As one of the fastest-changing and ever-busy cities, Hong Kong enjoys its reputation for its efficiency. Yet this extraordinary speed of growth and development doesn’t come without a price. While the city benefits from the fruit of its economic success, many traditional handicrafts, be they neon signs, hand-written minibus plates or hand-carved mahjong tiles, are on the verge of extinction as they are either being replaced by new technology or no longer needed.
Joyce, who works at a digital marketing consultancy, noticed that Hong Kong people, like herself, tend to lament over the loss of yet another traditional handicraft shop only when they see it on the news. Having pondered what else she can do, she started a social enterprise named “Eldage”, and with her employer’s support, she made use of social media to tell the stories of those handicraft masters to raise the awareness of the public and sell their products online. Meanwhile, she let these artisans share their skills and stories through workshops which in turn attract hundreds of participants, many of which from the younger generations. The platform also draws the attention of aspired young people who offer to be volunteers in reporting, filming and even bladesmithing!
Although it may seem impossible to have these handicrafts passed on as it used to to the next generation, by letting more people know about what they are and the beauty behind these craftsmanship, Joyce believes they can be revitalized in some other form one day.
香港這個城市節奏之急變化之快人所共知；同一個地方，不久前才來過，下一刻就面目全非。那怕是多少年的老店，也難敵時代變遷。
本身在數碼營銷顧問公司工作的Joyce，眼見經營傳統工藝的小店每每到結業前才因傳媒報道而人頭湧湧，深覺香港人對此等本土文化「愛得太遲」，於是決定成立一間社企，四出尋訪這些工藝的師傅，利用數碼技術在社交平台分享他們的故事和手藝，更協助他們「轉型」舉辦工作坊和開發新產品。短短一年下來，這些工作坊總是一開就滿，輪候人數數以百計；更有不少人主動聯絡成為義工，由訪問拍片、撰寫報道甚至製作工作坊需要的工具也請纓幫忙。
初步的成功讓Joyce明白到雖然要讓這些手藝傳承下去並不容易，但透過人的參與和連結，這些手藝至少可以成為下一代人的記憶，甚至創作的靈感，以另一種形式把這種庶民歷史延續下去。
