More Hongkongers consider RVs as popularity of road camping in mainland China grows
Adopting a Japanese trend, residents are modifying vehicles or buying purpose-built ones for camping trips on mainland they say shatters stereotypes
Hongkonger Garrick Tang is eagerly awaiting the delivery of a camping vehicle he bought in Guangzhou last month, as he is planning a road trip to Tibet in his new mobile home.
The 49-year-old property agency owner is among members of the city’s small but growing shachuhaku circle – enthusiasts who transform their vehicles into compact living spaces, complete with beds, cooking facilities and more.
Shachuhaku, a Japanese term which means “vehicle living”, distinguishes itself from traditional camping. Unlike campers who pitch tents, those who take up shachuhaku take pride in converting their vehicles into fully functional mobile homes.
Tang’s journey began five years ago, when he installed a simple makeshift bed in his seven-seater Toyota Alphard. It was a modest modification compared with those made by hardcore shachuhaku enthusiasts, but it was enough.
His camping vehicle allowed him to go on scenic trips around Hong Kong during his breaks and became a sanctuary that helped him beat his boredom when travel restrictions were imposed in the city during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lifting of cross-border travel restrictions to mainland China and the launch of the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme in July last year marked a turning point for Tang’s passion.
