Craftsman relishes his 50 years behind bars

Cage maker and repairer is sad that demand for his specialist skills is waning

His face is a study in concentration as he carefully paints the inside of a bird cage.

It has already taken two hours and Chan Lok-choy is not keen on interruptions.

'Sorry, I seldom speak when I am painting a cage, otherwise the paint gets badly distributed,' the 62-year-old says, not taking his eyes off his work. 'I have to work with all my heart.'

But he does pause to examine his work and adjust his large spectacles, necessary these days because of his failing eyesight.

For the craftsman known to the young at the famous Mongkok Bird Garden as Uncle Choy and to the old as Ah Choy, working with cages is not just a labour of love but his life's work.

After all, he has been painting cages for 50 years, starting as an apprentice in his uncle's bird stall in Hong Lok Street Bird Market before it moved to the bird garden in 1997.

Mr Chan is the only cage repairer and is also one of a few remaining craftsmen who can make bird cages by hand.

More than 30 bird cages, some repaired and others awaiting his deft touch, hang in his bird stall, which is packed with more than 100 tools, bamboo and tree branches.

'The bamboo and branches may seem useless most of the time, but when someone brings in a cage to be repaired, they are very useful,' says Mr Chan, whose longest absence from his stall was the seven days he spent travelling the Silk Road several years ago.

Mr Chan estimates he has repaired more than 10,000 bird cages.

It is years since he stopped making bird cages, which are now usually made on the mainland by machines and can cost as little as $20. But Mr Chan says a hand-made cage takes at least 10 days to make and costs more than $1,000.

Mr Chan, who earns between $4,000 and $10,000-plus a month, charges $100 to $600 for repairs. Some satisfied customers tip him up to $200.

'My job is not simply related to money,' he says. 'No one wants to learn this skill any more.'

The golden time for bird traders was the 1970s, when rich people kept birds and his income was good. But business has fallen off, especially since the Sars and bird flu outbreaks when fewer people kept birds.

'It is a pity that the skill will probably disappear in Hong Kong,' said Mr Chan who has no plans for immediate retirement. 'If I retire, there is no one to do the same job in Hong Kong.'