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.”
Through training interested residents as guides, organising tours and holding group discussions, the social enterprise aims to nurture a sense of community spirit and connectedness.
Tam said the social enterprise attached importance to creating narratives of a local community from its own residents’ perspective.
“We used to recruit homeless people to our docent team and encourage them to share their experiences of sleeping rough,” he said. “[My team] and kaifongs discover and explore our communities together.”
His work to weave various strands of the city’s heritage into new narratives has earned him a nomination in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.
Teaching science using Canto-pop songs earns Hong Kong father award nomination
The annual event, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, celebrates the achievements of remarkable people whose endeavours may otherwise go unnoticed.
Dorothy Lam, co-founder of Dream Impact, a network of social enterprises, recommended Tam for the Spirit of Culture Award, which recognises individuals who inspire others to preserve Hong Kong’s legacy or celebrate its heritage and traditions.
Tam said his team had organised community tours in several districts, such as Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City and Sha Tin.
Breaking barriers: how a Hong Kong athlete fought for disability rights in city
“Sha Tin began as a new town,” he explained. “It has new features as well as a rich history and heritage.”
He said his social enterprise would expand its coverage, adding that he believed there was a demand for its services and its operation was sustainable.
While people in need or NGOs may join its free community tours, the social enterprise charges a fee for trips which are open to the public.
Tireless friend of Hong Kong’s stray dogs nominated for community spirit award
Tam was thankful that Dream Impact had supported his team in its endeavours.
Dream Impact co-founder Lam described the work of Tam’s team as “innovation in arts and culture”.
She said arts and culture were no longer confined to exhibition galleries as in the past.
“We may also go to the community, meet the people and tell the local stories,” she said.
