5 Best Sights in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong

Each evening, as darkness falls, the lamps strung between the stalls of this Yau Ma Tei street market slowly light up, and the air fills with aromas wafting from myriad food carts. Hawkers try to catch your eye by flinging up clothes; Cantonese opera competes with swelling pop music and the sounds of spirited haggling; fortune-tellers and street performers add another element to the sensory overload. Granted, neither the garments nor the cheap gadgets sold here are much to get excited about, but it's the atmosphere people come for—any purchases are a bonus. The market stretches for almost a mile and is one of Hong Kong's liveliest nighttime shopping experiences. Fortune-tellers, open-air cafés, and street doctors also offer their services here.

Jade in every imaginable shade of green, from the milkiest apple tone to the richest emerald, fills the stalls of this Kowloon market. Quality and prices at the stalls vary hugely, which means that if you know your stuff and haggle insistently, you can get fabulous finds.  Beware that some of the so-called jade sold here is actually aventurine, bowenite, soapstone, serpentine, or Australian jade—all inferior to the real thing. Look out for stalls with authentic jade certifications for a better chance of finding real jade.

Traditional trades are plied along this street. There are blocks dominated by tailors or shops selling Chinese cookware or everything you need to set up a household shrine. Nearby Ning Po Street is known for its paper kites and for the colorful paper and bamboo models of worldly possessions (boats, cars, houses) that are burned at Chinese funerals.

This incense-filled site is dedicated to Taoist sea goddess Tin Hau, queen of heaven and protector of seafarers. The crowds here testify to her being one of Hong Kong's favorite deities—indeed, this is one of over 100 temples dedicated to her. Like all Tin Hau temples, this one once stood on the shore. Kowloon reclamation started in the late 19th century, and now the site is more than 3 km (2 miles) from the harbor. The main altar is hung with gold-embroidered cloth and usually piled high with offerings. There are also two smaller shrines inside the temple honoring earth god Tou Tei and city god Shing Wong. Surrounding Temple Street night market is a fortune-telling hot spot: you may well be encouraged to have a try with the chim. Each stick is numbered, and you shake them in a cardboard tube until one falls out. A fortune-teller asks you your date of birth and makes predictions from the stick based on numerology. Alternatively, you could have a mystically minded bird pick out some fortune cards for you.

Agree on a price before your fortune, as bargaining with fortune-tellers is common.

The government transformed this former movie theater (which screened adult films for years before being abandoned) into a 300-seat venue for Chinese opera performances. Some of the shows have English supertitles. A historic redbrick building around the corner on Shanghai Street serves as the theater's administration building.