History

Apliu Street is in the heart of Sham Shui Po, an area steep in history.  Nearby Cheung Sha Wan Road has many original buildings from the 1920's with their distinctive rounded corners.  Most of those on Apliu Street are gone but there is one fine example still to be found at the corner immediately adjacent to the Apliu Street Public Toilet.

Various markets have always existed on the street, in the 19th century before reclamation of land there was a village here which was famed for raising ducks and was known as Ap Liu which means "Duck Cage".  When the village was incorporated into the growing urbane centre of Sham Shui Po this name was retained and given to our street.

By the 1930's though the sea and farming had retreated as a middle class residential and shopping district the market now held mostly second hand consumer goods.  Considered by many to be the "Cat Street of Kowloon" Apliu Street boomed at this time and remnants of this style of trade could still to be found until recently in the stalls selling second hand vinyl records.  That stall now has a new home and is well known as "Paul's", and has over 300,000 records in stock.  You can find it at 5/F Wellcome Mansion, Apliu Street.

With the 1960's boom in small manufacturing in Hong Kong the street once again moved with the times and became a centre for electronic component distribution.  Combined with second hand tools and equipment the style of the street market was set.

Today echoes of the past are visible everywhere but for the majority the street has continued to keep up with the times and carries the latest innovations in energy efficient technologies such as photovoltaic and LED lighting systems.

As such it earns it's nickname as "Men's Street" in contrast to the famous Ladies Street Market nearby.

Many Historic Buildings are to be found on the road.