Have you ever noticed any fruit trees in urban areas? Maybe you have seen the mango trees in Hong Kong Park, the rose apples on Hysan Ave, or a jackfruit in a public housing estate. Have you wondered how they got there? In City Unseen’s second short documentary, “A tale of urban fruit trees”, we explore what urban fruit trees can tell us about Hong Kong’s agricultural history, why they are rarely grown in urban areas anymore, and whether they still have a role to play in a society that is increasingly divorced from where our food comes from.   

Check out City Unseen’s social media feeds for news about upcoming fruit tree related events in December 2025. 

Sources:

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, “Annual report, 2023 – Appendix 1: Summary of Agricultural Production – Estimated Quantities and Value# 2020-22”, 2023, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government.

Census and Statistics Department, “Statistical Insights: The Secrets of Fruit Imports in Hong Kong”, 14 February 2025, HKSAR Government.

Legislative Council Secretariat Research Office, “Statistical Highlights: Agricultural Policy”, ISSH11/2023, 15 June 2023, HKSAR Government.

J.P. Braga (1944), “The Portuguese in Hong Kong and China: Their Beginning, Settlement and Progress during One Hundred Years”, Macau.

Image credits:

Geographical Section, War Office, Great Britain, “Hong Kong and the New Territories (GSGS 3868/HIND 1009)”, 1949-52. National Library of Australia. 

Hong Kong Map Service, “Aerial Survey Kowloon and the New Territories”, 1963, Lands Department Open Data, HKSAR Government.

Underwaterbuffalo, “Hung Mui Kuk Road Playground”, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0. 

Winston Lee, “View of Mui Tsz Lam with Shek Nga Shan in the background in 2015”, 2015, CC BY-SA 4.0. 

姒姓賢寧, “Yung Yuen Road, Ping Shan Road sign”, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0.