Pawnshops
Pawnshops have a long and colourful history in Hong Kong. The act of pawning something for money is colloquially referred to as “lifting” because counters in pawn shops are raised to prevent visitors from seeing the valuables they have acquired, and so customers have to lift their belongings up to the staff. Hong Kong’s pawnshops are easily recognisable by their distinctive trade emblem of a stylised bat—an animal traditionally associated with prosperity—clutching a coin. There are approximately 200 such shops dotted around the city, usually housed in beautiful old shop fronts, though this number is rapidly dwindling. The most picturesque might well be the Pawn in Wan Chai, which has been transformed into a restaurant overlooking the tram road. To see a functional pawnshop still doing their thing, head to Tai Cheong pawnshop on Wellington Street, or the Hang Jing or Nam Cheong pawnshops in Sham Shui Po.
The Pawn, 62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai | (+852) 2866 3444
Tai Cheong Pawn Shop, 136 Wellington Street, Central | (+852) 2541 0830
Hang Jing Pawn Shop, 141 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po | (+852) 2386 9616
Nam Cheong Pawn Shop, 117 Nam Cheong Street, Sham Shui Po | (+852) 2386 8990