Upper Lascar Row, also known as Cat Street or Mo Lo Street (Cantonese pronunciation: Mo Lo Gai), is located between Queen’s Road East and Hollywood Road. It can be easily accessed through the Ladder Street from the Hollywood Street. It is most famous for selling antiques and traditional Chinese gadgets.
In the past, it was one of the major Indian settlements in Hong Kong. Many Indians worked in the police force and were employed as security guards in Hong Kong in the early years under British rule. Upper Lascar Row was at that time situated next to the police station and hence became a popular place where the Indian cops gathered and sold goods with one another. It was also a reason to explain why its name in Cantonese is Mo Lo Street, as “Mo Lo” in cantonese was a nickname for Indians.
After some years, it also became a place famous for selling loots. As loots in Chinese had the nickname of “mice goods”, the buyers were the “cats” who caught the mice. Lascar Row then also gained the nickname of Cat street.
Now, it has become a street concentrated with different kinds of antique shops which sells almost anything that is from the past. From a sheet of old letter to gramophone records from the 1960s, there is almost nothing you can’t find there. Different antique shops have their own area of speciality, you probably need to spend some time exploring each shop to find out what they have inside. You will also need a firm will as you need to go through quite a fight with the antique owners to get the price you want.
However, as Mo Lo Street has became well known among tourists, it has turned to a quite touristy place where many of the street vendors are selling cheap fake antiques like watches with Mao’s figure. Yet, it is still a good place to feel the good old days of Hong Kong and admire the old style Tang apartment buildings standing along the two sides of the street. Although it has became a famous tourist spot, it is not really a busy tourist area where you could have time to enjoy yourself and observe the people there. You will see most owners either reading newspaper or simply laid back in their chair watching people passing by. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you would even see them making tea and chatting to each others in front of the store. So, it is actually a great place to walk around simply just to feel the relax and laid back atmosphere that is floating in the air even you are not interested in purchasing any antique.
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