Hong Kong Snapshot (77) – Prostitutes of HK changed the name of Chinese Restaurant 香港隨拍 (77) - 廣式酒樓，「酒家」之名從妓起？

Chinese Restaurant is a must go for tourists. It is the best place for tourists to taste the real Chinese style food. In Chinese, we usually name Chinese restaurant as “酒家 (wine house)”. Actually the name “酒家 (wine house)” came from HK, the Chinese restaurants in Shek Tong Tsui.

中式酒樓是遊客到中國必到之處，酒樓是品嘗中式美食的最好地方。今天中式酒樓多以「酒家」為名，但其實很多年前都是叫「酒樓」，可能大家不知道，「酒家」之名的興旺，原來是源自香港，源自妓院林立的石塘咀。

In the last post we talked about the sought-after prostitutes of Shek Tong Tsui during 1900-1930. The prostitutes were not already measured by money. When rich people wanted to get a sought-after prostitute, they firstly had to get closed with the boss of the brothels. Then they had to host a banquet in Chinese Restaurant and spent 1 dollar to buy a “flower notepaper”. The clients wrote the name of the prostitute and the address of the Chinese restaurant and sent it to the brothels. Sought-after prostitutes always had many “flower notepaper” every night so they might not attend all banquet. If she chose to refuse a banquet, she would reply “not available” or “out of a trip”. If she attended, it was called “join the occasion”.

At the first time, prostitutes only stayed for a while and then left. Clients need patient and hosted several banquets again until prostitutes agreed to let clients into their room. At that time, a table of banquet costed around HK$100, which equal to US$3000 today. We may know that the Chinese restaurant’s business was very good!

上回談到塘西風月，名妓千金難求，客人想求得名妓入幕，先到之處就是酒樓。當客人和某妓院熟絡後，就有機會邀請名妓，他們要先到酒樓開席，再花一塊錢買一張「票局」，上面寫有邀請的名妓及酒樓名稱，但由於名妓們每晚都有多張「票局」，所以她們未必會出席你的酒席，這叫「不應局」，如名妓應召出席，就叫做「出局」，這也是香港為何稱一元為「一蚊雞」的來源。

通常第一次見面，名妓只會短短一聚就會離去，客人需要有無比的耐性，多次「票局」，名妓才會真正陪客人用宴，慢慢培養一定感情後，才有機會成為入幕之賓。當時一圍酒席約一百元，等同於今天的美金$3000，而客人為了展闊氣，通常不止開一圍兩圍，可見當時的酒樓生意多麼的好。

The Chinese Restaurants in Shek Tong Tsui
當年石塘咀的酒家(photo from The Voice On-line)

There were total 15 Chinese Restaurant in Shek Tong Tsui. The most famous one was Kam Ling Restaurant. Kam Ling was founded in 1910, with the name “酒家 (wine house)”. Then all Chinese restaurants followed Kam Ling. Today, nearly all Chinese Restaurants in HK are called “酒家 (wine house)” in Chinese. In the Chinese Restaurants, clients always did crazy things to gain the attention of prostitutes. Let me tell you the most famous story. A rich man called Lee from HK had decided to buy a sought-after prostitute “Cho Wen” from the brothels. Another rich man called Wong from Singapore liked Cho Wen very much also and competed with Lee. They thought a way: cook bean soup by burning cash and see who used all the money. They burnt cash to cook bean soup from 12am to 8am. As Wong was from Singapore and most of his money was at Singapore and he lost.

石塘咀當年共有酒樓十五家，其中以金陵酒家最為華麗，金陵以1910年開業，首創「酒家」之名，接著各酒樓紛紛效之，終讓今天香港的酒樓都叫「酒家」，金陵酒家開業時曾以「金」、「陵」為首字招對聯大賽，最後由香港首位華人立法局議員，後來的中國民國總長伍廷芳，以「金粉兩行花勸酒，陵巒一角月窺樓」獲勝。在酒家裡，客人為了討名妓歡心，往往法寶盡出，最著名的莫過於名妓楚雲。相傳香港的李大爺已準備帶楚雲「埋街」，即是包養她，但中途突然殺出一位黃大少，來自新加坡，兩人爭持不下，竟決定以燒銀紙煲綠豆沙來比拼誰錢多。這一燒由晚上十二時燒到早上八時，雖然兩人都身家豐厚，但黃大少大部份錢財都在新加坡，結果輸給了李大爺。

A HK TV Series showing the scene
TVB劇集《收規華》重現當年一幕

Shek Tong Tsui was the most famous place of brothels at that time. Rich people from HK, warlords from China and traders from South Asia, they all like to enjoyed their life in Shek Tong Tsui. Even when students of South China went to Beijing to take the imperial exam, they just passed by HK and experienced it. But now, all the Chinese Restaurants are closed already since the HK Government banned prostitution in 1932. What we can find now are only those old stories.

當年不論是香港的富豪、中國的軍閥、以到南洋的商人，都愛到石塘咀，有些來自南方打算北上科舉的書生，都特地繞道香港到石塘咀見識一番，當中的風流歲月至今仍為人津津樂道，可惜隨著香港禁娼，石塘咀的酒家今天已全部倒閉，留下的，只有一幕幕豔人的故事。

Kam Ling Restaurant, 1910 and 2018

The location of old Kam Ling Restaurant
當年金陵酒家的位置

Another famous Restaurant, Luen Sing Restaurant
另一家著名的聯陞酒店

Location of Luen Sing today
今天聯陞酒店的位置

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Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!
謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！