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Fred Lai

Despite the periodic rain, shoeshiner Zheng Dingzhen could not be more delighted to reopen her stall after 18 months of unemployment.
Zheng, 47, used to help with her husband’s bootblack business on Theatre Lane in Central. But, in keeping with current policy, the license terminated after his death last year.
“I’m happy that I can get the license. I suffered serious foot injuries and could not work in other businesses,” she said. “I really needed this job.”
VIEW: How Hong Kong’s hawkers face a struggle to survive
With the help of Democratic Party district councillor Ted Hui Chi-fung, Zheng won her application before the Licensing Appeals Aboard on Wednesday to secure a licence in her own name.
Yet the immigrant from Hubei province still felt uncertain about her future.
“My son is 22 years old, unemployed and not well-educated,” she said. “I can merely focus on my life at the moment and can’t think too much about the future.”
Her debts were considerable due to prior unemployment and her husband’s medical expenses before his death.

The rainy weather exacerbated her plight. She and three fellow shoeshiners stayed away from Theatre Lane for months.
Yeung Hong, 80, described his income as “really unstable”. The three-decade bootblack veteran operating next to Zheng said it was “increasingly difficult to earn money” in the economic slowdown.
He said the price for a shoeshine had risen over the years from HK$15 to HK$40. The Post observed fewer than 10 people stopping by his stall for service one recent morning.
“We’re all working very hard to earn a good life, just like anyone else,”
Mrs Ying, shoeshiner on Theatre Lane in Central
Another shoeshiner who only gave her surname as Ying said she normally had 20 customers a day, “barely enough to cover my daily expenses”.
She immigrated to the city from the mainland in 1999 and in 2008 was one of the first shoeshiners in the city to obtain a license.
Though the business is rife with challenges, both Ying and Yeung said the bootblack trade should be preserved. They regarded it as a symbol of local culture and capturing Hongkongers’ spirit of self-reliance.
“I’m 100 per cent supportive of Zheng,” Ying said of her application. “It would’ve been unfair to not transfer the license to her. We’re all working very hard to earn a good life, just like anyone else.”
Zheng said if her health allowed, she would work until she reached 65 or even 70 years old. “Some people may think being a bootblack isn’t a decent job, but I think at least I’m self-reliant and don’t rely on social security assistance,” she added.
Hui, the district councillor who helped Zheng, said he would continue to safeguard local businesses like shoeshining.
“They’re the cultural heritage of Hong Kong,” he said.


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Hong Kong shoeshiner wins licence to ply trade and carry on her late husband’s business

Zheng Dingzhen at work on Theatre Lane in Central. Photo: David Wong

Zheng Dingzhen, 47, widow of a deceased shoeshiner, finally got her licence, doing her business on Theatre Lane in Central. 26MAY16 SCMP/ David Wong

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

City’s hawker policy terminates a licence upon its holder’s death, which can make a hard life even harder
