So Sung-man, 44, has been making and selling lampshades for more than 25 years. His clientele includes former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang and Hong Kong-born Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Lampshades make a big difference to how a home feels. What's the first thing you do when you walk into a house? You switch on the light and you see the lampshade. It has to be right because it's something you see every day and night. Having the right lights and shades can also help to make a home feel warm and welcoming.
When I first learned the craft, I found it difficult to make the frames, which are the foundations. If the frame isn't right, you have to start all over again. You have to be very careful with the customers' fabrics, that you don't ruin them in any way. Sometimes, the materials they bring are very special. They're not necessarily expensive fabrics but maybe they were bought from overseas or are irreplaceable, like a piece of old clothing once worn by a grandmother.
I have four old craftsmen working upstairs. No, you can't go and see them because they don't like to be disturbed - they just want to do their jobs. They have at least 20 years' experience, and are in their 50s and 60s. None of them wears glasses. The work must be good for their eyes. They have to have good eyes to thread needles.
My elder brother once had a shop selling antiques including vases, and people used to ask for the vases to be made into lamps. So I started to learn how to make lampshades. I was 18 years old.
Machines can make lampshades much quicker, cheaper and in greater volumes. But each handmade shade is unique and made with effort and care. They are much more durable than those churned out by machines. Ones you buy from, say, Ikea, would last about a year, but ours would last for more than 20 years at least.
The younger generations don't want things that last, they would rather go for something new every year or so. They are into computers and having things done as quickly and conveniently as possible.
