Old market finds

Cheung Shing Street is somewhat bookended by two temples. Tai Wong Temple, a Grade 1 historical building according to Hong Kong's Antiquities and Monuments Office, dates to 1662. The gods Hung Shing and Yeung Hau are still worshipped there, and the temple also acted as a place where village disputes were settled.

"The temple is usually the heart of the village," says Chan.

He points to the inscription on an ancient cast iron bell inside the temple that dates back to the 17th century, as well as the fine detail depicting a goddess on a door panel.

"If you see a pawn shop, it meant that the village was wealthy enough to support a bank," Chan notes, as we continue the walk. "Chun Yuen Ngat opened for business in 1899 and is the oldest pawn shop in Yuen Long, though it has been closed for years now."

As he was speaking, a resident of the area passing by our group weighed in. "I've been inside the pawn shop—it's closed, but the interiors are the same. I even took some pictures." She proceeded to show us the dark wood interiors of the pawn shop on her smart-phone, and we thanked her for her insider information.

"Banks were originally only used by the British in Hong Kong," Chan continues. "Chinese people didn't trust them at first. Many pawn shops were built to be three or four stories high, to stack the blankets that people left as collateral."

He pointed to an iron sign suspended from a horizontal post on the top right of the main door. "It's an inverted bat. In Cantonese, bat sounds like the word fook, or fortune. That'show anyone can tell that this is a pawn shop, even if you can't read the characters."

We then proceed to another gray brick building with tiny windows on the upper level.