres bore me and items sold in PMQ are said to be pretty creative given the presence of over a 100 local entrepreneurs!
Frankly, i didn't know if i was at the right place as the building in front of us was more like a converted heritage building and it didn't seem that big to house 100 over shops! Turned out we had entered through the side gate.
Anyway, walking ahead to the taller building further down.
Interesting outdoor furniture; my work requires the purchases of outdoor furniture and it's always deliberating between designs and costs. A not so common design usually translates in higher costs and it's a constant struggle if you can buy 4 pieces of dull looking chairs for the price of 1 piece of slightly prettier chair etc.
Granite steps and rubble retaining wall; been here since 1889.
Rusty mailbox that's unconventional as it's separated by the individual levels of the building! As it was the married quarters for the police; guess it would be bad for the residents if the designated mail sorter happened to be a gossiper!
Gaudy staircase; at least to me.
Finally stepped into the air-conditioned building! Frankly, the above didn't look like a 3D artwork; maybe my angle was wrong as Alex was standing where he should.
The line of shops; to be honest, it gave me a school vibe instead of a residence.
I dare not take photographs in the shops as they are usually quite small (like pop up stores) and the moment you stepped in, the artist / owner's eyes would be on you. And many had a no-photography sign. Managed to take the above (a wooden jigsaw showcasing Fu, Lu and Shou; three Taoist deities) outside a shop.
Main buildings; original two blocks of PMQ and an added link connecting the two. As you can probably see from the picture, the courtyard is sheltered by glass ceiling which is anti-UV!
Site where PMQ stands now used to house the Central Government School (where Dr Sun Yat-sen used to study at) and the above was the remains of the original compound.
Let's check out more shops!
Escape stairwell on each end of the building; the lifts were not that fast and being diligent Singaporeans who have been taught to "give your heart a lift"; we decided to climb the stairs.
Top floor where we can see one of Hong Kong's tallest buildings; International Finance Center.
Chill out corner for Brinc which "empowers entrepreneurs through it’s global accelerator programs and manufacturing services."; something like a venture capitalist i guess?
Shops at the two main blocks had bigger space and some made use of the outdoor space to display their products. Given that it's creative products, things are not exactly cheap. Well, you pay for uniqueness.
Rooftop garden on top of the linked block; i don't think anyone would want to stay there for too long during the hot summer. It would be nice if there's a bar though.
Would love to have this terrarium in my house...
Characters from Mr Men, Little Miss! Strange that i know of these characters from young yet i don't remember reading much of their books.
Hongkongers' love for mahjong can be seen at this mahjong themed shop; from biscuits to shirts to socks and rubik's cubes etc! Speaking of which, it's been a while since i last touched a mahjong tile!
Alex bought a bracelet from this store; costing almost S$50, i am surprised he got to paying for it as he is not known to buy such things and had ever worn torn tee-shirt to shop at Singapore's Orchard Road.
Store directory on each floor.
Alchemist - check out their website here; most fascinating is their range of watches made using soda cans! Pity i am not a watch fanatic and people who know would be aware i don't protect my things well.
Made in HK poster.
There are food and beverage outlets in PMQ but there are just so many places i want to go to fill my tummy! We also didn't have sufficient time to spare and while the products were interesting and unique; poor me simply couldn't afford them!
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Address
Central, Hong Kong
Location Map
As above,
Floor Map
As above.
Website
Visitor Guidelines
As above.
For the summary of my seven days' itinerary to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Shenzhen), please click here.
