Sunset Survivors tells the stories of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women through stunning imagery and candid interviews. Covering a myriad of curious professions that are quickly falling into obscurity, from fortune telling to face threading and letter writing to bird cage making, readers soon find themselves immersed in the streets of old Hong Kong. 

Filled with interviews, photographs and little-known facts about the city’s twilight industries, Sunset Survivors is a tribute to those who keep the flame burning in a city besieged by foreign imports and stiff competition. This book is a celebration of Hong Kong’s cultural identity. It preserves the memory of these hardy men and women, and educates visitors and locals on the foundations on which the city was built. 

An up-close and personal look at the industries and workers that gave rise to the Hong Kong of today, Sunset Survivors is more than just a travel or coffee-table book; it is a tribute to the city’s character, a celebration of its roots and a guide to its evolution.

In a city undergoing a dramatic cultural shift, balancing social and political upheaval, the need to document Hong Kong’s traditional livelihoods has seldom been greater. Capturing the true personality of this metropolis, Sunset Survivors is a vital piece of history.

MEDIA ATTENTION

“Sunset Survivors is a beautifully photographed record of Hong Kong’s fast-disappearing tradesmen and women. Lindsay Varty spent three years tracking down 30 artisans, listening to their stories and documenting the lives of the people behind some of the city’s old and declining industries. In Sunset Survivors, their tales are accompanied by striking images taken by photographer Gary Jones. … Several years ago, Varty noticed that an old man who had sold flowers to her father in Lan Kwai Fong had disappeared. She then started realising that other elderly people who plied their trade were also vanishing.” – Kate Whitehead, South China Morning Post

“In the book, Lindsay also includes information about the different industries, which I found particularly useful. I had often passed the ornate Little Box of Tea shop on Jervois Street in Sheung Wan but had not realized it was medicinal tea, nor understood the background behind their wares. Also, she shares tidbits that I had never really thought about, such as the fact that bamboo steamers impart their own flavor to dim sum. … Lindsay said she chose the title ‘Sunset Survivors’ because she wanted to add a positive spin to the book. She wrote this book to help people to appreciate these industries before they are gone. Lindsay feels that the people she documents on each of these pages are real heroes – holding onto these traditional industries that I fear will be replaced by progress. … She believes that through her book you can see and meet the real Hong Kong, not the tourist Hong Kong, and I agree with her. On the contents page she lists all the vendors that she went to, and I am planning to go around to see all 30 of them before they are no longer there. I think now they will have a steady stream of visitors.” – Frances Nicholls, Aware Magazine

《夕陽餘暉》以令人驚嘆的影像和坦率的訪問文章，講述香港傳統工藝的商人故事。當中涵蓋了無數引人好奇，但將燭盡光窮的「夕陽」行業：算命、穿線、寫信、鳥籠製作，讓讀者不經不覺沉醉於古老的香港街頭。

充滿了關於香港這座城市的夕陽行業訪問、影像和鮮為人知的故事，《夕陽餘暉》一書是向仍然於這座城市不斷奮鬥的人們致敬。這本書表揚香港的文化身份，它保留了這些頑強人們的記憶，並教育遊客及本地人關於這座城市的根源。在一個經歷著急劇文化變革、社會平衡和政治動蕩的城市中，鮮有關於香港傳統生計的記錄。《夕陽餘暉》捕捉了這個大都市的真實一面，成為了重要歷史的一部分。

混血女生出書談夕陽工業　華蓮絲：廣東話令我看見另一個香港 – Stand News (in Chinese)
欖球甜姐兒華蓮絲 記本土手藝 以香港為歸宿 – Hong Kong Economic Journal (in Chinese)
【胚芽故事】跟小人婆寫信佬傾家事　欖球女神揸筆念舊 – Apple Daily (in Chinese, with video partly in English)