Community topics
Written by: Zeng Fengting
2021-04-29 10:00
Last update date: 2021-04-29 10:00
It has been 14 years since the Kwun Tong City Centre Redevelopment Project was launched. In response to the redevelopment and development, the hawkers holding fixed licenses in Wu Wah Street and Hip Wo Street (near the old Wu Wah Street Temporary Market) for decades need to be relocated. They were resettled in 2014 Go to the Tongren Market which is a temporary nature.
Until April this year, after the opening of the permanent market (Yumin Market) under the new minibus station, the hawkers finally got a permanent foothold.
The hawkers who moved to the market generally think that the environment will be better after moving to the new place, but the business and the flow of people are unsatisfactory. Some hawkers bluntly said that the market is located underground and they had predicted that the business would not be too good before entering the market, but Under the great wheel of the times, they feel that they can retain some of the only friendship in the community here, and it is still "earning" at this level.
"Hong Kong 01" visited the Yumin Market managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department after the long Easter holiday. Compared with the crowds during the holiday, the scene was very deserted.
Many citizens walked away without looking back at the entrance of the bazaar. Some citizens just saw the bazaar as a shortcut to go to other places.
There are 50 to 60 merchants in the market, mainly selling people's livelihood products such as children's clothes, school uniforms, underwear, hair accessories and backpacks.
At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the market merchants began to close their shops and leave, and the latest merchants would only be open until 7 o'clock in the evening.
Uncle Biao, who is in his 60s, runs a school uniform business near the entrance of the market. He is a hawker who moved from the Wuhua Street Temporary Market to his current location in his early years.
He mentioned that the business in Wuhua Street was very good, and the neighbors often came to patronize it, but after moving to the Tongren Bazaar, the business has been declining. !" He believes that there are more people in the Yumin market than in the past, and the environment is better than in the past, and the environment is better than before. "There was no air-conditioning in the previous market, and there was no air conditioner."
The market environment has improved and there is still a lack of crowds
Although the market environment is better, Uncle Biao admits that the market is still difficult to pay back at this stage.
He described that the market had a lot of people in the first two days of its opening, but it was back to its original shape two days later.
Uncle Biao’s school uniform business is dominated by regular customers. He recalled that in good times, customers were more willing to buy a few more sets for their children to replace when the season changed. At that time, the business was still good, but the market has deteriorated in recent years and the customers are common. He didn't want to spend money, and lamented "I did a ten-mosquito business the day before yesterday."
The stall owner insists on opening the store for 11 hours due to a kind of responsibility
Even if the business is unsatisfactory, Uncle Biao still insists on opening the store for 11 hours a day. Uncle Biao explained that this is due to a kind of responsibility.
He believes that there are not many people in the market at the moment. If the shops at the entrance are not open, there is a good chance that the entire market will have no shops open, and potential customers who originally intended to visit the market will be lost.
In the sense of responsibility, even if there are no guests, Uncle Biao insists on opening until 7 pm every day. "Always I am near the entrance. If I get in early, everyone will come in, thinking it will be a good time. The shop doesn't open the door, and you won't even be able to walk in."
In addition to this "special responsibility," Uncle Biao's willingness to continue to operate is due to his feelings for the neighborhood. "Although some neighborhoods have moved out due to redevelopment, some regular customers will come back and call me."
For this friendship, Uncle Biao clearly stated that he wanted to continue to do it, but as to whether he could continue the business, he said he was powerless. "Emotionally, I would like to continue doing it, but it's actually very difficult."
"Although some neighbourhoods have moved out because of the redevelopment, there is a regular visitor association who will come back and call me."
Uncle Biao, the owner of Yumin Market
Therefore, Uncle Biao hopes that market managers can provide assistance to hawkers, promote the market more, and increase the flow of people.
He revealed that the government department had communicated with them and suggested that some publicity activities would be carried out in the future, such as the distribution of gold coupons and leaflets. However, Uncle Biao pointed out that similar practices were also carried out in the Tongren Market, but the results were not very effective at that time.
He believes that the target customers of the market are not young people, but the older generation. He suggests that it is more attractive to distribute daily necessities such as tissues.
Uncle Biao also suggested that the department should consider cooperating with people in the district to organize free Chinese medicine consultations in the market. This can make more neighborhoods aware of the existence of the market, which in turn will drive the flow of people.
The hawker takes convenience as the biggest advantage. The stall owner sighs that the market’s competitiveness is weak
Another Chen Sheng (fourth brother) who sells children's clothes and underwear has been a hawker for 50 years. He is also a hawker who moved from the Wuhua Street Temporary Market to his current location.
Si Ge believes that the selling point of hawkers is convenience, so hawkers will appear around the street, "seeing in the street, easy to buy." Kwun Tong was rebuilt. After the authorities placed the hawkers in the market, they lost this inherent advantage and attracted The force also drops accordingly.
The fourth brother pointed out that the hawkers mainly sell people’s livelihood and basic-level goods. "You (location) are not convenient, why I want to patronize you? Everyone who wants to walk in the street is to go to APM, so the hawker (market) Weak competitiveness".
The fourth brother thinks that the current market location is underground, and after losing the original advantage of the hawker, before entering the market, he expected that the business would not be too good. "There is no disappointment, because there is no expectation. But they are worse than expected. Is it possible for Yijia to get two meals? Basically it is impossible."
The fourth brother did not regret moving from the Tongren Market to the current location. "Most of my life is here (Kwun Tong). The community has said that it is important to me. The interaction between shopping malls and hawkers is different. If you stay low, you can keep it. That kind of feeling."
He believes that it can retain some of the only friendship and human touch in the community, which can be regarded as "earnings" at this level.
"Most of my life has been here (Kwun Tong). The community has said that it is important to me. The interaction between shopping malls and hawkers is not the same. Staying low can keep that feeling."
The fourth brother of the stall owner of Yumin Market
Brother Si mentioned that the current average age of stall owners is over 60. In addition to wanting to maintain a special friendship like him, some of them also hope to be able to self-reliance through hawker work. "I don’t dare to talk about everything, but there is Part of it is indeed to rely on oneself and not to use government resources to meet one's basic needs."
He hopes that the business of the market will have the opportunity to improve in the future, to help the stall owners to survive, and to provide the citizens with more choices in life.
In addition, the fourth brother also hopes that the market manager can handle the size of the market more humanely. He pointed out that the current market aisle is about 6 feet wide. According to the unwritten regulations in the past, the stall owner can release part of the goods out of the aisle. .
At present, the aisles of the market are narrow. If the goods are released, it is difficult for pedestrians to pass. Therefore, the manager does not allow them to release the goods. At the same time, the space in the shop is also very narrow. The stall owners can only stand out of the aisle for business, which is very embarrassing. I hope the authorities Face the problem of narrow market space.
Kwun Tong Redevelopment｜Tong Yan Street Hawker Market moved to Kaihui
Kwun Tong Redevelopment｜Bus and minibus stations moved into shopping malls and minibus drivers led Yulan culture on the verge of disappearing
Kwun Tong Redevelopment｜The hawkers in the alleys are resettled at the "Yue Man Market" Unregistered craftsmen worry about where to go
Kwun Tong Redevelopment | Left-behind merchants are suspected of being sold off and walked up to the rooftops to fire air cushions
Kwun Tong Redevelopment | Bailiff Raided to Take Back a Shop in Yue Man Square, Concern Group Suspected of Sneaking in Clearance
01Community
Kwun Tong Community Old District Redevelopment Redevelopment Community Redevelopment Hawker Market