Hong Kong Urban Council
Jubilee Street, Queen’s Road Central, and Des Voeux Road, Central
1938
The Central Market was Hong Kong’s first wet market, and it has existed at its current location since 1850. The current building was completed in 1938. The building was designed with many of the characteristics of the Modern Movement, including an emphasis on functionality, spatial flexibility, and efficiency. Equally importantly, the market was intended to provide hygienic facilities in which the area’s residents could purchase quality meat, fruit, and vegetables. The building’s unadorned, streamlined façade, standardized window treatments, and four-storey reinforced concrete structure all embody these features.
In 1994, the western section of the market’s second floor was converted into an access route between the Central pedestrian bridge system and the Mid-Level Escalator. In March 2003, the Central Market ceased to operate as a market. Plans are currently underway to redevelop the space for mixed-use purposes.
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Central Market (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
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Central Market, 1939 (Courtesy Urban Renewal Authority)