Over the last week I have trialled both WordPress and Blogspot and at this point in time seem to be swaying back towards Blogspot. If this site is not updated when you next visit then please visit http://dumplingdesignz.blogspot.com
I found this beautiful reproduction postcard of two Shanghai calendar girls promoting Palmolive Soap at Jordan today.
Today, I met members of the Shrimp and Dragonfly Guild in Sham Shui Po to show them where to buy the best Chinese knotting supplies.
Sham Shui Po is an amazing place to visit and is a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour of the designer stores found in other parts of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Here you will find flea markets and streets solely devoted to fashion, fabric, beads, gems and/or accessories. Although, Sham Shui Po is one of the poorest areas of Hong Kong it is actually a fashion designer or sourcing officer’s dream. This place is a window into the textile industry in mainland China and every imaginable type of fabric, button and/or trim can be purchased here. Needless to say, we had a fabulous day. So to all those budding fashion designers… make sure you visit Sham Shui Po when you next visit Hong Kong.
For those in Hong Kong, Chinese knotting supplies can be purchased from the following suppliers on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong:
- Tak Cheung Co. 124-126, G/G, Cheung Sha Wan Road, Tak Cheung Bldg, Sham Shui Po
- Nature’s Beauty, G/F, 148 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
- Luen Fung Beads Co. G/F., 199 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
- Fun Fun Imitation Jewellery Co 209 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
- Lap Sun Gem Company 247 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
- Mee Ngai Wah (HK)Ltd G/F, 289-291Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
I am thrilled to bits to announce that I have joined Down Under Street Team (Dust). Dust is a group of Australian Artists, Craftpeople and Artisans who support Etsy and wish to promote independent Handcrafted Goods in Australia and worldwide. For those suppliers in Hong Kong that would like to find out more about great Australian talent visit http://www.dustteam.com
On Friday 24 October 2008, I went to Shenzhen with some great friends and had a fantastic time.
If you are new to Hong Kong and aren’t familiar with Shenzhen then I recommend that you purchase a book called “Shop in Shenzhen – an insider’s guide” by Ellen McNally. It tells you everything you need to know as Lowu has so much to offer and everybody has different tastes.
If you go in the morning like we did, the MTR and KCR is very busy and it can be a struggle to get a seat. The best option in this case (if you live on the island) is to catch a bus to Hung Hom where you are pretty much guaranteed a seat. From Causeway Bay you can get tunnel bus (number 112) to Hung Hom Station (the 2nd stop of the KCR) or you can catch bus number 111, 104 or 115 from Des Vouex Road, Central (opposite HSBC). The Central buses also go through Queensway, Admiralty (opposite Pacific Place). Just make sure you press the bell as soon as the bus gets in the tunnel.
What can you get at Shenzhen? Well, you can get tailor made clothes, designer clothes, accessories, sunglasses, prescription glasses, manicures, pedicures, massages, curtains, bed-linen, paintings and Chinese folk craft to mention but a few.
It is best to schedule your day before you go and get your tailoring and bed-linen organised first. Then you can look at bags and the like have lunch then maybe have a massage or a pedicure in the afternoon so that you can feel refreshed before heading back to Hong Kong.
Make sure you buy some Ba Bao Tea from the numerous tea shops scattered around Lowu as it is divine. Delicate flower petals with rock sugar – yum! Also visit Choi Dip Hin Restaurant on the 2nd Floor (below Taste) for great dim sum and the Ba Bao Tea.
Dim sum at Choi Dip Hin Restaurant includes but is not limited to:
- Cha Siu Bao
- Beef Balls with bean curd skin (contains water chestnuts and coriander – yum!)
- Vegetarian vermicelli rolls
- Steamed egg buns (a fluffy bun with custard inside)
- Shrimp dumplings
- Vegetarian dumplings
- Fish cakes (lots of yummy spring onion in this one)
If you love jewelry, beads and anything beautiful then check out my range in my Etsy shop.
This is a sample of what I’m currently showcasing:
OMG… tonight was my first lesson of Mahjong at the advanced level and it is sooooooo much more complicated! During the beginners course we were playing what was called chicken hands. Here we were able to get a set of 3 suits of any kind and/or consecutive runs e.g. 1, 2, 3 or 3, 4, 5 of any suit and a pair of eyes.
At the advanced level, however, there are no more chicken hands but we are playing chicken style… confused? Yep, so was I.
Need a lot more practice which is hard since no expats really play this style nearby so will have to wait until next week by which time I will have probably forgotten what I learnt tonight. As I’m a bit of a spring chicken though I think I like chicken hands better.
Keep posted on this site as I plan to type up some of our class notes on a separate page.
On Wednesday 22 October 2008, I had a fabulous time getting together with a few of my friends at the Shrimp and Dragonfly Guild. We talked about lots of girls stuff, shopping, the best books (written in Chinese) and of course practiced our Chinese knots. We agreed to meet on a monthly basis so will try to keep you posted.
Did anyone manage to get their fingers in a twist – knot!
Here is a preview of my Chinese Cinderella Pendant which is a work in progress. Until next time – Zaijian.
You may notice that I have submitted quite a few posts dated today Thursday, 21 October 2008. This is because I have changed my blog address and am now with WordPress.
So that you can see a snippet of what I have been up to in the past I decided to include a bit of history. Hope you enjoy reading about some of my previous day trips in and around Hong Kong.
There has been a lot of water under the bridge since I last posted my blog and unfortunately I haven’t recorded much:(
School holidays and many visits to Ocean Park kept me a tad busy! Anyway, since I posted last I have taken up Mahjong (Cantonese Style) at the YWCA with teacher Nancy and am having an absolute ball. Getting so good that I start the Advanced class this week. For anyone who would like to purchase a Mahjong set, Nancy has recommended Ying Fat Cheung Mahjong Manufacturer located at room 104, 1/F, Waga Commercial Centre, 99 Wellington Street Hong Kong Tel: (+852) 25443785 or 25455554 Fax (+852) 25420045
Will try and keep you updated with regular posts from Hong Kong!
On Friday 6 June 2008, went to Wing On Department store and came across a Chinese Cooking class demonstration. Although, the class was conducted in Cantonese a lady kindly translated some of the cooking techniques. Tried some Pork Spare Ribs cooked in Bean Sauce and Salted Plums which was absolutely delicious. Crystal sugar was placed in a pressure cooker and melted over the stove top then black bean sauce, smashed salted plums, Shaoxing rice wine and chopped pork spare ribs were added and pressure cooked for about 13 minutes. After the pork was cooked, the sauce was thickened with a little cornflour, water and soy sauce so as not to dilute the taste. The sauce was left to simmer for a couple of minutes then was served with assorted grains of steamed rice.
After this demonstration, I walked to the Peel Street wet market to buy some ginger, coriander, garlic and cabbage so that I could make some dumplings on the weekend. A huge clump of ginger, small bunch of coriander, 3 cloves of garlic and a white cabbage cost a total of $16 Hong Kong Dollars. Practiced some of my very limited Cantonese and was rewarded with lovely smiles from the vendors.
Continued on to Gage Street as I was on a mission to find out where I could buy dumpling wrappers, as I can’t seem to find them in the Wellcome or Park’nShop supermarkets. Found a fresh noodle shop near a much visited fruit stall that I go to and bought a small bundle of wrappers for $3 Hong Kong Dollars.
After this, I then walked to Wellington Street to visit my favourite Chinese grocery store. A little old man runs a store that looks at least 100 years old. There is a tiny song bird in a wooden cage hanging to the front of the shop and heshan sacks of rice piled high to the back of the shop. Green and red preserved vegetables are displayed in a bucket and assorted duck, chicken and quail eggs are displayed along the front of his shop. This shop is jam packed full of character and history and this is why I love it. Bought some black sweet vinegar to go with the dumplings and some chilli soy sauce for stir-frys.
Today, Saturday 7 June 2008 I made the dumplings and they turned out absolutely perfect except for the fact that I didn’t buy enough dumpling wrappers. Now need to make another trip to get more so that I can use the rest of the meat filling.
Took random photos of Cat Street (Upper Lascar Row) & Hollywood Road. Walked from Pottinger Street to Lyndhurst Terrace then strolled along Hollywood Road past antique shops and Man Mo Temple. Spent time looking at the real and fake antiques which included clocks, jewellery, coins, statues, bone carvings and general bric a brac. Cat Street was once famous for sea-men’s lodging houses and brothels, and it was a hangout for criminals and the like.
Thursday 5 June 2008
On 4 June 2008, attended a Canon Digital SLR course to try and learn how to take fabulous shots using manual mode on the camera. The course was very informative and lots of fun.
