appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Theodora Yu

Inside a pre-war building in the heart of Hong Kong’s busy Wan Chai, coffee, curios and Cantopop are now the fresh attractions breathing new energy into a historic pawn shop that closed its doors two years ago.
As the nostalgic tunes of late Cantopop legend Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing spin on vinyl and fill the air, curious passers-by step inside to see the shop – located in the venerable tong lau or tenement building – that has been granted a new lease on life.
Built in 1924, the four-storey structure became home to Chun On Pawn Shop for more than eight decades ago. After ceasing operations in 2024, the shop reopened in mid-August as a pop-up community and exhibition space. The venue now features old pawnbroking artefacts, historical photographs and workshops and community activities.
At 11am on Thursday, roughly a dozen residents dropped by to explore the building, whose ground floor was traditionally covered by a large screen to protect the transactions and privacy of clients.

Paula Chan, a retiree who has lived in Wan Chai for 50 years, said she was drawn by the nostalgic charm of the pawn shop while on her way to purchase groceries at the nearby wet market.
“I was curious about what a pawn shop looks like and how it operates, as I rarely get to see the layout behind the counter,” Chan said, adding she found the calligraphy particularly interesting.
The tenement building is one of the few pre-war buildings in Wan Chai that has retained its original structure. Terrazzo finishes can still be found on the walls.
Run by One Bite Social, a non-profit that promotes the rethinking of urban spaces, the project is funded by the Lion Rock Heritage Foundation.
The pawn shop switched names and ownership several times throughout the 20th century. In 1963, it was bought by the family of property developer Lo Shiu-tong, who later founded the real estate firm Yu Tai Hing.
Under the current set-up, the ground and first floors offer seating for the public. While the higher floors, which operated as a storage space, are now closed, photographs display their original layout and architectural details such as the pitched roof.

Amy Li Choi-ying, 24, a social worker who has lived her whole life in Wan Chai, spent 45 minutes relaxing in the space with a cup of coffee.
“There are many historic buildings with unique Hong Kong characteristics that have yet to be discovered,” Li said, noting overseas countries such as Japan or the United Kingdom allocated significant resources to conserving century-old monuments.
“Rather than dismantling old buildings, can the government and non-profits innovate ways to turn them into social spaces?” she said.
In 2024, the pre-war tenement in Wan Chai was classified as a grade three building under the city’s three-tier system for historical buildings, meaning it has some merit but did not qualify to be considered a possible monument.
Only those with grade one accreditation are considered buildings with outstanding merit that warrant every effort to preserve them.

For another visitor, a 70-year-old retiree surnamed Chan, the exhibition brought back memories of the city’s post-war era, when pawnbrokers were a vital financial lifeline for struggling families.
“Pawn shops, especially during that era, offered hope to residents,” Chan said. “Even HK$10 back then was a huge help, as a Chinese fried dough stick cost only 50 cents,” she said with a chuckle.
Retiree Irene Lui, a 70-year-old Wong Tai Sin resident who visited the exhibition, added that seeing the authentic pawn receipts was the highlight of her visit.
The pop-up community hub will remain open until December 19, mirroring the traditional four-month redemption window pawnbrokers gave clients to reclaim their items.


To understand where Hong Kong is going, start with Tung Chee-hwa

How Hong Kong’s old businesses are adapting to new times

Woman arrested over child abuse in Hong Kong after dashcam video shows boy shoved

Mid-Autumn light show in Yuen Long panned online over stench and execution

Hong Kong society

Historic Hong Kong pawn shop gets new lease on life as vibrant community space

The decades-old Chun On Pawn Shop in Wan Chai has been transformed into a pop-up community hub. Photo: Karma Lo

Vintage memorabilia – a clock, lantern and rotary telephone – is on display. Photo: Karma Lo

Amy Li relaxes in the community space with a cup of coffee. Photo: Theodora Yu

Chun On Pawn Shop’s ledger gives visitors insight into a bygone era. Photo: Karma Lo

The neon sign of Chun On Pawn Shop lights up in the evening. Photo: Karma Lo

Visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee inside the pop-up community hub that was once a neighborhood lifeline for quick cash. Photo: Karma Lo

Chun On Pawn Shop's stamp is among the many items on show at the pop-up community hub. Photo: Karma Lo

Panel backs grade one heritage status for three of Hong Kong’s century-old reservoirs

Albany Fresh Water Service Reservoir. Photo: Handout

Mount Gough Fresh Water Service Reservoir. Photo: Handout

Douglas So, chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

How Hong Kong plans to tap popular films, historic buildings to lure tourists

Tourists take photos outside the former Yau Ma Tei police station. Photo: Sun Yeung

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui at the Hong Kong government headquarters in Admiralty on June 18. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s culture minister has identified Haw Par Mansion as another historic building that could be further developed as a tourist site. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

How Hong Kong Fringe Club got its start in a historic building in Central in 1984 — from the SCMP archive

The Fringe Club first occupied part of the Old Dairy Farm Block to stage the 1984 Fringe Festival, and later made it a permanent performance and exhibition space. Photo: Sun Yeung

A scene in Wyndham Street in Central on May 5, 1979. Photo: Sunny Lee

Founder of the Hong Kong Fringe Club Benny Chia Chun-heng, taken outside the Fringe Club on February 17, 2021. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Five cartoonists with their works to be exhibited at the Fringe Club. Photo: SCMP

A Hong Kong Heritage Awards plaque on display at the Fringe Club. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Dance choreography Chen Kai, poses for a photograph at the Fringe Club in March 2015. Photo: Bruce Yan

A historic road sign on the side of the Old Dairy Farm Depot building in Central. Photo: Sam Tsang

The building housing the Fringe Club and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club was originally a cold storage warehouse. Photo: Sam Tsang

A close-up of the Fringe Club’s iconic floor tiles on August 27, 2022. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

News

Hong Kong

Society

One Bite Social and Lion Rock Heritage Foundation transform Chun On Pawn Shop into pop-up community and exhibition space


One Bite Social and Lion Rock Heritage Foundation transform Chun On Pawn Shop into pop-up community and exhibition space.


Historic Hong Kong pawn shop gets new lease on life as vibrant community space

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}One Bite Social and Lion Rock Heritage Foundation transform Chun On Pawn Shop into pop-up community and exhibition space

One Bite Social and Lion Rock Heritage Foundation transform Chun On Pawn Shop into pop-up community and exhibition space