Neighboring the vibrant and fragrant Flower Market, the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, a.k.a. the Bird Garden, is a unique place to visit for those who want to get a glimpse of bird-keeping, a disappearing tradition in Hong Kong.
History of Keeping Birds As Pets
Keeping birds as pets has been popular since the late Qing Dynasty (1636–1911). Legends have it that the elite class and scholars liked to keep birds and enjoyed their beautiful chirping sounds as entertainment. It was a symbol of their wealth and leisurely, comfortable lifestyle. Fast-forward to modern Hong Kong in the 1920s, the locals loved to keep birds as pets to bring a sense of tranquility and nature to their famously tiny apartments.
Tea House Culture & Birds
In the 1950s, taking your pet birds to traditional tea houses and enjoying a nice dim sum breakfast (with your feather friends sitting in a beautifully hand-made bamboo bird cage hanging above you) was one of the most popular activities among local Chinese men. The proud bird owners would talk about how well their birds sang, how exquisite the bird cage was, how colorful the feathers were, etc. (I am in love with my cat Mimi, so I totally share sentiments similar to those of the bird owners!)
However, as many old-style Chinese tea houses closed down one by one since the 1960s, we can only reminisce about the good old days when tea houses still allowed you to bring your pet birds with you.
City Redevelopment & The Future of Bird Garden
After the Kee Heung Teahouse in Mong Kok (which was the most popular gathering place for bird enthusiasts at that time) was demolished in the 1960s, a nearby street called Hong Lok Street slowly developed into the famous Bird Street in the 1970s - a street with more than 80 stores specializing in selling birds, birdcages, and technically everything related to birds.
However, with the plan to redevelop the Mong Kok neighborhood to make way for the Langham Place shopping mall and office tower in the 1990s, Bird Street was demolished and relocated to a tiny garden that is now tucked away in a lesser-known and visited neighborhood in Mong Kok.
Nevertheless, the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is still worth visiting. Around 20 to 30 active vendors inside the garden sell all kinds of birds and bird supplies, including the last remaining hand-made birdcage shop - Choi Kee. The best time to visit is either early morning or after 3 p.m. when a fair number of bird lovers are still bringing out their birds on a walk and "socializing" with other birds.
One thing you will likely notice is that those bird owners are mostly older Chinese men, and sometimes, we wonder how long this tradition will still be around.
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