Sai Ying Pun was the first Hong Kong neighborhood I lived in since moving here, and I moved away recently after two-and-a-half years there. I still go back often because of school, but it feels bittersweet leaving a place I’ve come to know and love. It was the setting for my induction to Hong Kong life, learning to walk around the city all the time, navigating the sloping and uneven pavements, exploring places to eat, and getting to know the friendly locals at the places I go to eat at all the time.

On a public holiday a while back, I was lazy to beat the crowds in town and decided to stay in nearby. While walking along, that was when I discovered the graffiti designs on a few shutters of the closed local shops nestled along First, Second and Third Street. Sai Ying Pun is great for its quiet peacefulness and its local feel (although it’s increasingly getting gentrified), but it’s not exactly visually appealing. I love how the graffiti-ed shutters add a burst of color and fun to the streets, especially when shops are closed for the day.

After moving away, I wanted to do a tribute to the well-loved neighborhood, and what better way to share photos of the artsy shutters I discovered! Art-dieu, Sai Ying Pun.