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Kwok Yung
Kwok Yung
Resident of Ferry Kok, Yau Ma Tei
Sex: Female Birthyear: 1932 Age at Interview: 79 Education: Primary Occupation: Housewife Theme: Community ,Social Life When Kwong Yung worked as a housemaid in a family in Tsim Sha Tsui, she always went to the theatres in Yau Ma Tei after work for the 9.30 pm show. It might be the Chinese opera or movie. She had watched movies in theatres such as the Kam Wah Theatre, Yau Ma Tei Theatre, Kwong Ming Theatre, and Victoria Theatre. The movie stars at the time included Chinese opera performers Hung Sin Nui, Bak Sheut Sin and Fong Yim Fan and movie artists like Ng Cho Fan, Wu Fung and Cheung Ying. After the movie, she would return to her employer’s home.
Title Housemaid came all the way from Tsim Sha Tsui to Yau Ma Tei for a movie Date 16/02/2011 Subject Community Duration 30s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. YMT-KY-HLT-001 When she was working at the Mody Road mansion, there were two housemaids in the mansion. Kwok was responsible for buying food, cooking and washing clothes; the other maid was responsible for ironing and cleaning. The Shanghaiese were particularly fond of dishes like bamboo shot with pork, braised chicken, and ducks webbed feet; the dishes were particularly sumptuous at Chinese New Year banquets. When working at Mody Road, Kwok often went to buy food at markets in Yaumatei. There was a shop named “Tong Shun Hing” in the Kwun Chung Street Market which was at the corner of Shanghai Street and Bowring Street; the shop specialized in Shanghai food ingredients such as ham. There were 3 exits at the Yaumatei Market, respectively facing Reclamation Street, Battery Street and Gansu Street. The exit near Battery Street was populated with fish hawkers; the exit near reclamation street with stalls selling bean curd, bean sprouts and pickles. She visited Yaumatei Market most often and had known many stall owners personally for decades. Counting from the entrance near reclamation Street, the 2nd stall was Chan Kin Kee; its owner was from Dongguan and the stall was now operated by the 2nd and 3rd generation. There was a stall selling chicken named Tin Hing; Kwok often bought chicken wings and duck’s palms there. Because they were well acquainted, the owner was willing to debone the wings and palms per her request. Kwok was also well acquainted with Mrs Tse, owner of a fish stall at the market. Mrs. Tse later opened to stalls at the Kansu Street entrance and sold sea fish.
Title Familiar Yau Ma Tei Market Date 16/02/2011 Subject Community Duration 2m9s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. YMT-KY-HLT-002 The walkside stalls of Temple Street opened in the afternoon, and at the time many prostitutes littered the street corners; there were also old ladies soliciting patrons. Kwok harboured no ill feelings towards these prostitutes and understood their needs to make a living. The prostitutes also rarely disturbed the residents and the two parties lived in peace. When she and her sons were walking along the Temple Street, she never took detours upon encountering prostitutes. Her young sons had not yet known what prostitution was.
Title The street prostitutes and district residents never disturb one another Date 16/02/2011 Subject Community Duration 53s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. YMT-KY-HLT-003 In 1984 Kwok bought a 565-sq-ft apartment in Man Cheong Building at HK$350,000. She leased the unit out at a rental of $3,000 to an acquainted neighbor whose husband was surnamed Lau, same as Kwok’s husband. Kwok called her “aunt”. The “aunt” rented the apartment for 2 years and before the tenancy ended sub-leased one of the rooms to a criminal from the mainland. The criminal status was not known to Kwok Yung and “aunt” until someone knocked at their door, which surprised Kwok and “aunt” tremendously. Later, the apartment was rented by a family surname Tse. Two years later the Tse family moved out and upon reclaiming the apartment Kwok found that one of the tenants, a single man, refused to leave. She had to find him a place to move away and pay for him the deposit. She described this as “suffering a loss to send a thief away”.
Title A landlady who suffered a loss to send a thief away Date 16/02/2011 Subject Community Duration 4m44s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. YMT-KY-HLT-004 In recent years many residents from South Asian countries moved into eight Man buildings. Kwok found eight Man buildings had changed into United Nations in miniature. Particularly after 1997 when many Nepalese which had joined the Gurkha moved in with their family, she could often smell the scent of curry, coconut oil and onions. Eight Man buildings were near Jordan Road Ferry Pier. Whenever the harbour was shrouded in fog, bullhorns were rung aloud as alarm for moving vehicles. The sound of the bullhorn lasted only a while and didn’t affect the residents.
Title Collective memories of the Eight Man Buildings: scent of curry and sound of bullhorn Date 16/02/2011 Subject Community Duration 1m16s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. YMT-KY-HLT-005