Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei - Now and Then

The following screen caps from Ein Sarg aus Hongkong were taken from Shanghai Street looking east over to the old market that once occupied the public square in front of the temple. We can see Heinz Drache and Angela Yu Chien about to cross the road at the corner of Shanghai Street and Public Square Street. The only building still around in this shot (other than the temple which can be just seen through the trees in my photo) is the white building at the back which stands on the corner of Temple Street and Public Square Street. For those who don't know, this is the building that has the Mido Cafe in it. You can see it in the screen cap just above the two actors' heads.

Earlier in the film is a brief view of the area to the right (south) of this one, although it was obviously filmed at the same time. It's the Market Street side of the square with the old toilet block at the junction  (this same shot was later reused in The Million Eyes of Sumuru). Note the Chinese tenement buiding in the background with the wooden arched apertures.

The old film gives a good idea of where Temple Street once emerged onto Market Street - it's the gap between the toilet block and the Chinese tenement. However, that section of Temple Street disappeared with a significant amount of development and, as you can see by my own image, the area at this end was filled in by what is actually a refuse collection centre. The section of Temple Street between here (Market Street) and Kansu Street (one block down) was shifted approximately 20 metres to the east - running along where the old Chinese tenement once stood. Much of the space where Temple Street used to run was taken over by the construction of the YMT multi-storey carpark (currently being demolished as of 2021). As you can see, the toilet block is still going strong and hasn't changed at all over the last 50 years or so.

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong - Jamie Chung (2015) - Market Street, Yau Ma Tei

Market Street is the small street that runs along the southern wall of the Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple and public square. A long time ago, most likely when Temple Street carried on uninterrupted past the front of the temple, Market Street also continued on through to join Nathan Road. These days the section between Temple Street and Nathan Road is now pedestrianised and that is the next location for our intrepid explorers (to get here they went from Woosung Street to Ashley Road and then all the way back up here again).

Narazumono - Ken Takakura (1964) - Market Street, Yau Ma Tei

As Minami walks around trying not to be seen he gets involved in some kerbside gambling and promptly wins the top prize. This scene was shot around Market Street, right next to the public toilet building that sits along Market Street and its junction with Shanghai Street. The street sign is a bit of a giveaway in this shot. You may recall that this are popped up a while back, the lower shot in this post from Heisser Hafen Hongkong (1962) showing the same place (with the toilet building just off screen to the right) and from another angle in a scene from Ein Sarg aus Hong Kong (and used again later in The Million Eyes of Sumuru) shot the same year as Narazumono.

Heisser Hafen Hongkong - Horst Frank (1962) - Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei

Another from-the-car perspective as we drive southbound along Shanghai Street between the junctions it shares with Public Square Street and Market Street. This one is a bit of a blur but it is the Shanghai Street end of the former public market that stood on what is now the open public square in front of the Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple.

The final couple of screenshots show us looking up Market Street towards the temple. Note the considerable lack of taller buildings on the other side of the temple (Nathan Road). A similar view taken the year after shows that the On Cheung Building had already been built at the back.

Ein Sarg aus Hong Kong - Heinz Drache (1964) - Market Street, Yau Ma Tei

I had no idea that the latrine block along Market Street in Yau Ma Tei had been around for quite so long but here it is back in 1964 (on the right hand side of the frame). You can see part of the covered hawkers market that used to occupy the square in front of the Tin Hau Temple. This is another scene that was used in Sumuru but I didn't post about it back then because I wasn't sure where it was at the time. The old building in the background would have been on Temple Street where the Kowloon Govt Offices now stand. Actually, I think the Sumuru print has better colour.

Ein Sarg aus Hong Kong

The Million Eyes of Sumuru