Teresa Tsui Wai-shan isn’t the first urban farmer we feature in Urban Diary.  She is one of a growing number of young, college-educated urbanites who gave up stable office jobs for farming.  With conserving nature and promoting the local-food movement in mind, and attracted by the freedom and honesty the land offers, we have seen more and more highly educated urbanites turn to farming.    

Teresa started as an officer in Hong Kong’s oldest environmental group, The Conservancy Association, and came into contact with farmers because her job required she spent time in the fields.  Exposure to farming prompted her half-year permaculture quest in Australia.  Experiencing farming first-hand, the slow-paced Teresa decided to pursue a self-sufficient lifestyle. 

She freelances, farms and explores turning organic ginger into various consumer products.  She founded Very Ginger along with two like-minded friends. The organic ginger they grow in the ancient Hakka village of Lai Chi Woo have been turned into curry, tea and beauty products. The business endeavor is a hallmark of Hong Kong’s second generation urban farmers.  The first generation focused on farming and selling organic farm produces.  The second generation sees the health and environmental conscious trend and have turned to the consumer goods market.

Teresa shines with an admirable calmness.  She’s quiet, but lives with her own pace, enjoys life and gives up material pleasure for a greater cause.  I hope you enjoy reading "Teresa and the Many Possibilities of Very Ginger" as much as we do.