54 PHOTO FEATURE ISSUE 134 55

Hard to Say Goodbye Residents treasure neighbourly bonds at Wah Fu Estate

By John Cheng, Godric Leung, Edith Lin, Stella Tsang 56 PHOTO FEATURE ISSUE 134 57

he sky turns pink as the sun slowly Ng who lived on the estate for 30 There were strong bonds between resi- approaches the horizon of the years, says that in the past, people came dents, which were not dependant on any TSouth China Sea, casting a glow from similar backgrounds and had similar monetary exchange. on the concrete blocks of the nearby Wah living conditions. They were not as Today, Kwok runs the Wah Fu Estate Fu Estate. Along the long narrow corridor well-off as they are now but the goal of Credit Union and also organises activities in Wah Mei House, the air is filled with every family was relatively simple and for the neighbours on a voluntary basis the comforting smell of tomato and potato clear. They mainly focused on working from time to time. “One doesn’t serve the soup, and the sound of the footsteps of hard and taking good care of their community for money. Just do what you parents heading home and the laughter of children. can. We are in the same community, so as children. The residents’ lives were simple but long as everyone is happy, we don’t need “We’d play hide-and-seek together contented says 65-year-old Kwok Yau- to talk about money,” he says. in a group of friends, along this corridor ming, president of Wah Fu Estate Credit Apart from the close relationship when we were in primary school,” says Union.“We didn’t have much entertain- between residents, shopowners and 47-year-old Francis Ng Chor-kee, fondly ment after work, so we simply asked workers have also built strong ties with recalling his childhood on the estate. around for neighbours to come and play their customers. Yuen Siu-yee, daughter To Ng and others who were born mahjong. We didn’t even need to close of the owner of Ngan Dao Café, helps out and raised in Wah Fu Estate, the public our doors like we do now.” with the family business. She feels deeply housing estate, built 47 years ago and Friends and neighbours would come connected with the customers. Yuen says located next to Kellett Bay, out and chat in the corridors after dinner. there was once a customer who would in the Southern District, is a unique place On Saturdays and Sundays, people from visit the café every Saturday and would that has witnessed the lives of different the grocery stores even came up to sell give every staff member a gift. generations of people. soft drinks and steamed rice cakes. She also has different interactions with 58 PHOTO FEATURE ISSUE 134 59

“One doesn’t serve the community for money. Just do what you can. We are in the same community, so as long as everyone is happy, we don’t need to talk about money” 60 PHOTO FEATURE ISSUE 134 61

“Actually they do not want to move, but they understand that redevelopment is inevitable”

Residents of Wah Fu Estate put many statues of Chinese gods near the beach of Waterfall Bay.

[the government],” he says, “I will defi- nitely miss this place.” He cherishes the fact he can rent a place to live with good air quality and beautiful scenery for less than HK$2,000 a month and thinks he will probably not be able to find another her customers. “Sometimes, I nickname within 15 years. This seemed to have home like this again. them,” Yuen laughs, “I’ve named a man answered the queries of residents at the Legislator Aron Kwok Wai-ming, who ‘Richard’ and call a granny ‘pretty girl’, time. started the Wah Fu Estate Redevelopment which makes them really happy.” That changed with the 2014 Policy Concern Group, believes redevelopment Yet, as time goes by, the neighbour- Address, when it was announced that the is necessary for the continuous develop- hood ties have changed as old families the government is considering extend- ment of society as a whole. “New families move out, and new families move in. “I ing the MTR’s South Island Line (West) will move in, which will bring new vigour even don’t know the name of my new project. As a result, it has decided to lift to the public housing estate,” he says. neighbour,” says 67-year-old Chan Kar- the development moratorium on the south Boyhood resident Francis Ng chun. What is more, he cannot get along of Pok Fu Lam, the area close to Wah Fu Chor-kee says it is always hard to strike with his new neighbour. Estate. It also stated that the area will be a balance between development and Chan says he once helped to collect used for the future redevelopment of Wah conservation. “Do we really need to the mail for his neighbour when the Fu Esate. Although the Housing Authority forcefully preserve memories and waste postman came, but his neighbour later is still conducting a technical assessment the opportunities for development?” he scolded him for being too nosy. He feels to examine the possibility of such a move, asks. “I think it is enough if the memories bad that relationships have changed. residents have already expressed different can be kept in the world in another form. At the same time, structural problems concerns. [Redevelopment of an old estate] is just have appeared in the ageing Wah Fu Julian Au Lap-sing, the Southern like life and death.” Ng thinks it will be a Estate. There are water leakages and District Councilor (Wah Fu Estate-1), has pity when Wah Fu Estate is gone, but he exposed reinforcing steel. Several rounds talked to elderly residents on the estate. understands there is no way to avoid it. of renovations have been carried out, He discovered that some hope to delay Society may not stand still for one such as adding steel bars to support the redevelopment because they want to estate housing ordinary people, but the the building and installing elevators. spend their remaining years peacefully residents will retain the memories and the However, rumours about redevelopment at home. “Actually they do not want to ties built over the years. Wah Fu Estate is of Wah Fu Estate spread nonetheless.. move, but they understand that redevel- special to each one of them. The tangible The rumours stopped in 2008, when opment is inevitable,” Au says. things will be demolished but the intangi- the Housing Authority confirmed that Resident Chan Kar-chun says he has ble things will live on. Wah Fu Estate was still structurally safe no choice but to accept the redevelop- and declared it would not be demolished ment. “The demolition really depends on Edited by Sharon Lee 62 PHOTO FEATURE