Sham Shui Po' s first Literary Youth Bazaar immerses visitors in local culture

The Home Affairs Department organised the "Searching for Sham Shui Po" Literati Bazaar at the activity space underneath the Tung Chau Street Flyover on Saturday.

It is one of the events under the "District 18 is Colourful Day and Night in 2024" programme, aiming to drive people to understand and immerse themselves in local design products and Sham Shui Po textile culture while promoting itself to become the core area of ​​the innovative economy.

The bazaar marked the first time for Sham Shui Po to host an event of this scale, with more than 30 stalls featuring local original works such as fabrics, leathers, and cultural and creative products. The bazaar also promotes city walking activities.After registering for admission, visitors will receive a printed eco-cup as a gift.

Shadow Lee, 28, a handmade stall owner, said she was happy that the government has given  young literary youths a platform to promote their work.

Cindy Chen, 26, a ceramic craftsman, said that as a resident of Sham Shui Po since childhood, she is honoured to contribute to the development of this area's culture.

"Although the economy here is not well developed, the culture of cloth and handicrafts has always been very distinctive, and in recent years, I can feel that the government is emphasising these cultures," said Chen.

Effie Zhu, 21, a visitor to the bazaar, said it is her first time participating in such type of bazaar in Sham Shui Po,“ I did not expect that there would be so many visitors, not only some literary youth but also many old people and children joined today’s bazaar.”

Karlssen Wong, 7, said his favourite part of the whole fair was the stamping and punching of cards in the fair, where there were all sorts of prizes to be won.

“I was also impressed by the exhibition of many things I had not seen before, and my mum told me they were all things she would have used as a child,” said Wong.

Yau Ka-chin, a member of the Sham Shui Po District Youth Development and Civic Education Committee, said that as one of the three most interesting districts in the world, Sham Shui Po has many neighbourhoods with local characteristics， where people can experience the authentic Hong Kong culture.

"It is a process to revitalise the new image of Sham Shui Po, today's bazaar is a small part of it, and there will be more activities like this in the future, which will make Sham Shui Po even more impressive to everyone," said Yau.