Hong Kong | From Gaslamp Street to Monster Building: One-day Tour on the Tseung Kwan O Line

Keep striking while the iron is hot. Let’s get back to this last article that was delayed by Harry Potter in the middle of writing it.

In the past, Hong Kong travel routes were a bit scattered: Usually one day was wandering around the city, and the other day was hiking outdoors. This kind of combination usually does not consume too much physical energy, and can also prevent the two needs of shopping, eating and sightseeing from conflicting.

This time I sorted out the attractions that have yet to be unlocked, and then took a look at the Christmas specials of KO sister Amway that have not yet ended. I decided to put on my itinerary all the destinations that happened to be on the same subway line. Therefore, this day is also called "Tseung Kwan O Line One Day Tour".

The overall route is: come out of Austin Station, take a few subway stops to Central. Visit several movie and movie spots (Gas Lantern Street, Mid-Levels Escalator, Stone Street, Lan Kwai Fong, etc.) and then look for delicious food. After dinner, go to Quarry Bay on the east side of the route to see the legendary Monster Building.

Then go back along the lineCauseway Bay, visit the storeMuseum Context (Harry Potter theme) and ko sister Amway's knitted fence street view. Take several stops and continue to Wedding Invitation Street where the angel lights are lit just after nightfall. Finally it was time to catch the return trip to Austin!

It looks really full.

So my day started with the shock of almost missing the train. Of course, there are two things you need to do immediately after arriving: activate the data package for Hong Kong and Macao and recharge the Octopus .

I have to mention that Baidu Maps’ performance in Hong Kong is really poor. After coming out of the subway entrance, I was confused for a while because the route and location on the screen were different every time it was refreshed.

Fortunately, the market in downtown Hong Kong has not yet opened in the early morning, and the entire Queen's Road is in a state of deep sleep waiting to wake up.

Apart from the traffic of cars, there wasn't much hustle and bustle on the road. This retro-looking double-decker tram from the 1920sAlthough it is no longer the main transportation in the city, it is full of the history of the prosperous city, so tourists are very happy to come and experience the sound. crisp ringtone.

"Gaslamp Street"

After coming out of the Central District, we walked up a slope along Snow Factory Street, still wondering where the navigation was pointing us to. When I looked up, I accidentally saw a stairway going down, with a gas lamp standing beside it.

There is also a conspicuous light purple sign in front of the stairs, informing you that this is Duddell Street. It is also called Gaslight Street because of the historic gas lamps standing on both sides of the long European-style staircase.

Among the many Hong Kong movies I watched growing up, many of the movies, music videos, or TV series were filmed here. When I saw the careful screenshots taken by netizens online, I recognized them all.

The slightly artistic staircase is indeed a good place to create an atmosphere. However, it is a pity that two of the lamps listed as Hong Kong's statutory cultural relics in this street were destroyed by Typhoon Mangkhut a few months ago. And most of the wide corridor itself has been cut off due to maintenance.

(Put a picture of the network to see what it originally looked like)

Nowadays, few tourists come to take pictures. Only people from the Starbucks next door occasionally come out to smoke a cigarette after sitting there for too long.

Sometimes the enemy can defeat man-made disasters, but cannot defeat natural disasters. It is a pity that these lampposts have fallen down. But I won’t create anxiety by sighing and saying, “Some scenery will be gone if you don’t see it, so hurry up and travel.”

I believe that no matter when you come, what you will see is what this city is willing to show you. Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about the scenery in different periods.

Who says that those who arrive late will not see the good scenery.

"Wynham Street"

If you look at Gaslamp Street along Ice House Street, the foot of your foot is at the uphill point of the corridor.

Go down the stairs and you will return to Queen's Road. But I didn't do that. Instead, I continued walking forward on Ice House Street. I accidentally came to Wyndham Street, which was originally not within the target..

There are small cafes and hotels hidden around corners. Occasionally, two or three groups of passengers are waiting with their suitcases. I don’t know if I just checked out and was about to end my trip, or if I just arrived and was waiting to check in.

The morning sun shines on the exterior walls of Western-style buildings with European design, and redbud flowers decorate the streets overhead. The occasional taxi and sightseeing bus pass by , bringing a bright red color.

The building with red and white walls is the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club with a century-old history. It was formerly the old milk company office, and it took decades to become a club for foreign media. And to the south is another famous photo spot, the Fringe Club , which is very fashionable and beautiful.

(I couldn't find the plane at that time. I borrowed and posted a network picture )

Although she was pretty and pretty, I wasn't surprised by what I saw. The last time I visited Sheung Wan with my friend Zhu Ma, I saw these buildings with a sense of Hong Kong history.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of business on the avenue outside, this place looks like a quiet residential area. Residents were dragging grocery shopping carts and some were running with headphones on. Smell carefully, this is the breath of local life.

"Stone Street"

If Wyndham Street is more elegant, then Stone Street is labeled as "down-to-earth".

The road was paved with uneven granite slabs, and it was hard to tell whether it was a sloping street or a too-gentle stone staircase.

There are many nostalgic stalls gathered on both sides, most of which sell groceries/accessories or ready-made clothes, and there are also craftsmen painting on site. Photography enthusiasts holding various telephoto and short-footed 2470s stood in the streets (including me) trying to capture some satisfactory works.

The historical value of this street is relatively high, but the entertainment elements are still slightly lacking.

Moreover, there are people coming and going, and there are shops on both sides, so it is difficult to pose for pictures comfortably. Most tourists just walk around the stone streets to feel the cultural and historical atmosphere of Hong Kong.

Precisely because Shiban Street is so representative, there is also a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant named "Shiban Street" in Guangzhou (in Tianhuan Plaza). The dishes and taste are pretty good.

If you turn left and right, you can also reach the famous bar area Lan Kwai Fong . However, although most of the stores in Lan Kwai Fong were open at this time, there were only a few people inside.

This is also normal. Since it is a bar, the most popular time is at night. During the day, the store owner can take some time to do some maintenance.

"Mid-Levels Escalator"

This place is most famous for being one of the filming locations. In the film, the hero Tony Leung passed by on an escalator, and the heroine Faye Wong secretly watched him from the window. This scene became a classic scene.

Although the entire escalator system is 800 meters long, it is divided into many sections and the slope is gentle, so there is not much surprise when you step up. However According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "it is the longest outdoor covered pedestrian escalator in the world" which is true.

Because the whole journey is divided into sections, you can visit the shopping malls on both sides and enter and leave other streets at will during the interval between the upper section and the lower section.

We just don’t know where we jumped in. He didn't even complete the journey, so he randomly found a connecting point and jumped out.

When taking the escalator, in addition to adhering to the principle of "walk left and stand right" (walk left and stand right), you may also wish to take a look at the scenery outside the covered bridge. Although it still looks like Hong Kong, it may be a little taller, but the sight of the tour is a bit different.

For example, there are really long queues in front of many stores here in Central, unlike inland where you can pick up a number and wait aside.

For example, some stores are so cutely decorated that you would think it is a dessert shop or a boutique, but in fact it is a hair salon. And the second, third and fourth floors may also be its areas.

And those horizontal and vertical billboards, whether viewed from below or on the escalator, are still as dense and abrupt . Paired with the gray sky, it is really a bit gloomy.

As we went up, we didn't realize it was a one-way street. When I wanted to walk back, I realized that there was no escalator going down.

Later I learned that this is an escalator that goes up and down in different time periods. From 06:00 to 10:00, it goes down, from Mid-Levels to Central. And from 10:20 to 00:00 the next day, you go up and walk in the opposite direction.

The general walking route for tourists is from Central Central to Mid-Levels. Just imagine, if you come here too early and climb the 800-meter-long upward staircase, you will probably be able to get enough of the sourness of the day .

For lunch, we had the famous ramen restaurant "Porpoise King". Adhering to the characteristics of Hong Kong where every inch of land is at a premium, the stores are also crowded and narrow. It does not prevent local residents and foreign friends from coming together to spend money.

After eating, we didn’t have any time to spare and continued to take the subway to the east of the Tseung Kwan O Line. If it weren’t for the monster building that went viral on Instagram, Quarry Bay would still be a residential area less visited by tourists .

Compared to Sheung Wan and Central, the local life here is richer. Precisely because it is a real residential area, the long queue waiting for the best seat in front of the monster building has attracted curious looks and even blank stares from the residents passing by.

In their view, how come the building they have lived in for decades has become so prosperous in just the past few years. This row of "International Column" passengers are taking pictures here again. Why is that 100 percent coffee shop next to it so good at doing business? It opens here and waits for people to wait in line. When they are tired of queuing, they can buy a coffee and continue waiting.

The Monster Building was not originally called this fantastic name. It is an E-shaped building combination made up of Yichang Building, Yick Fat Building and other buildings.

Because the residents are densely packed and the floors are high. As a result, when I looked up from downstairs, there was only a small rectangle left in the sky, which was extremely depressing.

The photo location that tourists love is the patio inside the E-type. The patio is divided into three high points. The outermost one has the best viewing angle, so most people line up here.

I was lucky enough to arrive early and finish taking photos early. After taking the photo, I looked back and saw that there was already a long queue. There is not much else to enjoy here, and staying too long might disturb the residents. So we walked through the market-like alleys with dark corridors and returned to the driveway.

Checking in and taking photos with the background color walls of various subway stations in Hong Kong is also a popular move on Xiaohongshu and Instagram.

I've only taken one photo at Rainbow. The mint blue in Quarry Bay is also my favorite color, and there are not many people in this subway station. So I couldn't help but add a few more.

"Cartoon style knitted railing"

After taking photos from the Monster Building, we walked back to the west and came to Causeway Bay.

I have been traveling around Yau Tsim Mong and its suburbs for a long time, and this is my first time visiting Causeway Bay. But my navigation was still not that good and I kept walking around the block.

For example, the cartoon-shaped knitted railings in front of Fashion Walk are clearly not far from the subway exit. , it took me more than 20 minutes to find it. The exits of the Hong Kong MTR stations are very close to each other, so even if you go to the wrong exit, you can find your way back quickly.

This street spot is more for viewing than for entertainment , and it belongs to the series where you can retreat after taking photos. Moreover, there are a lot of people and cars in the afternoon. It feels like no matter how you take the photo, the background of the photo will be full of distractions.

And everyone is secretly fighting for the head of a certain cute animal. Before one person finished taking the photo, another one took over. It’s also because I kept shooting there for a long time, completely ignoring the waiting and impatience of others. So the overall photo-taking atmosphere was not very pleasant.

This point has already been mentioned in the Christmas push in December, so I won’t go into details. For details , please refer to 👉 Full of Christmas spirit, the whole city will accompany you to wait for the old man with the red hat and white beard.

(Borrow to post a nice photo of Li 11 checking in )

There is another little episode here, that is the 1001st time I did not bring a spare memory card during my trip, and I found out that the memory was not enough in the middle of the shoot. I was looking for digital product stores all over the streets again.

Fortunately, there are many commercial shops in Causeway Bay, so it didn't take much time to find . It’s just that it’s a bit painful to buy a 32G one for over 130 Hong Kong dollars.

” Museum Context Harry Potter “

After I replaced the memory card, I found No. 19 Enping Road in just two steps. Suddenly I felt that it was very convenient to have such a compact schedule. Although there were a few more places to change, it didn’t require much physical strength and the weather was very comfortable and mild, so I didn’t feel tired all day long.

Of course, it may be because of my physique that "it turns into a perpetual motion machine whenever I get out to play." The dog accompanying me followed my pace and almost choked from exhaustion before eating lunch.

The Harry Potter store did not disappoint me.

Although I didn’t say I wanted to publish it deliberately, I picked it up and wrote it carefully because I really like it and want to share the details. I won’t go into details about the fun of this store here.

Please refer to for details

👉Looking for Harry Potter | Diagon Alley hidden in downtown Hong Kong

It was still early before dark after coming out of the Harry Potter store, and I wasn't hungry enough to eat yet. But if you wait until you see the Angel Lantern before eating, you will miss the return trip by high-speed train.

In the end, we decided to find a place to rest, have afternoon tea, and sit there until it was almost time before taking the subway one stop to Wan Chai.

Facts have proved that this decision is right. Just after coming out of the subway in Wan Chai, I saw the angel lights on the Wedding Invitation Street after nightfall.

When Sister KOKO sent me Amway, I was already looking forward to the Angel Street Lamp. Unexpectedly, when I looked up, I was shocked beyond imagination.

Archangels hover above the streets, and the entire street is filled with festive and dazzling colors. Passersby were all in awe, it was really spectacular.

I took several photos in succession from different angles. In order to prevent the photos from being too long in the article, I made them into GIF animations. Doesn’t it really look like an angel is flying by?

Because it was still the weekend, there was still snow falling on the streets. It provoked waves of cheers again, and people took videos one after another.

The European-style design buildings on both sides, coupled with angel lights and falling snow, really make southerners in the subtropical region feel like they are in Europe for Christmas. Although it is already December 30th, everyone’s enthusiasm is as high as Christmas, and the whole street is filled with a sense of warmth.

Sometimes celebrating a festival is not just about celebrating a specific date, the most important thing is the atmosphere.

This whole day's itinerary seems very tight and rushed when I list it out, but after I browsed through it, I realized that most of it can be completed.

The premise I set for myself is, It doesn't matter even if one or two of them are too late to go, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. But you should enjoy every place you visit and not skip it just to get to the next place. Fortunately, this day's itinerary went smoothly and perfectly.

Except for the Starbucks on Gaslamp Street, I forgot to go in and take a look. It is said that the decoration of this restaurant is very retro in Hong Kong. It’s a pity that I couldn’t find a good spot to take a photo at the Fringe Club outside the Foreign Press Conference.

However, I unexpectedly saw the picture of "Western Medicine Doctor Li Zuqi" (my last name is also Li) that my friend had taken for me. I was so happy that I quickly took a photo with him.

To be honest,many people from Guangdong like to come to Hong Kong not only because of the convenient route to cross the border, but also because it is a comprehensive tourist city. Even if you are not deliberately looking for food and entertainment, there are many people taking photos and having fun on the street or on zebra crossings.

It is precisely because it endlessly allows me to make new discoveries that I have come to explore it so many times and never tire of it.

Next time I may plan a one-day trip to the Kwun Tong Line, or I may also plan to go to Pagoda Mun. I also thought about visiting Lamma Island or Cheung Chau again. Or maybe dig a few more hiking routes.

All in all, I would never lose interest in going there again. I have said it countless times that it is a treasure, but I still think it is a treasure.