HK Walls Jason Dembski

Meet the people behind Wong Chuk Hang’s booming creative scene

We chat with a cultural tour operator, an art curator and a pre-loved furniture shop owner

Wong Chuk Hang is home to a growing community of artists, designers and start-up owners. We chat with three individuals who have spearheaded creative projects in the former industrial area and contributed to the cultural fabric of the neighbourhood.

Kenny Chan

Kenny Chan of Seayou Explorer Travel

Chan is the founder of Seayou Explorer Travel, a yacht charter platform that offers curated boating packages and tours at sea for locals and tourists alike. The travel company operates out of an office in Wong Chuk Hang. In 2019, Chan launched a cultural tour that takes visitors around Aberdeen Fishing Village aboard a sampan and a traditional Hakka-style houseboat.

“I want to run a tour that highlights the origins of Hong Kong as a small fishing village and allow people to explore a lesser-known side of this cosmopolitan city,” says Chan.

Adjacent to Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen Fishing Village used to be a major entrepot port in Hong Kong and was once crowded with sampans. Today, the typhoon shelter blends the old and the new. You can find an interesting juxtaposition of antique sampans floating just metres away from fleets of luxury yachts – all set against the backdrop of modern skyscrapers.

“Nowadays, the traditional fisherman’s lifestyle preserved in Aberdeen may seem insignificant to many. But this tiny fishing port is actually Hong Kong’s place of origin and where the name of the city came from,” says Chan.

“This simple way of living on boats reflects the true spirit of the city. Even in the face of adversity, Hongkongers still work hard and help each other out – which allowed the city to grow into the international metropolis that it is today.”

Jason Dembski

HK Walls Jason Dembski

American architect and art curator Dembski started non-profit arts organisation HKwalls in 2014 to promote street culture in Hong Kong. Each year, he organises a street art festival that takes place around the city. The 2017 edition of the annual HKwalls festival took place in Wong Chuk Hang and featured over 25 artworks and murals created by local and international artists.

“Prior to HKwalls 2017, we had only ever hosted the festival in residential and commercial areas like Sheung Wan and Sham Shui Po, so Wong Chuk Hang’s industrial nature felt like a nice change of scenery. There is an amazing creative community in Wong Chuk Hang. From the design, photography and art studios, to South Island Cultural District’s amazing group of art galleries who were very enthusiastic about us hosting the festival there,” says Dembski.

Three years on, some of the pieces from the 2017 festival have disappeared, which Demski remarks is normal as the neighbourhood evolves. Others, especially those located near the MTR station, still get a lot of attention.

“A mural that the community seemed to really enjoy was the one that read ‘Wong Chuk Hang’ really big at the LCSD Heung Yip Road Sitting-out Area by graffiti artist EDGE,” says Dembski. The piece was damaged sometime last year, but LCSD agreed to let another artist repaint it with something else. The new mural, which is a painting of a pair of lovebirds, was recently completed by local artist Christine Wong last month.

Delphine Lernoud

Delphine Lernoud of Lumeun

Lernoud started Lumeun two years ago to offer a range of hand-renovated vintage furniture sourced from around Asia. The brand has since expanded to offer contemporary metal furniture and eco-friendly home textiles made and tailored in Hong Kong.

Before founding Lumeun, Lernoud worked in the beauty and cosmetics industry, opening new markets and new points of sale for international brands in Asia. She decided to make a career switch when she realised she was contributing to the waste problem and that it was going to take a long time for corporations to adopt more sustainable practices.

“I wanted to create a business that was meaningful to me and respectful to the environment. I also wanted to support local small businesses. That’s why we produce our home textile collection exclusively in Hong Kong,” says Lernoud.

Lernoud has a showroom in Wong Chuk Hang where visitors can check out the furniture and get a better sense of the brand ethos. “When I visited the area for the first time, I knew immediately it was the place to open my showroom. There are no white collars, no ties, no boundaries – that’s how I would describe Wong Chuk Hang. People know each other for what they do and not for who they are,” says Lernoud.