Away from the luxurious boutique hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, vertiginous apartment blocks and world-class shopping malls, and far from the nightly light and sound show over Victoria Harbour, is another Hong Kong.
‘Machines may be able to create a usual mahjong set, but it’s difficult and costly to create other patterns, special logos, characters or words,’ says Cheung as he uses a thin metal spatula to etch a dragon motif onto a green and ivory-hued tile. ‘I can carve different kinds of bespoke requests. People come to me asking for tiles depicting the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, lucky phrases in Chinese or English, and more.
Paper effigies, known locally as Zhizha, are an integral part of Taoist funeral ceremonies, which are common in Hong Kong. Family members will often burn paper sculptures that acknowledge real-life objects, to accompany the deceased in the afterlife. ‘It is the living showing their love and remembrance for those who have passed,’ explains Au-yeung. ‘The living hope that the deceased will be able to enjoy whatever they loved even after they have gone.
In 2022 he will stage his own Hong Kong exhibition, presenting his latest works – a Nintendo games console, a drinks vending machine, a bicycle, and more. ‘People used to be scared of traditional effigies. Now they are paper art to be admired and appreciated.’Founded in 1958, Sindart makes and sells traditional handmade Chinese embroidered slippers. Delicately detailed, they offer a gentler counterpoint to the mass-produced sneakers and logo-ed loafers on sale in Hong Kong’s designer malls.
‘Probably the only artisan of embroidered shoes left in Hong Kong, I always emphasise the importance of handcraft,’ says Wong. ‘I believe handcrafted, embroidered shoes are a harmonious combination and demonstration of traditional embroidery skills and shoe-making techniques. This craft should be preserved, especially as the quality and cultural value are incomparable.’
Kan began his career as a teenager, and has been perfecting the construction of the traditional, body-hugging, high-necked silk qipao dresses, of Manchu origin, ever since. ‘My passion for the aesthetic has kept me going,’ he says. ‘You know when you see a perfect qipao – it is form-fitting, flows naturally and exudes elegance. There’s no golden formula when it comes to creating a good one – it’s all about being attentive and accentuating the unique figure of each customer.