WOO CHEONG PAWN SHOP

One of the oldest pawnshops in Hong Kong, the Woo Cheong Pawnshop, located at 60-66 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, is one of the few surviving pawnshops in a promenade style building with four adjoining balconies, built in 1888. After the opening of Hong Kong, a large number of workers and merchants came to Hong Kong to earn a living, and the pawnbroking industry flourished, with many interesting terms being bandied about, such as "Second Uncle" and "Longevity Treasury". At that time, all customers had to do was to meet the age requirement, present their identity cards or passports, hand in their pawned goods and receive payment after being valued by the "Chao Fung" on the six-foot counter. Pawnshops were a popular business at the time because of their efficiency, the fact that they did not require any proof of income, the low interest rates and the unique advantage of having no 'hand-me-downs' to follow. Pawnshops have endured through Hong Kong's constant transformation and continue to grow with generations of Hong Kong people.