A look of nervous curiosity clouds the faces of those who walk haltingly past the crumbling facade of Chungking Mansions in Kowloon district. The building, though flanked by some of Hong Kong’s most glamorous malls, has a shifty aura; seedy loiterers and overeager restaurant touts do little to dispel the feeling. But the dimly lit, unimpressive entrance hides a sprawling – and largely harmless – bazaar, where people from a dozen or so Asian and African nations do not just shop, but conduct full-on trade transactions in cheap electronics and textiles.
香港九龙重庆大厦(Chungking Mansions)破败的外墙下，路过的行人步履迟疑，脸上透着既紧张又好奇的神色。尽管两侧都是香港一些最光鲜的购物中心，重庆大厦却给人一种阴郁鬼祟的感觉。在附近闲逛的人穿得破破烂烂，餐馆吆喝得过于起劲，这一切都令这种感觉更加强烈。然而，穿过灯光昏暗、毫不起眼的大厦入口，里面却隐藏着一个杂乱（且基本上很安全）的大集贸市场。来自亚洲和非洲十几个国家的人，在这里从事着廉价电子产品和纺织品的全套贸易交易，而不只是简单的买卖。