Man Yuen Noodles, a former dai pai dong on Elgin Street, Central. The Democratic Party banner calls for preservation of the stall.

Dai pai dong (Traditional Chinese: 大牌檔, Simplified Chinese: 大牌档, literally "large-license stalls"; corruption: 大排檔, literally "large-row stalls"; Cantonese in Jyutping: daai6 paai4 dong3) is a type of open-air food stall once very popular in Hong Kong. The government registration name is "cooked-food stalls".^[1] ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 606 KB) A dai pai dong in Central, Hong Kong. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 606 KB) A dai pai dong in Central, Hong Kong. ... Elgin Street (Traditional Chinese:伊利近街) is located in Central, Hong Kong, named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin. ... The Democratic Party (民主黨, Hanyu: mín zhÇ” dÇŽng, Jyutping: man zyu dong) is a pro-democracy and liberal political party in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ... Jyutping (sometimes spelled Jyutpin) is a romanization system for Standard Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) in 1993. ...

It is characterised by its green-painted steel kitchen, untidy atmosphere and lack of air-conditioning, as well as the great variety, low prices and wok hei of the dishes. Regarded by some as part of the collective memory of Hong Kong people ^[2], genuine dai pai dongs are scarce today, numbering only 28, situated in Central (10), Sham Shui Po (14), Wan Chai (1), Tai Hang (2), and Tai O (1).^[3][4] Wok hei (Chinese: 鑊氣; Jyutping: wok6 hei3; Mandarin Pinyin: ) is a term in Cantonese Chinese referring to the flavour, tastes, and essence imparted by a hot wok on the food. ... Collective memory is a term coined by Maurice Halbwachs, separating the notion from the individual memory. ... The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... Skyline of Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po (Chinese: 深水埗; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping: sam1 sui2 bo2, Yale: sam seuí bouh; Mandarin Pinyin: shen1 shui3 bu4; lit. ... See Wan Chai District for the broader administrative district that covers Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, etc. ... Tai Hang in the 1980s. ... Tai O (Traditional Chinese: ) is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. ...

Although the term dai pai dong is often used generically to refer to any food stall operating on the roadside with foldable tables and chairs and without air-conditioning (like those on Temple Street), officially speaking the term can only refer to those 28 stalls which possess the "big licenses". Temple Streets night market. ...

History

Unlicensed food stalls, which provided cheap everyday food such as congee, rice and noodles to the general public of humble income, appeared in as early as the late 19th century in Hong Kong. The stalls could be found not only in Central, but also in Wanchai and the peripheries of Happy Valley Racecourse around Wong Nai Chung Road. In fact, the great fire at the racecourse in 1918 was caused by food stalls set beside the podium. There were also stalls assembled by piers, which formed the so-called Waisik Matau (為食碼頭 lit. "Gluttonous Pier"), to serve ferry passengers. Rice congee is a type of rice porridge that is eaten in many Asian countries. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Look up Noodle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Wan Chai district (灣仔區), or simply Wan Chai or Wanchai, is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, located in the north of Hong Kong island. ... Happy Valley Horse Racing Track is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. ... The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, ca. ...

After the Second World War came to an end in 1945, the colonial Hong Kong government issued ad hoc licenses to families of deceased and injured civil servants, allowing them to operate food stalls in public and thereby earn a living. This kind of license was considerably larger than the ones normally issued, as a photograph of the licensee was required to appear on them. The license, therefore, was jocularly called "dai pai" (big license) by the locals. From then on, the "big license stalls" began to flourish on every busy street and lane in Hong Kong. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Dai pai dongs on Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, around 1955.

A dai pai dong selling congee on Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po, in 2005.

However, dai pai dongs soon became the cause of traffic congestion and hygiene problems, and some licensees even began to let out their stalls on the black market. In response, the government stopped issuing new "big licenses" in 1956, and limited their transfer. The licenses could no longer be inherited, and could only be passed on to spouses upon the licensee's death. If the licensee did not have a spouse, the license would simply expire. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 327 KB) Dai pai dongs on Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, around 1955. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 327 KB) Dai pai dongs on Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, around 1955. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 522 KB) A dai pai dong in Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 522 KB) A dai pai dong in Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since 1975, many dai pai dongs have been moved into temporary markets, like the ones on Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, or into cooked food centres, usually located in municipal services complexes managed by the Urban Council, for easier control. In order to improve worsening public hygiene, the government began to buy back "big licences" from the licence-holders in 1983. Since most of the licensees were aged, and the licenses are only legally transferable to their spouses, many of the licensees were willing to return their licenses for compensation. Since then, the number of traditional dai pai dongs has declined rapidly. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui is a famous landmark of Hong Kong. ... Symbol of the Urban Council from its inception in the 1960s until its abolishment in 1999. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

Today, most dai pai dongs survive by operating in cooked food centres, while the more successful ones have reinvented themselves as air-conditioned restaurants (some of them keep their original stalls operating at the same time, like the one located on Gage Street, Central).

It was reported that revenues of dai pai dongs increased considerably in 2003 when Hong Kong was plagued by SARS; as people regarded air-conditioned places as hotbeds of the virus and patronised open-air and sun-lit stalls instead.^[5] 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sars may refer to any of the following: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, commonly abbreviated as SARS Michael Sars, a Norwegian biologist, father of Georg Sars Georg Sars, a Norwegian biologist, son of Michael Sars Special Administrative Regions, commonly abbreviated as SARs Sars, Perm Krai, an urban settlement in Perm Krai...

Features of dai pai dongs

Milk tea and a bowl of instant noodle with pig liver, served at a dai pai dong on Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po.

• One can order tailor-made dishes.
• It is customary to have to share tables with complete strangers when there is a shortage of seating.
• Unlike cha chaan tengs, most dai pai dongs do not provide set meals.
• "Cross-stall ordering" is possible: for instance, when one is sitting and eating in a stall selling noodles, he or she can order a cup of milk tea from another stall, which may be several stalls away.
• The stalls can be roughly divided into those operating in daytime and those doing business at night. The dai pai dongs which operate at night usually sell seafood and other more costly dishes: one dish usually costs from HKD$ 40-70. The day-time dai pai dongs, on the contrary, provide cheap food including:
  • congee and youtiao;
  • Milk tea, toasts, sandwiches and instant noodles with ham, egg, luncheon meat or sausage;
  • rice or noodles with siu mei (燒味 roasted meats);
  • fried rice and dip tau fan (碟頭飯 rice plates);
  • Chiuchow-style noodles (潮州粉麵).

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 408 KB) Food provided in a dai pai dong on Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 408 KB) Food provided in a dai pai dong on Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. ... Cha chaan teng is a type of Chinese tea restaurant commonly found in Hong Kong, known for its eclectic and affordable menus which include many dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and localised Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. ... Spaghetti with seafood (Spaghetti allo scoglio). ... The Hong Kong Dollar (ISO 4217: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) within the Peoples Republic of China. ... Pieces of Youtiao Youtiao (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Yóutiáo; literally oil strip), sometimes called fried bread stick, is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and is usually eaten for breakfast. ... Hot milk tea in a cylindric cup Hong Kong-style milk tea, often known as dai-pai-dong milk tea, is a beverage originating from Hong Kong. ... Two pieces of toasted white bread. ... An Italian sandwich. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Ham with cloves Technically, ham is the thigh and rump of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. ... An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... This article is about the canned meat product. ... Plate with German Wurst (liver-, blood- and hamsausage) A sausage consists of ground meat, animal fat, herbs and spices, and sometimes other ingredients, usually packed in a casing (historically the intestines of the animal, though now generally synthetic), and sometimes preserved in some way, often by curing or smoking. ... Teochiu can refer to: Chaozhou(潮州), a prefecture_level city in Guangdong Province, China. ...

Preservation

Local newspaper coverage of the closure of Man Yuen Noodles.

In May 2005, the existence of dai pai dong in Hong Kong caught considerable public attention, as Man Yuen Noodles, a dai pai dong selling noodles in Central, faced imminent closure due to the death of the licensee. The news came after the closure of a bakery famous for its egg tarts, also located in Central and forced to close because of the rise of rent. The bakery reopened in October 2005.^[6] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 450 KB)Local newspaper coverages of the closure of Man Yuen Noodle, located in Central, Hong Kong. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 450 KB)Local newspaper coverages of the closure of Man Yuen Noodle, located in Central, Hong Kong. ... An egg tart with puff pastry crust Egg tart is a kind of pastry that is popular in Hong Kong, Macau and surrounding areas in southern China. ...

Despite calls for its preservation by many locals, including some politicians, the stall was closed on July 30 2005. The Hong Kong government was criticised for not trying its best to preserve dai pai dongs as part of the Hong Kong culture. The news of the closure coincided with the government's proposal of the development of West Kowloon Cultural District. The stall has unexpectedly reopened at a nearby shop on 1 December 2005.^[7] The West Kowloon Cultural District (西九龍文娛藝術區) is a proposed district of concentration for arts, cultural and entertainment establishments in Hong Kong. ...

References

• Cheng Po Hung, Early Hong Kong Eateries, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, 2003.
• Ng Ka Wing Karen, Wong Lai Wah and Yiu Shuk Hing, From the Streets to the Shopping Arcades - Dai Pai Dong Culture in Hong Kong, paper issued by the Creative Learning and Hong Kong Culture and Society Project (CLHKCSP).

Notes

1. ^ Lai, Lawrence Wai-chung (2003). Town Planning in Hong Kong: A Review of Planning Appeal Decisions, 1997-2001. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press; London: Eurospan. ISBN 9622096603.
2. ^ http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20051123/20051123_55_269784.html
3. ^ http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200511/23/P200511230294.htm
4. ^ http://www.hkjn.com.hk/food/articles/TaiPaiDong_List.php
5. ^ Ming Pao, A6, 31-07-2005
6. ^ http://news.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/news/show_news.cgi?type=pic&date=2005-10-01&id=1443962&ct=headlines
7. ^ http://appledaily.atnext.com/template/apple/art_main.cfm?iss_id=20061010&sec_id=15307&subsec_id=15329&art_id=6390217

Ming Pao (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Jyutping ming4 bou3; Hanyu Pinyin: míngbào), a Chinese language newspaper, is a publication by the Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. ...

External links

• A picture of Man Yuen Noodles, Apple Daily
• (Chinese) Reportage of the "protection" of a dai pai dong at Tai Hang, Apple Daily
• A video and article about Hong Kong daipaidongs