The name "Mong Kok" literally means bustling city corner. Before the development of this area exploded this was actually a smallseaside village above a rocky headland. The village folk that inhaboited this area were watercress and spinach farmers. Sai Yeung choi and Tung Choi are streets there today. Translated as water cress street and water spinach street, they remember the city’s roots in agriculture.

The kowloon peninsula was divided into New Kowloon and Old Kowloon. They were separated by a fence running over boundary hill. Mong Kok lay right on this boundary. When the British leased the entire area Mong Kok thrived with new business. The population grew as did the need for farmland. As a result Boundary Hill was levelled. Today all that remains of its past is Boundary Street.

As the city life took over from the traditional way of agriculture, the residents of Mong Kok adapted and ran laundary shops and textile dyeing plants. Again there are streets named after this time of history: Sai Yee (laundary) street and Yim Po Fong (dyeing street).