Bird Garden: A Guide to Yuen Po Street Bird Market – Hong Kong Street Market

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden (also known as Bird Market) is one of the most popular street markets in Hong Kong, offering great opportunity to experience some unique part of local life and culture.

Bird Garden is a traditional Chinese-style garden or a market all about pet birds and songbirds. Besides, it is also a small oasis in this busy and hectic city surrounded by a cacophony of songbirds.

Highlights of Bird Garden

Strictly speaking, the Bird Market is more of a garden than a market. Hong Kong and Chinese people love animals and especially songbirds. Walking into this small park or garden, you can witness one of Hong Kong’s phenomenon of taking “birds” for a walk. It is part of local life that visitors hardly get to see.

The 3,000-square-meter Chinese style garden is nowadays one of the few places where bird lovers and enthusiasts meet and take their precious little friends out for a walk. It is not only a meeting place for bird collectors, but also a place to chat and relax.

Hong Kong people love to hang out, chat, share and discuss their enthusiasm for birds and everyday life. Simply stroll along the garden and watch traders selling birds, accessories and cages in various shapes, sizes and conditions.

If you are interested in the unique “Walking the bird” culture, you should come very early in the morning. Usually bird lovers will take their little friends out in the cloth-covered cages for a walk. While walking, they will slightly swing the cage in order to let birds exercise their legs.

Visiting the Bird Market is a unique chance and opportunity to experience this bird culture. Sadly, it is disappearing and there are very few places left where you can encounter this part of traditional lifestyle.

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The History behind the Bird Market

Originally, Bird Market was located in Mongkok’s Hong Lok Street, which was also known as Bird Street. In the early 1990s, the government decided to do a redevelopment and revitalization project of the surrounding areas. Nowadays you find the Langham Place Shopping Mall there. As a result, Bird Market was relocated to the present location on Yuen Po Street.

Today you can experience the Bird Garden with beautiful Chinese architectural elements. The entrance is a traditional “pai lou” (gateway).

Make sure to take your time and explore this little tranquil garden. When walking around the Bird Garden you can also spot the traditional Moon Gateways, which divide the area into smaller courtyards.

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What can you find at Bird Garden?

To be fair, as a tourist you probably won’t be interested to purchase one of the little feathery friends. However, at the Bird Garden you can purchase all kind of different exotic bird-care related items.

There are more than 70 shops, wholesalers, stores, stalls and traders selling everything related to pet birds. You are able to find a wide variety of birds and songbirds in all colors, sizes and price range from tiny sparrows, canaries, oriental magpie-robins, exotic birds, parrots, small budgies to parakeets.

Besides the beautiful birds, there are also all kinds of accessories including handcrafted cages of all sizes, shapes and designs. Many people use the chance to buy a unique souvenir to take home for decoration. There are plenty of handcrafted bird cages made of bamboo or teak wood waiting for a new home. You also can find modern design cages made off steel, metal or plastic.

Aside from live pets and cages, you are able to buy anything related with the feeding and raising of the beautiful songbirds. This includes feeders, special nutrition and food, porcelain water bowls, stands, toys, perches, decorations and other supplies.

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Is it worthwhile to visit Bird Street?

In case you plan to visit the famous Flower Market, the Bird Market is basically next to it and you can do them together. The experience of this market, however, is a little bit a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is fascinating to see and experience one of Hong Kong’s old tradition. On the other hand, it is also sad to see the small birds in their tiny cages.

As a disappearing tradition, there are not many places where you can find something similar. Even if you don’t want to purchase any live pets or bird accessories, you still can enjoy the beautiful settings and unique ancient Chinese tradition as well as the chats, chirps and tweets of the colorful little songbirds in their unique bamboo cages.

What is the best time to visit Bird Market?

The opening hours of Bird Garden are daily from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. However, the opening hours of the small shops and stalls inside the park vary. The majority of shops usually open until 5:00 – 6:00 pm.

So, the best time to visit Bird Garden is either in the very early morning hours or in the mid-afternoon.

Especially during the early morning, you may have a chance to see how the bird owners use chopsticks to feed the birds with crickets and grasshoppers. They also love to take their caged companions out, chat about their pet hobby, socialize and talk about the latest news.

Most collectors are very friendly and more than happy and proud to show off their birds singing skills or chat with you about their little treasures. The bird cages usually hang from tree branches or special designed location while the owners play some Chinese chess or card games or simply enjoy the quietness of the park.

If you stick around long enough, you might even experience and witness how the birds getting fed.

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Where is Bird Garden and How to get to Bird Garden?

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is between Mongkok and Prince Edward. The entrance of this Bird Market is linked to Flower Market and can be easily reached.

The Bird Garden is located in the heart of Mongkok and can conveniently reached by all means of transportation. The simplest and most economical way is taking MTR subway system.

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Nearby popular attractions on/close to Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

In close proximity, there are other famous attractions and sightseeing highlights such as the famous Ladies Market, Goldfish Market, Jade Market and as well as the Electronic Street and Sneakers Street.

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