A forest of skyscrapers, diverse and flourishing restaurants, and shopping malls packed to the rafters, these are only one side of Hong Kong. Those old-fashioned grocery stores, which create the quintessential Hong Kong charm, would tell you the stories while they struggle along between tradition and modernization.

Wing Woo Ho Grocery Store

Situated at the junction of Wellington Street and Graham Street, the 80-year-old Wing Woo Ho Grocery stands for lifestyles in Hong Kong in those old days. Lit with a dim yellow light inside,it is one of the last of its type in Central. It sells rice, preserved vegetables, fresh eggs, chili sauce and suchlike every day as it did eighty years ago. Kwan Moon-chui, the 76-year-old shop owner, has lived in this area for over half a century. 

In February, 2007, a redevelopment project launched by Urban Renewal Authority  plans to recreate the architectural style and streetscape, tearing down Central's last surviving street market on Graham Street in exchange for a brand new old-store street.

In view of its unique architectural design, only the facade of Wing Woo grocery shop will be conserved. Nowadays, tourists visit there for an original slice of historic Hong Kong.It is time for the store to farewell in the near future--its days are numbered.