'Cage Homes' in Hong Kong a Stark Reminder of Its Inequities

Residential units clustered tightly together in an apartment complex in the Quarry Bay area of Hong Kong. Alex Ogle/AFP via Getty Images. Blame ... Ideas housing AsHongKongMarks25YearsofBritishHandover,Its'CageHomes'RemainaStarkReminderofItsInequities AsHongKongMarks25YearsofBritishHandover,Its'CageHomes'RemainaStarkReminderofItsInequities Ideas By BrianWong June30,20222:35AMEDT BrianWongisaDPhilinPoliticalTheorycandidateatBalliolCollege,Oxford,andaRhodesScholarfromHongKong.TheyarethefounderoftheOxfordPoliticalReview. Along,meanderingcorridorguardedbystalepipesandwiresliningthewallsseparatethe10cubiclesstackedoneitherside.Theiroccupants—theirfacescoveredinwhitemasksamidthestiflingheat—aresqueezedintotheirtiny,allottedspacesdemarcatedbyutensils,clothesandothermundanepersonaleffectsintheneon-lithumanpenpunctuatedwithelectricfans,leakingsinks,andslicesofblockedwindowsofferingagrimvistaofthebackalleyoutside.Here,twenty-oddfolksshareonetoilet–aprivilegeforwhichafewothersnextdoorwouldpaythricetheirrent,justtohalvethenumberoffellowuserstheyhavetosharetheirowntoiletswith. Thisistheinteriorofa400squarefootflattuckedawayinthemezzanineofadilapidatedbuildinginShamShuiPo—oneofthepoorest,yetalsomostrapidlygentrifyingregionsinHongKong,acityknownforitssky-highpropertyprices,extremewealthinequality,free-wheelingcapitalism,andmorerecently,anti-BeijingproteststhathavemetwithaneventightercontrolbyChinaovertheregionitregainedin1997fromtheBritishwhoruleditforover150years.Asthecitymarks25yearsofthehandover,andfindsitselfinthecenterofaglobalpowerstrugglebetweentheU.S.andChina,newconcernshavebeenraisedoverthecity’sshrinkingspaceforcivilandpoliticaldebateandparticipation.Thereisfarlessglobaloutrageatanoldproblem:itsstarkinequality.Theso-called“cagehomes”,likethisoneinShamShuiPo,areitsmostglaringmanifestation.RoughlyoneinfiveHongkongerslivedunderthepovertyline,discountingforgovernmentwelfare.Withwelfaresupport,theofficialfigureiskeptataround8%,whichisstillmorethanhalfamillionpeople.Over220,000peopleliveinso-called“subdividedflats”,adaintyeuphemismforthe4by4by6ftspacesthatthecity’spoor,downtrodden,disabled,andneglectedarecrammedintoatnight.Outofsight,outofmind. AnoccupantofasubdividedresidentialunitlocatedinsideabuildinginHongKong,onJune13,2017. PaulYeung/BloombergviaGetty Yet,manyofthesetenantsarebynomeansinvisibleatday.Theyare,infact,ubiquitous,cleaningthecity’sstreetsandsewers,loadingandunloadingitsmerchandise,waitingoncustomersatthethousandsofrestaurantsdottingthemetro,andmanningshopcountersandoffices.TheyconstitutethearmyofworkerswhokeepAsia’sfinancialhubbuzzing,butaresopoorlypaidthattheycan’trent,letalonepurchase,decentlysizedapartments.Itshouldn’ttake$700amonthtopayfortheprimitivesheltertheytakerefugein–butinacitywheremorethanhalfofyoungadultsmakelessthanthemedianwageandittakesonaveragesixyearsforafamilytobeallocatedpublichousing,livingwithdignity—orsomesemblanceofit—doesn’tcomecheap. Inthesubconsciousofsomeofthecity’smoreprivilegedcitizensliestheconceptionthatcagehomes–andtheirresidents–belongtoafundamentallydifferentHongKong,onethatisbothalienandnon-existent.Onethatshouldbedistancedfromandpitiedinequalparts–asthenewscyclelustsforflashierandmoreexcitablenarrativesofthecity:whetheritbeitsstatusasafinancialandcommercialgatewayforChina,oritspersistingsymbolismasageopoliticalfaultlinebetweentwocompetingideologies.IntheeyesofmanywhohavelongbenefitedfromHongKong’sexcesses,radicalpovertyisafaitaccompli.Asitisforthosewhotoilawayatdayandsleepinshoeboxesatnight.Itshouldn’tbe. HongKonghasahousingcrisis—onethatstemsnotfromadearthofsupplypersebutfromalackofaffordablehousing.Itwouldtake23.2yearsforsomeoneearningthemediangrosshouseholdincome—withnoexpenditure—tobeabletoaffordamedian-pricedapartment.Theconsequencesaredire:youthsraisedtoseelittletonoprospectsforsocialmobility,withtheirchildhoodsspentinsuffocatingspace-lessness;retireeslivingonmeagerbenefitsdyingalone,anissuecompoundedbytheongoingpandemicandlackofmedicalsupportforcage-homeresidents.IspenttwomonthsthisyearseekingtoraiseemergencyfundsandmedicalsuppliesfortenantsincagehomesinTsuenWanandKwaiChung,districtshitbythefirstmasslockdownsunderthedeadlyfifthwaveofthepandemic.Thesocialsupportresidentsreceivedwasminimalatbest.Readmore:HowHongKongBecameChina’sBiggestCOVID-19ProblemHowdidwegethere?There’snosimpleexplanation—neitherthosewhoattributethecrisistospeculativeinvestorsfromtheChinesemainlandwithlittletodowiththeunaffordabilityofthelower-endofthepropertymarket;northosewhotrotout“unbridledcapitalism”foreverything,getit.TounderstandHongKong’spresentmalaise,wemustturntohistory. In1972,theBritishcolonialadministrationsoughttoexpandHongKongbeyondthealreadyhighlyurbanizedregionsofHongKongIslandandKowloon.TheNewTerritories—thevastswatheofrural,low-densitylandlyingtothenorthofthecity—wasanaturalsitefordevelopment.InseekingtocourtIndigenousvillagers,theadministrationimplementedtheSmallHousePolicy,whichwouldguaranteegovernmentfundingandlandprovisionforeveryindigenousmalevillagertobuildonehouse.Inheritedbythepost-handoverHongKonggovernment,thispolicyonlyservedtoconstrictthesupplyofdevelopablelandsfornon-indigenousresidents.In2017,thecity’soutgoingchiefexecutive,CarrieLam,calledfora“reasonableresolutiontotheissue”.Anewmodusvivendi,balancingallparties’interests,isverymuchtheneedofthehour. ResidentialunitsclusteredtightlytogetherinanapartmentcomplexintheQuarryBayareaofHongKong. AlexOgle/AFPviaGettyImages Blameshouldnotrestwithindigenousvillagers,whoareasmuchpartofthecityasitsothercitizens.Instead,responsibilityoughttoremainwiththosewhocanandmustresolveconflictsofintereststhroughpoliticalacumen.SinceSirHaddon-Cave’stenureasthecity’sfinancialsecretaryinthelate1970s,thecity’sadministrationhadbyandlargeadheredto“positivenon-interventionism”asitsguidingfiscalethos. Withitsspectacularattractivenessforforeigncapitalandbusinessesproppedupbyitsminimaltaxesandrobustlegalinfrastructure,successivegovernments,evenafterthe1997handover,eschewedproactivedesigningofindustrialpolicyinfavorofthemarket.Thepolicyhasgenerated10-20%ofgovernmentrevenueoverthepastdecadesdirectlyfromlandsalesbythegovernment.Theproblemisstructural,andshouldnotbeindividualizedthroughvilificationofparticularbureaucratsorofficials.Nor,indeed,shoulditbereducedintoManicheanlenses—blamingpropertydevelopersandthecivilserviceforcreatingthecrisis.Theblamegamemaysuitthosewithapoliticalagenda,butdoeslittleinamelioratingthesufferingofthosewhodesperatelyneedaladderoutofdeeplyentrenchedpoverty.Readmore:OneCountry,TwoSystems’IsStilltheBestModelforHongKong,ButItBadlyNeedsReformMuchcouldbedone.Long-termsolutionsaimedatimprovingsupplyofpublichousing—withtheaimofempoweringtenantstobecomehome-ownerseventually,havebeenextensivelytouted.Intheshort-tomedium-term,constructingcompactyetwell-maintained,humane,andhygienictransitoryhousinganddoublingdownonrentcontrolsandsubsidieswouldalsohelp.Empoweringunderstaffedyethighlydevotedcommunityorganizationsandassociationswithfinancialwherewithalandresourcescouldrekindlepublic-privatepartnershipsinacitywheretrustingovernmenthasbeengravelychallengedinrecentyears.Morefundamentally,weneedarobusteducationandemploymentsafetynetdesignedtoprovideaviableladderoutofstructuralpovertyforthosewhofindthemselvesinthecity’sdarkunderbelly.Asthecitylookstowardanewadministrationonthe25thanniversaryofitshandover,thetimefortransformativeactiontoaiditspoorhasneverbeenmoreripe. TherearefewliesinHongKongthatareolderandsweeterthantheonelocalproverb,“Ifyouworklongandhardatit,you’llgettoownyourownhouse.”That’sthestuffofdreams,actually.AsIthinkaboutthosefacesintheneon-lit,claustrophobiccorridorsIwalkedduringtheCOVID-19pandemic,IamremindedoftwolinesfromWilfredOwen’sDulcetetDecorumEst:“Inallmydreamsbeforemyhelplesssight/Heplungesatme,guttering,choking,drowning.” MoreMust-ReadStoriesFromTIME Here'sWhereAllTheStrongestHurricanesHaveHittheU.S.inthePast50Years 2022Time100NEXT:TIME’sListOfEmergingLeadersWhoAreShapingtheFuture IndustrialFarmingCausesClimateChange.The‘SlowFood’MovementWantstoStopIt HereArethe12NewBooksYouShouldReadinOctober ArtistOliverJeffersWantstoPainttheWorldOutofaCorner AVibrantNorthKoreanCommunityinLondonFindsItsDaysAreNumbered COVID-19VaccinesCanMakePeriodsLonger,StudySays Column:WhatHappenedWhenMyEntireFamilyCameOut [email protected]. 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