The hidden lives of Hong Kong’s shift workers, from sailors to cha chaan teng managers
Ever wondered what the night shifts of a newspaper printing-press operator or a convenience store cashier look like? What about a Star Ferry sailor?
Many of us will be familiar with Hong Kong Shifts thanks to the social initiative’s eponymous Instagram account, which documents the city’s shift workers from Aberdeen to Tai Po, from Star Ferry sailors to fruit growers, and all the variegated hues of work and workers that keep our intricate, complex city running.
Hong Kong Shifts has been working with NGOs, schools and other local organisations since 2019 to tell the rarely heard stories of our fellow denizens, and this year Blacksmith Books has released a large hardback featuring a selection of co-founder Maxime Vanhollebeke’s portraits in sizes that do even more justice to the images than on Instagram.
“Hong Kong is home to some of the hardest-working people in the world,” says co-founder Cynthia Cheng, “and this includes all the shift workers and street workers whom we see day in, day out – working tirelessly around the clock to keep the city running.”
The excerpts that follow reflect a Hong Kong that many of us may overlook as we go about our daily lives.
“The people of Hong Kong may be renowned for their toughness, sassiness and impatience,” says Cheng, “but buried under all this is […] positivity, energy, and an undying ‘can-do’ attitude coupled with an admirable work ethic.”
Kwun
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