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The Pulse：The lack of govt policy on hawking: the case of street food vendors & the closing down of

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Kung Hey Fat Choy! And welcome to the first episode of The Pulse for the Year of the Monkey.
As we all know the lunar new year got off to a less than auspicious start when, on the evening of the first day, protesters resisted what they saw as a government clampdown on unlicensed food hawkers in Mong Kok, despite the fact that these street stalls have traditionally been tolerated at this time of the year. The same goes for turning a blind eye to illegal car parking on the streets and the ignition of fireworks in the New Territories not forgetting some of the activities of the singing and dancing “dai ma” ladies a few streets away. This year, the protesters claim, the hawkers were getting special attention. Some people said they had been warned of a deliberate attempt to target street food sellers, and were on hand to support them. Clashes escalated through the night, eventually involving police in full riot gear, and shots being fired into the air.
For many Hongkongers, street hawkers are a symbol of Hong Kong’s enterprise and innovation at the grassroots level. It’s part of what they call the “Lion Rock spirit”. Many of the older generation raised families and put children through school and even university by street trading. But these days, big business and rapacious landlords dominate the retail trade, neighbourhoods are being gentrified, and the government has stopped issuing new hawkers’ licences. Thus yet another outlet for modest entrepreneurialism has been closed down. Nowhere is this more evident than in the upcoming demolition of a 40 year-old textile market in Sham Shui Po that has long been a mainstay of Hong Kong’s fashion industry.
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예술 - Art
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