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Ho Woon
Ho Woon
Stall Owner of Ho Woon Kee, Nga Tsin Wai
Sex: Male Birthyear: 1930 Age at Interview: 82 Education: Primary School Occupation: Fruit Seller Theme: Community, Social Life At 27, Ho Woon tried to start his own business as a fruit hawker. He stocked at the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market and sold them at his own street stall. Later on, he moved his stall to Nga Tsin Wai. It happened at the time when the rightist riots took place. The Nga Tsin Wai Village Office charged him a daily fee of about $1. The fee was first increased to $20 in 1975 by the village headman, and then progressively increased to $80 and $200. After the village headman who first charged him a fee died, his successor increased the rent to $700 and charged him an additional $300 as incense fee.
Title Set up a fruit stall in Nga Tsin Wai Date 19/06/2012 Subject Community Duration 2m 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. MK-HW-HLT-001 In the days when the resettlement blocks still existed, the areas near Nga Tsin Wai were frequented by bad elements. It was also the hangout of drug addicts. Occasionally, the drug addicts would approach Ho Woon at his stall and ask for a few dollars. The place was also visited by members of the Chaozhou, Xinhui and Enping factions of the triad society. They seldom gave troubles to Ho Woon except a case of protection fee extortion experienced by his son. His son refused to yield and sought help from 8 old classmates who were all Chaozhou natives and prison guards by occupation. The extorter quailed and the matter was eventually settled in peace. It was made a deal that the extorters shall never give him troubles again. On another occasion, Ho Woon was extorted $100 as tea money. The village headman negotiated with the extorter on his behalf. He demanded for return of the money and ordered the extorter never to give Ho Woon troubles again. In the 1980s when the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (Editor’s Note: should be Urban Council) intended to demolish Ho Woon’s stall, Ho Woon sought assistance from the village headman. The headman argued that it was unreasonable to demolish his stall because it was set on private land, and Ho Woon held a business licence besides paying a monthly rent which could be proved by the rental receipt issued monthly. Since then, nothing was heard about the demolition.
Title Small fruit stall frequented by triad elements Date 19/06/2012 Subject Community Duration 1m47s 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. MK-HW-HLT-002 Ho Woon started operating a stall in Nga Tsin Wai in the 1950s. When his stall was destroyed by the typhoon one year, the blacksmith who operated a stall opposite to his stall mended it for him. The blacksmith was a Dongguaan native. Having operated at the same spots for decades, they are very good friends. Today, the blacksmith still lives in the village. Ho Woon remembered that besides the blacksmith, other stalls were operated in Nga Tsin Wai including the wonton noodle stalls, porridge stalls, fried vermicelli stalls, fried noodle stalls, pork stalls, fruit stalls and vegetable stalls. Most of the stall operators were Chaozhou natives. Having existed in Nga Tsin Wai for 50 years, Ho Woon’s stall is well known by all the nearby residents. He gets along very well with them and other shop operators. But, many stalls which existed in the past, such as the claypot pudding stalls and turnip cake stalls, had ceased operation.
Title Stalls operated in Nga Tsin Wai usually selling food Date 19/06/2012 Subject Community Duration 2m1s 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. MK-HW-HLT-003 Ho Woon’s stall was opposite to a small wholesale market. Vegetables form Ngau Tau Kok and Tsz Wan Shan were all sent there for wholesale and the market operator earned a commission from it. The wholesale market, which opened every morning, had a history of more than 10 years. The market was originally situated in Kowloon City, but it was moved to Nga Tsin Wai later. In those days, Ho Woon had to travel to the Western District for stocking - the journey took one whole day. The wholesale business was good, and the Western District Wholesale Fruit Market was moved to Cheung Sha Wan 7 or 8 years later. Besides, with the improved transportation network, people could travel to Cheung Sha Wan for stocking themselves. As a result, the small wholesale market in Nga Tsin Wai was weeded out. After it was gone, many people came to occupy the original site to openrate their stalls. Some people even built a two-storey stall for lease. Some of them sold fruits, pork and wanton noodles. These stalls were later demolished by the Urban Council, but some continue to operate up to now, including the vegetable stalls and barber stalls. In recent years, the Urban Renewal Authority plans to demolish Nga Tsin Wai, compensation negotiations are under way between the URA and stall operators.
Title From a smal bazaar to a place of stalls Date 19/06/2012 Subject Community Duration 3m5s 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. MK-HW-HLT-004 Ho Woon considered Nga Tsin Wai to be a Hakka village, and the Hakka women impressed him as bitter and harsh. Notwithstanding this, he generally related well with the villagers. In times of major events, such as Birthday of Tin Hau, the Jiao Festival and refurbishment of ancestral halls, Ho Woon would attend the gatherings and chat with the villagers. It was through such chats that he came to know many tales: The ancestors who built Nga Tsin Wai were four brothers who used to live in Dongguan. Three of them moved to Hong Kong and earned their living as fishermen and fishnet driers, and they applied to the Emperor of Song Dynasty for registration of their household in Nga Tsin Wai.
Title Learning many tales of Nga Tsin Wai Date 19/06/2012 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. MK-HW-HLT-005