It is early on a Saturday morning and a wet market in Hong Kongโs Causeway Bay neighbourhood is heaving with people stocking up on produce before Typhoon Wipha hits later that day.
Hidden among the stalls is another market โstapleโ โ the Good Morning towel, a piece of white cotton emblazoned with โGood Morningโ in bright red cursive and its equivalent translation in Chinese (zhu jun zao an).
While โGood Morningโ is the most common phrase, others such as โGood Fortuneโ and โVery Healthyโ adorn some towels in the same distinctive red font.
โI have many of these towels,โ says the fishmonger, slightly perplexed as to why someone is asking about an old rag.
Those living in Hong Kong are likely to have a few lurking in a cupboard. Walk around the city and you will see them draped over buckets or dangling from minibusโ mirrors. Pop the boot of a taxi and a few might stare back with their cheery greeting.