“Kung Wo Tong is a family business that can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty when herbal turtle jelly was consumed frequently. We first opened on Temple Street in 1904 when herbal turtle jelly was sold to people to detoxify their bodies. We were the pioneers of using turtle for medicinal drinks and we’ve been here in Causeway Bay since the mid-1980s. Not many stores use these copper vessels anymore as they take up a lot of space and are expensive but we still use it to keep our products warm. We begin making turtle jelly at 5am every day. It’s a long process of boiling and simmering ingredients that can take an entire morning. Turtles live in swamps and have natural detoxifying qualities. The main ingredient in jelly and tea is the tortoise plastron which is good for releasing heat and detoxifying. Other ingredients, such as rhino skin, used to be added into the mix but these are now banned.”