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The past is very much alive in the Western district, one of Hong Kong Island's most traditional neighborhoods, and nowhere more than in its shops. Different streets are known as centers for particular trades. Along Hollywood Road, between Sheung Wan and Central, antique Chinese furniture and collectibles fetch high prices in upscale showrooms. You can get similar-looking items half their price (and less than half their age) at the Cat Street Market on Upper Lascar Row, which also does a brisk trade in communist retro paraphernalia, mah-jongg tiles, and fans. Head up the road behind the Man Mo Temple to find couture boutiques, vintage shops, and hipster hangouts sprouting along burgeoning Square Street and Tai Ping Shan Street. Man Wa Lane is the place for chops (seals carved in stone with engraved initials). Traditional Chinese medicine is the commercial lifeblood of Sheung Wan proper: ginseng, snake musk, birds' nests, and sharks' fins are some of the delicacies available. Locals stock up on less exotic household goods at Sincere and Wing On, two of Hong Kong's oldest and largest department stores.
A treasure-trove of Hong Kong–theme souvenirs, this appealingly cluttered first-floor emporium sells towels, mugs, fridge magnets, and cute, affordable homewares, greetings cards, ornaments, and the like. Notable are the impressionistic paintings of Hong Kong street scenes by British artist Louise Hill.
