House of To Kwa Wan Stories, or “To Home” was established in Hung Fuk Street back in 2014 and now operates alongside Fixing Hong Kong and Community Cultural Concern. To Home is a one-of-a-kind community space, pushing for community development and the recording and archiving of To Kwa Wan’s stories, aimed at entering and being part of the community. With To Kwa Wan as a base camp, To Home hopes to connect the community as if it were a family, and to defend the ecumene that holds countless stories and tales. As To Kwa Wan is designated for urban renewal, and To Home’s fate is sealed along with its neighbours, members of To Home are now racing against the clock to maintain and record the fading area’s culture and vibe. In this interview, we have Sui Ling and Bun sharing their work and feelings as To Home faces the independent fate of urban renewal and eviction.

“We honestly are very reluctant about giving up this place. From the start of 2018, shops we have close ties with started to close up or move out. Separation became a daily part of our lives, and everytime it almost feels like a break-up. ”

— Shui Ling and Pan

Journalist: Miff

Videographer: Jeezos

Video Editor: Tim

Photographer: Silver Wolf

Translator: Jeezos

Editors: Gen Mann, Alex Rednaxela

Production: Hei, Silenceisblue, King Kenny, Tea Leaf, CurryPoo, JM

Community development on Auto Pilot

Our activities and operations in To Home are very diversified as community development requires paying close attention to the needs and possibilities of the community. A lot of residents launch different campaigns, such as utilising the unique ethnic diversity of To Kwa Wan and inviting Pakistani women to teach Urdu, or having passionate neighbours bring visitors to visit small shops and see old architecture. To Home does not aim to provide unilateral help and support, but stresses working with community members and helping each other; this has helped members of To Home to gain insight. We always considered To Home to be on ‘Auto Pilot’; volunteers and neighbours alike can always suggest new ideas and combine efforts to put them into reality. We stress living and being a part of our community, hoping that this becomes a hub for our neighbours by providing a space to discover and utilise our abilities. This helps develop the sense of our community and fortifies the community network.

To Kwa Wan as a grassroots community already had an existing community network; many long- time residents and shopkeepers previously knew and took care of each other. To Home’s aim is to grow the resilience of the community, increasing the autonomy and sense of belonging, and empowering their lives. We establish relations with neighbours and the community step by step despite sometimes being thought of as frauds, since we just walk up to random people and try to talk to them. Upon gaining their trust, we try to further connect the people with the community by launching participation in the community, helping them to understand what To Kwa Wan is like, and build their identity. We still fill the roles of companion and connection; for example we are not professionals on the topic of urban renewal and are poorly informed on a lot of this; the chaotic behavior of the Urban Renewal Authority also makes it hard for us to understand their policies, so more often than not we need to discover and learn alongside members of the community.

With renewal plans knocking down buildings and knocking on doors, these missions become increasingly important. The community is not just facing, but already experiencing the effects of renewal; neighbours scattered, shops evicted - relations and connections have to come to a temporary stop if not a total termination. Helping the inhabitants realise and understand these perils is essential, and they must learn how to defend and protect their rights. We also hope to record our community, so that stories and memories are not crushed under the hammer of urban renewal.

To Kwa Wan Besieged; Records of the Communities

Renewal does not only destroy community networks; it also drastically changes the appearance of To Kwa Wan. Old buildings are besieged by scaffolding and heavy machinery, and old stores have to choose between moving and shutting down. The efforts surrounding the recording and archiving of stories were therefore accelerated in the hopes of preventing them from being forgotten; and in recent years, we have written various books and publications, as well as sharing them on social media. Like in Glorious Goodbye, the stories of many small shops were recorded, like 60-year soybean production house Kwai Kee, or the 58-year staircase shop Choi Kee. In getting to know them, we came to realise that many had honed their skills to perfection in these dying industries. These chronicles allow others to understand history, but at the same time remind these shopkeepers that their lives are meaningful and valued, and that they should be proud of themselves. When we give these books back to our interviewees, more often than not they cry upon reading their own stories. They highlight how customers and shopkeepers contribute to the value of the community; while the uniqueness of the area is depicted, it also helps them acknowledge their abilities and common values. We also created a series of Fotomo for renovating stores; we believe this is an apt souvenir to remind them that they are cherished, and will not be forgotten.

We even moved the glass cabinets from Choi Kee - and the seats, menus and shop signs from other shops. Termination of some shops can be very abrupt - and sometimes we have to “snatch” things from the workers removing the items from these places. Or sometimes we rely on the “intel” from neighbours and recollect these relics from back alleys, or it could be premeditated by these shops and arranged with the help of shopkeepers.

Startling development and neglect of residential rights

The Urban Renewal Authority’s plans for suburban or rural development are generally “civilised,” but the crude and coarse essence of Authority remains. The whole renewal plan of To Kwa Wan pays little consideration to the humanitarian aspect; many of the shops in this area have niche and particular industries and handicrafts with extraordinary historical and cultural value. The Authority may see “Sneaker Street” as special, but doesn’t consider bean production methods and shops valuable enough to maintain. At the end of the day, it’s all about money; they remove everyone from the area, destroy the community and replace them with nano luxury flats, and along with public relations and promotions gentrify the area. Just like how shops that sell traditional Chinese wedding items in Lee Tung Street, or the old shops in Yue Man Square are replaced with luxurious malls and apartment complexes, it is practically impossible for these removed shops to reenter renewed areas and enjoy the benefits brought about by renovation. “I often ask people to guess how many public housing flats were built with the land renewed. It’s literally zero! Now you know what the Authority is about.” Ultimately the beneficiaries are developers and the government - this collusion is exactly why urban renewal is unjust. In the face of opposition, the Authority doesn’t even bat an eye to the suggestions written collectively by residential groups, architects and urban planners, claiming that the reports are “unprofessional”, making residents desperate to have their voices acknowledged.

Of course we’re not stubbornly against urban renewal and development; concerns like structural integrity, hygiene and policing are sometimes solved by renewal. Urban development and cultural conservation are not necessarily opposite sides of a coin; but the way the Authority interprets “conservation” is often like Ruínas de São Paulo. The shell is symbolically preserved, but the history and culture is neglected and at best drawn or written. This is simply ridiculous - renewal should first ensure that the evicted have a place to go before eviction: conserving the existing community network, culture and remarkable shops is true conservation.

To Home - Farewells like break-ups

In the past few years, we have seen residents and neighbours through the experience of renovation, and ultimately bid our farewells. Unfortunately, we have not escaped a similar fate - To Home was recently included in a renewal plan. It was ruled that we were occupying government land, and will need to give up our current address before 16th of August. Finding a place that suits our needs in terms of space, environment and rent is difficult enough; and this space almost feels like home. “This neighbourhood really cares about us; when some of us were sick, we were given congee; or upon finding out that we were trying to lose weight, the community gave us more vegetables or chicken. We honestly are very reluctant about giving up this place. From the start of 2018, shops we have close ties with started to close up or move out. Separation became a daily part of our lives, and everytime it almost feels like a break-up. This time it’s us who need to move and say goodbye, and it’s far more than just “reluctance”. Saying “goodbye” and “see you next time” becomes so much harder - we’re still trying to stomach and digest this.”

Even after moving out, we’ll still remain in To Kwa Wan to reanimate the goals of To Home. It’s difficult enough to reestablish everything from scratch; and we weren’t able to preemptively interfere with the plans. Perhaps ironically, we’re lucky in the sense that the corrosion rate is slower compared to other districts. We still believe that To Kwa Wan has a lot of potential - hopefully in the future we can carry our work to a new place and continue to serve locals evenmore.

Bleak House is a chapter that has been writing itself. We’ve seen marriage proposals and couples getting engaged, graduation photos taken, baby showers celebrated, and musical performances held here. We have a community of booklovers and thinkers who gather here to discuss different topics. Friendships are formed here. For me, the culmination of these experiences made this place feel like home.

Growing up in the US, the mindset that my parents embodied gave me a window to what Hong Kong culture was like. My parents were typical of their generation—they grew up poor, worked hard to save up, kept their mouths shut about politics, and tried to provide for their family. They eventually moved to the US, but when I moved my own family back to Hong Kong, experiencing the everyday reality here allowed me to see the city in a new perspective firsthand. My parents disagree with me politically and don’t like how I engage in the local issues. Like many people from their generation, they judge right and wrong with a different set of beliefs. That tension makes decisions more difficult, but it doesn't deter me from participating. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t involved in this way with all the baggage that comes with it. I know they don’t approve and it’s hard, but I have to process that and navigate around it to do what I do.

“We are House of To Kwa Wan Stories. We are HKers. ”

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