You may recognise Dorothy Chan from her cosy little corner of Instagram she endearingly named “妹の日常,” which translates to “a younger sister’s daily life” — and there’s a gentle honesty in that. Dorothy’s videos don’t promise you anything spectacular. Instead, they linger on the parts of a day we usually let slip past us: the small joy of a drip coffee, the comfort of home-cooked noodles, the familiar commute, the steady rhythm of keyboard click-clack, the warmth of a call with a sibling… These are the small, unhurried hours that make up most of a life but rarely make it onto a screen. In a world that trades in highlight reels, Dorothy has chosen to sit with the ordinary, and somehow, through her lens, the ordinary starts to feel like enough. Watching her feels like being reminded to breathe.
Sometimes, we catch a glimpse of where her day truly begins. Long before the city wakes, she’s already out on the harbourfront, running through the soft blue hush of a Hong Kong most of us never meet. It started as something practical, cardio training for a long trek through Nepal and China, but somewhere between the early alarms and the quiet promenades, it became something she couldn’t give up. Running stopped being about distance and became about what it asked of her. “The hardest part is not your body giving in,” she says. “It’s you pushing yourself through those moments, and the mental strength you build carries into other parts of your life.”
What do you run for?
I run for consistency. I like staying active and taking care of my body, and running helps me do that.
When did running become a part of your life, and what does it mean to you now?
So, I’ve done quite a bit of running growing up, but it only became a constant in my life this year because I had to do some cardio training for my Nepal and China long trekking trip. After I started running, I started falling in love with the city at 5:30 in the morning. And I think waking up this early is really uncomfortable, so now running has become a hobby that helps me push myself out of my comfort zone.
Do you have any pre-run or post-run rituals that keep you focused?
I actually believe in strength and lengthening. So every time after I finish running, I have to stretch and do some yoga. And I have this little patch of grass beside the Hung Hom Harbour. And yeah, I love stretching my bare feet and bare hands over there, and it makes me feel really good.
How has running changed the way you see or experience the city?
I think it’s really helped me realise Hong Kong is a city that doesn’t sleep, but it does quiet down. So like I said earlier, Hong Kong at 5:30 in the morning is really calming. It’s really quiet, and I think everyone should experience that side of the city.
Do you have any favourite stop points, moments, or memories during your usual route that feel special to you?
So it would be the ritual I told you about earlier: this small patch of grass, like a little playground, next to Hung Hom Harbour. In the morning, families and kids run around, uncles and aunties exercise, and I think the community there is very cute and lively.
What’s one thing you wish people understood more about running?
I think most people still see running as just a cardio exercise, but to me it’s more mental than physical. The hardest part isn’t your body giving in, it’s you pushing yourself through those moments. And the mental strength you build through these moments is really helpful when it carries into other parts of your life.
Editor
Kaitlyn Lai
