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A dozen fortune tellers operate around the junction of Temple and Market streets. Most are face and palm readers. The caged white finches are trained to pick a fortune card from the pack in return for some seeds.

On some evenings musicians and singers perform popular Cantonese Opera numbers next door to the fortune tellers.

Tighter health regulations have madedai pai dong food stalls a rare sight, but they are alive and well at Temple Street, selling a variety of Chinese snacks, savoury pancakes, fishballs, seafood kebabs and unspecified meat offerings.

If you haven’t had your fill from thedai pai dongs , try the cheap noodles and rice-based food at the covered stalls on Reclamation Street. Don’t mind your neighbour’s table manners, it’s the done thing to drop or spit gristle and bone onto the table-tops here.

It’s likely to be a decent timekeeper but with no guarantees. The local makes and Western fakes are usually good value for money. One stall offers genuine, secondhand watches.

Amid the naff and poly-fabric horrors (beware naked flames), good buys include cheap t-shirts, elaborate silks, beaded tops and cotton dresses. Have a look at the stall on the corner of Kansu St. Further down, tailored trousers can be ordered with a four-day turnaround.

Leather is not really Temple Street’s strong point. But belts are cheap, and there are plenty of leather handbags and shoulder bags, including fake Gucci, Elle and Burberry items. Some are more convincing than others.

From the very cheap flip flops to the reasonable suede or leather shoes, bargain footwear is available almost everywhere on Temple Street, although the variety is not huge and the styles not that elegant. Don’t forget to check the shops behind the stalls. A few stalls sell designer fakes.

Cheap sunglasses are easy to find in the market. Embroidered and beaded handbags and shoulder bags are also worth looking out for.

Mao memorabilia, old posters, coins, opium pipes and jade are found on Public Square Street. Temple Street’s northern extremity is rich in kitsch plastic Japanese cartoon merchandise, including Hello Kitty clocks, Afro Ken and Pokémon.