City Wanderers

Strolling for leisure is a deeply personal experience. Everyone has their jaunts and routines that they go about at their own pace. In recent years, more and more people have taken up strolling to explore distinctive architectures and interesting sights in their neighbourhoods due to the pandemic.

With limited possibilities to travel overseas, a YouTube channel that is dedicated to taking people waking in Hong Kong – “When in doubt, take a walk” was originated.

Urban explorer Sampson is an advocate of city walking, also an academic and artist who combines art with his studies of cities and the public sphere.

What does city walking entail? Sampson explained: “It’s just a catchy phrase, with the idea of taking a walk to induce people’s curiosity about the city.”

As early as 2008, he has been sharing his observations about the cityscape in newspaper columns. Two years ago, at a time when Hong Kongers were unable to travel overseas, he created the “when in doubt, take a walk” video project on YouTube with his peers and the videos were especially popular.

The tranquil walking videos with relaxing soundtracks feature lone walkers strolling around different Hong Kong neighbourhoods as a reminder of the city’s beauty. A few months ago, he published “Hong Kong: A Guide to City Strolling”, outlining 10 routes with over 100 attractions that are accessible by walking.

However, walking with Sampson is not exactly a relaxing endeavour. He said: “For me, walking is a way to see the city so we must observe with our eyes and minds.” He takes joy in noticing small changes and objects on the street, even if it’s only something as commonplace as a traffic cone. There is always something to ponder or discover as he takes in the space around him–incongruous architecture, or a forgotten garden. All these can be important details for his walking experience.

He said: "Sometimes reading 100 related books does not mean that I know the place. You must go out and experience the place to create a sense of belonging.”

Sampson has been hosting a series of walking groups, in which participants can always have their senses opened.   Sampson said it was incredible how 10 people in a group would notice totally different things, yet there would be somethings that are missed. Take Causeway Bay as an example, one might assume that the heart of Causeway Bay is the busy crossing on Hennessy Road, just like the iconic Shibuya Crossing, while the area around Haven Street would be like the edge, where things are quieter, and the pace is slower.

“The truth is this is not necessarily the case as everyone has their preferences, habits, and walking routes in Causeway Bay,” said Sampson. He feels the youthful energy of the place, but at the same time is intrigued by how buildings of different eras are juxtaposed together, including those built in the 1950s.

He would sometimes take a walk from Hysan Place to Haven Street along Yun Ping Road. What made him stop and observe are the red brick corner buildings on Kai Chiu Road, the pedestrian zone on Pak Sha Road, the tenements on Lan Fong Road, the footbridges connecting Lee Garden One and Two, and the reflective exteriors of some buildings. There is so much to soak in, no wonder his walks are not for relaxation but quite the contrary, which give him a sensory overload.

Sampson does not usually listen to music during his walks, but when he needs to relax, he’d put on his earphones and shut himself from the outside world. He does not have a long playlist with only some oldies by Faye Wong and Blur for nostalgia’s sake.

Unlike Sampson, Joshua has diversified playlist that accompanies his walking. He even has different music choices for his day and night.

Joshua is the musician who creates the soundtracks for Sampson’s YouTube channel. He is keyboard player of three bands, each with very different styles. Sampson partners with Joshua because they share similar tastes in music, with a little jazzy.  Many fans of the channel are drawn to it for its original choice of music that matches the rhythm with the pace of the videos, which is the big part for the success of the videos.

It was Joshua’s first attempt at creating a soundtrack. He does so without taking part in the walks. “I just respond to the visuals, how the mood and the camera change, and the pace of the walkers.” When the people are walking slowly, the rhythm of the music weakens and even stops. When they start to run, the beat becomes brisk, with a flowing melody. These walking videos are about recording and observing the city, while Joshua’s music tries to capture the emotions during the walks.

Joshua also loves walking by himself. He lives by the Shing Mun River and is a frequent visitor of the Tsuen Wan Waterfront. He feels empty of body and mind when wandering along these familiar locales.

Interestingly, as a musician himself, the music he listens is never his own. “My creations remind me of work so they are not for moments when I want to relax!” His mood changes with the music, so he splits his playlist into “day” and “night”. To start his day, he often listens to some upbeat songs such as those by Rubber Band with refreshing lyrics.

While his night walk playlist helps him wind down on his way home or to the band’s studio after work. It is also time for reflection so the list comprises mostly instrumental music like “Deep Into the Night” by Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara. Some are with lyrics, such as the soulful song, “Black and White” of Khalil Fong.

“A city should also have different playlists” said Joshua, walking into the downtown area of Causeway Bay reminds him of Japanese City pop in the 70s and 80s. He explained: “Very light-hearted melodies. Just the prelude gives you the vibe of a city at night. One example is Anita Mui’s “Searching For Love” adapted from the original “Plastic Love” by the Japanese singer Mariya Takeuchi.”

As for the Lee Gardens Area, Joshua thinks it should be purely instrumental playlist. “It’s a vibrant hub in the heart of the city, yet with aesthetics of modernity and the bygone eras co-existing in harmony. Like instrumental music, it makes you feel at ease.”