Farewell, Rickshaws

From Reuters Hong Kong comes this article about the end of the yahn lihk che, or rickshaw.

Hong Kong's colorful rickshaws — once a symbol of status for local residents and amusement for visiting tourists — are on a journey to extinction.

There are only four registered rickshaws left in Hong Kong and all the licenses are up for renewal this year. But so far, no one has applied ...

The rickety carts, with their signature red bodies and green hoods, crammed Hong Kong's bustling streets during the early days of British rule.

Offering door-to-door chauffeur services, rickshaws quickly became hugely popular with the rich and famous. At their peak in the mid-1920s, more than 3,000 rickshaws were pulled through the streets of Hong Kong, according to local historians.

But business dwindled as other modes of transport took over.

"Then came the 1930s, when roads started improving and public transportation became more sophisticated, business started going downhill," said history professor Ho Pui-yin of Hong Kong's Chinese University.

In 1933, China Motor Bus, founded by Hong Kong's best-known "rickshaw boy," Ngan Shing-kwan, entered service. Before long, commuters switched to the faster and more affordable alternative.

Still a tourist attraction a decade ago, the one-time icon of the orient now appears to be headed down a road to oblivion.

Six rickshaws are parked near the central Star Ferry terminal in Hong Kong but pullers are nowhere to be found.

"Some are dead. Others just don't bother coming anymore. They are just too old," rickshaw puller Chan Mei-Choi said.

Rickshaws have even lost their appeal to curious tourists, who a few years ago would pay $13 for a leisurely ride along the waterfront.

"I once sat here for days without making a cent," said Chan, 61, while squatting by his self-built rickshaw.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said it has no plans to buy up the remaining rickshaws and revamp them as a tourist attraction, as it did with the last sailing Chinese junk in the territory. It can be seen plying the waters of Hong Kong harbor.

"That would be a real shame. This is a unique Hong Kong hallmark," said Chan, after another day without any business.

Sad.

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