Hong Kong isn’t only a sparkling metropolis with its cluster of skyscrapers and busy streets, it’s also the crowded alleys filled with antique culture and traditions that have faded away from other parts of China. Tucked away in many nooks and crannies of Hong Kong is a city filled with unique and diverse history.

The Kung Lee Herbal Tea Shop sits proudly in the middle of 60 Hollywood Road, Central. It is a 70-year-old business passed down from generation to generation, from father to son. Their shop is perched in the middle of a street, boasting aromatic coffees, trendy milk teas, and fancy smoothies. Tsui Man Pan and his son are currently running the generations-old family business of selling herbal tea, sugar cane water, and turtle shell jelly. Some are floral, while others are bitter. Each item has its own unique taste, smell, and purpose.

Herbal tea has been a huge part of Hong Kong culture for hundreds of years. It was always the most reliable source of medicine, more trusted than Western medicines, by the vast majority of Hong Kongers. These drinks, called “leung cha,” were used to cool the body. Traditionally, the Chinese have believed that what you eat can influence your internal temperature. Eating “yit hey” or heated foods in a humid environment such as Hong Kong causes dampness and heat to accumulate in the body. When this occurs, ailments such as nosebleeding, acne, and pharyngitis will occur. Herbal tea was brewed in order to counteract the effects of such foods. Over time, such drinks have also become a popular part of daily diets. However, following the development of reliable modern medicine and easy access to flavorful drinks, the demand for herbal tea is declining exponentially.

Currently, for Tsui Man Pan, selling herbal tea is more of a seasonal business, boosted by the extremes of winter and summer weather. In the latter, the climate is hot and humid, and the hike up to SoHo is exhausting. The perfect treat at the top is a cup of chilled herbal tea. Meanwhile, during the winter, more people are likely to walk up to Central, bringing in a stream of customers. Relying on the changing seasons and the benefits they bring, Tsui Man Pan is able to keep his business afloat. However, even the compass of the seasons fails in the face of the recent pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic may have struck some big businesses, such as movie theaters, hard, but that is nothing compared to what Covid has done for smaller businesses, such as herbal tea sellers. All of the tourists and customers they counted on to come each day disappeared as soon as the pandemic reached the streets of Hong Kong. As a worker in the store informed me, “There are barely any customers anymore… it is very hard to go on.” Nevertheless, they are determined to persevere throughout the pandemic.

When small businesses meet the corrosion of the outside world, they face the choice of whether to reinvent their business. Instead of swaying from traditional ways, Kung Lee Herbal Tea Store decided not to cater to larger audiences — not adding preservatives to their drinks and ship them off to supermarkets. “It’s not healthy. We don’t want chemicals in our products. All we want is to provide our customers with real, natural drinks that benefit their well-being,” Tsui Man Pan said. They have stuck by their traditions, refusing to let the modern tides of the 21st century change their tastes.

It’s these old businesses that capture and preserve the essence of Hong Kong’s culture. Yet that is also their downfall, as all those businesses that do not change and adapt to present needs will inevitably fade away. On the other hand, some famed brands, such as Hung Fook Tong, have already shifted from traditional herbal tea shops to modern, factory-made, easy-access beverage stores. They won access to a larger audience of consumers and a second chance to thrive. Yet to gain that, they traded away many cups of tea that were handcrafted with a belief in nature and its wonders of taste.

In the last decades, the development of the economy in Hong Kong has taken a toll on these old businesses. Globalization and technological advancement have heightened the competitiveness of the market to a new level. Rapid innovation allows more options for the consumer pushing newer products to the limit with easy access, comfort, and prices. This has obscured the path of many traditional businesses with fog.

The end of many of these businesses is near. We outgrow the past, and the old clears the way for the new. It’s how we evolve and improve. However, they were a part of our past, and in being so, will always be a part of our present. Embodied in the tales of history, they become a piece of our cultural heritage, which, as time passes, require our concentration to preserve. Telling their stories may not bring them back to their previous posterity, but it will always keep them alive.