Go Kowloon City, Must go Lok Sin Tong [1]
Kowloon Walled City, passing Sung Wong Toi
Tin Kwong Road, many fancy schools,
Old buildings renewed, so much prettier
Leaks in the ceilings can’t be fixed
And yet it’s hopeless to rebuild them all
Shatin-Central line, when is it coming?
Subdividing flats is a serious mistake
Wuhu Street, cheap surplus stock,
Art Village, Ko Shan Theater,
Hot as hell, the rooftop remains,
Gas tanks, almost exploded.

[1] Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, a charity organization.

This is based on the theme song of The Little Li Flying Dagger, a martial arts television series shown on Hong Kong’s TVB in 1978. The series was adapted from the novel The Sentimental Swordsman [Doching Gimhaak Mouching Gim] by Gu Long. The lyrics vividly portray the actual living conditions of the “Thirteen Streets” residents. “Thirteen Streets” is the informal name for a series of streets around Ma Tau Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. “Thirteen Streets” include Mok Cheong Street, Lung To Street, Fung Yi Street, Luk Ming Street, Lun Cheung Street, Ying Yeung Street, Pang Ching Street, Hung Wan Street, Shim Luen Street, Yin On Street, Tsun Fat Street, Hok Ling Street, Ma Tau Kok Street.

This group of seniors are all members of the “Thirteen Streets Community Awareness Group”, who came together to strive for the reconstruction of the community, but also in response to a call by concerned citizen Cally Yu,. They have been meeting up every week at the Cattle Depot since February 2012. At every gathering, everyone would talk about their lives and exchange news—like how such-and-such a charity is giving out free yellow croakers [fish; Cant. Wong Fa Yu]. Sometimes some old folks would share black-and-white photos of their weddings from way back—how the wedding banquet was at that big restaurant on Jordan Road, and then everyone would get into a big hoo-ha. Then one day, Cally brought a female Taiko drummer called Ah Mun from Lantau Island, and everyone started jamming!

These audio files are the recordings made by the Editor who attended these gatherings; they are a token of appreciation dedicated to the residents of “Thirteen Streets”.

龍城要去樂善堂
城寨，再過宋皇台
天光道，名校多
舊樓翻新過，靚好多
漏水天花補不了
重建偏偏無奈何
沙中缐，何時有？
劏房注定成大錯
蕪湖街，多倉底貨
藝術村，高山劇場
熱到死，天台不拆
煤氣鼓，差啲爆

這是一首改篇自《小李飛刀》–香港無線電視於1978年，根據古龍小說《多情劍客無情劍》改編的武俠電視劇主題曲｡ 歌詞形像化地交代十三街居民的生活境況。十三街是香港九龍馬頭角一系列街道的非正式統稱。十三街包括： 木廠街､龍圖街､鳳儀街､鹿鳴街､麟祥街､鷹揚街､鵬程街､鴻運街､蟬聯街､燕安街､駿發街､鶴齡街和馬頭角道｡

這班老人家大部是「十三街社區關注組」的組員，因為爭取社區重建而走在一起，也因為有心人俞若玫的召集，由2012年2月開始持續每週來到牛棚相聚。每次聚會大家都談生活，交流生活信息，例如那個慈善機構免費派發黃花魚，也有些時候老人家帶來當年結婚時的黑白照片分享，擺酒地點是位於佐敦道的一間大酒樓，大家便一起嘩然起哄。又有一天俞若玫 請來大嶼山的太鼓女鼓手阿蚊，大家就jam起歌來！

這些聲帶是編輯參與聚會時的錄音記錄，僅此獻給十三街街坊。