Topic:
The disappearing scenery of Old-fashion Grocery Stores in Hong Kong
Requirement
Text, links, pictures and/or graphics and audio
Description and Introduction:
For those who’ve lived in Hong Kong for generations, the local old-fashion grocery stores, an icon of a past age of Hong Kong, were absolutely their collective memory. This kind of grocery store is famous for offering necessities of daily life and Hong Kong-style dried seafood.
Situated at the junction of Wellington Street and Graham Street, the 80-year-old Wing Wo Grocery sells rice, preserved vegetables, salted eggs, chili sauce and suchlike every day. It is one of the last of its type in the area, standing for lifestyles in Hong Kong in old days. Tourists visit there for an original slice of historic Hong Kong. Because of the authority’s redevelopment plan for modern skyscrapers, only this grocery shop’s facade will be preserved.
Will the old-fashion grocery store like Wing Wo Grocery still exist and develop in the fast-paced society? I need to explore the reasons impeding its development by interviews. Increasingly, Hong Kong’s shoppers are buying in supermarkets, instead of traditional wet markets. With the prosperity of supermarkets in Hong Kong, the existence of grocery stores is under threat.
I questioned:
1. Which is the major influencer of consumers’ grocery store choice?
2. How could the grocery stores draw customers again? Will they bring back the 1980’s-era quality brand to identify their product again?
However, the current economic outlook for Hong Kong is mixed. A slow economic recovery and high unemployment have affected eating and shopping habits. Demand for grocery store products continues to be very strong. Will this become a new chance for grocery stores to survive?
To revive these historic shops for redevelopment, there is a long way to go.
Photoed By Xue Jing
Framework of the Coverage:
Format: Text (With Separate pictures and audios representing the interviews)
Soundslides
1. Research and Interview Arrangement( Graham Street, Western District, Wanchai)
Visit several typical grocery stores in Hong Kong
Contact the owners of the grocery stores, interviewing about the past, present and the future of the grocery stores.
2. Kinds of Interviewees:
1) Grocery owners
2) Customers buying the necessities in the old-fashion grocery stores
3) Vox Pop: Persons shopping in supermarkets instead of grocery stores
4) Authority: Official from Food Marketing Institute of Hong Kong (If possible)
Professors in the field of food marketing in the University of Hong Kong
5) Others
Structure (Different 3 webpages in several parts)
Page One
Feature Story of Wing Woo Grocery Store
Subject: Wing Woo Grocery Store as a typical case
l A clue subject about his/her memory of old-fashioned grocery shop in old days in Hong Kong (Picture and Audio). These days I am looking for a Hong Kong resident who owns the vivid memory of the old-fashioned grocery shops in old days as a customer. His/her story could serve as a clue to attract the audiences’ attention of this topic.
l A detailed description of Win Woo Grocery Store(Audio and Picture-gathering).It is one of the last of its type in the area, standing for lifestyles in Hong Kong in old days. I would like to have an in-depth look at Wing Woo Grocery Shop as a typical case. Unfortunately, when I came to Wing Woo on Sunday afternoon, I found it was closed because the bad business on Sundays. So I will select another suitable time to contact the owner of Wing Woo Grocery store.
Page Two
Dilemma they faced with: witness the change but to change themselves or not?
l The dilemma of Win Woo Grocery Shop(Audio and Picture)Because of the authority’s redevelopment plan for modern skyscrapers, only this grocery shop’s facade will be preserved. This event could be a transition between the past and the future of the grocery stores in Hong Kong. The background news of the URA Plan plan could also be involved.
l Introduction about other grocery shops in Hong Kong (Audio and Picture). I have approached several traditional grocery stores in Hong Kong this Sunday, most of which own more than sixty-year-old history. The owners are very kind to tell their business situations and historic backgrounds. This part could be a general picture of the topic.
Page Three
Critical Issues: Is grocery store a sunset industry?
l The comparison between supermarket and old-fashioned grocery shops (Graphic and pictures)Some detailed comparisons between the modern supermarket and the old-fashioned grocery stores. Through their both advantages and disadvantages, we can see whether or not the grocery stores have potential in the competitive grocery market.
l The viewpoints of the future of grocery shops(the authority, the vox pops .etc )(Pictures and Audios) Selecting different viewpoints about the people from various circles in Hong Kong, adding their comments about the grocery stores phenomenon in the way of Vox Pop .
Photoed by Xue Jing
Project Schedule:
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The First Week |
Background information searching (From Internet and Library Data) Approaching different sources for interviews
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The Second Week |
Interviews in different grocery stores (Pictures and Audios Gathering)
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The Third Week |
Story Writing and WebPages Planning Soundslides Making (Pictures with Audio) |
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The Fourth Week |
Uploading different elements of the multi-media Project Accomplishment of the two pages |
