12 Best Sights in Western, Hong Kong

No one knows exactly when Hong Kong Island's most atmospheric Taoist temple was built, but the consensus is sometime between 1847 and 1862. The temple is dedicated to the gods of literature and war: Man, who wears green robes and carries a writing brush, and Mo, dressed in red with a sword. The temple bell, cast in Canton in 1847, and the drum next to it are sounded to attract the gods' attention when a prayer is being offered.

Set inside a heritage building, this museum and gallery is filled with a small but excellent collection of Chinese antiquities. On view are ceramics and bronzes, some dating from 3,000 BC, as well as paintings, lacquerware, and carvings in jade, stone, and wood. The museum also has the world's largest collection of Nestorian crosses, dating from the Mongol Period (1280–1368). There are usually two or three well-curated temporary exhibitions on view; contemporary artists who work in traditional media are often featured. The museum is a seven-minute walk from Sai Ying Pun MTR station.

The life of Sun Yat-Sen, the revolutionary who helped overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1911 and usher in China’s first Republic, is examined in detail at this museum in the Mid-Levels. The building itself is a handsome colonial-era mansion that belonged to the brother of a prominent Eurasian businessman. Dr Sun spent significant time in Hong Kong, and you can follow in his footsteps by walking the Dr Sun Yat Sen Historical Trail, a self-guided tour available for free by downloading a smartphone app called iM Guide. The walk starts at Hong Kong University in Western and finishes in Central, stopping at 16 waypoints connected to Dr Sun.

The best of Hong Kong's antiques sellers can be found on Hollywood Road, named after the holly trees that once grew nearby. On nearby Upper Lascar Row, a flea market known as Cat Street sells curios, porcelain, and not-so-old trinkets masquerading as artifacts. They might not be authentic, but they do make for great souvenirs and affordable gifts.

Housed in an Edwardian-style redbrick building at the top of Ladder Street, this quirky museum was formerly Hong Kong's Bacteriological Institute, set up after a plague outbreak in 1894 ravaged the surrounding Tai Ping Shan neighborhood. The most interesting exhibits are to do with the outbreak and its aftermath; in the rather chilling basement are a selection of primitive surgical tables and a former autopsy room.

A few steps away from Man Mo Temple, this private museum is accessible by guided tour only, and visits must be reserved online in advance. It’s well worth it, however, not only because of the superb collections---which include fine Chinese lacquerware, porcelain, and Ming and Qing dynasty furniture---but also because nothing is behind glass and you are even permitted to feel, pick-up, and interact with some of the treasures.

A one-stop showcase of independent Hong Kong design, this enclave of shops, pop-ups, and workshops is set inside the old Police Married Quarters, a modernist housing complex built in 1951. You can take the elevator up either of the main residential buildings to explore a beehive of boutiques selling clothes, handbags, leatherware, metalwork, and more. There's also a small history exhibition on Level 5 of the Staunton Block, where you can learn about the police families who once occupied the small units now serving as shops. PMQ is easily reached by taking the Central--Mid-Levels Escalator. 

This street is roughly at the spot where Captain Charles Elliott stepped ashore in 1841 to claim Hong Kong for the British empire. Back then, this was the waterfront, but aggressive reclamation means it is now several blocks inland. At the top of the street stands Hollywood Centre, home to the nonprofit contemporary art space Asia Art Archive.

Centered on Tai Ping Shan Street, the area known as Tai Ping Shan (the Chinese name for Victoria Peak, which towers above it) is one of the city's oldest residential districts. This gentrifying neighborhood retains a local feel, with arty shops, small temples, and cozy cafés to pitch up in. 

With time on your hands, take a trip out to the western end of the Mid-Levels to see the imposing Edwardian-era buildings of Hong Kong's oldest university. The institution opened in 1912 with its first faculty, the Faculty of Medicine, which had been known as the Hong Kong College of Medicine since 1887. Today the exteriors of University Hall, the Hung Hing Ying Building, and the Tang Chi Ngong Building are on the government's Declared Monument List.

Sheung Wan's iconic market, a hulking Edwardian-era brick structure, is a good place to get your bearings. Built in 1906, it functioned as a produce market for 83 years. Mostly of interest to architecture buffs, today it's a shopping center selling fabrics. Nearby you'll find herbal medicine on Ko Shing Street and Queen's Road West, dried seafood on Wing Lok Street and Des Voeux Road West, and ginseng and bird's nest on Bonham Strand West.

Just minutes away from Man Mo Temple, Wing Lee Street is one of the city's last thoroughfares where every building features 1950s-era "tong lau" architecture. In 2010, the tenement buildings on this tucked-away street were saved from being demolished following a series of protests from preservationists.