Six home-grown Hong Kong trades at risk of dying out
Makers of such things as bamboo steamers, Hakka snacks, and neon signs, along with letterpress printers fear their businesses will become obsolete, they tell Sarah Lazarus
Hong Kong is best known as a centre for big business, but scattered among its gleaming corporate towers it is possible to find small, independent companies that specialise in traditional trades.
These companies are closely linked to Hong Kong's history, and are woven into the city's cultural fabric. They're part of what gives Hong Kong its unique aesthetic and atmosphere.
Times are changing, though. Many of these businesses have no succession plans and anticipate closure. As these elements of its heritage disappear, Hong Kong edges ever closer to becoming another generic global city.
visited and spoke to a number of tradespeople, the last bastions of some of Hong Kong's home-grown industries. With the end in sight for many, we set out to capture their stories and learn about their ways of life, before they are lost for ever.
In most cases, these are family companies, in which the skills and knowledge have been handed down - usually from father to son - over multiple generations. They're now under pressure from a range of forces that are, in most cases, squeezing them out of business.
As the cost of running factories in Hong Kong has skyrocketed, the production of many products has moved to the mainland. In other instances, traditional items are becoming redundant as they are superseded by new technology.