Vignettes of the World
Yuen Chau Kok’s Old House of Wong Uk stands in an area of Shatin that has but long-retired from significance. I lived in Shatin some thirty-five years ago and even then, Yuen Chau Kok was not anything that was talked about even amongst the residents …
The Béthanie is an antique building in Pok Fu Lam with beautiful 19th century neo-Gothic architecture. Built in 1875 by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Estrangères de Paris), its long history came with surprising turns that enabled the ultimate preservation and recognition of it …
I was looking for simple food in North Point and saw a few favorable online reviews of Mak Kee. The fact that it has earned Michelin recommendation for a consecutive seven years was assuring. I love dumplings, any form of them.
I made my way to Fort Street with Google Map guidance but only found the snack food shop of Mak Kee there. The dine-in restaurant, Mak Kee Yummy Food, is across N View Street on the other side of Fort Street (see directions below).
The owner of Mak Kee, Mr. Mak Yong-kwan, had the good repute in the North Point community as the “Fish Ball Pak Pak” (Fish Ball Old Man). During the 1970s in his early years, he learned the craft of making Shanghainese dim sum from famous chefs in Shanghai. Pan-fried pork buns, pot stickers, soup dumplings, xiaolong bao’s—you name it, he has mastered the craft.
Mr. Mak made his way to Hong Kong and he was looking to start his own business. Those were the flourishing times for street food in Hong Kong. Like so many other eager entrepreneurs, Mr. Mak became a hawker and started selling fish balls. For thirty years, he made his name in North Point with his fish balls and mala spicy meat sauce.
Fast forward to the 2000’s, the government was slowly, but surely, phasing out the hawker licenses. Mr. Mak then arranged for a very small shop space to sell takeout cheap eats. He made fish balls, pot stickers and pan-fried pork buns, the items of his forte for decades. His food was well-loved by the residents of North Point. The small neighborhood snack shop would attract long queues.
The restaurant has now opened a proper dining space just down the street from its famous small snack shop. The son of Mr. Mak, Jack, is now running this restaurant as the second-generation owner of this family business.
Mak Kee has been Michelin recommended in the street food category since 2016, and maintained this recognition for seven consecutive years.
There are set menus at Mak Kee Yummy Food. These set menus usually come with a main dish (noodles) and a side dish of potstickers. I picked set No. 5 on this day and had a wonderful mala meat sauce noodle with three pot stickers. The milk tea, which also comes with the set, was the perfect conclusion to the meal.
The restaurant offers a long list of Shanghainese dim sums. The pan-fried pork buns are a must-try. The chef makes the skin by a traditional and natural method of old dough fermentation for the skin. When making the buns in this method, the chef has to adjust the water content depending on the humidity and temperature of the day in order to ensure that the flour’s fragrance comes through.
It is cooked also by the traditional way of “raw frying,” meaning that the buns are placed on the grill with raw fillings inside and very slowly-cooked to form a crispy bottom and the meat cooked through. The xiaolongbao comes with chicken soup as its juicy, soup-splashing filling.
There are some new items at the dine-in restaurant, including sweet and sour soup, dumplings in red chilli oil, the dan-dan noodles with a soup base made with ground meat in secret house recipe.
Being known as a cheap eats shop, Mak Kee Yummy Food has maintained its decades-long commitment to good and cheap food. Prices are very reasonable, and with this high quality, it is certainly value for money as well.
On Google Map, Mak Kee shows the location of the small snack shop at No. 21 Fort Street. The original Mak Kee does not have any table seating. The address for the dine-in restaurant is rather No. 19, Fort Street, which is across the N View Street on the other side of Fort Street.
Descriptions on site at Mak Kee Yummy Food.
Weekendhk.com, Mak Kee Opens New Dine-in Restaurant in North Point.
There are many private studies in the villages of the New Territories. In the past, I have visited quite a few and introduced them in this blog. In the Kam Tin villages, there is the Yi Tai Study of the Shui Tau Village. Photo: An …
The plan for the day was to have a picnic at Hong Kong Park and then visit the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware for the first time. The Hong Kong Park A very popular public space, the Hong Kong Park was built in 1991 …
The Fire Dragon dance of Tai Hang resumed for the first time after the pandemic during the Mid-Autumn Festival of 2023. We arrived at Tai Hang too late that evening and as a result did not manage to secure a photo-taking spot for the Fire Dragon dance. However, I noticed that the Fire Dragon troupe made its stop first at the Lin Fa Temple before they did the parade. I decided to visit the Lin Fa Temple to learn about its history and its relationship with the people of Tai Hang.
Tai Hang is a cluster of residential and commercial establishments nestled in a foothill between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau. Usually, the locals of Hong Kong think of Tai Hang as a haven for good food. There are many good and reputed restaurants in this six-block by six-block area, serving both Cantonese and western cuisine. There are also some old buildings, which have been taken over by businesses to offer trendy dining in a revitalized heritage space.
The Lin Fa temple, meaning the “Temple of Lotus,” was likely built in the 2nd year in the Tongzhi Reign of the Qing dynasty (1863). When it was built, the Lin Fa Temple had the hill as its backdrop while facing the sea. In those times, the now-Tung Lo Wan Road was the actual coastline facing the sea. In terms of Feng Shui, this was meant to bode well. Right next to the Lin Fa Temple was the old Tai Hang Village (more below).
Kwun Yam (the Goddess of Mercy) is the resident deity at the Lin Fa Temple. The Lin Fa Temple is also the first Kwun Yam temple in Hong Kong island. It was said that the Lin Fa Temple belonged to one Tsang family, but eventually the temple was handed over to the Chinese Temples Committee in 1975.
Indeed, even today the temple draws many faithful followers for all kinds of rituals. I saw many people burning joss sticks, seeking fortune by fortune sticks and buying the instruments necessary for their worship.
When I first saw the temple, I became immediately intrigued by its unique appearance. Its top is in an octagonal shape (it is actually a half octagon because it is built with the hill at its back). Unlike pretty much all other temples in Hong Kong, the Lin Fa Temple was built with entry ways on the two sides. A half-moon shaped stone rail girdles the central opening, which, in the old times, would have faced the sea.
The roof is a double-eaves-tented roof, and the front hall is connected with the main hall without a courtyard, unlike the usual two-hall format with side chambers in most temples. The temple has two stories, and there are stairs within the temple to reach the upper altar.
One would not miss the beautiful wooden carving of a large dragon on the roof of Lin Fa Temple. This is a tribute to the annual Fire Dragon dance.
In terms of artefacts, the Shiwan ceramic figures, the stone offering table and the temple bell are from the 19th century. The Lin Fa Temple has been a Declared Monument since 2014.
Tai Hang, in Chinese meaning “the big pit,” was literally a big pit in this area passing from Mount Butler into the former coastline on Tung Lo Wan Road and onto the sea. The Tai Hang Village was established as early as the late 19th century in here, and it is the only Hakka village in Hong Kong Island.
A simple itinerary to visit Tai Hang can include first a visit at the Haw Par Mansion, which sits on the same hill above the Lin Fa Temple. After visiting the Haw Par Mansion, walk on Lai Tak Tsuen Road. Take a flight of stairs down across the street from Lai Tak Estate and you will arrive at Lin Fa Temple.
Feel free to sip coffee in many of the hip coffee shops, or even have an afternoon drink at a bar. I have previously written on Man Sing Bing Sutt, which is a Cantonese restaurant with a long history and a moving story, along with unique menu items, in Tai Hang.
Traditionally, the people of Tai Hang celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival by holding the Fire Dragon dance parade during the three days of the festival. The Fire Dragon originated from a time of plague during the 19th century. A village elder said that Kwun Yam (the resident deity in Tai Hang’s Lin Fa Temple), gave him the revelation that a fire dragon dance will drive away the plague. The villagers gathered the troupes and did a Fire Dragon dance as instructed, and the plague really disappeared.
Therefore, the Fire Dragon dance parade has been held yearly since to commemorate this incident, and it also explains why the Fire Dragon troupe begins its parade by paying tribute at the Lin Fa Temple. The troupe is blessed by Kwun Yam as they burn joss sticks planted in a dragon form, before it heads out to Tai Hang for the parade.
Ironically, throughout those three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Fire Dragon dance parade had to cease performing. It has resumed in 2023 and let’s hope that nothing in the future will get in the way of this very traditional, fully engaging and uniquely Hong Kong cultural performance.
Descriptions on site at the Lin Fa Temple and in Tai Hang.
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre, The Origin of Tang Hang Fire Dragon Dance.
Throughout this wonderful first trip in Uzbekistan, I have had many memorable encounters with the locals. For most of the times, they approached us for photographs and we would begin a conversation. It was through them that I gathered the perspectives that Uzbeks hold close …
We relaxed and shopped a bit at the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa. Dusk would befall upon us soon so we hurried and got a taxi to get to the Samani Park. We would be seeing the Ismail Samani Mausoleum as the final sightseeing in Bukhara on …
The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa is the summer palace for the last Bukhara Emir, Alim Khan. At the time of the summer palace’s construction, Russian domination, be it as the expression of Russian imperialism or as the Bolshevik ambition that followed, has reached this part of Central Asia.
The Russian invasion and exertion of power over Uzbekistan took place in the mid-19th century. In 1865, the Russian Empire had already taken Tashkent and made it the capital of Russian Turkestan. At the cusp of Russia’s invasion of Bukhara, which took place in that same period, the various regions of Uzbekistan were ruled by khanate kingdoms. This part of Uzbek history was known as the Khanate era.
Photo: The octagonal room (Khonkhona) is beautifully painted. On the wall and ceiling were made “kundal” patterns of real gold and silver.
Throughout the 1860s or so, the Russians have waged their wars in Bukhara, and in 1866, the Bukharans were defeated. In 1868, the Emir accepted vassal status after the defeat in the Battle of Zerabulak. It was at that time that the Emir ceded Samarkand to the Russians as well. However, Khiva remained in the Emir’s control.
At this point, it could not be said that the Russians were ruling Bukhara yet. Rather, the Emir still retained power in the administration and control of Bukhara and other territories. Bukhara was yet to be incorporated into the Russian Empire formally.
Built in 1911, the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa stands testament to a watershed in Bukharan and Uzbek history. Its name meaning “Palace Like the Stars and the Moon,” the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa was built by Russian engineers for Emir Alim Khan in 1911, “as an inducement to get him out of the Ark fortress and safely ensconced in a strategic and cultural no-man’s land on the edge of town.” (Calum Macleod) The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa is located about 4km north of Bukhara on the edge of the road to Samarkand.
The architecture shows prominent and grandiose eastern European features. At first glance, it certainly conveys the sense of luxury to which the royalty of Bukhara felt entitled.
According to the descriptions on site, the exterior of the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa was that of Russian architecture, but the interiors were fitted with traditional Bukharan elements. Without proper training in the antique architecture of Bukhara, I felt like I was looking at wholly European designs.
The summer palace’s unique fusion architecture represents the historic crossroads at which the Bukhara emirate confronted. It was a time when Russian modernity was clashing with Bukharan antiquity and threatened its survival. As such, the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa’s beautiful appearance belies the unfortunate historical context from which it arises.
The Soviet troops would eventually launch attacks upon Bukhara in 1920, causing significant casualties to both the people and heritage of Bukhara, and that certainly included the Ark. It was from this summer palace that the last Emir Alim Khan fled to Afghanistan. It was also in the inner courtyard of the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa that the First Congress of the Bukharan Soviet convened in 1920, whereby the People’s Republic of Bukhara was proclaimed.
Photo: This is the Most-Photographed Chamber in the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa
Photo: Three Distinct Structures Surround the Three Sides of the Inner Courtyard
Three distinct but connected structures surround the inner courtyard (Hauli Darun). On the west side stands the White Hall (khonai Safed). On the south side stands the glass terrace Teahouse with a banquet hall. On the north side stands the Chess Room.
In my humble opinion, in terms of aesthetics, the interiors of the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa is a notch better than the purely Russian-styled architecture of the buildings’ exterior. The myriad colors that adorn hand-carved stalactite ceilings are exceptionally beautiful.
It is said that the elaborate chandeliers hanging from the ceilings are original.
In terms of exhibitions, the items displayed in this part of the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa tend to show the high life of Bukhara, with a collection of porcelain instruments, the clothes worn by the privileged, and antique furniture.
Perhaps the most interesting history in this part of the summer palace is the folly. It is a pair of wooden towers linked by a bridge.
According to Sophie Ibbotson, “the emir used to select his companion for the night by throwing her an apple. The girl had to catch it and then take a bath in donkey’s milk before being permitted to enter the royal bedchamber.”
The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa harem now houses the Museum of Applied Arts.
I found the hand-woven and hand-embroidered fabrics there to be very beautiful. They were the work of renowned national artists in Uzbekistan. The exhibits in the museum represents the Bukhara school of embroidery during the 19th and 20th centuries.
From Bukhara we took a taxi to the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa. Be prepared to spend an hour or two there.
Descriptions on site at the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa.
Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).
Calum Macleod, Uzbekistan: the Golden Road to Samarkand (2014).
The Wikipedia on the Russian Conquest of Bukhara.
A night of thunderstorm and rain has restored Bukhara’s muffled air of the previous day into crisp, clean breezes. The morning sunlight greeted us and we enjoyed the blessing of generous good weather for this last full day in Bukhara. The day would be packed …