- Established in 1978 and commonly known as Pang Jai, Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar will be torn down to make way for public housing
- Vendors were offered a HK$100,000 payment to return the stalls to the government or relocate to the Tung Chau Street Temporary Market with a three-month rent exemption
Li Chung-leung, 80, worked at the Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar for more than 40 years. He will retire when the market closes down at the end of January. Photo: Sue Ng.After more than 40 years, the iconic fabric bazaar market in Sham Shui Po will shut down at the end of this month to make way for public housing.
Established in 1978, the Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar – commonly known as Pang Jai – is a go-to place for designers and craft enthusiasts. Once home to more than 190 textile stalls, it now boasts only about 50 vendors.
With the market facing demolition and set to close on January 31, its narrow, fabric-lined lanes are packed with customers who have come to bid their final farewell.
“I feel bad because this historic place is going to disappear. As a handicraft lover, it would be inconvenient [to find textiles] if Pang Jai is gone,” said a housewife surnamed Chan, who lives in Fanling.
She added: “There are several fabric and textile shops in my neighbourhood but they offer much fewer options. But in Pang Jai, I can find everything I need and I love the human touch of the vendors.”
Last August, the government gave fabric sellers two options – receive a HK$100,000 ex gratia payment to return the stalls to the government, or relocate to the Tung Chau Street Temporary Market, also in Sham Shui Po, with a three-month rent exemption.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) told Young Post that the new market could accommodate 53 stalls and it was set to open on February 1.
Only about 16 stallholders have chosen to relocate.
Among them is Tammy Ho, a second-generation vendor who grew up in Pang Jai.
“I don’t want to give up the family business. I have been in the industry for years. Also, I have so many fabrics and textiles in stock,” she said.
“I am still optimistic about the garment and textile industries, as there are many handicraft lovers in the city. After all, clothing is one of the necessities,” said Ho, adding that what concerned her the most was the rent.
She has rented three 90-square-foot stalls in the new market for herself and her family, which cost HK$21,000 per month. At Pang Jai, she could get a 300-square-foot stall at a monthly rent of around HK$1,000.
“I don’t want to raise prices as Sham Shui Po comprises mainly grass-roots families, and they cannot afford high prices. All I can do is work harder and extend my operating hours in order to attract more customers,” she said.
Ho Ying-hoi, 63, has also decided to move to Tung Chau Street Temporary Market.
“I feel like I am not yet at a retirement age and my children want to continue the business. Another special reason is that kaifong [people living in the same neighbourhood] want me to stay. They keep supporting us and said that if I quit they would have no place to buy fabric,” he said.
Ho started his fabric business in 1979 and now runs a 600-square-foot stall in Pang Jai with his family, but he could only get a 90-square-foot booth at the new venue.
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“I have so many textiles in the shop, how can I store them all at the new market? Even the largest shop I can get there is just 270 square feet. Also, there’s no way I could afford the rent,” said Ho, who represents the hawkers.
He hopes the government would give the new place the same name – Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar – because of the reputation it has built up over the years.
“We will actively consider the suggestions for the new operation venue and would announce the details in the near future,” the FEHD told Young Post, adding that they had not considered extending the moving deadline.
Li Chung-leung, 80, who had been running a stall in the fabric market for more than 40 years, decided not to relocate and has retired from the business.
“It’s true that everyone needs textiles to make clothing but the problem is most people have turned to the mainland for a cheaper price. Times have changed. Hong Kong’s clothing and textiles industry had its heyday back in the 1970s, but it has no market in the city now,” Li said.
As the moving deadline approaches, Li’s stall is still crammed with piles of fabric and fashion-related items. He hopes the government could extend the deadline to March to let him get rid of the goods.
“Some of us [the vendors] have requested an extension. Usually, we will sell the remaining fabrics to the mainland but because of the Chinese New Year holidays and border control rules, we would need more time,” he explained. “If I can’t sell the fabric, I can only throw them or give them away.”
Kay*, 25, a regular customer of the fabric market since secondary school, said Pang Jai was irreplaceable.
“Although there are other textile markets in places like San Wan, their [location] is not convenient and prices are so much higher with fewer options,” said the fashion design graduate.
“I heard the new market is so much smaller and the shops that I often go to are not going to relocate there. But I might still go there and take a look. After all, there are not many choices [fabric markets] in Hong Kong,” she said.
*Full name withheld at interviewee’s request