Where to Shop in New Territories The New Territories are no different than other locations in Hong Kong when it comes to shopping – they're full of good shopping malls, big and small. Serious shoppers and visitors will find lots of tempting merchandise displayed in these malls located mostly in the New Town area. Such goods include international brand-name clothes, beauty and skin care products, jewelry, electronic equipment, Chinese and Asian arts & crafts, antique furniture as well as Chinese tea and herbs. A good area to start exploring the shopping possibilities in the New Territories is Tai Po. Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East Hong Kong Disneyland® Park Admission with Transfer Full-Day Macau Tour with Buffet Lunch Lantau Island Full-Day Tour Ocean Park Admission with Transfer City Sightseeing Tour with Victoria Peak Tram Ride
Guangzhou Day Trip with Giant Panda Encounter Evening Cruise, Dinner at Victoria Peak & Night Market Visit This unique 59,000 sqm shopping centre was conceived as a mixture of shopping mall and park. It is considered as the first of its kind and the concept has been dubbed a 'Shopping Park'. The shopping centre is themed as a tropical rain forest, with an artificial waterfall and pillars decorated with large pieces of 'fruit'. The roof of the main lobby is glass, letting natural daylight in. Location: On Castle Peak Road, a five-minute walk from the Tsuen Wan MTR Station – follow the signs IKEA is one of the market leaders in home furnishing and lifestyle products. Many items on sale are the assemble-it-yourself type of products which have a worldwide reputation for functional, good design at surprisingly low prices. Currently there are three IKEA branches in the New Territories. Location: IKEA Tsuen Wan Store is at Basement One Tsuen Wan Plaza Open: Daily 11:00 – 22:00.
IKEA Warehouse is at Jumbo Plaza in Sheung Shui Open: Daily 10:00 – 18:00. IKEA Shatin Store is at the third floor of Grand Central Plaza, Open: Daily Mon - Fri 11:00 – 21:00, Sat/Sun/Holidays 11:00 – 22:00 Located next to the Sheung Shui MTR Station, Landmark North features more than 100 shops featuring goods as diverse as the latest fashions to electronic items alongside a good range of restaurants. Location: Next to the Sheung Shui MTR station, Sheung Shui Located in Tsing Yi, Maritime Square has a nautical theme. The Square features a superior range of about 140 shops and restaurants. It serves many transit passengers as it is not far from Hong Kong International Airport. Location: At MTR Tsing Ti Station Located in Sha Tin, this is a huge shopping and entertainment complex offering everything from cheap bargains to high-end shopping including internationally renowned designer boutiques, cinemas, and a good range of gourmet cuisine in its restaurants.
It also has a few big Japanese supermarkets. This Plaza gets extremely crowded at weekends so it's best to go on a weekday. If you are looking for cheaper shopping options, look around the retailers directly outside New Town Plaza. Location: Accessible by the KCR railway (Sha Tin station), near the Royal Park Hotel and Grand Central Plaza in Sha Tin Tai Po Plaza is well known for selling VCDs, CDs and good value clothing and shoes. The plaza also has many outlets selling food, books, cosmetics, computer games, eye wear and sports products. There are other shopping malls nearby, including Fortune Plaza, Jade Plaza and Plover Cove Plaza. Location: Tai Po Centre TMT Plaza (aka Tuen Mun Town Plaza) TMT Plaza is a big five-storey mall in Tuen Mun Town and features about 400 shops. It is currently the biggest mall in northwest New Territories. With its location in Central Tuen Mun and its link by sky bridges to nearby buildings, the plaza is always busy with not only eager shoppers but people who come for the rich choice of dining and entertainment options.
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 22:00 Location: In Tuen Mun, northwest New Territories Tsuen Wan Plaza is on Tai Pa Street, next to the Tsuen Wan MTR station. The seven-storey plaza covers an area of 583,600sqft and offers a mixture of shops, restaurants and entertainment options, including a six-screen cinema. Location: Next to the Tsuen Wan and Tsuen Wan West MTR Station Uptown Plaza is one of the most convenient shopping malls in Tai Po as it is located just next to Tai Po Market Railway Station. There are of course bigger malls in the area but this compact plaza has everything within reach. Location: Next to Tai Po Market KCRC station Fu Shin Street Old Market This is a must-see for visitors to the New Territories of all ages as it provides such a contrast to the many brand-new, gleaming but ultimately impersonal shopping malls. Like most fresh markets, Fu Shin Street Old Market starts to get busy as early as six or seven in the morning and lasts until early evening.
It is the place where the locals go and shop for goods ranging from seafood, meat, vegetables, rice, flowers, to herbs. The products displayed also include clothes, household items as well as souvenirs. This place really showcases what local life is all about. Location: On Fu Shin Street, a pedestrian lane in Tai Po, northwest of the railway station and near Man Mo Temple. About the Writer - This is a guest post from Karawynn Long, who writes about personal finance at Pocketmint. Karawynn is a semi-regular contributor for Get Rich Slowly. She has been blogging since before “blogging” was a word. Here at the Koke-Long house we’re in the market for some furniture. Our living room is currently semi-furnished with a comfortable but deteriorating Ikea couch and some leftover dining chairs; we’d like a nice armchair or two and some tables. I’ve mostly gone for Ikea ‘cheap and new’ furniture in the past, but I’ve been disappointed by its (understatement alert!) lack of durability.
This time I’d like to try buying used but higher-quality. As I began to look around, though, I realized that I knew very little about what makes for a strong, long-lasting piece of furniture. Anyone can identify a rip, scratch, or stain, or decide whether they like a certain color, without special knowledge. But judging whether a piece is likely to last two years or twenty — just by looking at it — is harder stuff. Here’s an overview of what I learned, with a checklist at the end. Wood furniture — composition I used to think hardwoods were hard and softwoods were soft. Actually, hardwood just means ‘from a deciduous tree’ and softwood means ‘from a coniferous tree’, and some hardwoods (like aspen) are softer than some softwoods. What you want on exposed surfaces is a wood that’s reasonably scratch-resistant. You can test this easily enough by attempting to draw a thin line with your fingernail across the wood; if it makes a visible dent (use a flashlight here if necessary) you know it won’t stand up to much use.
Structurally, any kind of solid wood or sturdy plywood will do the trick. If plywood, look for at least nine layers. Check the wood for knots, even on unexposed pieces; all knots are susceptible to cracks. Some woods, like pine, are ‘knottier’ than others, and therefore less desirable. Avoid particleboard, pressed wood, or fiberboard. Veneers — a thin piece of premium wood covering a lower-quality piece of wood — are often used even in very high-quality furniture. As long as the base piece is solid wood or plywood, the only drawback to veneer is that it limits the number of times an item can be refinished. Wood furniture — construction Joint construction is the main determinant of quality furniture. Anything held together with staples or nails is shoddy construction. Ditto if it’s glued and you can see the glue. Dowels (wooden pegs slotted into two opposing holes) are good, as are screws. The best joints are either dovetail (interlocking squarish ‘teeth’ — see photo) or mortise-and-tenon (narrowed end of one piece inserted into a hole in the other).
Corners should have a reinforcing block attached at an angle. Look for thin sheets of wood between drawers in a chest of drawers or desk. While not necessary, these ‘dust panels’ improve structural strength as well as protect drawer contents. Drawers should run smoothly on glides and have stops to prevent accidentally pulling them all the way out. The best drawers have bottoms that are not affixed to the sides but ‘float’ in a groove, allowing for minor expansion and contraction caused by changes in humidity and providing extra strength. Lift the piece at one corner — it should not twist or squeak. Check that all legs are touching the floor. Press on various corners to see if the piece rocks or wobbles. Upholstered furniture — composition For a sofa or chair with removable cushions, unzip a seat cover and have a look inside. You should see a block of foam wrapped with dacron, cotton, or (for very high-end cushions) down, preferably with a protective inner cover (usually muslin).
Foam-only cushions are both less durable and less comfortable. If you’re buying new furniture, inquire after the density rating of the seat foam: you’re looking for 1.8 pounds or higher. Removable back cushions may have foam as well but are more often loose fill. In the latter case, multiple internal compartments are preferred as they prevent the fill from settling. If there’s a tag or label, look for a cleaning code: ‘W’ means water-based cleaners, ‘S’ means solvent-based cleaners (‘dry cleaning’), ‘X’ means no liquid (vacuum only). Upholstered furniture — construction According to Consumer Reports, the oft-touted “eight-way hand-tied coil springs” don’t have a corner on comfort; coil, cone, sinuous, and grid springs can all work well. Best just to test the feel of the specific piece by sitting in various spots to see whether you tip or sink. If the cushions are removable, lift and press down on the deck underneath: you should feel even spacing and resistance to pressure.
Squeeze the arms and back: ideally you should not be able to feel the frame through the padding. Lined skirts and ones with weights will hold their shape better over the long run. Are the cushions reversible? You’ll get twice the wear if they are. Flip them around and make sure any upholstery patterns match up both ways. Tip: Consumer Reports has a nice diagram to help you assess upholstered furniture construction. That’s a lot of information. If you’re like me, you might find it difficult to remember all of these factors while you’re actually shopping at the furniture store. To make things easier, I’ve created a basic furniture shopping checklist. You may download the 35kb PDF or simply print the list below: Armed with this information, I feel much more confident about approaching future furniture purchases, both new and used. I hope you find it helpful too. GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve their financial goals. Savings interest rates may be low, but that is all the more reason to shop for the best rate.