One of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong is to wander the streets and admire the uniqueness of each little neighborhood, while searching for a market to get lost in. Each week, I hop on the MTR and pick a neighborhood to explore. Last week, I gathered the energy and strength to venture to the Kowloon Peninsula to check out the shopping district of Mong Kok. Mong Kok literally means “busy corner” in Cantonese, and the name truly lives up to its meaning. At one point, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Mong Kok as the most crowded district in the world.  

Amid the neon lights and insanely crowded streets lies one of the more infamous markets of Hong Kong, the ladies market. The ladies market, on Tung Choi street, is where one can find unique local gifts related to Chinese and Buddhist culture, as well as completely random items like sunglasses, purses, electronics, shoes, clothing and even lingerie (hence the name, ladies market).

As with many markets, none of these items have a set price, so negotiating is not only common, it’s encouraged. I’ll start by saying that I might be the worst person for market shopping. I get nervous. I don’t know what a good price is, plus the added layer of having to pull my phone out for every transaction to do the Hong Kong dollar conversion to the U.S. dollar, and I was more than a little anxious.

Alas, I did some research in advance and read that if you can get the stall owner down to 20 or 30 percent of the original price, you’re heading in the right direction (depending on the item), so that was my goal. I also realized if you say you’ll come back, many are willing to negotiate even more because they don’t want to risk you walking three stalls down to buy the same item for even cheaper. What helped me the most was sticking to a "this is all I can pay..." statement, and it seemed to work every time. I only had to go back and forth maybe twice.

By the end of my experience I would say I improved greatly and am more in tune with my inner negotiator. I left with some beaded bracelets, a Buddha statue, an imitation cosmetic bag and two sets of chopsticks.

Other Hong Kong markets that are worth checking out include the Stanley Market and the Temple Street Night Market.

Ladies Market

Tung Choi St

Mong Kok