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Meet one of the last remaining Hong Kong Chinese traders in Chungking Mansions

Nelson Tse has held a shop in the infamous Nathan Road high-rise for more than four decades alongside competitors from around the globe

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Nelson Tse Shiu-ho has worked full time since he was just 13 years old. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong trader Nelson Tse Shiu-ho has worked full time since he was just 13 years old, so it’s perhaps not surprising that he is looking forward to retirement.

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Now 70, the father of one has held a shop in Chungking Mansions – a hub for traders from developing countries, backpackers and asylum seekers – for more than four decades.

“I want to go and visit my grandchildren in Australia, because so far I have only been able to see pictures on WhatsApp,” he says.

Tse, who lives with his wife in Pok Fu Lam, is one of the last remaining Hong Kong Chinese shop owners in Chungking Mansions. Completed in 1961, the building in Tsim Sha Tsui was originally intended to be residential, but gradually came to incorporate hotels, restaurants and shops.

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It is now predominantly home to Indian and Pakistani traders, with authentic cuisine available on almost every aisle.

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