【Video】Lindsay Varty | Author of Sunset Survivors – “Don’t forget why you love Hong Kong!"
Lindsay is a half-British, half-Macanese writer, journalist and a former professional rugby player raised in Hong Kong. As the award-winning author of Sunset Survivors, a book that tells the tales of Hong Kong’s traditional tradespeople, Lindsay lives and breathes Hong Kong and is fascinated by its culture and history. She now gives talks and runs local walking tours that focus on the subject of her book.
“It is these traditional tradespeople and their stories that bring the Hong Kong culture to life and establish part of our identity.”
Journalist: Nata
Photos: Onehungrycoconut
Videographer: Just.Production
Video Editor: Skyhorse Creative
“Where are you from?” “Hong Kong!”
“Where are you really from?” This question gets on my nerves every time. What do you expect me to answer?
My mum is Macanese (Portuguese and Chinese), but her family has lived in Hong Kong for five generations. My father is British, but he came to Hong Kong when he was just six-year-old and he has lived here ever since. Both of them consider themselves Hongkongers.
I have lived in Hong Kong all my life. I think of myself as a Hongkonger, take pride in representing Hong Kong for different rugby tournaments, and Hong Kong is definitely my home. Being a Hongkonger is more than just what you look like. It is not justified by appearance but by heart. By learning the language and embracing the culture, you are also tied to the place.
When we were young, my parents wanted my brother and I to have an ‘authentic Hong Kong’ upbringing, so they took us to the wet market to buy groceries, and to Sham Shui Po for a traditional breakfast like congee. Once a week, we would eat as a family at home with Chinese dishes, and we would learn the names of all the vegetables, meat and seafood in Cantonese. Some of my favourite dishes are steamed rice with barbecued pork, instant noodles with luncheon meat and egg, steamed fish and braised chicken in soy sauce. I think food brings family and culture together.
Third Culture Kid in Hong Kong
Every third culture kid like me has some kind of identity struggle, as we try to figure out where we fit in. The term ‘third culture kid’ helps though, as it gives us a category to fall under. Growing up, the juxtaposition of Western and Chinese cultures had a profound impact on me. I remember making turnip cake in front of my Western friends during Chinese New Year, and they were shocked to see me ‘frying a cake’. The image of us (coming from different nationalities and cultures) eating turnip cake is the epitome of a third culture kid in Hong Kong.
I also remember living in the beautiful fishing village of Po Toi O when I was a child. We would look at the dried fishes at the pier, go kayaking, chat with villagers and have dinner at their homes or restaurants. The villagers still recognised us when we recently went back to Po Toi O.
These fond memories are why I fell in love with Hong Kong at a young age.
I now live in a teeny-tiny flat of a tenement building in Happy Valley. It’s a different experience, but I still love my neighbourhood and getting to know the people and small shops here. Conversation always helps to develop connections, and you can feel the warmth of Hongkongers. Every time I spend a long period of time in other countries, I always miss Hong Kong a lot.
Keeping the Old Hong Kong Stories Alive
Hong Kong as a city is quite obsessed with development. Growing up, I noticed more and more traditional stores, eateries and markets are disappearing due to modernisation and gentrification. Hence, I wrote the book Sunset Survivors to document these time-honoured businesses before they vanish. It is these traditional tradespeople and their stories that bring the Hong Kong culture to life and establish part of our identity.
It took me three years to finish the book. I had 30 interviews with various artisans who work in a kaleidoscope of traditional businesses, such as face threading, shoe shining and bamboo bird cage making. I got introduced to lots of industries that I never knew existed in Hong Kong.
Too often, we walk by these shops in alleys without noticing them or trying to understand their trade. With the book, I hope people can appreciate old Hong Kong culture more, respect and recognise these craftsmen, and get out there to explore and experience. I met this elderly couple making metal letterboxes in Sheung Wan the other day, and it made my day.
Among all the interviewees, I really enjoyed meeting the letter writer Mr. Leung. Working inside the Jade Market in Yau Ma Tei, he is one of six letter writers remaining in Hong Kong. Even though he knows his industry is on the decline and his family is urging him to retire, he still sits there with his typewriter and waits for customers to come by every day, helping them correspond with their relatives in Mainland China or overseas in the old days, and fill in tax forms now. These seemingly small deeds give him a sense of purpose.
There is also Mrs. Ho, the owner of Lee Wo Steelyard in Yau Ma Tei. She carries on her father’s legacy, making traditional Chinese scales, in honour of him. I remember a guy who joined my walking tour cried listening to her bittersweet story.
Hongkongers have always been resilient, headstrong and hard-working. We keep going, no matter what, which I think is the Hong Kong spirit.
Cantonese, Please!
Sometimes, the shopkeepers at the wet market would discuss in Cantonese themselves what price to offer me, thinking I would not understand. When they offered me the ‘marked-up price’, I would bargain for the ‘original price’ they had mentioned in Cantonese, and they would be shocked.
When you speak Cantonese, there is an immediate bond that ties you to Hongkongers. They realise you are not a tourist. I particularly like the Cantonese proverbs such as 呃鬼食豆腐*, which makes no sense in English. I had no idea what it meant at first, but now I think it applies. I also love how Hongkongers directly translate 笑死我** into ‘laugh die me’.
Speaking of my life now, I just got married this February. We took a junk boat to the island called Yim Tin Tsai, and had a small but sweet ceremony at the Catholic church there. It is a nice blend of Hong Kong and Western culture, both in the location and the way we did it. If we do have kids, we would love to raise them in Hong Kong, let them learn about Hong Kong the same way I fell in love with the city, and make sure they can speak perfect Cantonese (chuckles).
To all Hongkongers, do not forget why you love Hong Kong in the first place.
“I am Lindsay Varty, I am a HKer.”
For details about Sunset Survivors: https://www.sunsetsurvivors.com/
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*呃鬼食豆腐 (cheating the ghost to eat bean curd): to lure someone into a trap / to trick someone, it is used to express skepticism or disbelief – “You’re kidding me!”
**笑死我: I nearly died laughing