Cities and societies are propped up by numerous structures and practices. Cheap labour from mainland China and elsewhere has been in endless supply in Hong Kong since the early colonial era and is intrinsic to its economy and ease of living. An agency for 'maids' displayed a window covered with these photographs - all the women were in the same dress and pose. These sheets with personal data, work experience and preferences are personal advertisements for their services. 'Hyacinth is a 36 year old married Roman Catholic woman with 3 teenage children.' In her interview appraisal, she scored 'good' in all categories, including her facial expression (the agency seemed to score no one as being excellent in any category). She seems a godsend for any household, and the 'simple massage' listed as one of her many capabilities would send any Hong Kong matron seeking a house helper in the opposite direction. Do personnel agencies elsewhere display information of this personal nature I wonder? Lisa Law wrote about the Filipina women in Hong Kong (2002), gathering in public spaces around the Central area on Sundays, when they meet in groups to talk, eat and just generally be sociable. The clutter of these gatherings in Chater Park and elsewhere irked the city fathers and big commerce alike in the past, and barricades were put up to control their access to the city's few public spaces. Since I have been here, I have seen Filipina women in all kinds of public spaces during their spare time. They turn public concrete spaces briefly into private spaces with hunched conversations over plastic containers filled with rice, and as far as I can see, chicken pieces, before they return to keep the household wheels running smoothly again for their employers.
During the summer when the typhoons arrive, great amounts of water come gushing down the steep, hilly slopes in the city and could cause landslides. All the slopes are covered in concrete and netting cover the soil surrounding the trees. Narrow maintenance steps are barred to the public and only maintenance workers have access. Deep gulleys and enormous storm water canals channel rainwater down to the sea. Structures such as these pillars prop up highways that cut through the city and obliterate the flow between areas and public spaces. The Zoological and Botanical Gardens are cut in two by Albany Road. The park is isolated from the rest of the city and nearby Hong Kong Park by flowing, circular roads. Few pavements make it difficult for pedestrian to navigate this area.
During the summer when the typhoons arrive, great amounts of water come gushing down the steep, hilly slopes in the city and could cause landslides. All the slopes are covered in concrete and netting cover the soil surrounding the trees. Narrow maintenance steps are barred to the public and only maintenance workers have access. Deep gulleys and enormous storm water canals channel rainwater down to the sea. Structures such as these pillars prop up highways that cut through the city and obliterate the flow between areas and public spaces. The Zoological and Botanical Gardens are cut in two by Albany Road. The park is isolated from the rest of the city and nearby Hong Kong Park by flowing, circular roads. Few pavements make it difficult for pedestrian to navigate this area.
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