Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/rs0vU0b3A0o
Cheung Chun Yu 3036228385
Fung Yin Ho 3036229470
Transcript (980 words)
- What is the space/place/artefact/building that is vanishing?
We are investigating a laundry shop in Man Wah Buildings called Fresh Laundry that is vanishing due to various reasons.
- Why is it vanishing? How do we know that it will no longer exist in the near future?
Firstly, the Urban Renewal Authority has announced plans for the redevelopment of the Man Wah Buildings in the Yau Mong District Study. The laundry shop and the community it belongs to will not exist in the next ten years.
Besides, the competition brought by Self-service laundries is another factor accounting for the vanishing of the laundry shop, given that at least 2 of them are found in the district. Self-service laundries offer convenience to customers by providing 24-hour access and the flexibility to do laundry on their own schedule while traditional laundry shops like Fresh Laundry have more limited operating hours or drop-off and pick-up arrangements. Furthermore, self-service laundries usually provide additional functions besides laundry services, such as vending service and self-pick-up points for online-purchased goods.
Another factor is the price of the two laundry services. For example, if you want to wash 23lb of clothes in one go, you need to spend 104 dollars in Fresh Laundry but only 23 dollars in self-service laundry shops, making traditional laundry shops like Fresh Laundry not nearly as affordable.
Another struggle of traditional laundry shops is they may not be able to attract younger successors. Not only Fresh Laundry, but all of the three traditional laundry shops in the district are operated by middle-aged ladies. Operating a laundry shop requires long hours of tedious tasks and carrying heavy clothes repeatedly. Additionally, operating a laundry shop is generally not regarded as a professional job. Barely any young people would like to operate a laundry shop rather than to have a more stable and high-paying office job.
- What do we know about its past and present? i.e. What purpose/s does it serve?
It was opened about a decade ago, replacing a hair salon. Then, It soon established itself as a community-based laundry shop that mainly serves residents in Man Wah buildings by providing laundry service.
Given that Man Wah building was built between 1964 and 1970, it has a history of around 60 years. Therefore, a large portion of the residents are elderly who may find it difficult to do laundry with the latest washing machine. It marks the importance of such shops and explains why there are at least 5 laundry shops in this small community.
Another important function of the shop is to serve as a social hub where residents can interact with the owner of the shop and other customers, making it an important venue for the community to form bonds. During our field trip, we found that people within the community know each other very well. Regular customers will have a chat with the shop owner. . These close relationships in the neighborhood fosters a sense of belonging among customers.
- Who are and/or will be affected when it no longer exists? What are their feelings and attitudes toward this?
By the time the shop is forced to close due to the demolition of the Man Wah Buildings, the shop is already a 20-year-old shop.
Those with disabilities mentioned before may not have the ability to wash their clothes at home or use the self-service washing machine as they may not be familiar with digital payment and the self-service mode.
But the shop owner is likely to be the one being affected the most as she will lose her livelihood. Not only is the shop closing, but the declining demand for traditional laundry shops due to their self-service counterparts also makes it extra difficult to establish a similar business outside the community.
Besides the impact on individuals, the closing of the shop implies the end of the Man Wah Building and its community, regardless if it is due to the demolishing or the decline of customers. This will erase community bonding as the physical space of the community is gone.
On a broader view, the situation of Fresh Laundry also occurs in all the shops inside Man Wah Building. The fact that Man Wah Building is facing demolishment makes it most unlikely for any new shops to join the community. Whenever a shop is closed inside the community for any reason, the store unit will be left empty. It is like the death penalty of this ever-living community. However, the majority of us remain unaware of the significance of shops like Fresh Laundry, especially how they infiltrate the residents’ everyday routine until this stage when the fate of the shop is decided.
- What is being done about its impending disappearance?
The same feeling also goes to the community and the people benefited from the shop of course. Sadly, Residents can’t really do anything to stop the impending disappearance as the demolition of the buildings has already been finalized in government planning. When the community will no longer exist under the demolition, advocating for a laundry shop relying on the community seems pointless. Not to mention the emergence of self-service laundry shops that offer more up-to-date laundry service. All these factors make the shop’s fate of disappearance inevitable.
The shop represents the liveliness of the community, and acts as a narrative documenting the history and life of the Man Wah Building. It is like a miniature of the Man Wah Buildings. Both are being replaced by their new and modern counterparts. However, should they be replaced merely because they are so-called obsolete or outdated? Or should we treasure their existence and the value that they’ve brought by taking action, such as archiving the relationship inside the community? Maybe that is the reason for us as a younger generation to investigate this community that will soon be eliminated.