Hong Kong's second-hand book show: is this city only belonging to the economically capable

Walking around Hong Kong, you will find that hong Kong Island to Kowloon District, the scenery and atmosphere of the difference, Hong Kong's mix is not the "China and the West" in the mouth of the HKTB, but the hong Kong Island that kind of strong commercial taste and Kowloon District (especially Tsim Sha Tsui) that kind of tourist-filled strange feeling, and the local, market well taste, to stop carefully, Add a few more lucky points to meet.

Erica at the book stand in the pedestrian tunnel. Photo by Erica IG

Christmas 2018, near Star Ferry. Photo by Erica IG

Erica girlfriends (left) with Erica. Photo: Kayla Photo

I met my current girlfriend during a Christmas stand at Star Ferry.
Basically, she would help set up stalls every time, and she loved to accompany me to the bookstore to see new books.
- Erica

In Tsim Sha Tsui, an underground pedestrian tunnel adjacent to Star Ferry, there are young street singers with musical instruments, sketch writers with foreign faces and men writing calligraphy, and there is a girl sitting on the floor, reading down his head or talking to passers-by, called Erica, every weekend, She would take a custom wooden bookcase, a few mats, and a few signs that read "I don't read the mobile second-hand book stand" and sit here for hours, selling second-hand books and silently staging an acting art that activates public spaces. (Recommended reading: Interview with Hong Kong fashion designer Koleman: Who says the world is male and female powder? ) )

A different graduation ceremony.

Erica in Cambodia, 2017. Photo by Erica IG

Erica in Cambodia, 2017. Photo by Erica IG

Erica in Cambodia, 2017. Photo by Erica IG

What is a normal road? For most Hong Kong university graduates, a trip to The University after graduation is the final ritual before they enter adult life. However, Erica's trip was a year away, to Cambodia, where she worked as an international volunteer, teaching her children English and computer use. This kind of species, not like the Hong Kong parents expected the "smart ghost girl" to do, neither make money, and can not let her climb up the social ladder. This rebellion, in fact, is also reflected in her book stand above, because sitting in the pedestrian tunnel, reading in the commercial shopping area, talking about culture, is to Hong Kong's financial and social values, Hong Kong's rigid public space to use the rules of war.

"When I returned to Hong Kong, I called myself a waste youth. Of course, she can't avoid the need to get into the workplace, and end up in a large women's rights NGO (non-profit organization), "the agency is very good intentions, but also to do girls and technology use of school." In fact, many young people with a passion for social welfare, women's rights, labour rights, etc. will join the NGO job, but the daily affairs such as administrative and clerical work, how much ideal will occasionally be boring, "the briefing needs to be done in a format, font color can not be used with new." Often because of this kind of thing, can't help but wonder if you are suitable for the job. 」

She didn't stop at this place, and before she left, she saw the uneven distribution of resources, but she couldn't solve them. She often thinks, "What exactly is women's rights?" In addition to talking about healthier menstrual topics, girls' science and technology education, there are in fact (female) gay issues or sex work. She has tried to raise the issue of getting started, but it's too sensitive to institutions and not in keeping with the image of middle class, sunshine and health. "At the fund-raising dinner, one prize roll was worth a lot, and the elites bought a dozen copies in one hand. Her distance from the sources, wealth and power of resources was so close that she saw a microcosm of another kind of Hong Kong value.

However, she left her job in October 2018 and began her career in putting up stalls and selling second-hand books. (Recommended reading: Career Stories - Hong Kong Teakha Tea.) Home, what we need is not more but good)

Do the right thing in the wrong place.

Most of Erica's collection is second-hand books, "second-hand books are not common in Hong Kong, in the exclusive second-hand books, books like the market inside the dish, a pound of low-cost acquisition, display method confusion, content, paper quality difference." Some books will be sold for ten yuan. In addition to looking for treasure in a second-hand bookstore, parties will donate their own books, and sometimes receive new books, but Erica's favorite is good paper, typography serious traditional type books, when the book used in simplified characters, she always frowns, because that means paper and typography is not qualified, and of course, Also because the simplified characters look a little mutilated.

Photo by Erica IG

When tsim Sha Tsui stands, she sets the memes of books with her mood or current events, such as on the eve of the 2018 Gay Parade, where she sets themes of sexual minorities, feminism and body, bold titles, colorful books on the ground, railings, and the inability of passers-by to move their eyes away when they enter the tunnel.

The use of space in Hong Kong is in fact very rigid. From small to large we are taught to read books must be in the library, or the park can not pedal, ride a bicycle and so on.
- Erica

She also loves to display books on the theme of learning, from the Sun Flower Movement, the Umbrella Movement to the anti-capitalist large and small reading, in the next sincere life hall may not be able to find. The permanent cargo also includes a small magazine from Taiwan's independent publication, a stall lined with cards of its own design, occasionally a cheering food from a friend, and an uninvited guest from her, the police. "The police often chased me away from the tunnel because they had received complaints, and I set up stalls near the ground and the pier before the tunnel was chosen. The police's interruption, in addition to the trouble of rushing to clean up, there is a potential risk, and the experience of being driven away many times, as if to remind her, remind hong Kong people: Hong Kong's public space, not friendly, she is like an unwelcome hawker.

Social Movement-themed Selections by Erica IG

In her eyes, There are several urban landscapes in Hong Kong, first of all, tsim Sha Tsui, the place where she chose to stand, but behind her strategy and philosophy, "The landscape where I put the book stand is a damp and dark tunnel." There are rules in this city, such as that you can't sell in public places, and my status as a hawker, Tsim Sha Tsui makes it relatively easy for me to get there and leave. The tunnel gave me a feeling of Kowloon City, with a mix of dragons and snakes, allowing many people with different faces to gather in it. 」

Bottleneck bit, struggling is their own life

At first the creation of a book stand, not to make money for the purpose, purely from the heart want to do. In the process of setting up the stall, I realized that culture does not seem to be a necessity in this city.
- Erica

"Actually, I'm in a bottleneck right now. Before, I had a stall every Friday and saturday, without interruption. But now reduced to a month only twice, more out of the time, but will take to read. In other words, is the mobile second-hand book stand coming to an end? "Fifty-fifty, I hope to precipitate and improve the form of operation." 」

When asked about the money-making situation at the book stand, she said, "Not making money is one of the reasons I stop slowly, but the bigger reason is the change in my work pattern and my mindset." 」

From Cambodian international volunteer to hong Kong NGO full-time staff, and then quit his job, stall, now take into account some free industry and part-time work, the creation of her own portal is certainly satisfied, she has also been concerned by the Hong Kong media, but she suffered from fatigue and economic punishment, not everyone can see, "I am weak, struggling, I don't seem to have a substantive answer to what I'm insisting on and why. In fact, I am struggling, not the book stalls, public space living meaning, but their own life path should be how to go. 」

When reality and adult life hit the head hard, the young man's blood will inevitably be poured out of cold water, "friends around are looking for a full-time job, or have a stable job, make me think about how I can continue to book stand and continue to live, life, is an individual vs social struggle, and very realistic words, How to make money gradually became my biggest struggle. 」

Let's "get on the bus" and swim cheaply.

What is the city scene like in Hong Kong? For Erica, Hong Kong is probably a bipolar city, "on the one hand it is barren and uneven, with dense silhouettes of some dilapidated tall buildings, public housing villages and factory buildings, and on the other hand, the scenery I saw by tram in Hong Kong Island, including the architecture of old Hong Kong and the traditional fishing port flavours." This kind of scenery is sun-infiltrating, people feel comfortable, but also let me think that the scenery here belongs to the economic ability of people, not the general people. 」

The tram passes through Central. Photo: Kayla Photo

Hong Kong Island Seupita. Photo: Kayla Photo

Kowloon Area Deep Water. Photo: Kayla Photo

The place where she grew up and lived was not Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, but in the "New Town" treaint tse O in the New Territories, "Tseung O itself is a very simple and simple community, where the schools are not the highest ranking, the district has community centres and basic rides, there are familiar Hong Kong faces and South Asians." 」

The new towns that the Colonial Government of Hong Kong has started to develop in 1959 now have about nine, accommodating about four million Hong Kong residents, and the new towns are like a self-sufficient satellite city, based on "living and working in peace", distinguishing it from the commercial centres of Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and so on, although the planning of the satellite city in Tseung O is a bit "artificial". Strange, "large shopping malls are interconnected, more footbridges than roads, more air than fresh air." But for Erica, this unlike the three places have a home flavor, "It's so strange, but whenEver I go back to Tseung O, I'm still relieved because I smell growing up." Still living with her grandfather and mother, she kept a bunch of wonderful second-hand books in her home at the same time.

In Hong Kong, the success of buying a house is commonly known as "getting on the bus", and Property prices in Hong Kong are not affordable to the average person, and university graduates may not eat or wear for ten years before they can get on the bus (except for high-paying jobs). And erica's trams along the port island, the most expensive property prices. However, a tram fare, only HKD $2.6, welcome to all waste greens at any time. With a two-dollar, six-cent fare, you can travel around Hong Kong Island once on a tram. Rangers, spectators, not belong to the upper class, stuck between the ideal and reality, there is not a lot of resources for hong Kong young people, in fact, there is the mobility and flexibility of getting on the bus at any time.