惜遊土瓜灣
Treasure Hunt in To Kwa Wan
Kowloon City - To Kwa Wan Cultural Tour
To Kwa Wan is a community with a long history. The people and buildings in the area have witnessed historical changes in the area. This guided tour will lead everyone to follow the torrent of history and culture, understand the development of To Kwa Wan, and discover the little-known stories of the region. The journey will start from the nostalgic ice room and then gain an in-depth understanding of the residents' living circle architecture.
土瓜灣是個歷史悠久的社區,區內的人和建築見證著區內歷史變遷。這個導賞團將會帶領大家跟隨歷史文化的洪流,認識土瓜灣的發展,發掘鮮為人知的地區故事。旅程將會由懷舊冰室小店出發,再深入了解居民的生活圈建築。
With the demolition of Kai Tak Airport and the Tuen Ma Line subway network coverage, Kowloon City has been experiencing the changes of the times. To Kwa Wan has its own characteristics in different periods. Some landmark buildings can still stand in the district, and some have disappeared under the baptism of time. The story of the community can only be continued by word of mouth. This guided tour hopes to introduce To Kwa Wan to everyone through storytelling. There are countless intriguing stories in To Kwa Wan. In the face of irresistible changes, what we can do is record the remaining ones, pay more attention to this community, and let everyone know that there is a place called To Kwa Wan in Kowloon City, which is full of history. The stories and regional culture are worthy of everyone's stop and take a closer look.
隨著啟德機場清拆,以及屯馬線地鐵網絡的覆蓋,都讓九龍城區一直經歷著時代的變遷。不同時期的土瓜灣各具特色,有些標誌性建築仍能屹立區中,有些於歲月洗禮之下已消逝,僅能靠口耳相傳把地區故事延續下去。是次導賞團盼以講故事的形式,生動活潑地把土瓜灣介紹給大家。土瓜灣耐人尋味的故事多不勝數,面對無法抵擋的改變,我們可以做的就是把僅存的記錄下來,多留意這個社區,讓大家知道九龍城區中有土瓜灣這個地方,充滿著歷史故事和地區文化值得大家駐足細看。

About Our Tour 關於我們的導賞團
To Kwa Wan is a community with a long history. The people and buildings in the area have witnessed historical changes in the area. This guided tour will lead everyone to follow the torrent of history and culture, understand the development of To Kwa Wan, and discover the little-known stories of the region. The journey will start from the nostalgic ice room and then gain an in-depth understanding of the residents' living circle architecture.
土瓜灣是個歷史悠久的社區,區內的人和建築見證著區內歷史變遷。這個導賞團將會帶領大家跟隨歷史文化的洪流,認識土瓜灣的發展,發掘鮮為人知的地區故事。旅程將會由懷舊冰室小店出發,再深入了解居民的生活圈建築。
Vision and Mission 抱負和使命
The two main phrases in the name of our cultural trip are "cherishing" and "exploring," which are directly connected to the overall activity's fundamental ideas. In To Kwa Wan, they have been experiencing transitions from the old to the new. At this time, we want to remember To Kwa Wan. Cherishing what is still here and the stories concealed within each tangible asset. Additionally, "cherishing" can be indicated as "knowledge" and "understanding" in Chinese. Let everyone "know" the fun of traveling in To Kwa Wan, and we will expose everyone to the area's historical and cultural "knowledge" during the trip.
This tour aims to direct, explain, and share various information as the participants "explore" To Kwa Wan's well-known and less commonly recognized sites together. In cultural travel, the term "tour" also refers to enjoyment. We will give everyone supplementary tourism information about To Kwa Wan in the tour guide included in the schedule. We encourage everyone to go travelling and get to know To Kwa Wan. The title of the guided trip was thus inspired.
本團名稱以惜、遊作重點,二字緊扣整個活動的主軸。
「惜」:意指珍惜,在這個一直經歷新舊變遷的地區中,記住這刻的土瓜灣,珍惜土瓜灣現在存留有的事物和每座建築物蘊藏的故事。亦可意解作「識」、「悉」,參加本團的角度作切入點,為大家介紹土瓜灣地區歷史文化「知識」,讓大家「知悉」土瓜灣遊的樂趣。
「遊」:希望參加者一同「遊」歷土瓜灣的一些有名或鮮為人知的景點,導賞講解,分享種種。文化旅遊的「遊」也作遊玩的意思,行程提供的探索指南中,會推薦土瓜灣更多地區旅遊資訊給大家,值此鼓勵大家一邊旅遊,一邊認識土瓜灣。

About To Kwa Wan 關於土瓜灣
Behind the name 名字背後:
There are two different versions towards the name "To Kwa Wan". The first one is about the bay "Hoi Sum Island" in the past To Kwa Wan because of its shape resembling a "To Gua" in Cantonese (English: sweet potato). The second version is that in 1860, the map of the Sino-British Treaty of Beijing named this place Tujiawan in Putonghua.
「土瓜灣」這個名字有兩種不同的說法。第一個是關於昔日土瓜灣的海灣「海心島」,因為它的形狀像粵語中的「土瓜」。第二種說法是,1860年,中英北京條約的地圖用普通話將此地命名為「土家灣」。
Historical background 歷史背景:
To Kwa Wan was developed into a light industrial area in the past. There are a lot of cotton mills, chemical plants, hardware factories, etc. The ancient urban planning of the traditional tenement buildings was planned with shops in the front and residences in the back. Old To Kwa Wan’s living area was a combination of both industrial, commercial and residential use.
Until 1969, To Kwa Wan’s land use was being revised in the zoning development plan. The original residential and industrial land was converted into residential property only by the government. It marked a watershed in the urban planning strategy of Hong Kong. Regarding the current land use zoning method, the government has strictly separated the land use of residential, commercial, and industrial. We can see, Kowloon City District is facing an important moment of transition from the old to the new.
土瓜灣過去曾發展為輕工業區。這裏有很多棉紡廠、化工廠、五金廠等等。過去的城市規劃的傳統唐樓群是「前店後居」的規劃。舊土瓜灣的生活區兼具工業、商業和住宅用途。直到1969年,土瓜灣的土地用途才在分區發展計劃中進行修訂。政府把原本為住宅及工業用地轉為只為住宅物業。它標誌著香港城市規劃策略的一個分水嶺。關於目前的土地用途分區方法,政府嚴格區分了住宅、商業和工業用地。我們知道,九龍城區正面臨重要的由舊轉新的過渡時刻。
Tour Route 行程路線
We will first gather at the To Kwa Wan MTR station Exit A. Wing Heung Café will be our first stop to see the decoration of the old Hong Kong-style Ice room. Next, we will pass through Pau Chung Street to imagine the ancient times when the street was full of firecracker factories, but now it all has disappeared. Thirdly, we will stop at the tenement building cluster on 13 streets to understand more about To Kwa Wan citizens’ living environment. Then, Cattle Depot Artist Village will be our next stop to visit the revitalization of an old cowshed and how it turns into a place holding different artistic workshops and performances. We will then move to the gasholder of the Hong Kong and China Gas Limited Company. The remaining big gasholder is a collective memory of To Kwa Wan citizens. Lastly, we will go to the Kowloon City Ferry Pier, where we can see the old Kai Tak Airport as our dismissal point.
我們首先會在土瓜灣地鐵站A出口集合。我們的第一站為永香冰室,將一睹昔日港式冰室的裝潢。接下來,我們會穿梭炮仗街,想像一下從前街上滿是製作爆竹的工廠,但現在整條街的炮仗廠都消失了。第三,我們將駐足於十三街的唐樓群,進一步了解土瓜灣市民的居住環境。下一站,牛棚藝術村,我們將參觀舊牛棚的活化,以及了解它如何變成舉辦不同藝術工作坊和表演的地方。接著我們將前往香港中華煤氣有限公司的煤氣鼓,要知道剩下的這個煤氣故是土瓜灣市民的集體記憶。最後,我們將前往九龍城渡輪碼頭,在那裏我們可以看到以前的舊啟德機場,亦作為我們的解散地點。




Tour Spots 行程景點
1. ~Old Hong Kong Ice Room 舊香港冰室~
Wing Heung Café 永香冰室
The Wing Heung Café still retains the style of a traditional ice room, such as old window grilles, cardboard stone floors, wooden booth seats, three-leaf ceiling fans, light green tile walls, and red signboards. Menu also includes special food such as French toast, poached egg in hot water, and Iced Grass Jelly. The sight and taste are full of the style of old Hong Kong. Besides, it was the filming location of classic dramas and movies.
The old To Kwa Wan was a factory area. At noon every day, there are many customers in Wing Heung Café, and the business is excellent. However, when Hong Kong's industry began to decline and factories moved north, the number of diners coming to the restaurant gradually decreased, business thus also dropped, and employees left one by one. Currently, only mother and son are left to run the café.
永香冰室仍然保留了傳統冰室的風貌,例如舊窗花、紙皮石地板、木色卡位、三葉吊扇、淡綠磁磚牆和紅字招牌,餐單搭配了西多士、滾水蛋、涼粉冰等特式食品,視覺和味覺都充滿了舊香港的風情。這裏亦是電視劇《大時代》和電影《踏血尋梅》的拍攝地。
舊時的土瓜灣是一個工廠區。每天的中午時分,永香冰室的顧客總是很多,生意很好。但當香港工業開始式微,工廠北遷,來餐廳的食客逐漸減少,生意下滑,員工亦一個個離開。最後,現在只剩下母親和兒子在經營這間冰室。


Caption: Wing Heung Café’s red signboards
註: 永香冰室的紅色招牌

Caption: The mirror plaque writing: “Holding teeth’s eternal fragrance”
註:寫著「永留齒香」的鏡匾
_Caption_%20Cardboard%20stone%20floors%E8%A8%BB%EF%BC%9A.jpeg)
Caption: Cardboard stone floors
註:紙皮石地板
