e-Book List
e-Book
The 1953 Shek Kip Mei fire prompted the construction of resettlement buildings in Hong Kong, which were built quickly and cheaply to accommodate large numbers of people, but with rather low standards. However, resettlement buildings were not the starting point of public housing history. When Shek Kip Mei Estate was completed, the Upper Lai Wai Estate of the Housing Authority and the Model Housing Estate of the Hong Kong Model Housing Society had already been occupied, and the Housing Authority, which has been improving the quality of public housing, was established in the same year. The original purpose of the Housing Authority was to improve the living environment of overcrowded households in private buildings in the city, and to provide independent housing with a basic standard of living at the lowest possible rent for the slightly better-off white-collar class. In recognition of the residents' contribution to society, the design of the housing estate aimed at providing independent shelters with basic standard of living, while attaching importance to the wide outdoor space and natural layout. This pioneering housing policy can be called the "Housing Authority's thinking". Sai Wan Estate was completed in 1958 and 1959. It was the second housing estate built by the Housing Authority after North Point Estate, and is the oldest existing Housing Authority housing estate. This book explores the history, architecture, community, and cultural life of Sai Wan Estate through feature articles and verbal interviews, reflecting the social effectiveness of the "housing authority thinking" and how housing estate shaped culture. It establishes an experiential basis for reflecting on Hong Kong's public housing policy, balancing the quality of living environment with the large social needs under limited social resources. Sai Wan Estate is a small community in itself, and its residents have jointly depicted a cultural image of a place that is educated, worldly, trustworthy, and responsible. Interviewed residents unanimously expressed memories across different generations: the terraces of the estate are interconnected like a maze, built against the mountain; the cowshed and incinerator that were once unbearable are now gone, but the golden sunset view from the terrace is still remembered. Sai Wan Estate has stood in Kennedy Town for sixty years, weathering many storms, but the human touch remains, and everyone is content. May everyone in the world be able to settle in a home that is unshaken by the wind and rain, and embark on a safe journey ahead.
- AuthorCaritas Youth and Community Service
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2021
- Preview
Aberdeen is a fishing port and a gathering spot for fishermen. Their vision is towards the ocean - the ocean is both a source of livelihood and a place of life experience; it also nurtures the fishermen's sense of identity. In this water community of typhoon shelters, there is a rich daily life, with excitement, hardship, happiness, and indescribable complex emotions. This book shares with readers the memories of Aberdeen fishermen and the vision of the South China Sea through their vivid words and the analysis of the interviewer. The content is divided into three parts, from personal emotions to the community and the sea. The first part consists of 18 fishermen's stories, and readers can imagine their life on water from first-person perspective. The second part writes about the fluidity and landscape of the Aberdeen water community, from the perspective of fishermen's livelihood, labor, family ethics, and identity. It allows deep understanding on this community. The third part presents a broader water community, following fishermen from Aberdeen to the South China Sea, experiencing and witnessing the changes in the fishing industry. From the fishermen's verbal accounts, we can imagine the past of Aberdeen, understand its meaning, and establish a connection between water people and land people.
- AuthorWong Wai-ling
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2015
Ann Hui has a 40-year career in film, having directed 26 films. Her first feature film, "The Secret" (1979), won the Best Feature Film Award at the 17th Golden Horse Awards. In 1982, "Boat People" won five awards at the second Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, establishing her as an important director of the Hong Kong New Wave. In 1995, "Summer Snow" became the first film to win all nine awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards. "Night and Day" (2008) and "A Simple Life" (2012) continued her concern for the ordinary people, with the latter winning five awards at the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2017, "Our Time Will Come" earned her the Best Director award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the sixth time. Hui's works include horror films, ghost films, art-house cinema, martial arts films, documentaries, semi-autobiographical films, light comedies, and historical dramas, across a variety of genres. Her films are rare in that they do not blindly follow audience preferences or reject them. They keep up with the times without losing their own perspective and style, while maintaining a humanistic vision and concerns for Hong Kong throughout, making her a rare and pivotal figure in the Hong Kong film industry. This book was planned by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society two and a half years ago. It is divided into two parts: special articles and interviews with people. Through discussions from multiple angles with film critics who have known Hui for many years, it analyzes the style and characteristics of her film and television works, as well as interviews with Ann Hui and her working partners, attempting to enter her creative and production world from a personal perspective and understand the unknown hardships and joys behind it. It systematically displays the films she has made and her career development over the past forty years.
- AuthorHong Kong Film Critics Society
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2018
Before he knew it, Alan Tam had already been a professional singer for forty years. He started out participating in band competitions, and formed the band Wynners afterwards. He then went solo and become hugely popular. At the peak of his career, he announced that he would no longer accept awards. As a veteran singer, he’s been collaborating with new singers, and even get involved in running a celebrity football team... Alan Tam will share his own journey in this book. In addition, many of his friends also talk about Alan Tam from their perspectives. It traces his footsteps from the beginning, via the Taiwan years, to opening a chain restaurant with Hacken Lee. The entire book recaps Alan Tam's important moments in life, records his forty years of glorious performance career. "Although reporters have written a lot over the years, how outsiders see it is one thing. I still want others to understand how I feel deep down and how I see myself.” – Alan Tam "Alan Tam's success can be attributed to several factors: first, timing; second, Alan Tam's voice; third, he wins people's hearts; fourth, he knows how to entertain." - Zhang Wenxin "There is a feeling of destiny, he is destined to become a superstar." - Guan Weilin "Some people say that Alan Tam did not put in a lot of effort in movies. I think that in life, you have to prioritize. Maybe he chose music for himself, and movies just as a side job, which is normal. I think he made active choices."──Chen Kexin "The person who has done the best job of being open-minded so far was Alan Tam. So he is a happy person."──Hacken Lee
- AuthorAlan Tam
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2014
This book records the legendary experiences of a senior Hong Kong police officer in the 1960s. Through light-hearted and humorous words and 110 precious photos, you get to see the various aspects of the police world that you may not know, including how the riot police are deployed, and the security equipment inside triad gang boss's car. From a unique perspective, you can appreciate all aspects of the life of the Hong Kong police officer in the past.
- AuthorWong Kee-yan
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2017
This book takes readers into the northern border of Hong Kong, which stretches for dozens of kilometers, to experience the life and culture of the marginal ethnic groups, to examine the border in Hong Kong's history, and to look forward to the possibility of cross-border development in the future. Based on local chronicles, genealogy, and archives, supplemented by precious historical photos and other materials, the author talks in detail about the border villages that have been neglected for a long time and their changes in style. The book also contains suggested travel routes and maps around five different themes, which allow readers to explore the different aspects of the border according to their interests. Extended background knowledge is also added, so that readers can have a deeper understanding of individual terms. This book is the first travel book on Hong Kong's border, which is to coincide with the government's policy to open the border restricted area earlier this year. Hong Kong citizens have the opportunity to personally understand the history and nature of the border, which used to be a buffer zone between Hong Kong and the Mainland China. It plays a special role in cultural and ecological tourism, and promotes collaborations between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
- AuthorYuen Chi
- PublisherJoint Publishing
- Publication Date2016