OLD & NEW HONG KONG 舊與新 ⾹港 The map is my new project that shows the diversity of images of Hong Kong. I studied history, walked through my favorite streets again, and made an incredible number of sketches. I tried to choose the most significant places and highlights to present them to each of you, to share with you my emotions of delight and deep love for Hong Kong. ART MAP Architecture, history, streets with traditional Chinese characters and stately European buildings on this map consistently laid a fascinating route. Following it, you can also follow this interesting path step by step, watching the course of history with me. Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple 油麻地天后廟 1 Hiding behind the crowns of banyan trees there is a beautiful temple bult in the second half of the 19th century. Standing in the very heart of a busy center, the temple seems to have frozen in time. It attracts attention and is likely to keep many interesting stories. It is the Tin Hau Temple built in honor of Tin Hau, the Queen of Seas and protector of mariners and fishermen. The temple is the oldest of five buildings known as Tin Hau Temple Complex. Originally, the temple was located closer to the water, which makes sense (as it was bult in honor of sea goddess). Believe it or not, it’s the fact. The temple is now an inseparable part of the Yung Shue Tau square. The Shanghai street won’t be the same without the subtle and sweet smell of incense, following which you’ll come to Tin Hau Temple. A quiet place and a very important temple for all locals. MIDO CAFE 美都餐室 2 As if this place is untouched by time, which froze here once, about fifty years ago. One of the oldest cafes in Hong Kong fascinates with its appearance and always welcomes guests. Bright and recognizable shutters of the second floor Windows, which offer a wonderful view of the street and the Tin Hau temple, saving fans on the ceiling and time-worn floor and wall tiles. Have you ever stoped by Mido Cafe? Tell me, do you also feel like you are sitting in a time machine from being in a cafe? In a car that instantly sent you back in time: Hong Kong has declared itself and its cinema and is second in popularity only to Hollywood or Indian cinema. And if not for the modern cars outside the window of this authentic institution, nothing would have broken the illusion of another, long-gone era. CHOPPING BOARDS 3 砧板 Unusual but interesting area of Shanghai Street. The path leading from Shek Lung Street to Hi Lung Street. Lots of kitchenware stores are located here. You can find anything you need, including various butcher’s knives, kitchen axe knives and other knives of different sizes and shapes. They look a bit scary. Anyway, they were wooden cutting boards that attracted my attention. The moment I saw them I decided to paint them in one of my paintings. At present, there are few companies left that produce such like cutting boards. I wanted to paint them before people completely forget about them ever existing. Wooden cutting boards now seen as a great souvenir rather than a useful kitchenware item. With plastic being the main material used for producing cutting boards, wooden ones are less common. Besides, younger generation doesn’t seem interested in the wooden cutting boards business. Old technologies are changed by more advanced ones. That’s the way life is. RED BRICK HOUSE 紅磚屋 4 Not far from the Yau Ma Tei theatre on Shanghai Street, you can see a low building, which is better known as the Red Brick Building. Perhaps not everyone knows about it, but it once housed the engineering Department of the old Water Pumping Station. This pumping station was built at the end of the 19th century and consisted of three buildings, but over time only this building remained.by fall in love. Have you noticed that? YA M A T E I T H E AT E R 5 油麻地戲院 Location of the hotel Stage is one more advantage. Apart from great views, warm atmosphere and hospitable staff, the eotel has other benefits that other hotels don’t have. Most of all I like these nice teddy bears decorating one of the hotel’s walls. The bright painting adds to the atmosphere of Hong Kong. I have so many stories and memories about teddy bears! I was born in Russia, so this makes sense. Everyone knows that a bear is a symbol of my motherland. Teddy bears are very bright and warm. When looking at them, I feel positive emotions only. This is the goal I try to achieve when painting. A range of bright colors, positive emotions and smiles on the faces of people looking at my paintings. It’s important that they make one’s mood better! Teddy bears is the first sight on our trip including Kowloon regions with rich history. We’ll discover its most interesting sights and speak about its history a bit. With you all the best. Enjoy every moment of your life! STREET FOOD 街頭⼩⻝ 6 After a long walk and exploring the material cultural heritage of Hong Kong, you can take a break and get acquainted with its cuisine and delicacies. The city can rightly be considered a world food fair. Here you can enjoy traditional street food or indulge in a sumptuous dinner at the restaurant. But my special attention was drawn to milk tea and egg tarts in Hong Kong style. The local population once picked up the English idea of adding milk to classic black tea,slightly modifying the details: brew tea, and add not just a few stingy drops of cold milk, but a generous portion of high-concentration milk a condensed milk The result is a tea with a unique taste, which can be supplemented with original egg tarts. This delicacy is considered to be street food, loved and eaten with pleasure not only by local residents, but also by guests of the city. OLD HOUSE STREET 7 唐樓 Kowloon is one of the most beautiful areas of Hong Kong, it can be for sure called the center of shopping and entertainment. Life here does not stop for a second, tourists tend to visit this area - here you can enjoy the charms of a modern city and at the same time an ancient place. The latter attracts me especially! The Yau Ma Tei area contains a large number of old buildings and residential buildings that have received some degree of significance as architectural monuments. Interesting sights and beautiful streets, magnificent buildings like greetings from a passed epoch. For me, to visit the Peninsula means to plunge into the amazing atmosphere of an endless string of noisy street markets, get acquainted with local customs and interesting traditions, be on the streets of authentic Hong Kong of the past century, be inspired by what I saw, absorb the city's vibrations and throw a riot of colors and geometry of lines on canvases. FISH MARKET 漁市場 8 While in other countries, goldfish can be sold in large stores or markets with animals, in Hong Kong, a separate market is allocated for goldfish. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else in the world, and it's really amazing and original. A whole street lined with plastic bags, where hundreds of small fish watch you as you walk through the golden fish market. Funny portable aquarium-bag is not fragile, convenient for both fish and customers, was also a discovery for me. But the most interesting thing was waiting for me inside an inconspicuous shop. Because when I went inside, I found huge aquariums with blue lighting and hundreds of small inhabitants. It's very beautiful! It's amazing, fish with their natural bright color and coloring: dots or stripes on their small bodies. Thinking that the nature is the best ever artist. BIRD’S GARDEN 雀仔街 9 Yuen Po Street Bird Garden or simply The Bird Garden. This is an interesting garden that was established at the end of the last century. However, the place is all about culture and traditions. Therefore, it seems like the garden is 100 years, not less. It has fit in the atmosphere of Hong Kong perfectly and become its inseparable part. The trees here create nice shadows where both people and birds can hide from the sun. Apart from birds, the garden is serves as home to occasionally “singing” grasshoppers, crickets and cicadas. You can enter the garden in order to buy something or to have a walk and enjoy the beautiful singing of the birds. It is relaxing. Variety of music ranging from the lowest to the loudest sounds that turn out into songs. Birds of different and bright colors. It is the gift they were given by Mother Nature. FLOWER MARKET 花墟 10 The flower market in Hong Kong is like an oasis in a modern metropolis, like the tropics among the asphalt. Such a riot of colors and beautiful scents in ordinary life is really rare. Here you just like to be, walk slowly among the counters, carefully look at the beautiful flowers and smile. The flower market is sure to awaken a smile of joy or admiration in everyone. There are a huge number of different types of plants and flowers from all over the world. The fragrance of the flower market spreads over several blocks and will never allow you to make a mistake in the direction.