How Hong Kong’s hawker rules are forcing a 92-year-old to sit all day at stall

Chan Tak-ching, 92, spends her day at a stall set up next to a Hong Kong railway station, as her colleagues manage operations under a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) heat.

She is not concerned about the earnings of about HK$500 (US$63.70) to HK$600 a day.

Chan’s main concern is being present at the stall to comply with what some have called an “outdated” hawking policy while providing her colleagues with the opportunity to earn a living amid the sluggish economy.

“I am over 90 and supposed to be retired; my family is against me working, but if I don’t work, my partners can’t. They all have a family to support,” she said.

Under the government’s decades-old regulations, itinerant licence holders such as Chan cannot pass on their permit to anyone.

They are also banned from having helpers, meaning that they have to be present at the stall at all times and be the only ones handling the transactions and everything else.