Laundry drying on boats

Does anyone know if the boat people had access to fresh water for their laundry? Salt water leaves fabric very stiff.

Hi Jill,

Shau Ki Wan is still considered an old district.  I do not have proof, but I believe there should be public fresh water hydrants on land for citizens that may not have tap water at home, like those in squatters on the slopes in the area.  I remember there was one photo of such a facility in Wanchai water front here in this site.

Boat dwellers still need fresh water for cooking so I believe they likely obtain fresh water in the same location.  They may have wooden or pottery containers on the boats for water storage back then as Plastic containers are not being mass produced until sometime in 1960s\1970s.

T

Thanks tngan. Elsewhere in Asia washing used to be done communally in a local river maybe still is. Some European mountain villages had a village tap and a tub where the women washed laundry, again as a communal exercise. Some of the items in David’s photo are very bulky and would need a large vessel and lots of water for washing and rinsing. Carrying fresh water to the boats would have been quite an exercise. It would have been more practical if the laundry could have been done on land.

Hi Jill,

You may  be right.  The boat people may bring their laundry to the hydrant and wash them nearby, then bring them back to the boats to hang dry.

They sill have to transport water back to their boats for other uses though.

T

I suspect that is for drying fish rather than laundry.