{"id":19950,"date":"2021-12-07T20:34:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T12:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=19950"},"modified":"2021-12-09T09:14:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T01:14:30","slug":"the-market-never-sleeps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/12\/the-market-never-sleeps\/","title":{"rendered":"The Market Never Sleeps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vendors recall the good old days at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market ahead of an urban renewal plan that aims to revitalise the market into a tourist attraction.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Gloria<\/strong> Chan Yi-lam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stacks of boxes with fresh fruit from different countries fill up Waterloo Road, Shek Lung Street, and Reclamation Street. Middle-aged workers yell fruit names against the buzz of rumbling electric pallet jacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hectic and chaotic it might seem, fruit vendors begin just another ordinary day of work at midnight in Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Market, Hong Kong\u2019s biggest fruit market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like his fellow vendor, Jacky from Raw Fruit, a small stall on Waterloo Road of the market, starts his day at midnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe arrive at the airport to collect fruit at around 10 p.m. and return to the fruit market at around 12 a.m. Our stall closes at around 4 a.m. after our customers pick up fruit they order from us,\u201d says Jacky, owner of the stall, who declines to reveal his full name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacky and his partner started doing fruit wholesale business five years ago. They took over the fruit stall from their mentor who taught them how to do business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy partner and I looked for fruit suppliers as we wanted to start a fruit stall. This is how we met our mentor. It is fate,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mentor operated the stall for around 30 years. We took over the stall after he migrated,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacky learns the industry\u2019s vibrant history from his mentor. \u201cThere were more than a hundred fruit stalls before a fire accident in 2016\u2026Those were the good old days of the fruit market. Now only around 30 stalls remain,\u201d he sighs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \"\"
    Jacky places boxes of fruit to his truck for delivery. The tailboard of his truck lifts up both himself and the electric pallet jack. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
  • \"\"
    Boxes of Taiwanese pomelos and New Zealand apples sit beside a fruit vendor. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
  • \"\"
    In between towers of fruit boxes, a vendor crosses the road with his electric pallet jack.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
  • \"\"
    An old vendor is taking a \u201ccigarette break\u201d between bundles of fruit boxes.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
  • \"\"
    A vendor\u2019s cat wanders between stacks of fruit boxes. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    A three-alarm fire broke out at a stall near Shek Lung Street in Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Market on September 4, 2016. At least 10 fruit stalls were destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSome stalls were destroyed and closed down after the fire. Fewer people are joining this business. The industry starts to die down,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Market was built in 1913. Originally named \u201cGovernment Vegetables Market\u201d, it once handled nearly all fresh food sold in Kowloon. In 1965, the government relocated the wholesale of vegetables, poultry, and fish to Cheung Sha Wan. Since then, the market has only operated wholesale business of fruit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Commonly known as \u201cguo laan\u201d, meaning \u201cfruit market\u201d in Cantonese, the market stretches along Shek Lung Street. It was classified as a Grade 2 historic building by the Antiquities Advisory Board in 2009, covering an area of roughly 14,000 square metres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jacky says there are unwritten rules about the fruit market operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cVendors can place fruit boxes on one of the two traffic lanes of Reclamation Road and Waterloo Road after 9 p.m.,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Electric pallet jacks and cars are using the only traffic lane on both sides of Waterloo Road. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSince some wholesale customers order a large amount of fruit, this (placing fruit boxes on traffic lanes) is convenient for them to collect their fruit,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over the years, Jacky has built a close tie with the customers. \u201cThere are loyal customers who have been buying fruit from our stall for many years,\u201d he says, adding that he sells fruit to them at cost price to thank them for their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Despite this, Jacky says sometimes they are misunderstood. \u201cOur burly figure makes others think we are unfriendly. But vendors are actually nice and patient. We share knowledge about fruit with customers and show them how to pick good quality fruit. It is okay to ask us questions, we will not scold you out of the blue,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
      \n
    • \"\"
      Electric pallet jacks are jammed in the middle of Waterloo Road. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
    • \"\"
      A vendor climbs up on his electric pallet jack and covers his stocks with nylon canvas as it starts raining at 1 a.m. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
    • \"\"
      Fruit vendors are searching for their stocks stack by stack after losing track of them with the canvas.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n
      \n
      \n
        \n
      • \"\"
        A vendor offers big green grapes as free samples for customers.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
      • \"\"
        The cardboard on the right writes \u201cWithout a second thought, it is a must to eat them (oranges)! They are really sweet!\u201d<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
      • \"\"
        The market is packed with customers on Sunday afternoon. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

        But the flavour of the market is about to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The Urban Renewal Authority proposed a plan to revitalize Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market to the Legislation Council in September this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Under the proposed plan, the market will be turned into a tourist spot, complemented by a new boutique hotel, open space and an art and cultural area. The wholesale operations will be relocated to a commercial building near the market at Hau Cheung Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Jacky finds the change hard to swallow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cThe flavour will be changed when the appearance and the location are changed. This is like copying Japan\u2019s Shinsaibashi and pasting it into Hong Kong. People will not come once the original spirit is gone,\u201d he sighs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This is like copying Japan\u2019s Shinsaibashi and pasting it into Hong Kong. People will not come once the original spirit is gone.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        Jacky is not the only one who doubts the urban renewal plan. Suzanne Wu Sui-shan, former chairman of Working Group on Concern for Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market, says some fruit vendors do not want to turn the market into a tourist spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cMost fruit vendors think that their main customers are not tourists but people who live in the neighbourhood,\u201d says Wu, who was also a district councilor in Yau Ma Tei for the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Also she thinks the redevelopment plan will not solve traffic and noise problems in the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cTheir (fruit vendors\u2019) pallet jacks always occupy traffic lanes, which causes traffic jams,\u201d she says, adding that the relocation will simply shift the traffic problems to another place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Wu says there is a need to strike a balance between conservation and development. \u201c(The government) does not necessarily have to destroy something old in order to develop the city,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
        \n
        \n
          \n
        • \"\"
          Fruit vendors occupy traffic lanes of Waterloo Road with fruit boxes and pallet jacks at 9 p.m. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
        • \"\"
          An old vendor is having a moment of silence in his stall away from the hectic traffic lanes.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
        • \"\"
          A vendor transports a tower of fruit boxes across Reclamation Road by an electric pallet jack. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
          \n
          \n
          \n
            \n
          • \"\"
            Fruit vendors clear up the traffic lanes gradually, while vehicles drive past smoothly at 6 a.m.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
          • \"\"
            An old lady is picking up fruit abandoned by the vendors between the traffic lanes. <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
          • \"\"
            Fruit wholesale business stops and retail business starts when the sun rises.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

            Edited by Kelly Yu<\/em>
            Sub-edited by Isaiah Hui <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Vendors recall the good old days at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market ahead of an urban renewal plan that aims to revitalise the market into a tourist attraction. By Gloria Chan Yi-lam Stacks of boxes with fresh fruit from different countries fill up Waterloo Road, Shek Lung Street, and Reclamation Street. Middle-aged workers yell fruit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":19977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1856,72,543,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issue-161","category-photo-feature","category-photo-feature-2","category-photo-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19950"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21232,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19950\/revisions\/21232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}