Hong Kong Stories - Centennial Stories (English Version) Series 51：Tram Memories

Tram, commonly known as “Ding Ding”, is one of the oldest means of transportation in Hong Kong, and has been serving the public since 1904. A ticket machine, which has been around for more than a century, will take us on a journey through time: Uncle Kin, who joined Hong Kong Tramways in the 60’s, has worked as a conductor and a tram driver. He has experienced the development of tram in different eras, and witnessed how tram, as the most important means of transportation at that time, was inseparable from public life and urban development.

With the rapid development of the city, efficiency is emphasised in everything. When tram, the fastest means of transportation on land becomes the slowest, its function gradually becomes questionable, causing a dispute over whether we should still keep it. Some people think that trams should be eliminated by time, while some use their own methods to retain them, which are of little value or interest in other people’s eyes. Joseph TSE, a “tram fanatic”, has been fond of tram culture since he was a child. He founded the Hong Kong Trams Culture Preservation Society, hoping to promote people from different levels of society to understand and get in touch with trams. Even if trams will eventually disappear, he is keen to preserve this treasure. From the perspective of environmental protection, a student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology reckons that tram is a low-carbon means of transportation. If we want to keep them, changes have to be made. We have to design more humanised trams to provide urbanites with a comfortable riding experience and enough space to relax. Architect Alvin WONG grew up in North Point Estate, and trams bring him a lot of interesting childhood memories. He often organises his fellow “tram fanatics” to draw sketches on the sides of the tramway, to retain the unique scenery of the city from different perspectives, and at the same time, to introduce tram culture to more foreign people.

Trams shuttle between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan on the 13-km winding tram tracks day and night. For more than a century, the “ding-ding” sound of trams has been accompanying the growth of Hong Kong people and society. Apart from being a means of transportation, it is also a cultural symbol and collective memory. Its story is the Hong Kong story. Is it “Change is eternal” or is it “Counter changes with consistency”? We shall let time give the answer.