Photoblogger Man Lee
With nearly 800 pictures of the city’s past and present on his blog “Vanishing HK”, Man Lee collects old photographs of different districts and takes new ones at an almost the exact same angle to raise concern about overdevelopment in Hong Kong.
HK Magazine: When did you come up with this idea of “Old and New HK” photos?
Man Lee: I’m not the first person to do this. Three or four years ago, I saw two pictures online contrasting old and new Victoria Harbor. In the old one, you can still see the clear sky and green mountains behind the short buildings. It was really shocking to see the sharp contrast when you put the two photos together. At first I collected old photos. Then a netizen said it would be awesome if he could see the changes between then and now, so I thought “why not do it?”, and that’s how I got started.
HK: How do you feel when you see the contrasts between old and new Hong Kong?
ML: I feel very strongly about old structures, such as shophouses and old-style windows. I’m deeply attracted to their unique characteristic. When you’re almost 40 and you spent your childhood in these places, it’s really sad to see all these features disappearing, only to be replaced by buildings with glass walls, which look the same all over the world.
HK: What lost piece of Hong Kong history makes you feel particularly sad?
ML: The demolition of the Kowloon Walled City. A week before it was pulled down, the Japanese even asked our government if they could send a team of experts to go inside and take down a detailed record of this unique place. While the Japanese were obsessed with the place, we Hongkongers didn’t even know its cultural value until it was destroyed.
HK: What obstacles have you faced taking these pictures?
ML: Some places have changed so much that it’s hard to redo the photograph at the same angle. For example, it may have turned into a public housing estate with security guards denying entry to outsiders. If there was a bus in the old picture, I try to wait for a bus to come into in the new picture too, which means that people may see me standing right in the middle of the road and wonder what I am doing. I was even stopped by policemen since they found me suspicious. Now I use this SLR camera to try and convince people that I am a photographer, though I have actually no idea about stuff like aperture and shutter. After all, it would be really weird if I stood in the middle of the road with a tiny digital camera in my hand.
HK: Which picture was the hardest to take?
ML: Once, I had to take a picture standing in the middle of the road with my back to oncoming vehicles. A friend of mine stood to one side to warn me about approaching cars. It was quite dangerous as I needed to squat down like the original photographer to get the same angle. But what worried me more was getting caught by the police—they could fine me $1,500 for this.
HK: What has been your most unforgettable experience so far?
ML: I was interviewed by the AI Jazeera English Channel for a documentary. I found it really surprising that they knew me and were interested in my project! Also, a teacher once left a comment on my site saying that she presented my photos to her students to teach them about Hong Kong history. It’s like the whole message had been spread out. It’s very satisfying for me—I want people to deliberate more about heritage and development. After all, this is exactly why I set up the blog in the first place.