Sheung Wan Tour Reflection

Kendra’s Reflection

        After the tour in Sheung Wan, I discovered it was a place that can show the local culture of Hong Kong. The dried food products, how the shops display them, the shop that have opened and served people since 1919, how people use every space to stock inventory or place their product and the way they clean dried product by hands are all practices are all attractive because they represent the wisdom of Hong Kong people and the history of Hong Kong. However, these valuable resources are not treated in the way they should be, it is not a attraction that tours will visit or the government will input resources for advertisement, but a lot of foreigners are more interested in places like than shopping mall. 

        On the other hands, some Hong Kong residents have never been there before and I may never have a chance to visit there if I do not have to do this project. 

During the trip, we meet a tour led by students from Department of Anthropology. Those students are all familiar with the history of Sheung Wan and dried food products, so the tour led by them are very informative.  The fact that I lack knowledge of the place I have been living in and being not substantial in many different  things really inspire me to find out more about Hong Kong and make some tours to visit places I never been before.

       

Barry’s Reflection

When I came to the “dried seafood street”, I could not stop smelling the overwhelming fragrance filled in the air of the salted fish, fish maw, conpoy, shrimp paste, dried oyster and abalone everywhere. The whole street is full of shops selling similar kinds of dried seafood products; however, you would probably stop for a moment in front of each shop while you are walking down the street. The reason is the decoration, variety of product displays and name of the shops would form a special feature of its own that gets your attention on it, especially those with a long history of establishment. 

In the morning, workers are busy with loading and unloading the goods from the trolleys. The shops are just snowed down with receiving the goods at the same time serving customers. You could feel that the relationship between the customers and the shops is good in a sense that many of them are old neighborhood. The street is truly humming with life as which stretches along some 200 shops on Des Voeux Road West. When I stood there, the environment caused me to think about the past bustling and lively trade activities of Nam Pak Hong a hundred years ago. 

The construction of Sai Ying Pun MTR station and the urban renewal project would definitely affect the traditional outlook of the district. The number of retail shops in “dried seafood street” might gradually decrease in the near future. The past busy activities with people coming and going would not appear anymore. In view of that, we have to find a way to strike a balance between economic development and heritage reservation; otherwise our next generation could only see the photos in the history book about our former “dried seafood street”.      

Rosa’s Reflection

        My first impression on the Sheung Wan tour is the smell across the street. The strong and distinct smell of dried seafood in “Dried Seafood Street”, together with the smell of mixed Chinese medicine in “Chinese Medicine Street”, makes my trip memorable. I cannot stop memorizing the smell and ambiance across the two streets. The shops on both sides of the street give the picture of Hong Kong in the old days. Their business modes, as well as their decoration, have not changed much. Some of the shops have been running for over 80 years, which is extraordinary.

Friendliness of the shop owners is also impressing. Most of them are elderly, but they are more than happy to share their experience with us. From their description and facial expression, I can see that they are so proud to be in the industry. 

        I think I would never visit “Dried Seafood Street” if it is not for this project. I found that I know very little about the “Old Hong Kong”, which is a shame. I am glad to have this opportunity to discover this precious local market.

Renée’s Reflection

     I have been living in Central for more than 18 years, but every time when I walk pass the “dried seafood street” in Sheung Wan, I did not even pay attention to those store selling dried food. Also, I think that there is not difference between these stores, it seem that they all sell the same kind of products, it is nothing interesting. But after going to the Sheung Wan trip lead by the professor from the Department of Anthropology, I find that these stores are not that boring as I thought before.

     Leading by the professor, we walk through different stores and have the chance to talk to different owners. They are patient and explained to us how to use different kind of dried seafood or flower to cook. You can see their pride showing on their faces when they introduced their most precious or valuable dried food in their store, or certain products that you can only find in their store.

     Just by talking with people working in the “Dried Seafood Street”, you can already find how Hong Kong society has changed or transformed into. One of the owners mentioned that in the past, a lot of Chinese traditional restaurant will come to their stores to do sourcing. However, nowadays, their main customers are the rich from mainland China instead of restaurants anymore. You can see how these stores are related to our society. They “witness” the change of Hong Kong.

     I think that the government should do something to preserve these stores. They should not allow these stores to disappear due to any construction project. For example, they can do what they have done in Wan Chai on Lee Tung and Tai Yuen streets, to move these stores to another street after renewal projects. The “dried food street” and these stores may not interest the locals, but expatriates will find it interesting. There is not another places in the world like Sheung Wan, having all these dried seafood store located in the same street. 

Apart from that, what we are doing is not just perserving these stores, but protecting a culture. From the owners, many tell us that young people nowadays do not like or appreciate these dried food. Therefore, if we just allow these stores disappear without anyone noticie, it also marks a disappearance of a culture that we should cherish and preserve, in order to let our next generation to know their history.