Hello Kwun Tong, Goodbye Yue Man Fong
Kwun Tong, a busy industrial district in Hong Kong back in the 50's, where most of the hardworking grassroots public made their living by working in factories, making cheap plastic toys or sewing garments.
Today, after the mass migration of factories up north to mainland China, what's left here are empty skeletons of these humongous blocks of grey concrete buildings. With scarce land in the crowded city like Hong Kong, naturally redevelopment steps in. Soon, like many other districts in Hong Kong, Kwun Tong will undergo a facelift and comes out bright and modern.
Many photographers flock to this area, sighing off the history of this district which once provide livelihood to many people. I happen to be one of them on both sides - the photographer as well as the one making a livelihood there - well, in the slightest sense.
To me, Kwun Tong was one of the most visited district when I first live in Hong Kong. Visiting my clients and getting between storage buildings, struggling with handful of teddy bears. Yes, you heard me right, sweet soft teddy bears, I work in the trading business with soft toys back in the days. Maybe that has helped to keep the kid in me after all.
Alright, now back to Kwun Tong and photography. Kwun Tong was one of the first site I visited when I got my first "proper camera".
There is some rustic, grassroots and husky feel to this place, people are generally not too friendly, honestly, I don't see too many smiling faces here, and no joking laughter either. Hard working, head bowed and everyone seems to be on a mission with a big " Do Not Disturb" sign hanging off their chests.
Maybe it's all the grey concrete walls around, it feels like a massive prison. We are locked here, making a living, day in day out. With the relocation compensation dispute still going on between the tenants and the government, it seems everyone just wait to break free from this prison someday. They know their days here in Kwun Tong are counting down, sense of reminiscence being replaced by concerns of the future.
Unlike my other Streets districts, the stories of Kwun Tong is not to be told by people, but carved in the walls, the rusty wired fence and the uneven cement grounds.
As I stood in the middle of the partially, and gradually demolished Yue Man Square, I heard it, a song from my childhood, the "Sound of Silence". I let the walls speak, the windows wave to me, that is what I tried to capture. Their untold stories - how many people came for beer after a hard day's work, how many fights, friendship has form and broken here. The ghosts of these moments lingers along with the slight smell of moldy humid cement and rusty iron.
I can't help but understand, as important as it is to preserve our past, to the people who are living a daily life here, an opportunity of a better life just seems far more realistic.
It is literally this contrasting despair yet hopeful vibe that is captivating.
For more images on Yue Man Square, please visit my set : 再見裕民坊 Yue Man Square
