Stanley Market and Temples

April 21: Past the stalls of Chinese kitsch, Stanley Market is surrounded by subtle spiritual tributes. A temple to (the “Queen of Heaven” and patron goddess to fishermen) Tin Hau and a smaller temple flank the market, while another temple is tucked away beside the ocean at the beginning of a forest trail.



I follow a trail through the woods, reach a bus stop and entrance to a monastery. Inside the grounds, a statue of a goddess watches over the Stanley Market waterfront, tourist shops and surrounding residential buildings.

Back at Stanley Market, I consider buying presents for friends and family. A “Bruce Lee is my Homeboy” shirt seems funny. Lots of chopsticks, tea sets, miniature Buddhas and paper lanterns look cute/cheap. Ties cost only $10HK at one stall. I probably should buy a bundle as security for next Christmas, but I don’t regret saving my money.

Tourists and their children fill the market alleys. A film production team films a kung fu scene. Some ridiculous-looking white guy in long sleeve shirt sports a doofy green rat tail. A girl kicks him in the face, and he does a front flip and then a back flip. He repeats the scene over and over. In the scene, extras crowd around snapping photos and recording videos from camera phones. They follow him as he chases after the girl martial artist. I join the real tourists taking photos of the scene, a mirror of the scene being recorded. The rat-tailed guy looks exhausted.