SMALL SHOPS, BIG HEARTS

Christina Yung

books / city culture & heritage

I want to let the stories speak for themselves.

I want to celebrate these people for who they are.

I know that so many of the people I have interviewed are approaching the time when they can no longer continue their trades: the future feels so uncertain. This book – a collection of stories and photos focusing on my personal encounters with the shopowners, our chit-chats and laughs, insights and memories, and the everyday feel of these shops across Hong Kong – has been a most humble learning experience. I write to honour people’s lives. I write to show my appreciation for their trades. I write to preserve cultural heritage. I am trying to create a sustainable future for these trades and services that for decades – or even centuries – have been an integral part of Hong Kong life.

我沒有忘記初衷，奔波尋訪，走入店鋪，與店家談工作日常也談行業的微歷史，用僅有的技術拍照，再盡力把他們的說話記下來，即使不擅長也用心寫作，戰戰兢兢跨過種種難關，是為了要讓人重新認識一些式微甚至行將消失的老店、一眾年紀漸長的店家和老工匠，以及他們引以為傲的工藝。

我要寫下老店的故事，向店家和他們的行業致敬。

我要記下這個「尋找」的歷程，身體力行珍惜傳統工藝的價值。

我要說出被遺忘的老店、社區和人情，讓人懂得欣賞老一輩的精神。