[Video Essay]: Hybrid City: Tiny shops, Tai Yuen street, Wan Chai
Director: Shen Leyan 3036100117
Video Link: https://youtu.be/bYlxrv_EgFM
I took the tiny shops(in the form of iron boxes) in Tai Yuen Street of Wan Chai as the theme of my video essay, in which I realized the other side of Hong Kong hiding underneath the city’s booming economy. Most of these shops are colorful and some have spray-painted pictures that look very vibrant, but the things sold in such shops are full of sense of the times, such as nostalgic snacks, handmade knitted fabrics, and shoe-shining services. This would make you feel like traveling back in time when you walk through these tiny shops, which create a huge contrast to the modern and commercialized Wan Chai streetscape surrounding them. Such feelings are sometimes shattered by the passing of fast-paced commuters, two opposite senses just keep colliding and merging.
I began with some academic resources and government documentations to understand the purpose and significance of the existence of the tin shops. These small houses could be considered as a by-product of brutal capitalism. Though the shops carry colorful exteriors, its interior seems exceptionally plain and cramped, especially when compared to the formal stores behind them. Many of the lower class rely on these tiny houses to avoid the high store rents that come with the land issue and to make a living. However, on the other aspect, these small shops also create a sheltered world for the lower class in the prosperous city. Unlike the high-pressure, high-paced city atmosphere outside, the alley where the small houses are clustered always maintains a warm and lively atmosphere. Although shopowners’ income might not be enough to support a wealthy life, they enjoy the slow-paced life that office workers sometimes dream about. It is also these iron boxes that make me deeply feel the inclusiveness and complexity of Hong Kong. Floating high above the city is Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan and high-pressure, fast-paced atmosphere, but hidden underneath is a softer and more inclusive side of Hong Kong, which leaves a little piece of heaven and space for people of different stages and backgrounds, such as the Filipino maids’ hangout under the Central Flyover, and these small, low-cost stalls.
In order to explore the current state of tiny shops and the actual thoughts of their owners, I also conducted interviews with a couple of shop owners. A delicate man enthusiastically shared with me his store, which mainly sells vintage bracelets and earrings that he is interested in. “These are the things that interest me a lot, and I also choose my favorite jewelry to wear myself …. You can see that there are several small stores around me that sell this kind of jewelry, and it’s a joy to chat with them every day while doing business(personal communication).” I interviewed another store owner who always sits by the small house with his gray-haired mother, selling senior clothing. “It’s true that business isn’t great here …, but I’m quite contented with chatting with the neighboring store owner every day and letting my mom out to soak up the sun(personal communication).” Such relations among shop owners retain a feeling of living in a compound in old times, where everyone is close, forming a large contrast with the busy and cold city. In addition, I also interviewed a relatively younger man whose store is just down the road, selling phone screen protectors and some supplements. “It’s a helpless choice … this really doesn’t pay well…if I had the chance, I’d definitely go for something that pays better(personal communication).” The coexistence of young and old shopkeepers, old-fashioned handmade goods and trendy products are all evidence of Hong Kong’s diversity and inclusiveness. Meanwhile, my interview also revealed an unavoidable fact: these iron boxes are gradually fading out of Wan Chai as the future “successors” of the shops are still unknown. Besides, it is also a crucial fact that the Hong Kong government has taken many measures, such as the increase in road occupation charges, to tidy up the streets and drive these stores into indoor markets. However, their disappearance in Wan Chai might not necessarily mean the vanishing of all iron boxes in Hong Kong. They might continue to be preserved in places further north, such as Mong Kok.
For the video, I captured three main perspectives of these tiny shops. Beginning with the perspective of a tourist, who tends to wander through the alley with curiosity, perhaps stopping at a small house from time to time to explore the merchandise. This perspective is meant to take the viewer on an initial introduction to and experience of these tiny shops, like a tourist visiting for the first time. In the middle of the tourist perspective, I shot an elevated view in order to reflect the contrast between the shops and the upscale neighborhood buildings next to them. The second view is of local commuters who are always in a hurry to get to the subway station through these shops. In this part of the video, I increased the speed to reflect their fast-paced life, and their crossing also represents the contrast between the busy city pace and the slow pace of the iron boxes. In the last point of view, I recorded the daily routine of some stall owners and the closing of their stalls and ended with the night view of the iron boxes. In addition, I added a windmill element as a transition between each of the two perspectives, because I regard the speed of the windmill’s rotation as a representation of two different rhythms of life. Lastly, I chose “Busy Life” as background music for my video, which sounds soothing, even though its name is the opposite of life among the tiny shops. I also cropped it so that the melody changes from the perspective of the urban commuter.
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灣仔街紙編委會:《灣仔街紙–市區重建策略檢討計劃總結報告書》。香港:灣仔區議會。
Shen Leyan 3036100117