Hong Kong's heartbeat

Hong Kong street markets are a feast for all our senses, says Douglas Young Chi-chiu, founder and chief executive of local retailer G.O.D. The 47-year-old designer, who set up his company Goods of Desire in 1996, is so proud of the city's heritage that he is helping to celebrate its markets in a new exhibition.

"In a wet market, you can smell the fresh fish, see the colours of the vegetables, hear the shop owners shouting about their produce, touch and hold things in your hands and feel the lively atmosphere," says Young, who trained as an architect in Britain.

The frequent traveller hunts out local markets so he can "feel" the heartbeat of a place. "There is Borough market in London, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Chatuchak market in Bangkok, Thailand," he says. "They're all interesting places where you can experience the real culture of a place."

In Hong Kong, Young likes to visit Graham Street Market in Central. "It is the city's oldest existing market with a history of more than 100 years," he says. "I used to go there a lot when my office was nearby. I'd buy food or just to look at things; it kept changing.

"The flower shop owner always talked to me when I bought her ginger flowers. People are very friendly, more personal in the wet market; it's something you don't find in a supermarket. We live in a world of globalisation and see many chain stores that all look the same. But street markets are never the same. They're what gives a city its sense of character. And character is important: that's what makes us human - unique."

Young collaborated with Olympian City and Sino Art in the current exhibition, "The Street Market Symphony", which celebrates Hong Kong's street markets. It uses some of his designs based on the iconic red street-market lamps.