Photos: The odd-job fixers mending Hong Kong politics and homes

Updated On Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

In Hong Kong, volunteers of a pro-democracy group called Fixing Hong Kong are mending broken appliances, furniture, pipes and wiring, hoping that forging community spirit will lead to greater political awareness. Since the mass protests of 2014, pro-democracy politicians have been criticised for losing touch with the grassroots while some pro-Beijing candidates have become more strategically focused on working-class voters and livelihood issues. But small groups like Fixing Hong Kong believe going back to neighbourhoods is the best way to rebuild support.

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A volunteer plumber repairs a toilet for a resident who had requested help from Fixing Hong Kong, a pro-democracy community group, in Hong Kong. As attendance at Hong Kong’s traditional protest rallies wanes, this pro-democracy group is trying to win hearts and minds in a more pragmatic way – by mending broken appliances, furniture, pipes and wiring, hoping that forging community spirit will lead to greater political awareness. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

A volunteer plumber repairs a toilet for a resident who had requested help from Fixing Hong Kong, a pro-democracy community group, in Hong Kong. As attendance at Hong Kong’s traditional protest rallies wanes, this pro-democracy group is trying to win hearts and minds in a more pragmatic way – by mending broken appliances, furniture, pipes and wiring, hoping that forging community spirit will lead to greater political awareness. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Claudia Mo (2L), ex-lawmakers and pro-democracy activists Eddie Yiu (L) and Lau Siu-lai (3L) attend a community forum in association with Fixing Hong Kong. The novel approach comes as semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s freedoms are under threat from an increasingly assertive Beijing and the city’s splintered democracy movement struggles for momentum. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Claudia Mo (2L), ex-lawmakers and pro-democracy activists Eddie Yiu (L) and Lau Siu-lai (3L) attend a community forum in association with Fixing Hong Kong. The novel approach comes as semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s freedoms are under threat from an increasingly assertive Beijing and the city’s splintered democracy movement struggles for momentum. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Volunteers visit these homes in the To Kwa Wan neighbourhood each week, making appointments for DIY jobs and offering repair services for free, with residents usually paying for their own replacement materials. They work in pairs, one fixing, the other chatting. Sometimes the conversation turns to politics, other times not. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Volunteers visit these homes in the To Kwa Wan neighbourhood each week, making appointments for DIY jobs and offering repair services for free, with residents usually paying for their own replacement materials. They work in pairs, one fixing, the other chatting. Sometimes the conversation turns to politics, other times not. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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A resident waits while her toilet gets repaired by the volunteers. One resident, Mr Wong said volunteers had fixed his television and also helped him and others write letters to officials over local concerns. Another resident, Mr Cheng said he was too preoccupied with daily struggles to join any of the group’s activities, but did not mind the volunteers’ pro-democracy ideas. “As long as it doesn’t hurt me, that’s fine.” (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

A resident waits while her toilet gets repaired by the volunteers. One resident, Mr Wong said volunteers had fixed his television and also helped him and others write letters to officials over local concerns. Another resident, Mr Cheng said he was too preoccupied with daily struggles to join any of the group’s activities, but did not mind the volunteers’ pro-democracy ideas. “As long as it doesn’t hurt me, that’s fine.” (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Fixing Hong Kong member Max Leung (L) speaks with a resident of a subdivided flat who requested a fridge repair. Leung said that they hope to gather more energy bit by bit through contact and bonding. The trend also taps into young people’s desire to reconnect with their surroundings as private housing estates and shopping malls erode a sense of community living, says researcher Klavier Wong. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Fixing Hong Kong member Max Leung (L) speaks with a resident of a subdivided flat who requested a fridge repair. Leung said that they hope to gather more energy bit by bit through contact and bonding. The trend also taps into young people’s desire to reconnect with their surroundings as private housing estates and shopping malls erode a sense of community living, says researcher Klavier Wong. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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The volunteers prioritise repair jobs at their headquarters. The group was formed by activists who ran a recycling operation at protest camps set up during the 2014 Umbrella Movement rallies in Hong Kong. The rallies failed to win reform and since then activists have been prosecuted on protest-related charges and disqualified from the legislature, denting the democracy campaign. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

The volunteers prioritise repair jobs at their headquarters. The group was formed by activists who ran a recycling operation at protest camps set up during the 2014 Umbrella Movement rallies in Hong Kong. The rallies failed to win reform and since then activists have been prosecuted on protest-related charges and disqualified from the legislature, denting the democracy campaign. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Volunteers look up an address for a repair job. Pro-democracy politicians have been criticised for losing touch with the grassroots while some pro-Beijing candidates have become more strategically focused on working-class voters and livelihood issues. But small groups like Fixing Hong Kong believe going back to neighbourhoods is the best way to rebuild support. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Volunteers look up an address for a repair job. Pro-democracy politicians have been criticised for losing touch with the grassroots while some pro-Beijing candidates have become more strategically focused on working-class voters and livelihood issues. But small groups like Fixing Hong Kong believe going back to neighbourhoods is the best way to rebuild support. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Alung Wong, a volunteer electrician repairs a dehumidifier. Fixing Hong Kong is one of the best-known community groups to have grown out of the rallies. Other small-scale projects, from urban rooftop gardens to rural farms, have also been set up by activists. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Alung Wong, a volunteer electrician repairs a dehumidifier. Fixing Hong Kong is one of the best-known community groups to have grown out of the rallies. Other small-scale projects, from urban rooftop gardens to rural farms, have also been set up by activists. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

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Group activities such as reclaiming public spaces for community events may not be directly related to the wider political system, but are still “everyday politics.” Volunteer fixer Leung Chan, admits it can be hard to engage residents in politics when they have a host of daily struggles, but he believes the group should persevere. “If we don’t make the first step, then nothing is possible,” he told. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

Updated on Aug 08, 2018 01:10 pm IST

Group activities such as reclaiming public spaces for community events may not be directly related to the wider political system, but are still “everyday politics.” Volunteer fixer Leung Chan, admits it can be hard to engage residents in politics when they have a host of daily struggles, but he believes the group should persevere. “If we don’t make the first step, then nothing is possible,” he told. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP)

News / Photos / News / Photos: The odd-job fixers mending Hong Kong politics and homes

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