Sail along the waves of multicultural nostalgia

North Point is a world of its own. Walking down King’s Road, it won’t take one long to notice the conspicuous absence of any British colonial trappings (except the road name) and register the distinct social outlook of the area. North Point has long been a shelter for those fleeing war and turmoil, with many of the “temporary” halfway houses that it hosted during the mid-20th century turning into the permanent homes of immigrants from Shanghai and Fujian, as well as overseas Chinese from the Philippines and Indonesia. Over time, these groups molded the curious cultural hotchpotch that is found today in this northernmost tip of Hong Kong Island.

It’s often forgotten that North Point was once an entertainment paradise and a key industrial engine of the city, but the march of modernization meant that these cornerstones of local life started to fall apart in the 1980s. Some of the rundown buildings in the area also figured prominently in the bloody struggle between the British colonial government and leftists during the 1967 riots. Despite its unprepossessing layout, North Point is bursting with stories and distinctive city scenes that vividly illustrate the dynamics and often contradictory logics behind this city.

Highlights of the Tour

• Wander through alleys and backstreets in search of North Point’s forgotten past
• Relive the history of Hong Kong’s leftist groups and search for a real Chairman Mao in the area
• Get a real taste of community life in the local Fujianese enclave and among the Southeast Asian diaspora
• Visit some of the area’s oldest stores and sample the local delicacies they’re most famous for!