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Sean Cheng

Kevin Kwong

There was a time when Hong Kong trading card enthusiasts had to either visit dingy speciality shops or trawl the internet to find editions that were missing from their collections. One title in this game genre has changed all that: Pokemon.
Since last year there has been a huge rise in demand for trading cards based on the 30-year-old multibillion-dollar Japanese video game franchise due to a surge in nostalgia among older millennials, who collect, trade and take part in competitions.
Collecting Pokemon cards has evolved from a hobby to a form of high-return investment, with several authentication companies offering grading services to protect and safeguard the value of these collectibles, such as PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), whose grading system dates back some 26 years.
A top grade “Pikachu Illustrator” card previously owned by US YouTuber Logan Paul entered the Guinness World Records in February this year when it fetched US$16.5 million, becoming the most expensive Pokemon trading card sold at auction.

While there are no official statistics on the number of stores selling Pokemon cards in Hong Kong, those in the business speak of a spike in demand for rare, vintage and high-grade cards in recent months that has sparked a proliferation of these outlets. Collectors and players can now easily find and buy cards in areas such as Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po and Kwun Tong.
Among the biggest spaces to open over the past three months is HKTCG, which, together with nine other general trading card shops, has taken up a floor at the iSquare shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. On sale are not only Pokemon cards but also collections from other popular game and anime franchises such as One Piece, League of Legends and Gundam.
HKTCG owner Derek Cheung Pui-sang rediscovered his passion for trading cards last year after getting into Union Arena, a title that features characters from various popular manga and video game series such as My Hero Academia, Sword Art Online, Evangelion, Demon Slayer and Fullmetal Alchemist.
“I was looking to buy some cards, but they were inaccessible and I couldn’t get my hands on them,” says Cheung, who is also the founder and CEO of Hong Kong Esports. “The same thing happened [with] older Pokemon cards as they have become more like collectibles with the grading system.”

He says on the company website that the 26,000 sq ft (2,315 square metre) space is more like a one-stop hub where trading card game (TCG) enthusiasts can buy and trade cards, have their cards repaired or certified, check out rare editions in exhibitions, and take part in competitions.
“I think there needs to be more education on card games. We are trying to hold regular competitions and gaming tutorials for new players,” Cheung says. “After all, the name ‘trading card game’ implies that there’s actually playing involved.”
Smiling Plaza in Sham Shui Po is a must-visit destination for hardcore card players and traders, with the 34-year-old shopping centre almost entirely populated by local card stores.
Smiling Plaza was where Yeung Wing-kit competed for his chance to represent Hong Kong in the 2023 Pokemon World Championships, which saw him travel to Yokohama, Japan to battle against players from all over the world.

Yeung says Smiling Plaza’s renowned culture and community are thanks to the dedication of the people who play there.
“I went there every day after work. The central air conditioning turns off around 10pm, but other players and I would play until midnight,” he says.
Yeung has been running his own card store and licensed “gym” for competitive events in Tsuen Wan since 2024.
He started playing the Pokemon TCG around the launch of the traditional Chinese version in 2019. As a player and card store owner, he is open to card reselling but does not encourage it.
“Before Pokemon cards blew up, I used to buy cards that I liked for around HK$20 [US$2.50] and collect them in my card binders,” Yeung says.
“Then graded cards became popular for investments or collections. [The craze] has definitely made Pokemon cards more mainstream and increased the size of the player pool, but I am not into reselling cards [for profit].”

The annual Pokemon World Championships, which are organised by Play! Pokemon, a programme run by The Pokemon Company International, are like the Olympics of competitive Pokemon play.
After qualifying at regional rounds, the best card players are invited to compete for thousands of dollars in prizes, the title of Pokemon World Champion, and return invitations for the following year’s event.
In 2025, 29 Hong Kong players from the Master Division qualified for the World Championships while two qualified from the Senior Division and nine qualified from the Junior Division.
Challenges ahead for Hong Kong’s playing scene
Around 2,600 people took part in the recent Hong Kong Master Ball League event in early May, according to The Pokemon Company. Yeung estimates that there are currently around 6,000 active Pokemon TCG players in Hong Kong across the three age divisions.
Registration for the 2026/27 series opened this month and the coming Pokemon World Championships (2025/26) will take place at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco in the US from August 28 to 30.
Despite the growing popularity of Pokemon cards, Yeung worries that card playing in general will just be another fad. Sustaining interest in trading card games can be a challenge in a city like Hong Kong.
“With digitisation, it is harder to gather groups of players who play with physical cards, and there is the issue of players finding the time or location,” Yeung says.
“I have been teaching the game at community centres and holding competitions at card expos but I don’t know how the culture can grow steadily in the long term.”


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Pokemon

Yeung Wing-kit is the owner of 247 PokeStop in Tseun Wan, a card store and licensed “gym” for competitive events. He has been collecting Pokemon trading cards since 2019 and competed in the 2023 Pokemon World Championships in Yokohama, Japan. Photo: Sean Cheng

A collector sells a card at the 2026 Hong Kong Trading Card Show at AsiaWorld-Expo on March 14, 2026. Photo: Elson Li

Derek Cheung, the owner of HKTCG at iSquare in Tsim Sha Tsui, says he thinks there needs to be more education on trading card games. Photo: Sun Yeung

Yeung Wing-kit, owner of 247 PokeStop in Tsuen Wan, organises at least eight Pokemon trading card match days every month. Photo: Sean Cheng

A visitor looks at a “Poncho-Wearing Pikachu” card at the 2026 Hong Kong Trading Card Show 2026 at AsiaWorld-Expo, variants of which are some of the most expensive Pokemon cards that can be bought. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong team wins grand prize at 2026 World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan

Hong Kong representatives Ar Lu (left) as bipedal cat Felyne and Ronnie Kui (right) as Hunter after winning the Tamakoshi Award at the World Cosplay Championship in Nagoya, Japan, on August 2, 2026. Photo: Ani-Com &amp; Games

Hong Kong-based cosplayers Ronnie Kui (left) and Ar Lu prepare their costumes for the 2026 World Cosplay Summit championship in Nagoya, Japan. Photo: Ani-Com & Games

Hong Kong representatives Ar Lu (left) as bipedal cat Felyne and Ronnie Kui as Hunter at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, on August 2, 2026. Photo: Ani-Com & Games

Ar Lu (left) and Ronnie Kui dressed as Frieren and Stark from the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Photo: Ani-Com & Games

Alex To’s 40-year Cantopop career: R&B origins, defiant comebacks, acting triumphs

Alex To performs during the  “2021 New Year Concert – Sailing in the Greater Bay Area” in Shenzhen in January 2021. Photo: Weibo

Alex To at an interview with the SCMP in 1987. Photo: SCMP

Alex To (left) and Michael Jackson in 1987.

Alex To in a still from the film Sons of the Neon Night (2025). Photo: courtesy of One Cool Film Production

Alex To (left) and Kathy Chow in 2000. Photo: SCMP

Alex To with his wife, Ice Lee. Photo: Instagram/alexto_dudewei

Alex To at an interview with the SCMP in 1996. Photo: SCMP

A Taste of Home is a wonderful, bittersweet tribute to Hong Kong’s food culture

(From left) Windmill Grass Theatre’s Joey Leung, Luna Shaw, Edmond Tong and Kearen Pang perform in a scene from A Taste of Home, a production centred on Hong Kong food culture and history, at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre. Photo: courtesy of Windmill Grass Theatre

Luna Shaw (left) and Kearen Pang in a scene from A Taste of Home. Photo: courtesy of Windmill Grass Theatre

In this scene from A Taste of Home, Joey Leung and Edmond Tong reference a popular 1990s TV skit called “Mrs Mut and Lee” about cooking shows of the time. Photo: courtesy of Windmill Grass Theatre

A scene from Windmill Grass Theatre’s A Taste of Home. Photo: courtesy of Windmill Grass Theatre

Lifestyle

Entertainment

From offering tutorials to holding competitions, some stores are trying to boost Pokemon card playing besides just collecting and investing


From offering tutorials to holding competitions, some stores are trying to boost Pokemon card playing besides just collecting and investing.


Hong Kong

These Hong Kong Pokemon card store owners want more people actually playing the game

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From offering tutorials to holding competitions, some stores are trying to boost Pokemon card playing besides just collecting and investing

From offering tutorials to holding competitions, some stores are trying to boost Pokemon card playing besides just collecting and investing