Chungking Mansions 重慶大廈

If you leave the subway from Exit D1 of Tsim Sha Tsui, you will find Chungking Mansions. A golden sign with a black background is very eye-catching and can be seen from the opposite road.

Chungking Mansions used to give people a very mysterious feeling. There were many foreigners inside and general Hong Kong people would not enter. Now there are still some people handing out flyers outside the door to look for business. There are some money changers inside.

Many hostels were located inside, as well as many multicultural restaurants. We can call it a building for the community of ethnic minority

But now the left side has become a small shopping mall called Chongqing Station Shopping Mall (CKE Shopping Mall)! There are fast food restaurants and some small shops on the lower two floors, some of which are not open yet. If you pass by, you can stop by and take a look.

What is Chungking Mansions?

This place is actually a cluster of hotels; online information states there are over two hundred. You need to take an elevator to each floor, and there are signs displaying the hotel names downstairs.

The ground floor is a shopping mall with shops, restaurants, and eateries. There are various South Asian restaurants, offering spicy and curry dishes; most are small, fast-food style establishments.

There are also grocery stores, also mostly selling South Asian food.

Another common sight is money exchange shops, numbering over ten, each with a computer screen displaying the current exchange rate.

Chungking Mansions Screen displaying the current exchange rate — Chungking Mansions screen displaying the current exchange rate

Even if you’re not going in to rent a room, exchange currency, or dine, you can still browse around, as there are two security guards in white uniforms on duty.

This place, known as “the most culturally inclusive place in the world,” is also home to Hong Kong’s diverse ethnic groups, where they work and live. You can see signs for various food delivery services outside the restaurants, and foreign tourists waiting for the elevators.

However, the adjacent CKE Shopping Mall is a completely different scene.

It’s a typical Hong Kong-style mall, with Hong Kong fast-food chains, pharmacies, art galleries, and over thirty nail salons.

If you are a guest of Chungking Mansions Hotel and want some fast food, you can go to the nearby CKE Shopping Mall.