LIMITED PRINT | The Birdcage Maker

Chan Lok-Choi first learned how to make birdcages at age 12, and went on to open his own shop in the '70s when the popularity of bird-keeping in Hong Kong was at its peak. But then consumer habits shifted and the custom of taking pet birds for a stroll began to fade. Now in his late 70s, Chan is the only one left standing, carrying on an endangered craft as he repairs bamboo cages in the city's renowned Bird Garden.
 
「上世紀中，香港曾盛行養雀文化，鳥籠工藝亦因此蓬勃發展。年屆八十的陳樂財師傅，12歲已拜師學藝，70年代起自立門戶，半世紀以來曾製作無數鳥籠。惟時至今光景不再，惜雀之人在茶樓品茗賞鳥的蹤影不見。見證著社會對「玩雀」熱情減退，作為現時香港僅存的鳥籠工藝師，財叔至今仍年終無休，為客人維修鳥籠，堅守一門將面臨失傳的造籠藝術。」