Sham Hing Hei

Sham Hing Hei attended afternoon class during his primary school years. In the morning he cut threads in a garment factory in Kowloon City earning HK$1-2 a day. Later he painted toys at piece rate in a doll factory in Tung Tau Estate earning a few dollars for every 12 dozens of finished pieces. As he could make good income from this job, Sham Hing Hei worked until late night. Apart from going to school, he spent the whole day working for money.  

When Typhoon Wanda hit the Territory in 1962, the entire top-cover was ripped away and the Sham family’s house was badly destroyed, the oil lamp was damaged and the furnitures were socked with water. Sham Hing Hei was hurt by debris and the family had to take shelter from the rain in the stairway.  

In the early 1970s, Sham Hing Hei joined the civil service and became a worker in the slaughterhouse under the Urban Council. Life was tough at the slaughterhouse, his wife was pregnant and his mother was unemployed and sick . Everyday he went to work with only 50 cents in his pocket. To save 10 cents of bus fee, he alighted one stop earlier. He bought welfare noodle with only 30 cents to fill his stomach. The hard times lasted for 6 months. 

Looking back at the many twists and turns he encountered in schooling, Sham Hing Hei believes that education had a far-reaching impact on one’s career. He concludes that one had to go step-by-step  and finish one’s target phase by phase, in order to obtain higher qualifications and better jobs.  

Sham Hing Hei went to work in the day and went to school in the evening. He had very little time to spend with his children. Not long after he moved in Oi Man Estate, one day he went to the wet market shopping groceries and lost his toddler son on the way. The little boy was found by a housewife who lived on the 7th floor and kept him in good care. However, when the boy reunioned with his father, he barely recognised him. 

Over the years, Sham Hing Hei witnessed Hong Kong’s post-war development and both good and bad times. During the boom years of the 1970s to 1980s, Sham Hing Hei saw his livelihood improving along with the prosperity of the society at large. Today, he feels satisfied with his life .