Description

By The Unpredictables

Streets, the physical form of own city, are very close to our lives. They are all over the town and, due to various reasons, like modernization and urban planning, they keep changing. Different people may have different point of views about streets around them, either sentimentally or rationally. Many Hong Kong people are very busy that they may neglect these changes which happen around them constantly.

Hong Kong is a very prosperous city. To maintain its being one of the international financial centre of the world, it has to keep up the growth of its own economy. Urban planning and modernization both play an important role in reaching the goal, and therefore, changes of the society become inevitable. As to urban planning, building bridges, highways, subways, tunnels, location of settlements are all being considered. It would benefit the society on one hand, but it may sacrifice some people on the other.

Ms. Man , for example, owned a corner shop that sells and repairs keys in Wan Chai for over twenty years. She and her neighborhood business were one of the victims, as to the changes. A bridge was built nearby her shop which blocked the opposite side of the road, the most crucial part which used to attract customer when they pass by. Now, most of the customers were lost, they all preferred to go somewhere more convenient than hers. The shop owner is experiencing harder way to make living.

Even though the newly built bridge affect the daily lives of the neighbourhood, the altered state is inevitable as it created convenience to the traffic situation and further development of the community.

Modernization of a city includes fading of old-fashioned business, redevelopment of building, advance technology of communications, etc. This is being realized after an interview with an old pawn shop owner, Mr. Law Kwok Wai, who has been in the business for over sixty years. He is an expert in his field.

Pawn shop is certainly a fading business, only handful number of pawn shops are left operating nowadays. From high volume business turnover in old days, welcomed by the majority of the poor to now being welcomed by mostly foreign domestic helpers, Mr. Law claimed that not just the appearance of the street is facing changes, his business also is facing tremendous changes along with the time.

Also, the diminishing business of Mr. Law may mark a sentimental string to the elderly which might have helped them in their early days.

Internet was not common and well-developed before. Children used to play football or gathered together on the street. People used to chat on the street. Neighborhood strengthened their relationships among each other. People make friends with each other.

They had built a great culture that people treasure the street as part of their home they lived along. Streets were the best media for them to connect with people. But nowadays, most of the people own a computer at home or mobile in their pockets, street relationship becomes much less important as their hangout place. Children and teenagers choose to stay home or go to cyber café."Street buddies" is already a strange and unfamiliar term to them. This is being illustrated by our third interview with Mr. Law Joe Ming.

Mr. Law Joe Ming, a Chinese bone therapist, said that shops along the streets are becoming fewer and fewer since the government declared the redevelopment of the area. Ever since the declaration, Mr. Law has decided to end his business in that area. The clinic has been opened since his father's generation. From the ways he described his old day relationship with his neighbor, I believed this would be a very difficult choice for him to quit. The street is full of memories to him; in helping others with the therapy he practiced, and the joyful moments he had with his folks along the street.

Lastly, we must draw our attention to the recent effort of our government, to beautify the streets. Comparing to the past, which mere concrete and cement are being laid on the ground, plenty of vegetation is being planted along the street, providing a green and fresh environment. Some streets even being decorated with season flower, bouquets, which makes the streets of Hong Kong colourful and attractive. The cleanliness of the streets are also a continuous effort made by the Hong Kong government.

Nowadays, streets are one of the important part of our lives and they grow with us. We built and improve the facilities on it to satisfy our needs and demands. As the streets are of international standard, Hong Kong becomes more popular and this will certainly help Hong Kong to develop economically. Streets can affect things we can't think of meanwhile or in the future.
Street is a very abstract noun, literally, it's only a passage for people go from one place to another, the most important point is what facilities on the street and how people utilize it, but not the street itself.

Have the changes of streets affected you?


School: St. Paul's Secondary School
TEAM
Leader: Melissa Cheung
Writer: Kyla Lam Jing Jia
Editor: Fiona Chan Fung Luen
Photographer: Yoyo Chan Tsz Hei

CAPTIONS
1. Mr. Law Joe Ming’s pawn shop
2. Ms Man’s corner shop
3. Mr. Law Kwok Wai’s Chinese bone therapy