Hong Kong Shifts
Untold stories of day and night shift workers in the city that we love – the unsung heroes that are helping us day and night, often discreetly in the background.
About
Hong Kong Shifts is a visual storytelling project founded by Cynthia Cheng and Maxime Vanhollebeke where Hong Kong’s shift workers — think taxi drivers, nurses, janitors, post office staff, or anyone who doesn’t work at an office — are photographed and interviewed. The project posts a new story and portrait every week on Facebook and Instagram in both Cantonese and English, with the goal being to raise awareness about an essential yet often overlooked section of society.
Services
Corporate storytelling
social inclusion
events
Workshop
Ling (鈴 – “bell”)
Ling (鈴 – “bell”) Newsagent (報紙檔行業), Mong Kok (旺角) 🕚: 11:00 – 22:00 (11 hours) “Sales of newspapers have declined a lot over the years, since there are a lot of free newspapers being distributed and many people read the news online. I also used to make a lot more from selling cigarettes, but even […]
Shing (成 – “accomplish”)
Shing (成 – “accomplish”) Truck Driver (貨車司機), Yau Tong (油塘) 🕘09:00 – 18:00 “Rain or shine, I drive the Feeding Hong Kong truck around the city to deliver food parcels to those in need in Hong Kong. I take care of warehouse stocking, organise the food donations, transport each box of food from the warehouse […]
Hei (希 – “hope”)
Hei (希 – “hope”) Herbal Tea Vendor (涼茶舖店員) Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣) 🕗: 08:00 – 21:00 (13 hours) “I’ve been working at this herbal tea shop for 28 years, since I was 30 years old. Every day, I measure the various herbs and brew each of the tonics for at least 5 hours. We boil […]
Hung (雄 – “hero”)
Hung (雄 – “hero”) Egg Vendor, Happy Valley 🕘: 09:00 – 18:30, 19:00 – 23:30 (14 hours) “I grew up in Happy Valley. I’ve been living here and selling eggs since I was 10 years old and it’s been over 40 years now. My family used to live in the Jockey Club staff accommodation on […]
Chuen (全 – “all, whole, complete”)
Chuen (全 – “all, whole, complete”) Mechanic, To Kwa Wan 🕘: 9:00 – 18:00 (9 hours) “I have been working on this street for 52 years, repairing brakes. I picked up the trade in 1967 – everybody knows me in this neighbourhood. I will continue to work for as long as I can but they […]
Fong (芳 – “fragrant”)
Fong (芳 – “fragrant”) Street Cleaner (清道夫), Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣) 🕖: 07:00 – 17:00 (10 hours) “If you take ownership of your work and do your job with dignity, the results will speak for themselves. It’s a nice perk that my friend and I have been partnered up to do the rounds together, as […]
Contact
Hong Kong Shifts aims to promote social inclusion and solidarity by raising awareness of the enormous contributions, energy and resilience that shift workers bring to this city, but also their tough working conditions such as long working hours, low wages, and precarious work environments.