100-Year-Old Tailor
Never Says Never

Tsui Ping Market has witnessed the changing faces of Hong Kong’s economy, and is filled with stories of business people leaving their mark in the community with their exceptional skills and entrepreneurial spirit. The 100-year-old market tenant Wong Kam-biu (Uncle Wong), owner of the Wong Sing Sau shop, which has 52 years of history, is one such example.

Photo provided by Uncle Wong

Uncle Wong started off in the textile trade at the age of 18 selling cloth in the area then known as Kai-liu (the site of today’s Tsui Ping Estate). He later expanded his services to include tailoring owing to rising demand for clothes fuelled by a fast-growing economy. “Business was brisk at that time, with lots of customers coming in for tailor-made clothes,” he recalled. Uncle Wong later moved to Tsui Ping Market, and had his own tailoring crew to make various kinds of clothing. In later days, as handmade garments got replaced by factory-made ones, he switched to selling quilts and curtain products, in pursuit of small profits and quick returns.

For well over half a century, Uncle Wong remained passionate about his business. After a long, successful road, he retired in early 2020 because of health reasons. Decades of service earned him a close relationship with kaifongs, some of whom visited him at home and helped wash out his wounds when he had difficulty moving last year. “Some kaifongs would even come over to help me open the shop gate in the morning.” It was this great sense of community and personal bonding that drove Uncle Wong to keep the business going for as long as possible. We wish him good health and a happy retirement life.