Vignettes of the World
It is said that Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country that survived the onslaught of western colonialism, which swept the world between the 15th and 19th centuries. That itself is a provocative food for thought. Thailand also emerged relatively unscathed from World War II, …
This was not the first time in Thailand for me, but surely my first time visiting Bangkok. My last trip to Thailand was more than a decade ago in Phuket. I was quite excited about this trip because it was organized by my uncle with …
Tai Kwun is the former Central Police Station that operated during the early colonial days until the 2000’s. Standing as a revitalized cultural space consisting of three declared monuments, Tai Kwun presents the public with an opportunity to revisit a part of Hong Kong history that was once ridden with the unpleasantries of a sometimes-unjust system of justice.
In 1841 when Britain formally took over Hong Kong, the Colonial Government set up the Hong Kong Police Force. The first “police station” in Hong Kong was a mere mat-shed shelter on a site next to what would become Tai Kwun in Central. Captain William Caine was the Chief Magistrate then overseeing the development of the Hong Kong Police Force.
Tai Kwun, meaning “the big police station,” served as the headquarters for law enforcement between the late 19th century and the Second World War. It became the regional headquarters for Hong Kong Island after the war, as it was also the police station for the Central district. With its decommission in 2004, it stepped down from its former role as a law enforcement institute.
In Tai Kwun there are about 20 blocks of buildings that served various functions in the former Central Police Station. In my opinion, there are four must-see structures. As three of them are declared monuments, they are representative of the collective history of Tai Kwun.
Facing Hollywood Road is the Central Police Station. Now serving mostly as a space of exhibitions displaying aspects of Hong Kong’s local history and culture, the Police Headquarters Block stands grand and stately as what might be the most eye-catching architecture in this part of Central.
The Police Headquarters Block was built in 1919. The Police Headquarters Block is one of the few surviving 19th century police stations in Hong Kong. The other ones are the Police Museum (formerly Wan Chai Gap Police Station at the Peak), Old Tai Po Police Station, the Tai O Heritage Hotel (Old Tai O Police Station, built 1902), and the 1881 Heritage (former Marine Police Headquarters), amongst others. I have covered almost all of them, save for the Old Stanley Police Station.
The letters G and R on the façade of the Police Headquarters Block refers to the ruling monarch at the time, his majesty King George V.
The Central Magistracy was the first building in Tai Kwun’s ensemble of former law enforcement agencies. Built in 1841, the year that the British took over Hong Kong as its colony, the Central Magistracy was an indispensable arm of colonial administration as the “busiest court of justice” that tried more than three million people. (Descriptions on site) In 1847, the second Central Magistracy was built, also at this site.
The current Magistracy building was a structure of 1915. In its architecture, the fasces, which were the bundles of rods used for corporeal punishment by Roman magistrates, were symbols of authority that found its expression in the very exterior of the building.
In the museum’s own words, “early magistrates dispensed harsh punishments under a system of unequal laws.” There is a section of the various punishments given out only to the Chinese people in the museum as well, showing cruelty in caning and the stocks.
This practice originated from the fact that the early colonial officials thought that the Chinese people were accustomed to more severe punishments. But eventually, orders from London prohibited unequal and inhumane treatments. As rightly put by the museum, “over the decades, a fairer system of justice emerged as social conditions improved.” And this is the system of justice that had laid the foundation for Hong Kong’s later success as a cosmopolitan world city.
Perhaps an interesting historical note to make here is the fact that there are three entrances to the Central Magistracy, and they were used by different persons in those bygone times. One entrance, facing Arbuthnot Road, was for the magistrates.
There are a few doors that allowed public access. Finally, the entrance next to the famous staircase was for the persons being tried. This staircase was made famous by the preliminary hearing of the Godber case. On trial was the corrupted Police Chief Superintendent that had allegedly taken bribes worth more than 4 million Hong Kong dollars in 1973. Godber entered the courthouse by ascending these steps.
After World War II, the Central Magistracy was the venue for the Military Court that heard trials of Japanese war criminals.
Known as the Victoria Gaol in the earliest days, the Victoria Prison was a structure of 1842 as the longest-running prison in Hong Kong’s history.
An intriguing fact that I learned at the Tai Kwun was that Ho Chi Minh, the most significant statesman and founder of communist Vietnam, had once been kept in the Victoria Prison.
In 1930, Ho Chi Minh came to Hong Kong as he fled from the French authorities. The Hong Kong Police captured him in 1931 and kept him at the Victoria Prison. In Ho Chi Minh’s own words, “high above one’s head was a small half-moon window covered with a grid of iron bars. By day, the light in the cell was dim. The door to the cell was solid and, at eye level, had a peephole shaped like a megaphone.”
Perhaps it is appropriate to note here that the Victoria Prison was once the repatriation and transit center for the Vietnamese refugees, as Hong Kong was formerly the port of first asylum for them.
A tour of the Victoria Prison will take you through the six former structures of incarceration, from Hall A to Hall F. Of these, Hall B has been preserved in its original layout, hosting 78 cells. Hall B was an extension block that served as the extension of the Victoria Prison due to overcrowding. It was the construction work of the prisoners themselves. Hall B was a high security block, the intention of which was to house the most serious offenders of the law. There is indeed a slightly eerie vibe in Hall B.
Steeped in historic vibes, the Barrack Block is also a beautiful structure with a neoclassical façade. Built in 1864, the Barrack Block gave home to 200 single constables and also single and married sergeants.
It also has an imposing architecture with granite staircases and floors. It was built to meet the same style as a British military barrack. A veranda, as the typical feature of colonial buildings in Hong Kong, lies by the parade ground.
While I enjoyed all of the sightseeing above, I found the Chapel Mural to be particularly soothing amidst a history that was slightly heavy and haunting.
The Chapel Mural was breathtaking in its ageless gracefulness. It felt like a world that contained a serenity of its own.
As a whole, the Centra Police Station Compound was decommissioned by 2004. Thereafter, the structures were restored to prepare for a new, bright chapter of its history, as a space for arts, culture and history learning since 2018. As with all major revitalized heritage sites in Hong Kong, there is always the element of leisure, as shown in the thriving business scene on site. Many restaurants establish their presence at the Barack Block. I managed to find somewhere more low-key, a coffee shop in Tai Kwun that was all around perfect.
It might be a little difficult to find Tozzo on 2/F, JC Contemporary. I had to make my way to the JC Contemporary building further back from the Victoria Prison, then made my way to second floor, which, as a space for exhibitions, did not appear to be a place for leisurely coffee.
But it is there, and I asked for seating outside.
At the terrace overlooking the tiled roof of the Barrack Block, you will have a brief moment of respite from the crowds of tourists that are ever so aggressive in their photo taking. The ambience is clean, relaxed and hip at Tozzo.
Its menu features a reasonable array of choices, both savory and sweet. I opted for a sandwich and it was quite good.
In all considerations, the Tai Kwun has retired into an age of glory by now.
Antiquities and Monuments Office on Former Central Police Compound, Central.
Descriptions on site at Tai Kwun.
The Wikipedia on the Central Magistracy (Chin).
The Wikipedia on Victoria Prison.
The Eikando-ji Temple of Kyoto is a Heian period temple practicing the Jodo school of Buddhism. A view of its beautiful temple grounds in the evening was an amazing experience. During the very crowded fall foliage season, the temples of Kyoto are illuminated for visitors …
The fantastic tour at the Samurai Museum presents visitors with a brief history lesson of feudal Japan. The young and knowledgeable tour guides shed light on the hierarchy of Japan’s ruling power during the Shogunate period, which lasted for roughly 7 centuries between 1192 and …
The fantastic tour at the Samurai Museum presents visitors with a brief history lesson of feudal Japan. The young and knowledgeable tour guides shed light on the hierarchy of Japan’s ruling power during the Shogunate period, which lasted for roughly 7 centuries between 1192 and 1867 A.D. During this time, Japan alternated between the unnerving peace under military dictatorships and the destructive chaos of civil wars before the Meiji Restoration ushered in the modern era for the nation.
The Samurai Museum is certainly a top activity for a trip in Kyoto. It balances history learning with quite a bit of fun. It is especially suitable for family with children. Even as an adult, I enjoyed participating in the game of throwing shuriken, a typical distraction device of the ninjas. English tours are available.
The Shogun title was hereditary. There were three families of the Shoguns during the Shogunate period. The first shogunate was named the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333 A.D., in Kamakura), which was the name of its administrative capital. The Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1573 A.D., in Kyoto) and Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868 A.D., in Edo, now Tokyo) each donned its name to that particular historical period. These shogunates were based in different cities, but the official seat of the Emperor was always Kyoto.
Generally meaning “generalissimo,” the Shogun was originally the head of the commanding troops that served the interests of Japan’s Emperors. However, “the increasingly feudal character of Japanese society created a situation in which control of the military became tantamount to control of the country,” and the first Shogunate Minamoto Yoritomo established his grip on all ruling power over Japan (Britannica), thus beginning the Shogunate period, what was effectively a military rule.
Photo: The clans of the Samurai each had their own crest.
It was in 1600 that the Tokugawa Shogunate established hegemony against the Daimyo (more below) that revolted in the Ashikaga period. With its ruling center in Edo (now Tokyo), the first Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, reunified Japan. The Togukawa Shogunate managed to sustain a strong and stable authority over all matters, in all realms of administrative, judicial, military, cultural and religious affairs.
Toward the end of the Tokugawa period, the Shogun had proven himself to be powerless against the impending threats of opening up Japan to foreign influence and trade. Factions of powers began proposing the abandonment of the Shogunate. The supporters of the Emperor envisioned modernization of the nation by restoring imperial authority with the establishment of modern governance. It was in the Nijo Castle that the last Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu declared the transfer of power to the Emperor in the Taiseihokan of 1867.
At the apex of power stands the Emperor of Japan. During this period, the Shogun was the one military dictator that wielded real power in Japan. The Emperor served only a ceremonial and nominal role as the sovereign.
During the Ashikaga Shogunate, what lies beneath the Shogun is a system of loyalty built around the vassal states that were given out to the feudal warlords, known as the Daimyo. The Daimyo oversaw their own land and people as leaders of their own respective clans. It was also during the Ashikaga Shogunate that the Daimyo became a threat to the ruling authority of the Shogun. The continuous tensions between the Shogun and the Daimyo were one of the causes for civil unrest during the Shogunate period.
Within these clans there were about 5% – 10% of members of the nobility that served as the samurai, who were essentially the warriors that fought for the Daimyo as their masters. At the bottom of the hierarchy were Ronin, the mercenary fighters that did not serve a particular noble master, then fishermen and farmers, craftsmen and merchants.
At the Samurai Museum, the Samurai and the Ninja were the stars of the show. Their origins, identities, history and culture expressed the defining traits of Japanese society during the medieval times. I will discuss the samurai in this entry, and ninja in the next.
In so many ways the samurai is the very window into understanding the nature of feudalism in Japan. The status of a samurai is passed on by lineage only, meaning that one had to be born into a samurai clan, or be adopted by, or married into one, in order to become one.
Yes, you read it right. There were female samurai. There were instances where the wives or the only female heirs to the samurai clan had to take the helm and manage the clan as the female samurai.
In feudal Japan, when the common people came across the samurai, or any person of a higher rank, they had to perform the etiquette known as dogeza. One would be sitting on the ground and kneel, and bow with the forehead touching the ground for 10 seconds. The idea is that one is lowering himself in humility to a person of a higher position in the power hierarchy. This type of deference could mean life or death for the common people — you could be killed if you did not do so.
The samurai’s warfare attire came with a whole lot of features that did not seem conducive to fighting. This is especially so because in much of the medieval times battles were fought by swords, until the Edo period, when the foot soldiers would carry rifles. The helmets of a samurai alone weighed up to 10kg.
Photo: An armor of the samurai. The moustache in the head area is a deceptive ploy. This armor was meant to be worn by a relatively young samurai. The moustache served to fool the enemy into thinking that it is a grown samurai that they are fighting.
The mounted armor served both protective and ceremonial purposes. The samurai were dressed this way mainly because they were the commanders of their troops. They must be dressed in a way that distinguished themselves from the rank and file fighters. This was to ensure that the soldiers could see their commander from a distance.
The katana is perhaps the most recognized item associated with the samurai. It is a single-edged blade with a long grip. The samurai wore it with the sharp edge facing up. The katana was more common during the Edo period. Before then, the samurai were, first and foremost, archers. Therefore the mounted archers were actually the classic, original weapon that typified the samurai’s warrior profile.
History scholars have traced the practice of seppuku to Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He performed seppuku when he faced certain defeat with no chance of retreat in the Genpei War in 1189 A.D. The Minamoto clan would eventually seize power as the first Shogunate, however.
Seppuku embodies the spirit of bushido, the Code of Samurai. The basic tenets of bushido are honor, loyalty, honesty, respect, courage, justice and mercy.
Warriors, when faced with inevitable defeat or shame, chose the honorable way to die. As a manner of suicide, seppuku was incredibly painful and gruesome. The samurai used his katana for disembowelment (slitting open the stomach). This was a ritualistic death only available to the samurai (the commoners doing so would not have any cultural significance at all). The samurai would commit suicide this way as a means to atone for crimes, regain lost honor or to avoid disgraceful capture. Some samurai have died in the name of avenging their masters, as a show of loyalty.
The movie The Last Samurai was not completely true to historical facts. The true last samurai is known to be Saigo Takamori, who lived between 1828 and 1877. At first, the last samurai, of the Satsuma clan, served the Shogun, but he quit and joined the imperial forces. During the Boshin war that resulted in the final demise of the Shogunate in 1867, he was the most important commander. Thereafter, he disavowed his loyalty to the Emperor, and launched his own rebellion in southern Japan.
As he had been defeated by the imperial forces in the Battle of Shiroyama, also known to be “the samurai’s last stand,” Saigo Takamori died by committing seppuku, as the honor code of the samurai demanded of him.
In the official books, there was no American samurai commander that rose against the Japanese Emperor during the Boshin War. However, there was indeed a French commander named Jules Brunet that trained the force for the Shogun and fought against the Emperor in northern Japan. Jules Brunet eventually lost and he left Japan. He might have been the person that inspired The Last Samurai.
With the Meiji Restoration came serious efforts to modernize and westernize Japan. In face of threats by foreign powers (the United States and others) to open up Japan, the Emperor wanted to establish a modern army. It thus concluded the historic role of the samurai as the warrior protectors of the powers that be in Japan.
Today, the samurai is only a thing left to the romanticized imagination of an era that has long since bygone. Although about 5% of the Japanese population can rightly claim its pedigree as samurai descendants, it has no relevance in their daily lives. The samurai is an antiquity that properly belongs to fascinating museums.
Descriptions on site at the Samurai Museum.
Britannica, Shogunate.
Allthatisinteresting.com on seppuku.
Sengokuchronicles.com, Battle of Shiroyama: Saigo Takamori’s Last Stand.
I went to Nishiki Market twice on this trip to Kyoto. The irony is that I went the second time because the first time was not good enough, and I would not rest until I found something fantastic there. Having gone twice and confirmed that …
Nanzen-ji Temple is one of the most important Zen temples in Japan. Nestled in the foothill of the Higashiyama mountains, Nanzen-ji Temple has an enormous temple ground that accommodates many sub-temples, as well as a 19th century aqueduct. This presents tourists the opportunity for a …
Take a walk in Central during non-office hours and you find two hot spots that brim with tourist energy. The Tsim Chai Kee wonton noodles and Lan Fong Yuen together take over the little walking space there is in the Central Mid-levels escalator area as throngs of people queue for a spot to eat common local food.
What’s all the hype there at Lan Fong Yuen? It was my second try to visit the restaurant today and it proved itself to be another long queuing experience. Last time, I simply didn’t bother to line up. But I was determined today.
Lan Fong Yuen began its first chapter in 1952 as one of the oldest cha chaan teng’s in Hong Kong. Its original founder was named Lam Muk Ho. It has since stood in the current location at Gage Street, unfazed by the sea change that swept over all of Central in the decades past. It is currently run by the second-generation Lam owners.
In the local community, Lan Fong Yuen has always been somewhat popular with its signature dishes, which really do stand out even amongst the thousands of cha chaan teng’s in Hong Kong. Today, however, Lan Fong Yuen is perhaps more popular with the tourists than with the Hong Kong diners. As a result, its staff operates in a few languages at the same time within the small restaurant space. I swear I heard a waiter spoke “milk tea” in Korean to the Korean lady right next to me.
I have previously written about the cha chaan teng’s of Hong Kong. The cha chaan teng is a little bit difficult to dub an English name over. In European terms, the cha chaan teng is somewhat equivalent to the café’s of France in the way that they are prevalent in all corners of Hong Kong. The commonality of the food served in the cha chaan teng is like the fish n’ chips in Britain, as classic food that is humble but representative of the local dining culture. 
In American terms, the cha chaan teng is like the millions of fast food stores in America, each restaurant or brand serving a variety of, essentially, the same type of food, meant to be consumed in an easy, quick and casual manner.
There is no argument that the cha chaang teng’s are distinctly Hong Kong, as its food clearly expresses Hong Kong’s historical character as a predominantly Chinese society with heavy foreign (British and otherwise) influences. The omnipresence of cha chaan teng’s in Hong Kong is also the very testament of a working class culture. Most of them serve up comforting food in one plate, ultimately meant for just one person to order, eat, finish, have a milk tea, then move right along the day’s rhythm.
Simply put, the cha chaan teng’s of Hong Kong are run of the mill restaurants that populate ubiquitously throughout Hong Kong’s dining map. But some cha chaan teng’s are better than others. In Lan Fong Yuen, I came to see why the good ones really stand out.
The menu of Lan Fong Yuen features a limited number of choices as compared to other cha chaan teng’s in Hong Kong. I saw why this was so, for it focuses on doing the things that it does very well, particularly the dishes that it rightly takes credit for creating.
The spring onion chicken over dry ramen noodles is a signature dish at Lan Fong Yuen. In fact, I think it is the only Cha Chaan Teng in Hong Kong that serves this dish now (as Hoi An Café has closed down). Traditionally, spring onion dip goes very well with steamed chicken in Cantonese cuisine. Lan Fong Yuen gave it a twist and puts a spoonful of spring onion dip on pan-fried chicken thigh. The ramen is served without a broth, with just a symbolic dash of soy sauce to keep it moist. If you do not like pan fried chicken thigh, then you may consider the pan-fried pork chop as the protein of choice.
Other famed items at Lan Fong Yuen are its pork chop buns and buttered French toast. These are the food that earned the good name of Lan Fong Yuen throughout its history.
On the day that I visited, I saw people ordering the spring onion chicken ramen and French toast left and right. They must have been the items promoted by the popular “Chinese Instagram” app Red Note.
A cha chaan teng experience would not be complete without a cup of silky-smooth milk tea. The tea base is key to a good cup of milk tea. The tea is very dark and quite bitter on its own. Lan Fong Yuen makes its tea from a mixture of tea leaves from Colombo in Ceylon, and with milk from Malaysia.
In Cantonese, the silky-smooth milk tea is known as “the stocking milk tea.” It acquired this name because typically the tea is brewed and then filtered through a large tea bag before being poured into the cup to mix with evaporated milk. The large tea bag acquired the color of the tea over the years — as they are not very often replaced — thus looking like the stocking of women. The milk tea is not in fact filtered through stocking.
After this filtering process, done repeatedly, is the tea silky-smooth. I prefer my milk tea a little sweet, so I usually add one full paper sleeve of sugar in my hot milk tea. If you order iced milk tea, then you can ask for no sugar, little sugar, regular sugar or more sugar.
I do think that the milk tea of Lan Fong Yuen is smoother than the usual milk tea we get at the cha chaan teng’s. That said, perhaps the long lines there are not worth me waiting like this more than once in a blue moon.
Beware for the queuing at Lan Fong Yuen. There are two lines: one is for takeout, the other one is for dine in. I made the mistake of lining up for takeout, and wasted 15 minutes at the wrong line.
Photo: The queue on Cochroane Street is for getting takeout.
The line for dine in forms right outside the drinks making station of the restaurant and extends on Gage Street. The line for takeout forms across the restaurant and extends along Cochrane Street, beneath the Central Mid-level escalator.
Photo: The queue on Gage Street is for dine in.
Lan Fong Yuen closes on Sundays.
The Wikipedia on Lan Fong Yuen (Chin).
Tai O of Lantau Island is known for many wonderful things. A thorough exploration of the treasures of Tai O is a whole-day affair. I have previously covered the Tai O Heritage Hotel, formerly Old Tai O Police Station. On this slightly cloudy spring day …