I have never lived in Kowloon City, but my mom took me there at times when I was young. As I remember, the old-fashioned shopping mall in the district was crudely decorated. The wall and floor tiles were either in brownish or orange hue. Lined with tiny shops, the interior was very gloomy. As shop owners loved to hang their products outside, the hallway was only broad enough for two people to walk past. The shop signs looked comparatively huge in the limited space. The most enjoyable moment in the mall was winning candies and toys from the capsule vending machines placed outside the shops.
There used to be many Chinese cheongsam tailoring shops. I was quite confused as I wondered who would wear that kind of dress. The mall also gathered shops of clothes mending, stationeries, traditional pastries and snacks. I always bought the red bean puddings there. The brown sugar one with loads of beans was divine. Sometimes, my mom also took me to the cinema in the concessionary time slots, sharing one ticket for us two. Back then the cinema was not equipped with escalators. I was out of breath walking up the steep stairs. If we arrived before the screening time, I would play with the weighing machine. What a memory! There was a time I lost my way after the movie. The gloomy environment made me feel so scared! Fortunately, a mid-aged woman took me back to my mom at last.
