STORY: Walking from past to present -- Rediscover Hong Kong with volunteer tour guide
DATELINE: Aug. 22, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:26
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide
2. various of the city
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide
4. various of the city
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide

STORYLINE:

For 71-year-old Ng Likbo, "city walk," a new travel trend for youngsters, has never been a novelty.

Since around 13 years ago, it has been the routine work of the retiree and volunteer tour guide to lead residents and tourists to walk along the streets and alleys of Hong Kong, his hometown, viewing buildings up close and gaining a deep understanding of the local history and culture.

More than five years ago, Ng began to work on a tour along the "Kowloon City in Transformation" Walking Trail, an urban renewal project in Hong Kong.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide
"My name is Ng Likbo and I'm 71 years old. I'm a resident of the Kowloon City District. I grew up in the district and became a tour guide after retirement. Hi everyone, welcome to take a walk with me in the Kowloon City District."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide
"Here begins the story of Kowloon City. This is the Kowloon Walled City Park. The site was once a military post built in the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
Kowloon City has a long history and a diverse culture. It is like a museum where history is piled up layer by layer.
Kwa Wan is famous for its manufacturing industry. It was in this area that Hong Kong's manufacturing industry burgeoned. Quite interesting, all began in a slaughterhouse. After the cattle were slaughtered, the cattle hide, hoofs and horns were made into all kinds of consumer goods. Then, many other factories set up in the area, manufacturing all kinds of stuff, such as torches, plastics, jeans and other clothes.
Hung Hom used to be an industrial base. This ship-like shopping mall was once a dry dock of Whampoa Dock Company. The dock was deep underground, so now the shopping mall has three floors underground."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): NG LIKBO, Volunteer tour guide
"What is important about urban renewal is to preserve the original interpersonal connection in the district. If more residents contribute to the renewal work, then the renewed community would be more cohesive and united. As a local resident and tour guide, I have always presented to the visitors what I have seen in the district and how the district came into being. In this way, they can have a deep understanding of the district. 
That's all for today's tour. Hope you can come back and wander in the Kowloon City District with me again. Bye-bye!"

So far, based on the trail project, more than 760 various urban renewal activities, including design workshops, photo contests, guided tours, and story collections, have been organized, attracting around 85,000 participants.

Ng himself has led more than 100 tours along the trail. He hopes more visitors would follow him to wander in the Kowloon City District, as if walking from past to present.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)