Photo Essay

From ‘Chop Alley,’ his seals reach many hands

By Deng Yawen

September 2025

Yam Man-hong holds up stamps from some of the seals he has designed and carved over the last 20 years.

In Hong Kong, locals visit Man Wa Lane in Sheung Wan to have personalized seals made for contracts, paintings or wedding invitations. Among the dozens of tiny workshops lining the narrow alley, known locally as “Chop Alley,” Yam Man-hong, 46, has been designing and hand-carving seals for more than 20 years.

Man Wa Lane is less than 400 meters long with nearly 30 seal carving shops, including Yam’s.

Yam often works from morning until well past midnight. His clients range from painters and calligraphers to feng shui masters and tourists.

Yam secures the seal in a small wooden box that he rotates to be able to carve the stone from different angles. He can carve a seal in twenty minutes if the customer needs it in a hurry. “The design takes time — what type of calligraphy? Round or square stone? Should I use jade as the texture, as usual?” he said.

Yam holds up the carving tool he uses most often because it has the sharpest tip. He said he uses 18 different engravers to carve different sizes and textures of stones.

A potential customer discusses the design of a stamp with Yam. “Each carving carries a different meaning. Most people choose blessings for power, wealth and academic success,” Yam said. “This kind of stamp costs at least HK$250.”

Yam selects a stone he particularly admires from the cabinet to recommend to the customer, who leaves without purchasing a seal. “I simply didn’t have the type of steal stone he needed,” Yam said. “It’s all
about the fit.”