Uncle So (aged 60+)
Uncle So is an ardent middle-aged man and the owner of “Hoi Chan Shop” (“開棧欄”), one of the oldest fruit shops in the market with a history of more than seventy years.
Usually, uncle So starts working in midnight uploading fruit boxes and end around 7 am in the morning when fruits are almost sold out. Saying this, uncle So and his fellows were so proud of earning a satisfactory by diligent work.
Shops on the market used to only do wholesale of fruits shipped from abroad and farmers from China could also take their fruits to sell in the market; at present, however, farmers has disappeared for a long time and fruits from both abroad and mainland China are traded in scales.
Facing the government’s proposal of reconstructing the market site, uncle So does not feel an emergency at all in that he believes there will always be enough opposition to prevent reconstruction from happening.
What he worries, however, is the difficulties in hiring for their unusual working hours at midnight and unsatisfactory payment. In addition, this is a business highly demanding of experience and knowledge of jargon. For us, uncle So was quite open about these old, secret rules such as coded language and back-sealed abacuses in price negotiation and signs on the bottom of fruit boxes for regular customers to make prior reservation.
The biggest concern for uncle So is the problem of inheritance of his shop. He is the second generation running the shop and he said that his son was not willing to take over the business, which is also the situation for many other old fruit shops in the market.
Uncle So is an ardent middle-aged man and the owner of “Hoi Chan Shop” (“開棧欄”), one of the oldest fruit shops in the market with a history of more than seventy years.
Usually, uncle So starts working in midnight uploading fruit boxes and end around 7 am in the morning when fruits are almost sold out. Saying this, uncle So and his fellows were so proud of earning a satisfactory by diligent work.
Shops on the market used to only do wholesale of fruits shipped from abroad and farmers from China could also take their fruits to sell in the market; at present, however, farmers has disappeared for a long time and fruits from both abroad and mainland China are traded in scales.
Facing the government’s proposal of reconstructing the market site, uncle So does not feel an emergency at all in that he believes there will always be enough opposition to prevent reconstruction from happening.
What he worries, however, is the difficulties in hiring for their unusual working hours at midnight and unsatisfactory payment. In addition, this is a business highly demanding of experience and knowledge of jargon. For us, uncle So was quite open about these old, secret rules such as coded language and back-sealed abacuses in price negotiation and signs on the bottom of fruit boxes for regular customers to make prior reservation.
The biggest concern for uncle So is the problem of inheritance of his shop. He is the second generation running the shop and he said that his son was not willing to take over the business, which is also the situation for many other old fruit shops in the market.
Mr Yau (aged 34)
Mr Yau owns a fruit store at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market. The store has been established for nearly 70 years since the generation of his grandfather. Nevertheless, Mr Yau claimed that the business of the fruit market has been generally shrinking due to the great monopolistic power of supermarkets namely the Welcome Supermarket and Parknshop.
In the past, Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market had a cutting edge over other stores in Hong Kong because of its providence of various special species of fresh fruit from both Mainland and foreign countries such as Singapore and Thailand. In fact, large-scale supermarkets nowadays appear as strong competitors since they are also capable of importing special kinds of fruit from overseas.
In addition, Mr Yau also showed his grievances against the government. He said that the government has by no means offered any support to their industry. Rather, it frequently proposes land resumption and the redevelopment of the district. A few district councillors have talked with him about the plan of reconstructing another market for them in Cheung Sha Wan. However, this idea meets with intense resistance among the owners of the Fruit Market because they think that there will be far less space at the new site.
In the face of different obstacles such as a fall in profits, Mr Yau believes that there are less people in his generation to inherit the business. And it will be even harder for the next generation to take over it since they cannot earn a decent living from it.
Mr Yau owns a fruit store at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market. The store has been established for nearly 70 years since the generation of his grandfather. Nevertheless, Mr Yau claimed that the business of the fruit market has been generally shrinking due to the great monopolistic power of supermarkets namely the Welcome Supermarket and Parknshop.
In the past, Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market had a cutting edge over other stores in Hong Kong because of its providence of various special species of fresh fruit from both Mainland and foreign countries such as Singapore and Thailand. In fact, large-scale supermarkets nowadays appear as strong competitors since they are also capable of importing special kinds of fruit from overseas.
In addition, Mr Yau also showed his grievances against the government. He said that the government has by no means offered any support to their industry. Rather, it frequently proposes land resumption and the redevelopment of the district. A few district councillors have talked with him about the plan of reconstructing another market for them in Cheung Sha Wan. However, this idea meets with intense resistance among the owners of the Fruit Market because they think that there will be far less space at the new site.
In the face of different obstacles such as a fall in profits, Mr Yau believes that there are less people in his generation to inherit the business. And it will be even harder for the next generation to take over it since they cannot earn a decent living from it.
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