Hong Kong Snapshot (38) (With Video) – Shau Kei Wan, contradiction between two markets 香港随拍(38) (附有视频) – 筲箕湾有两个街市，一个有人，一个没有人

In an article, I had mentioned about the concept of “Public space”, or “Community Space”. It is a very important element of a community formed by human. Community is formed by people. The interaction between people is important. A “community space” is an important place to promote the communication and interaction between people.

我之前曾在一篇文章提及過「公共空間」，「社區空間」的概念，這在一個由人組成的社區是十分重要的東西，社會是由人組成，人與人的交流少不可免，而一個公共空間，正能促進區內街坊的交流和溝通。

Recently, the HK government aggressively development “community spaces”. It built lot of new art centre, social centre. The government may think it may bring “community space” to the community. But they don’t know that community space is created by the living of resident, but not by only a new building.

香港政府近年積極打造社區空間，設立很多新的藝術中心、社區中心等，本以為可以為社區建立「空間」，但政府卻不懂，「公共空間」是由市民生活建立，而非單靠那一座座的新建築物。

Last week, I went to Shau Kei Wan, the place I was born. And there is a very good example of it.
(For more about Shau Kei Wan, please check: https://steemit.com/cn/@aaronli/hong-kong-snapshot-36-with-video-shau-kei-wan-main-street-east-decline-of-fishery-decline-of-my-family-history-36”)

上星期我去了我出生的地方筲箕灣，正正發現了一個十分好的例子。
(有關更多筲箕灣的故事，可到: https://steemit.com/cn/@aaronli/hong-kong-snapshot-36-with-video-shau-kei-wan-main-street-east-decline-of-fishery-decline-of-my-family-history-36)

---

1 Kam Wa Street Outdoor Market 金華街露天街市

There are two markets in Shau Kei Wan. The first one is the Kam Wa Street outdoor market. The street has been existing for 60 years. In around 1950, many bazaars gather at Kam Wa Street and sold fresh food. Later the government approved the existence of the public market. Now Kam Wa Street outdoor market consists of 130 regular stores and 30 mobile hawker stalls.

筲箕灣有兩個街市，一個是位於金華街的露天街市。金華街街市已存在60多年，在1950年代時，這條街聚集了筲箕灣的街坊就地擺賣，後來政府承認了這條街道的露天市集，讓金華街成為現今有130多個固定小販攤檔、30個非固定小販檔的大型市集。

Kam Wa Street is the center of Shau Kei Wan. Every resident of Shau Kei Wan passes by Kam Wa Street every day. All of they grow up by the fresh food of Kam Wa Street outdoor market. The market is part of their life. Even many people out of the district may come to the market to buy fresh food.

金華街可說是筲箕灣的人流中心，是筲箕灣街坊每日都必經的地方，基本上每一位筲箕灣的居民，都是吃著金華街街市的菜長大，這街市已成為他們生活的一部份，甚至很多區外的市民，亦會特地坐半個小時車到金華街買菜。

---

2 Shau Kei Wan Market 筲箕灣街市

Around 3 mins walk from Kam Wa Street, it is the Shau Kei Wan Market. It is a public market by the government. It was built in 1973. The government initially planned to move the bazaars of Kam Wa Street outdoor market to the new Shau Kei Wan Market. But resident had get used to Kam Wa Street outdoor market. So the vacancy ratio of the market was kept high. Only one store opens out of ten.

距金華街街市約3分鐘路程的東大街，那裡有一個筲箕灣街市，是一個政府設立的公共街市。筲簧灣街市設於1973年，當年本是打算引導金華街街市的攤檔到筲箕灣街市，但居民早已習慣金華街了，故筲箕灣街市成立以來一直空置率高企，十室九空，更有成為廢墟的潛質。

---

“Community space” and the two markets 街市與「社區空間」

To foreigner, the first impression of Kam Wa Street outdoor market should be untidy and dirty. Meat and vegetable are placed outdoor, dirty water on the ground, together with the loudly voice of hawkers, should make people choose to go to supermarket instead. But I would say, for a market, this is the element of “community space”.

對於外國人來說，對金華街街市的第一個印象必定是髒和亂，魚肉菜隨處擺放，滿地污水，加上檔主的叫賣聲十分吵鬧，他們必定會比較喜歡環境整齊、分門別類的街市甚至超級市場，但這個就是我所謂「社區空間」的重要性。

Dirty? We don’t think so 髒嗎？我們習慣了

In Kam Wa Street outdoor market, the relationship between people is connected. Hawkers shouting and promoting when residents compare the price of food from store to store.
“$10 per pound!” “Too expensive! $8!” “OKOK! My old friend, $8 only for you!” We can never see such interaction in supermarket. I think it is the most important element of a “community space”. It is built up by history and human.

在金華街街市，人與人的關係得到連結，各個檔主爭相叫賣，街坊遊走格價，「10元一磅！」「很貴呀！8元吧！」「好吧好吧！幾十年街坊，8元算你吧！」這種檔主與街坊之間的交流，我們不會在超級市場找到，這個才是「社區空間」最重要的組成部份，是需要歷史和人情才能建立的。

People have interaction in the market 在金華街街市，市民擁有交流

---

“Community Space” and HK Government 看似建造，卻在破壞的香港政府

Of course, those high officials of the government will never understand. They only know to distinguish between tidy and dirty, or legal and illegal. In Kam Wa Street outdoor market, the environment is not good and the hawkers always place the products in public place. So they are illegal. The only way to solve the problem is to build a new market, a new tidy market and move them all to the new one. But, it will only destroy the vitality of the community, the culture of marketplace and the original community space.

當然，養尊處優的高官們不會明白此番道理，他們只會區分整齊與髒亂，合法與非法。金華街街市髒亂，檔主們經常把菜放到公眾用地，就是非法，解決方法就是建一個不能讓他們這樣做的筲箕灣街市，再把他們搬進去。可惜，這樣的做法只能扼殺社區的活力，埋沒市井文化，摧毀社區空間。

It’s the so call “occupy public area” 這就是所謂的佔有公共地方

The HK government has built a lot of public markets. Many of them have high vacancy rate. In the 10 worst public markets, the vacancy ratio is up to 71%. Something interesting is that, there is always an outdoor market like the Kam Wa Street outdoor market not far away from the 10 public markets. In the year of 2016/2017, the loss of government public market is 400 million HK dollars. You may see the strategy of the government is totally wrong.

政府數年間建立多個公共街市，其中有很多都是空置極高，最嚴重的10個街市，營運率只有29%，而有趣的是，這10個公共街市的附近，都有一個像金華街街市這樣的露天市集。2016至2017年度，政府街市的虧損達到4億港元，可見政府的策略完全錯誤。

There are 10 similar public market like this in HK 在香港，還有9個這樣的公共街市

The HK government seems care about “community space” and built a lot of so called “community space”. But at the same time, the government keeps rebuild the old district, and destroy the native community space by the old district, the old residents for decades. It the government really want to promote “community space”, why don’t they try to observe, to develop the native community space created by the history of old district?

近年政府看似重視「社區空間」，看似建立多個新的社區空間，社區中心等，但同時卻不停的把舊區重建，將數十年建立的原生社區空間，社區人情摧毀，這是我最不想見到的。如政府真的想推動「社區空間」發展，可不多點視察民間，將那些已經凝聚幾十年的社區好好發展，而非要推倒重來不可？

Too see the contradiction between two markets, please check this video:

想看更多兩個街市的巨大差別，請看：

!steemitworldmap 22.2779318 lat 114.227376 long d3scr

---

謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！

Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!

Please Upvote and Follow me @aaronli