How Hong Kong’s last writer of minibus signs is forging ahead despite the dying trade
Calligrapher Mak Kam-sang has embraced technology, using Facebook to promote writing courses, and selling souvenirs to preserve a tradition
At his shop in Yau Ma Tei, Mak Kam-sang’s walls are covered in calligraphy signs he has written. Passers-by stop and peer into the store, curious about what it sells as it is so different from everything else in the area.
Mak is the last calligrapher in Hong Kong behind the red and blue signs informing would-be passengers where a red minibus is going.
Now 60, he has been in this business since 1978, when he first opened his shop to serve all kinds of businesses from restaurants to individuals looking for unique gifts.
In 1982 he moved his store to Battery Street, where he has since stayed.
“When we moved here, there was a minibus station in front of my shop. The bus drivers told me to do some signs for them, so I started the minibus signboard business,” he recalled.
“In 1984, the government approved air conditioning for minibuses. At that time, Hong Kong had a total of 4,350 minibuses. They needed to replace all the buses within two years, so it was big business for us. [I earned] about HK$3 to HK$4 million in those few years.”