Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: ‘kaifong’ shares the city’s stories and hidden gems
- Cheung Sha Wan resident runs tours for locals to learn more about their neighbourhoods and communities
- Social enterprise aims to nurture sense of community spirit and connectedness
Luke Tam Kin-lok provides a platform for Hong Kong residents who want to rediscover their own communities and reflect on different districts’ cultural riches.
A ‘kaifong’, literally meaning an individual living in the neighbourhood, of Cheung Sha Wan, the 29-year-old is keen to show visitors every hidden gem in the vicinity.
The co-founder of social enterprise Kaifong Tour will explain how Chan Man Sculpture, a decades-old print shop that still keeps an antiquated movable type printing facility, has become a gathering place for kaifongs.
He is also likely to recommend a stopover at Chaplan Cafe, an iconic joint that generations of local residents have grown up with.
“Every district has its own unique features,” Tam said. “There are stories in each of these local communities that are worth exploring.”
Founded in 2017, Kaifong Tour works with various stakeholders, such as shop owners and NGOs, to find out about different local communities across Hong Kong.
“People in Hong Kong may not know enough about their own communities,” Tam said. “We can do more.”
