The moderators of the Instagram page “Sheung Wan Cats” collect photos of cats lying on the pavement and sleeping with medicinal materials in the old district of Sheung Wan. When customers buy fish maw and Cordyceps, they often encounter furry creatures leisurely wandering through the stores or lounging on the floor. Erica, a teacher who loves cats, set up the Instagram page three years ago to record the shop cats in Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun. She has collected more than 1,100 photos of the cats, capturing the changes in the area and the old shops. Many shadow shops have moved, taken over, or no longer have their cats.
Passersby often stop to take photos of the cats, allowing Erica to capture their every move. She has become more outgoing and enjoys communicating with the shopkeepers regarding the cats’ personalities and behaviors. Nearly 90% of the shops in the area raise cats to catch rodents and protect their goods. Erica has discovered that each “cat shop owner” has a unique personality and behavior, some being more outgoing and others more shy.
The shop cats not only protect the merchandise but also bring the owners and customers closer together. Customers often become fans of the cats and even bring them food and toys. Many of the shopkeepers view the cats as family members, sharing their personalities and favorite snacks. While chain stores have gradually replaced independent shops in many areas, Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun still have many traditional shops that have been established for many years. Erica hopes to preserve the unique character and charm of the area through her Instagram page.
[Yahoo News Report]Walking around the Sheung Wan area, turning from Des Voeux Road West to Ko Shing Street, there are time-honored shops selling ginseng, seafood and medicinal herbs on both sides of the street. When customers are shopping for flower gum and cordyceps, it is not difficult to see furry figures, leisurely shuttle between the glass bottles filled with medicinal materials, or lie lazily on the floor of the gate, allowing everyone to hold up the camera to take pictures . Erica, a teacher who loves cats, set up an Instagram page “Sheung Wan Cat” three years ago (@sheungwancats) recorded shop cats located in Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, and has collected more than 1,100 photos of shop cats so far.
While capturing the every move of the store manager Mao, she is more consciously recording the changes in the Sheung Wan area and the old shops in the area. Some of the shadow shops have moved, some have taken over, and some cats may not be there anymore.”
Reporter: Xia Xiaoyu
Photojournalist: HLKP
Passing by outside the store, the pictures of the owner of the cat shop posted on the glass frame by frame may be more eye-catching than the seafood herbs on the shelves. They have successfully attracted many customers to become fans, and even came to visit and offer cat food and toys. Erica said with a smile, just like pop idols, there are popular “cat stars” in each issue of this district, which are popular with the public.
She moved to Sheung Wan a few years ago. On the way to and from get off work every day, she noticed that there was almost a shop cat sitting in the nearby seafood and medicinal shop, and took pictures of them with her mobile phone. At the beginning, she just sent the photos to her family to share. At the beginning of the epidemic in January 2020, the society was filled with uneasiness and anxiety. She hoped to share cute and funny photos of different shop cats through social platforms, so as to spread positive energy. Heal the difficult life of Hong Kong people. The photo is also accompanied by a bilingual Chinese and English description, “Some foreigners think we eat cat meat, but in fact we cherish small animals”, hoping to clarify some of the misunderstandings foreigners have regarding Hong Kong.
In addition to filming, Erica, who was originally introverted and rarely took the initiative to deal with strangers, has gradually become talkative, especially often communicating with the shopkeeper regarding the current situation of the shop cat, “There is such a human touch in this area, and the shop will help each other She lamented that the neighborhood relationship in the society has become weaker, but it has been a long time since she found this sense of familiarity in Sheung Wan District: when encountering problems with medication for illness, the owner of the medicine shop would enthusiastically teach her; she also became friends with the owner of the seafood shop, witnessing together The growing up time of the cat shop owner.
“I didn’t know that cats were raised to catch mice!” She smiled and pointed.
Later, she learned from the bosses that due to the serious rodent infestation in this area, nearly 90% of the shops will specially raise cats to catch mice, so as to minimize the loss of goods. Three years of filming opened Erica’s eyes, and each “cat shop owner” has a very different personality: some cats like to interact with humans, take the initiative to say hello to people, and “seem to behave like that”; some are more shy, always Hiding in the depths of the store, he was unmoved even if he was lured by delicious food, “I have been filming for three years, you think I have seen all the (shop) cats, and I saw another one when I just walked over Only new.” She pointed.
Boss, Cat Shopkeeper, Customer
After passing Queen’s Road West, before stepping into the herbal medicine store “Wen Kee Hang”, the loud music from the 1980s and 1990s in the store has already reached my ears. I caught a glimpse of Boss Liang dancing with a drink in his hand. He smiled and explained, “The two of them like to listen to music, so when there are no guests, they will play it louder for them to listen to.” They are the 2-year-old orange tiger-striped cat in his mouth. “Little Dragon Girl” and the 3-year-old yellow and white “Zhao Ji Zai”.
It turned out that “Wen Kee Hang” was often infested with rats in the early years. During the peak period, more than dozens of rats ran away on shelves, ceilings, warehouses, etc., and a large number of medicinal materials were bitten and forced to be reimbursed. Until Boss Liang adopted the two “cat shop owners”, the mice had disappeared without a trace the next day. “I really didn’t see any of them on the second day following raising them! (Why?) Probably because I smelled the smell of cats .” And he is not the only example. Most of the seafood and herbal medicine stores in the whole district will specially raise cats to prevent rodents. As for where do cats come from? “Sometimes a litter of cats is born in the segregation shop, and they will be sent out to us once more.”
Over the past few years, Boss Liang has long regarded the two “cat shopkeepers” as his children, sharing their personalities, favorite snacks, work and rest schedules, and so on. He mightn’t help but took out the photos to show off, “Look, Qudi has become a husband and wife, Zhonglai buries wine, cuts and buries roasted chicken!” Compared with the status of “cat shop owner”, they are more like Boss Liang’s The family members, especially when the 80-year-old uncle was singing and dancing in the store, sat silently and appreciated the support.
In addition to guarding the safety of expensive medicinal materials and seafood, these shop cats also unknowingly bring the relationship between the owner and the customer closer. In another seafood shop “Zhao Ji” at the corner, two cat father and son Ball and Bobby are tasting snacks. The proprietress Zhao Tai smiled and shared. Become a regular customer of the shop.
Log changes with cats
With the rapid development of the city, chain stores have gradually entered the neighborhood to replace independent shops, and new high-rise buildings are constantly being built to the sky, and the appearance of each district seems to be gradually becoming the same.
Erica took the new town of Tseung Kwan O as an example. Most of the area is monopolized by chain stores. The building model is that the ground is a shopping mall, and the upper buildings are high-rise buildings. “I think more and more districts in Hong Kong follow this style, but the more There are fewer and fewer like Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, where there are so many traditional shops.”
She lamented that there are still many old shops in Sheung Wan that have been established for many years, and most of the shops have a long history. “There are some traditional things in this old district, such as medicine shops, seafood shops… because they are more traditional. shop, they will use some traditional methods to solve their problems, such as cat and mouse.”
Different from other cat photo pages, the cat’s salon headshots are not the biggest selling point of “Sheung Wan Cats”, but their interaction with the store—sitting on the fish maw like a big boy, sniffing a plate curiously Dried oysters, use the transparent medicine box as a playground to stretch your muscles freely. Interestingly, many cat shop owners are even named following various seafood by their owners, such as “sea cucumber” and “fish maw”, to link them closely with the shop.
“Actually, I like to photograph all the shops, at least half of the shops… because I think it is a matter of getting tighter along the way. In fact, some of the shops I have photographed have moved, some have been rented, and some cats have died. It may not be here anymore. It seems to be witnessing some changes, so I hope to reflect the environment.” She also said that even if she is a Hong Kong resident, she may not have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong Island, and she hopes to record the changes in Sheung Wan by taking photos of these shop cats , to accompany everyone to witness the changes.
As we stroll through the streets of Sheung Wan, we are not just captivated by the old-timey stores and medicinal aromas. We are also drawn to the furry feline friends that call these shops their home. Thanks to Erica’s Instagram page “@sheungwancats”, we are able to witness the adorable and quirky personalities of these shop cats, and how they play a role in protecting the goods of their owners. These cats are not just pets, they are a reflection of the unique character and culture of this old district. As chain stores and high-rise buildings continue to replace independent shops, we hope that the presence of these shop cats and their owners will remain part of Sheung Wan’s charm and history.
