Ken Lai (L) from Hang Seng Management College and Kelvin Lui (R) from Shue Yan University – both young men dedicating their time to the Western District community.
It’s not often you meet young adults in Hong Kong who care about the preservation and promotion of their neighbourhood further than ensuring their favourite takeaway joint stays in business.
But Coconuts HK recently spoke with two young men who have dedicated their time in contributing to the Western District community for free.
Ken Lai Sze-kui, 21, and Kelvin Lui, 23, met in secondary school and have been fast friends ever since.
They are active members of a 10,000-strong Facebook group “Tide Turns in San Wan (西環變幻時)”, a group that posts on an array of topics, from the heated political debates and shopping tips, to odd stories from the neighbourhood.
In their efforts, they aim to help the community better use its public areas, aid local small businesses, and protect the local neighbourhood from over-commercialisation.
Western District
After meeting at St. Louis School, Kelvin and Ken had the idea of becoming community leaders after starting a student newspaper. Called Ching Chung Post (青松報, which means “Green Pine Post”), the publication, which ran from 2008 to 2011, aimed to spread awareness on the issues of community and democracy.
Ken working on the student newspaper (Source: Facebook)
“Six or seven years ago, people either cared less or were more hesitant to talk about problems,” Kelvin explained. “Some teachers loved the paper, but the principal didn’t like it so much.”
However, it was these polarising views about the newspaper that eventually prompted the friends to move forward with their campaign.
“We interviewed a butcher at Western Street to find out the difficulties he was facing. We thought that, though a newspaper can inform, we needed to do more to help fading businesses survive. We didn’t think we were doing enough, and there are too many newspaper outlets out there anyway.”
A long-lasting passion
Three years down the track, the pair found a few like-minded people after the 79-day Umbrella Movement on the above-mentioned Facebook group. Members from more groups joined the discussion, and the idea for the Western District Night Market was born in January 2015.
“All we needed was a venue permit and booths for vendors, and then it was all up to the businesses to showcase themselves. We and other interest groups are the facilitators.” said Kelvin.
The first night market was held on Centre Street during the Yuen Siu festival in March.
When asked how it differs from SoHo’s popular PMQ mall, Ken became a little defensive.
“[PMQ] is just a façade. What’s inside isn’t what it’s meant to be. It’s like saying, ‘We’ve done something’, but I don’t think it is exactly what the community needs. We ended up having G.O.D. and other large brands entering, and a cup of coffee is HKD40. It’s not for everyone”.
Kelvin added, “It’s because of the location that PMQ is so commercialised. The residents are just spectators there”.
Centre Street, where the Western District Night Market was held
What have they achieved?
“There are now more interactions between the interest groups and residents, and the public knows which public areas can be used,” said Kevin.
“We brought something that was only online into the real world, and since the public areas are now utilised, this can be a case study for future events or groups,” Ken added.
Another initiative besides the night market is a Facebook group called “Sai Wan Stuff (西環物物物)”, which facilitates the recycling of used furniture.
Looking ahead
The group is now planning to conduct a survey, entitled “Concerns about Sai Wan’s Small Shops (關注西環小店)”, about the potentially marginalised small businesses in the community.
“We want to see what threats the businesses are facing and see what we could do”, Kelvin said.
“Rent increase is a major factor right now, and a lack of newcomers is also an issue since most industries are more traditional here, like handicrafts. If we can create more awareness, like through flea markets or transforming the handicrafts into an art form, there could be a change.”
How will the new MTR affect the community?
“It could be a good thing if you own the store, but rents will go up as a result,” Kelvin explained.
“Absolutely,” added Ken. “With the demand surge from outsiders, everything is sold out fast. Residents either face very long queues or shelves may be empty more often”.
“We’ve had some calls for another fair, but there are things to fix, such as noise control (or buskers’ fans getting a bit too excited). It also gets lively when there are vendors giving out freebies,” laughs Kevin.
They also plan to launch a social media campaign for their work, such as by creating YouTube videos, and even organise guided tours of the historical and cultural attractions in the district.
When asked why more young people aren’t concerned with preserving the community, Kelvin said that as the Sino-Hong Kong tensions ease, he believes people will refocus on strengthening the local Hong Kong culture.
Ken added that some young people seem more concerned with K-pop stars and their career paths.
“I wore a red poppy for the Remembrance Day last year, an acquaintance asked me what it was. I explained it to her and she replied, ‘Oh it’s the Taobao Singles’ Day!’” he said.
“There needs to be a trigger though. Many people still don’t know or don’t care. There needs to be something that is relevant. You will be surprised how detached some people are to what is going on”.
Photos: Thomas Chan/Coconuts Media
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