Lu Ban’s Descendants - Hong Kong's Construction Workers and their Unions

The traditional "three trades" refer to the three trades of construction -- stonemasonry, carpentry, and bamboo scaffolding. With the modernization of construction technology, plastering and painting have also become important trades included in the "three trades" in a broader sense. Research on the history of modern Hong Kong generally revolves around macro-level political and economic discussions. To understand life of the grassroots class, one needs to rely on word of mouth, but in-depth analysis is often lacking. This book takes the earliest workers in the "three trades" who came to Hong Kong to make a living in the 19th century as the research object, observes how they struggled to survive and passed down their skills in Hong Kong, how their unions were established in Hong Kong, how they gradually declined, and what their relationship was with Hong Kong's social and economic development. The development of the "three trades" unions and the experiences of the workers are a story that represents Hong Kong's growth. How traditional industries respond and adapt to Western culture is also a reflection of Hong Kong's modernization process.