25 February 2023
If you can't go to trails, why not explore the city?
I've been a fan of exploring nature but when plans get entangled, that left me to take the alternative which is to explore the city just to break the boredom on holidays.
There is a place in the eastern district of Hong Kong Island which is an Instagram spot and was even discovered by Hollywood. Some popular movies have been shot in the place back in time which makes it a more popular spot for photoshoots. The popularity of this place spread like wildfire that caught tourists attractions.
One thing that got me curious was its name and that's the main reason why I explored the place. In King's Road, Quarry Bay Hong Kong lies a very dense place that I guess is considered one of those densest places on earth. If not, then here in Hong Kong definitely.
They call it, Monster Building. And this is My First Urban Exploration post.
It was a sudden decision to explore the place on one foggy afternoon. I was tucked in my bed and unproductive, "you gonna get yourself moving," I thought. Quickly, I hopped out of my nest and ventured out into an unfamiliar place.
Unexpectedly, the place was even foggier and colder. Although I know in the first place that it wouldn't be a perfect day to take photos, I didn't bother as I wanted to check the monstrous place to feed my curiosity.
Being in an unfamiliar place, Google map always come in handy. Gladly, it was just a straight walk from the station with no complicated direction to trace.
It seems like the monster building isn't just the only dense place in Quarry Bay. High-rise residential buildings would definitely catch your sight while walking in the quaint streets of the city with a few modern buildings I sighted from the distance covered by thick fogs.
Uncertain of what I was looking for and what the monster building looks like from the outside, I assumed it was this enormous building that looks so dense. To prove my assumptions, I looked for its entrance which isn't that noticeable to the public.
On the opposite side of the King's Road, I stood bewildered by what I was seeing. It's a monstrous building indeed, though uncertain yet, it was the only one with a distinct appearance amongst the establishments along the highway. It looks shabby with walls that seem to be eaten by weather and time and if you see it in real life, you would probably question yourself its safety.
It got me questioning myself if it's even safe to live in this place. It may look decent, but definitely a NOT safe place for me. I would rather live in the countryside than in a city in this massive residential building. I just imagine if a devastating earthquake hit the place too badly. You wouldn't want to stay there or near it for sure. But HK isn't prone to earthquakes and buildings are undoubtedly built sturdy. But I would never live in a place like this.
The more I stared at it, the more I wanted to see the inside of the compound and the instagrammable spot I'd been seeing online.
Instead of seeing the entranceway, I came across a narrow alley with an array of food stalls. Despite the yummy-looking Chinese food on their menu posters, I didn't find them appetizing because of the place. It looked unhygienic.
Looking up at the building, some laundry was hung from lines strung outside the window that every time the wind blows, those clothes would make contact with the dirty and rustic wall making the clothes unhygienic to wear. The fact that it is along the highway, dust, and polluted smoke can taint the clothes.
I walked into a small and narrow shady alley and was told by the guard the direction to the place I was looking for. Different stalls were on the side, and some were closed. Creepy and unsafe. Those were the words I uttered as I wandered my eyes across the surroundings.
While walking in the creepy alley, a plethora of scenes flashed into my mind that were taken from those creepy movie scenes in Hong Kong.
"Will I be able to get out here alive?" I was stupid enough to think about it. "Where the hell is that monster building?" As I stepped into the middle part of the compound where a few people seemed to be taking photos, it wasn't long until I realized that I was already standing below the monster.
Lo and behold, the monster building in King's Road Quarry Bay.
You would imagine building block games once you saw this dense complex.
Have you ever been in the middle of giant structures and you feel too tiny wedged in between dilapidated buildings? Standing short in the courtyard of these massive buildings, I felt like inside a prison captured by a monster. I wonder though how a person with Claustrophobia would feel once she enters this looking-like den place. Suffocated? Strangled? She would probably panic and lose control.
The Monster Building connects five blocks namely: Oceanic Building, Yick Fat Building, Montane Mansion, Yick Cheong Building, and Fok Cheong Building. The highest is the 18-story Oceanic Building.
This impressively houses 10,000 people with more than two thousand units. Just imagine how dense it is. But can people still breathe well inside? Are units wide enough to live comfortably? Those were the questions in my mind. This complex is just one of those with the cheapest units in Hong Kong. So just consider this, one of the poor parts of this rich country.
This is a very well-known photoshoot location in Quarry Bay with those popular poses of visitors looking up at the monstrous building. Locals got its name due to its giant architecture which resembles a monster.
This instagrammable spot became so popular in the 2010s that it even traveled to Hollywood. Have you watched the Transformer movie by Michael Bay in 2014, the Age of Extinction? If you still remember the fighting scene between robots and FBI agents, one of those scenes was taken from this place which made the place even more popular.
You can check the Transformer Hong Kong battle here. The monster building at 1:28.
It was followed by the remake of the 1995 anime “Ghost in the Shell" in 2017 with an augmented CGI scene placed in a Japanese city setting.
Check the trail scene at 0:47
Lastly, some scenes of the ITV show Strangers in 2018 were also shot at this complex.
You can read more interesting stories about this place here as well as its controversial history.
However, as it became popular, people seemed to intrude on private property. Due to distractions and noises made by the visitors, some residents raised complaints about it causing the concrete mounds where visitors usually take photos to be closed. Until then, only a limited number of people are visiting the place. It somehow became an advantage to me as there were not a lot of photobombers when I visited the place.
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Knowing that exploring the property becomes forbidden, I only had a chance to explore the ground floor. While walking along the dark corridor, I could imagine a movie scene where lights seem broken and are turning on and off. And at the of the pathway, a monster would suddenly appear, dark and enormous. You can't blame me for imagining movie scenes, the place is a perfect place to shoot for movies. A bit creepy though.
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The ground floor of the complex is occupied by business establishments like dry seafood shops, salons, tailor shops, hardware, food shops, meat shops, and others.
Looking at this empty meat stall, I couldn't imagine how many pigs were butchered here, as well as the number of health-harming microorganisms lurking in those boards, unwashed aprons and towels, meat grinder, walls, and floors. Something that won't let the business pass the FDA examination. Is this even being checked?
What about this messy and disgusting place? It's either a kitchen behind a restaurant or part of a small food factory. Would you dare eat the food products if you know what lies behind the backdoor? Molds seem to have been stuck in those trays for ages. The floor and wall tiles, and equipment, all seem uncleaned, and even the staff uniform seems unwashed for who knows how long he's been using that without washing. I couldn't imagine what other more disgusting stuff are there behind the door.
The more I see such stuff, the more I was curious to trespass on this Monster Building. But then I was reminded by what @slobberchops said before, not the same words, but the same sense, that I would be penalized if I would trespass HK's property, lol. Which is true.
Above all, at the back of my mind, I thought, "Am I even brave enough to unmask hidden stories behind the forbidden walls of HK?" I've read a lot about terrible living situations in the slums of this rich country which I am keen at exploring if granted permission. But that would need more courage and...stronger stamina. It's not allowed to puke in HK's public areas, lol.
Thanks for reading my first Urban Exploration post. Until next time. See you.
Feel free to watch it here
(All photos are mine)
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