Stanley

Stanley sits on a neck of land at the southern end of Hong Kong Island with a bay on each side, and it was a substantial settlement long before the city on the northern shore existed. The market, a warren of lanes selling clothing, souvenirs and art, is what most visitors come for, and the waterfront promenade behind it holds Murray House, a mid-nineteenth-century arcaded building that stood in Central until it was taken apart stone by stone and rebuilt here, along with the relocated Blake Pier canopy. The Tin Hau temple dates from the 1760s. Stanley Main Beach on the eastern side is used for dragon boat racing and windsurfing.

History

Stanley's history goes back to the Ming dynasty, and its Chinese name, Chek Chue, first appears on a map drawn between 1577 and 1595; the sheltered bays drew the Tanka boat people, and as the most populous place on the island it served as the capital of Hong Kong in 1841. Its English name honours Lord Stanley, later Earl of Derby, who was Colonial Secretary when Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842, and it appears on maps by 1845 (Wikipedia, Stanley, Hong Kong).

What you'll find

• Stanley Market - lanes of clothing, souvenirs and art stalls.
• Murray House - a colonial-era building moved here stone by stone.
• The 1760s Tin Hau temple - the oldest building in the village.
• The waterfront promenade - restaurants along the bay.

When to go

October to April for walking and the market without heat. Half a day. Dragon boat races fill the beach in early summer. Weekends are crowded.

Things to know

The market sells the same goods as every other tourist market in the territory, at higher prices. The waterfront restaurants are expensive for what they serve. Weekend buses queue badly. Murray House is a reconstruction on a new site, not a building in place.

Nearby

Repulse Bay is north; Shek O lies east around the coast.

Key facts