Dad always has a way of pricking my conscience.
"No sight seeing? Only shopping?"
When I travel with him I will always be asking for the malls and shopping. But dad is no mall lover; he will insist we walk for miles to see the nature and special spots of the land.
So, I had to at least go where tourists go; this time Stanley and the museum.
Bus No 14 from Shau Kei Wan brought us to the door step of this cove of the Island. It was a pleasant ride as we sat on the upper deck and had the best view anyone can ask for. Of course, I was told that one can actually hike to the place from Shau Kei Wan. But we wanted to act as tourists and not locals so we took the bus.
After about 30 minutes of cosy ride, we begin to see the beauty of nature here. Not far from here is Repulse Bay which we did not go. These places are closer to natural landscape and where the rich and famous reside.
The bus stops right here.
So very convenient and no need to use our brain to scheme for other forms of public transport.
Stanley market did not change much from a decade ago. Goods are varied here through the design and quality are quite different from the local streets; perhaps because we did not search far enough in the city. However, I must say the items sold here are attractive and I bought an oil painting; signature gesture of dad and I when we visit a place. I hope my eyes have been well trained by him to pick a right item. When shown to him, he smiled. I must have passed the test.
Beautiful home decor items such as table runners, table cloths and doilies are found here and I could not resist picking them. Garments are fashionable and pricey. An hour or two walking the Stanley Market street was sufficient.
The promenade is just as before. The sea beside it gives one a holiday feeling and the wide stretch of pavement along it is excellent for cycling and family parties.
The Plaza is perhaps a new feature that I have not visited before this. Well, eateries are found here and the only attraction is the H & M group. But the garments are a repeat as those in the world including Malaysia , so it was not very appealing.
Stanley is also a popular destination for domestic helpers to congregate each weekend. I saw Filipinos, Indonesians and Muslim helpers accompanying their wards on the MTR to school and back, pushing the old on wheelchairs in the streets of Hong Kong. They seem very confident in their duties and very at home. My friend told me that as the units on the island are generally not very large they are more fortunate than our foreign maids back home who may have to take care of big homes and wash cars. Is there any other comparison?
How about their good fortune in having a toilet and room of their own?
It is luxury on the island.
The story of Hong Kong is so well depicted in the museum.
This is also the first time I have been there.
It is a must see if you are ever on the island.
Not only are memories and the past well recorded, it is free for everyone and you can capture anything with the camera.
Nothing to hide but everything to share.
Basically there are 8 sections to the story of the island. Everything relates to its existence prehistorically till this day. Its history linked to the Han and Qing Dynasties to the Opium wars, its growth into a city status, its Japanese Occupation time and its return to the motherland.
I could relate more to its culture as it had a connection to life when I was young and when my parents too had that cultural connection to China. The Chinese wherever they have been scattered in search of food on the table will have the same story.
Evidence has it that human activities had already started some 6000 years ago during the Neolithic period. Artefacts of stone, pottery and bronze connected to fire making and house building further confirm existence of human mankind then on the island.
The boat is the vessel of life.
In its early existence, livelihood associated with the sea is real.
The sea people sleep, eat and find their source of income in activities related to fishing. I remembered watching a movie in the 70s' about life in a boat on the island in Cathay Cinema.
The fishing industry is the natural activity and here it shows how fish is preserved for consumption. Salt is the solution. Hong Kong never forgets that her history began with this activity after they left the mainland for greener pastures.
Life on the island is still a thick cultural continuation of practices of the mainland. The sedan ride for the bride. Some of the articles displayed during a marriage are the same as the ones my friend's mother had. The practice even went to the "Nanyang" lands. I have an advantage here as my parents are still with me to prove facts.
Opera shows are both cultural and religious in essence. Culturally it gels the community in performances that offer acknowledgement of the gods and much skills are involved in the songs and dance. My mother is an opera fan and the old Hong Kong stars in Yam Kin Fei and Leh Heong Kam are her idols. I know about them as I was dragged into cinema halls to accompany her. Those were fun moments. The cultural practices are not alien to me.
There is great effort in collecting items and memories of how life was lived in the early history of the island. The bedroom, work area and kitchen are so well represented. The Chinese in me rose in association with them.
The Hakkas in Hong Kong came after the Pundits and proved to be a threat to the latter. So the former are pushed to the higher and drier lands where rice of lower quality was grown. My father being a Hakka himself will have stories related to it. He used to tell of his childhood days when life was really tough and food on the table was a luxury. At the age of 14, he left China for Nanyang to join his older sibling ( Tai Pak) and said seeing "Ah Meh" (mother) at the port of Guang dong was his last sight of her ever since he left the mainland. He never got to see her again. Later, the two siblings in Nanyang raised enough money to allow the youngest sibling "Sam Sok" to migrate to Canada where till today he is still there. Sam Sook with his three children are leading a very comfortable life there. They seem eternally grateful to my father for his generosity and never fails to send ginseng every now and then.
But look at China today. As every dog has its day, the capable Chinese leader has brought the country to another paradigm shift which seems so formidable; not easily defeated. If the siblings would have seen the future of their homeland will they leave their land?
The family actually planned to visit Mei Yen where papa came from but a fall met by my mother changed all plans. We cancelled all plans to handle her recovery and we are thankful that she is well healed now. We have lost the zest to make the trip. Will my father pine for it again? If he does. I will go with him.
At another section of the museum, we saw the history of the opium war and how many were left helpless by the influence of the drug. Whatever glory went down the drain as sense left the body. Opium was the cause of the fall of the whole empire. In schools today, the youths of today are also dragged into this evil vice. When there is no fear, it is difficult to intercede.
I was thrilled to see a pawnshop in its possible original state. Pawnshop practice over to Nanyang where the pawnshops function exactly as in the motherland.
The explanation on the function of the pawnshop is explicitly written above.
I was amazed at the details of the inside of a pawnshop. It is truly a piece of valuable information and sight. Honestly speaking, I never had the chance of looking at one in such details.
The British influence has been strong from the days of old and the pillar box for letters and communication was a common sight. How is it that though the British occupied for so long the locals then were not able to pick up the language as we Malaysians? Cantonese is used even in universities as the medium of instruction. But today the status of the language may have changed in response to needs for trade and communication universally.
This is a typical grocery shop in former days. Today the big boys have taken over. Grocery shops can hardly survive as prices are controlled by volume.
Look at the minute details displayed.
My mother earned her first monies through a vocational skill - sewing. So the tailoring business attracted me. I am thrilled at the design and still feel that it is a good vocation. Knowing how to sew can come in handy at any juncture of life. This is also why I like sewing as I observe my mum sewed in my younger days. When a sudden desire arises, I will pick up a piece of cloth and plan an article for little Emily.
My skills are only basic; good only for pajamas for little ones but it gives me great pleasure.
These products are also in the way they were sold then; sweets, biscuits, milk and the like.
Kites and shuttle cocks. Those were games we indulge in together with hop scotch and hide and seek. But children these days play computer games that quicken heartbeat and cause addiction. On the flight home, I saw a couple of boys ranging between two to six handling the game in the computer with great delight. When mummy left them for the rest room , poor dad took over with little skill but fortunately aided by the computer. All he had to do was to turn to the right program and the two year old stopped ranting.
Well, parents have the last say.
This also how life is for a family. A bedroom for all. Notice the canvas bed.
When we were young, life was also very tough. All of us siblings were cramped into a bedroom some on the bed; others on the floor. We went through all that was good for us as humility, hardship and grit are values needed to survive in this dog eat dog world. There is little opportunity to instill these values today as the baby boom generation have worked hard to create a less challenging lifestyle for their next generation.
The juke box. It gave us songs when we put in a coin. They do not exist now.
We get music from handphones.
That is how a cafe looks like then. Notice the radio.
Thermos flasks and clocks of the 1900s. They were products manufactured in Hong Kong where it progressed from the agricultural sector to manufacturing and that was when prosperity crept in.
The garment industry must have brought in the coffers. It led in fashion and design and swept the world.
Advertisements were displayed in this manner. Everything shows how Hong Kong has progressed from then . A look into its cultural past is a reflection of her past glory and lesson to be learnt from it.
Yes, the museum reflects the soul of the land. Having returned to the ownership of the mainland, she strives hard to maintain her own identity and the struggle is real. Time heals all wounds and soon the past will be forgotten and the future becomes the say of the day.
Good bye Hong Kong.
