Probably the most famous district in Hong Kong is Mong Kok. It's world-renowned for its crowded markets, old-style tong lau buildings, leaping modern residential towers – and the sheer number of its people. In a city with one the highest population densities in the world, Mong Kok is the part that is most tightly-packed. It is also one its friendliest, a bustle of food booths selling congee and dim sum, street stalls selling everything else, its balconies strung with colourful signs and noisy chatter.

Mong Kok lies in the heart of Kowloon, on the northern side of Hong Kong, cut through by one its busiest thoroughfares, Argyle Street. But it’s the narrow market-strewn streets, criss-crossing the old-time Mong Kok, that bring in the shoppers and the people-watchers, in equal measure. Many of these streets specialise in just one type of merchandise, giving the whole area the appearance of being laid out like a giant open-air department store.

There's Fa Yeun Street (or Sneakers Street) which is where the sports shoe vendors gather there's Flower Market Road, rich with the scent of its many exotic flower stalls and there's Ladies Street, where everything feminine is on display, from clothes to makeup to bags to shoes. There's even a street dedicated to goldfish (Goldfish Street), and another to songbirds (Yuen Po Street Bird Garden). And whichever lane you head down, you're bound to find Mong Kok's finest fast food sizzling – fish balls, fried tofu with steaming congee, or the dazzling variety of a dim sum seller.

And if you turn your head up, from the colourful clash of wares on the streets, you may catch one of the other renowned features of Mong Kok – its ‘tong lau’ shop-houses. Many of these were built before the war, and are famed for their ground-floor shops and many-tiered balconies. The Old Police Station in Kowloon is another must-see, an elegant white-washed building that dates back to 1925, and which overlooks one of Mong Kok's prettiest plazas. In a city that often seems carried away with its ever-expanding modernity, a visit to Mong Kok puts you back in touch with Hong Kong's exuberant and colourful past.