Cross Street (Hong Kong)

Cross Street (Chinese: 交加街) is a street and street market (open-air bazaar) in the Wan Chai District of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It runs east-west, between Johnston Road and Queen's Road East. Cross Street connects Spring Garden Lane in the west to Wan Chai Road in the east. The streets that pass through the middle are Tai Yuen Street and Stone Nullah Lane (north segment). Cross Street is located in the city center of Wan Chai. Both sides of the street are lined with hawker stalls and vehicles are not allowed to enter.

With the development of the urban area, open-air street markets in Hong Kong have gradually disappeared, and there are not many street marketsleft on Hong Kong Island. Cross Street is one of them. It is a typical street market in the old district of Wan Chai with a history of about 80 years. The street market in Cross Street (and Tai Yuen Street) was the filming location of the famous movie "The World of Suzie Wong" (蘇絲黃的世界).

Some of the hawker stalls have been operating at Cross Street for more than 70 years, serving the local community. For the local community, the street market is more than just a place to buy daily necessities. It is a favorite gathering place and an important hub for social interaction. For this reason, when the government proposed in 2006 to relocate more than 80 fixed street market hawker stalls to a newly built Wan Chai market nearby, community members including hawkers, relevant concern groups and conservation organizations spoke out, arguing that this move would destroy local community and affect local economic activities. In response to the call from the local community, the Hong Kong Development Bureau established the Old Wan Chai Revitalisation Scheme Special Committee (OWRISC) to explore ways to revitalize Old Wan Chai, including the Cross Street open-air bazaar.