Ap Liu Street
In the late 18th century Sham Shui Po was still a small village; farms and fish ponds abound. Villagers
would raise ducks in straw huts by the ponds, and a wholesale business in selling ducks flourished.
The area was therefore called “Ap Liu” (Duck Huts). Sham Shui Po was included in urban development
by the early 20th century, with roads planned and constructed. One of the streets was therefore
named “Ap Liu Street”, which was also called “The Ap” (Ap Kee) in short.
In the 1930’s, the street was deemed to be the “Mosque Street of Kowloon”, because similar to
Mosque Street (Cat Street) on Hong Kong Island, Ap Liu Street also specialised in selling secondhand
goods. It was not until the late 1980’s that Ap Liu Street gradually become well-known as a
distribution centre for electronic parts. Since some men would often find good bargains when touring
and shopping there, it gained the title of “Men’s Street”, on a par with “Women’s Street” in Mong Kok.
