Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei

Hong Kong’s Temple Street is known for many things – a night market, claypot rice dishes and some quirky roadside karaoke enthusiasts. Derek Yee’s award-winning C’est La Vie, Mon Chéri, puts its focus on a very specific section of the street next to the Carpark Building where Cantonese opera singers perform nightly. This tearjerker, about a musician who falls for a terminally ill girl from the neighbourhood, is a moving ode to the community.

Man Wah Sun Chuen, Jordan

Hong Kong’s other famous giant apartment block is across Victoria Harbour, between the Jordan neighbourhood and the high-speed rail station in West Kowloon. Made up of eight apartment blocks, Man Wah Sun Chuen is one of the city’s oldest private housing estates, complete with car mechanic shops and great local restaurants. It’s made multiple big-screen appearances: Man Wah Sun Chuen is where most of the action takes place in Johnnie To’s Breaking News, the location of the heartfelt finale in Lost in Time and even features in Hollywood futuristic sci-fi thriller, Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovich.

Hung To Road, Kwun Tong

Johnnie To and his Milkyway Image have produced some of the best Hong Kong films in the past 20 years, including Election, Running Out of Time, PTU, The Mission and Life Without Principle. No matter which Hong Kong neighbourhood his films are set in, there is always a scene that is shot in Kwun Tong – especially on Hung To Road – and the surrounding area. The reason is simple: To’s company is headquartered on Hung To Road. Even PTU, which is supposed to be set entirely in Tsim Sha Tsui, has at least one pivotal scene shot in Kwun Tong.

New Territories: Spotlight on Sha Tin

Developed in 1973, Sha Tin has the highest population of all of Hong Kong’s 18 districts. Its vast open area creates a stark contrast to the claustrophobic cityscapes of densely packed high-rises in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. Here are some key film locations that crop up in local films time and again.

Shing Mun River

The annual Dragon Boat Festival held on Sha Tin’s Shing Mun river is a major tournament and event. Naturally, a significant part of local comedy Men on the Dragon – about a group of middle-aged men who take up dragon boat racing – was shot on location at the river. The ending even sees the film’s ragtag group of heroes row their dragon boat all the way down to Sha Tin Town Hall.

Lung Wah Hotel

Best known for the roasted pigeon served in its restaurant and its 1950s decor, Lung Wah Hotel was often used as a recording studio and a filming location in old Hong Kong films, including Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss. Late literary legend Louis Cha reportedly wrote his first novel, The Book and the Sword, in the hotel. The building hasn’t been used as a hotel since 1985, but it has appeared in a number of recent Hong Kong films, including You Shoot, I Shoot, Husband Killers and Trivisa.