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Greg Wallis | profile | all galleries >> Hong Kong >> Snake Shops tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Snake Shops

This shop is known as "king of snakes". They bring in snakes mainly from western China for the market in snake soup and bile in Hong Kong. The shop has been in existence for 106 years according to a friendly regular customer I spoke to. Basically all the information in this gallery is gained from him as the owners didn' speak a word of English; hence I can't vouch for how factual it is. There is a very limited menu: either a serving of snake soup.....or a medicinal concoction of bile from the gall bladders of snakes. Fortunately there are not too many of these shops left and many local people when asked didn't know where to find one..although they occassionally pop up in markets. Snake soup is mainly consumed during the cooler months when it is supposedly meant to make you warm. Many of these shops dissappeared during the SARS outbreak when China stopped allowing snakes and many other animals to be brought in from China. I didn't try any of their fare on offer....I love snakes so as you can imagine I found their treatment of them very confronting.
King Cobra
King Cobra
King Cobra
King Cobra
King Cobra
King Cobra
Abacus still used in the snake shop
Abacus still used in the snake shop
original shop sign for the snake shop
original shop sign for the snake shop
Tool for breaking off fangs from snakes
Tool for breaking off fangs from snakes
Ratsnakes waiting
Ratsnakes waiting
At the shop front
At the shop front
King Cobra
King Cobra
A handful of snake
A handful of snake
A handful of snakes
A handful of snakes
Removing Gall Bladder
Removing Gall Bladder
Removing Gall Badder
Removing Gall Badder
Waiting for soup
Waiting for soup
Serving up the concoction
Serving up the concoction
Removing fangs
Removing fangs
Snake boxes
Snake boxes
King of Snakes shop in Hong Kong
"King of Snakes" shop in Hong Kong
in the window of a snake shop
in the window of a snake shop
Tai Po snake shop
Tai Po snake shop
Preparing snake, Tai Po
Preparing snake, Tai Po
Snakes on the floor of a snake shop in Mongok
Snakes on the floor of a snake shop in Mongok