The Naval Shopping Centre, which has been established for more than half a century at the Wan Chai Fenfield Wharf, has a dilapidated appearance and peeling color on its walls. It appears to be deserted at first glance.
But it used to be beautiful and beautiful. In the 1990s, it evolved from a small stone house on the shore into an all-encompassing shopping mall. Even the British department store "Lane Crawford" and the former executive council convener ARCULLI's family "Xiali Lila" also Stationed.
A large number of navies visited Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s, with as many as 100,000 per year at the peak.
However, after the reunification, the two reclamations and the shortening of leases have gradually withered the shopping malls. Now they have to face the huge round of demolition. The non-profit organization "Military Guidance Association", the director of the shopping malls, Wang Huang Jiuqing, is not able to keep the protection of his husband. I feel guilty about the last wish of the Wharf, and I am worried that no one will serve the sailors who come to Hong Kong from afar. In the future, they will move to a smaller office to find a way out. The Association is also discussing with the Maritime Museum to preserve the objects in the building and bring Hong Kong to Hong Kong. The cultural heritage of entertaining sailors.
The relocation period of the Navy Mall has been postponed from the end of this year to February 11 next year, allowing merchants to do business during the last Christmas and New Year holiday peak seasons. The Military Guidance Association will also hold exhibitions and farewell parties to say goodbye to the public.
(The Last Tango of the Navy Mall, one of the series)
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The paint on the exterior wall of the three-storey Navy Mall was peeled off to pieces, and the door was surrounded by construction sites, and the mall seemed to be covered by dust at any time.
Walking into the mall, the clock seems to be frozen at a certain moment in the 90s. Shanghai barbershops and old-style souvenir shops are still there. The tables and chairs left by the landmarks and the rare McDonald's restaurants that sell beer are still intact.
The farewell is imminent, and the souvenir shop's clearance sale is the McDonald's Hello Kitty doll that was popular in the millennium.
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There are cracks in the walls and floor. In addition to the traces of the years, they are also the crevices caused by the settlement of the MTR Shazhong Line Convention and Exhibition Station in 2018.
Little Stone House continues to expand
This weather-beaten shopping mall was once famous for a while.
Wang Huang Jiuqing, a director of the Military Guidance Association responsible for operating the Navy Mall, said that the Navy Mall in the 1950s was just a small stone house by the sea. After the U.S. Navy landed ashore, it used it as a base to travel around. The more U.S. troops visited Hong Kong. The small stone house also continues to expand.
When the US troops first arrived in Hong Kong, they would unload the food and cans from the warships, and distribute them to the residents in the wooden hut area through the Maryknoll Fathers Association.
Huang Jiuqing recalled that in the past, large-scale festivals and other volunteers invited young sailors to their homes, so that the soldiers who had been away from home for a long time would relieve their homesickness.
In the early 1990s, the China Fleet Club (Chinese Navy Club), which was responsible for receiving the international navy and currently located in the Evergrande Center of China, changed hands. Merchants raised funds to expand the west wing of the Navy Mall, evolving to the current 3-storey appearance.
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According to data from the Military Guidance Association, there were more than 80 warships visiting Hong Kong in 1990, with a total of more than 58,000 sailors. They bought souvenirs and handouts, and used the long-distance phone numbers provided by the mall to contact family members who had been away for a long time. Jaffe said The bars on Lockhart Road also came into being. "It definitely drives the economy of Wan Chai. In the past, when you were in a row, Wan Chai had a lot of posters, and there were sailors. In fact, the change is an indicator, one. The landmark, Wan Chai is so prosperous, in fact, it was the area where the sailors used to lead the prosperous area."
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Theodore Algire, director-general of the retired U.S. Army and the Military Guidance Association, also recalled that in the past, the sea soldiers who landed ashore were mighty and filled the entire lobby.
Looking at the unfamiliar sailor, "Brother Chu", he seemed to see his shadow when he was young. The difference is that when he was young, he never enjoyed the service of a military counseling club, because this place is "unique" in the world for sailors. "As a former sailor, I understand the difficulties encountered by sailors, especially young boys. They have no money and are not familiar with the cities they visit. I think it’s important to bring them a positive experience because they are easy Being taken advantage of." His most satisfying and deepest memory was seeing the sailors leaving with joy and full rewards.
Extended reading series:
Navy Mall | February officially bid farewell to operators to organize exhibitions, farewell parties and say goodbye to citizens
Naval Shopping Center｜The old tailor shop relies on the "through-train" to meet friends and flies to the online world to inherit history
Navy Mall｜Famous Italian restaurant bids farewell to dignitaries
Navy Mall｜The barber shop master cuts out the era to witness the brothers Tsang Yinquan invited to visit the door
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The boarding ladder has long been rusted
However, the prosperous age of the Navy Mall has also disappeared with the return. The number of warships visiting Hong Kong has been declining. Together with the reclamation project of the sub-area terminal 10 years ago, the invincible seascape of the past has been wiped out, and the sailors can no longer be here. Landed ashore and became fatal.
The stairs connecting the warships are rusty and overgrown with weeds, and martial arts have long been abolished.
However, Huang Jiuqing said that after the reunification, the government shortened the lease to 90 days, which means that the Military Guidance Association will be forced to relocate at any time: "We don’t want to be dilapidated, but there is no way. I don’t want to do renovations, because if you pretend to be repaired, you have to take it back, and the money is like falling into the salt water sea, so I will wait for the opportunity to renew.”
We were told that Hong Kong no longer needs our services. We are very disappointed. We know that they (the government) were drafting a lease. I think it is very sad. After the removal of the Fen-Domain Terminal, Hong Kong will lose its unique organization since 1953. .
Hao Taide, Director General of the Military Guidance Association
The Military Guidance Association negotiated with the government to extend the lease to 21 years and rebuild the Navy Mall on the original site. The reconstruction plan was approved by the Town Planning Board as early as 2016. However, three years later, the government suddenly convened a meeting to announce that it would rebuild the sub-domain terminal. In the Harbour Fire Station adjacent to the Wan Chai Government Building, “We were told that Hong Kong no longer needs our services. We are very disappointed. We know that they (the government) were drafting a lease.” Hao Tide sighed, “I think it’s sad, Fen Wan Terminal After the removal, Hong Kong will lose its unique organization since 1953." What disappoints him most is that the government has no plan to provide services to entertain sailors.
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After the news of the forced eviction came out, there were many voices from the people asking for the preservation of the Navy Mall. Hao Tide and Huang Jiuqing attended the district council and other meetings repeatedly in an attempt to turn the tide, but they still could not reverse the government's decision.
She could not agree with the government's statement: "If from beginning to end, there would never be a navy visit to Hong Kong, and you would not have Wan Chai, I can dare to say that the navy drives the economy of Hong Kong, or maybe it can. Speaking of the department, everyone is a cultural exchange."
Or have the opportunity to save the old things in the mall
Hao Tide said that the Maritime Museum contacted him earlier, hoping to preserve the old objects in the mall and display them in the museum in the future. He thinks this is a good sign and proves the value of the Fen Yuen Wharf. Young people come here one by one. "It also means that the history of sailors has spread widely.
Huang Jiuqing revealed that he will continue to operate the military counselling association, and store signs and old objects in storage, hoping to keep the last wishes of the naval merchants who had served here in the 1960s.
She believes that after the epidemic subsides, the sailors will return, and the Navy Mall will reappear in another place.
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Navy Mall | February officially bid farewell to the operators to organize exhibitions, farewell parties to say goodbye to the citizens of the Navy Mall | The old tailor shop relies on "through-train" friends to join the network world to inherit the history of the Navy Mall | Well-known Italian restaurants bid farewell to dignitaries and turn to private kitchens Savor the Navy Mall for the old glutton | The barber shop master cuts out the era to witness the brothers Tsang Yinquan invited to visit the door to renew their fate