Posted Monday, November 15, 2004; 21:00 HKT
If you had to name a place that was archetypal Hong Kong—not the Hong Kong of glittering malls and glass towers, but the Hong Kong of proletarian hustle—Temple Street would be a strong contender. This kilometer-long ravine courses through some of Kowloon's seedier tenements, lined with dance halls, brothels and gambling dens. Toward dusk, stall holders lay out their counterfeit wares, fortune-tellers set up their tables, and—in the square outside the street's eponymous temple—the xiangqi players unfold their boards and take on all comers.

Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, is a much faster game than its Western counterpart. There are no boring pawn-led buildups; instead, powerful pieces (cannons, elephants, chariots) charge into play at once, and outcomes are sudden and savage—particularly when you face the players of Temple Street, who might look like harmless lags but are more often merciless sharks. And though they appear to be playing for small change, those small coins beside the board each stand for about $20. Waging high stakes in a sleazy Chinatown square: don't even pretend you've played chess in circumstances more gritty, or alluring, than these.

back: Best Film Festival

next: Most Beautiful Game

October 11, 2004	July 26 - August 2, 2004	April 26, 2004