Sometimes, a single household item can reflect an entire era.
A grandmother’s contract of indenture, a mother’s hair accessories and once-trendy outfits, military currency from the Japanese occupation – these relics hold not just personal memories but shared histories of the city we call home.
In February, a dozen students and alumni from the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong were invited to join a four-day storytelling workshop. Their mission: to find a small object at home and use it as a starting point for a two-month exploration into their family history.
The result is Glimpses of the Past: Stories of Family Heirlooms (吉光片羽：家傳舊物故事展), an exhibition that brings together nine intimate family portraits, each told through the lens of a treasured keepsake.
Curator Dora Choi explained that the project is about more than nostalgia; it is about seeking context for the present. Why do we live in Hong Kong? How did we become who we are today?
“The value of telling family history lies in how it gives a voice to ordinary people – everyday individuals,” she said. “It’s a powerful platform.”
She emphasised the importance of everyday narratives, which help fill in the missing pieces of grand historical accounts and make the past feel more relatable and real.
“We’re witnessing the disappearance of more and more things. In today’s digital world, physical objects – especially those passed down from grandparents – carry even more weight. Their uniqueness becomes all the more valuable when everything else exists in a virtual space,” she said.
Stories worth remembering
The exhibition opens with stories tied to food, such as simple baked beans, offering glimpses into Hong Kong’s evolving economy and changing living standards. Some participants revisited their grandparents’ legacies to understand the hardships of the past better. Others traced the roots of long-standing family feuds, reminding us of the importance of preserving our relationships with loved ones.
“Since we don’t get to decide what goes into official history books, it’s up to us to record the human stories worth remembering,” Choi said.
Workshop participants were taught how to gather materials and given tips and techniques for researching their family history. They also learned how to hold deep conversations with relatives and were introduced to oral history methods and curation, such as presenting a story through an object.
“In the final session, we created handmade albums using traditional Chinese bookbinding techniques,” said Choi. “Each person stitched together their own album by hand.”
Among the participants was Chloe Lau, a 24-year-old graduate of Hang Seng University. For her story, she chose a simple yet deeply symbolic object: her grandmother’s old red packet.
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Lau’s grandmother was a Tanka woman from Tai O, a community that traditionally lived on boats. She would visit the Yeung Hau Temple every year to pray for her family’s well-being.
She kept the red packet with her at all times. Inside were red paper and cloth inscribed with each family member’s zodiac sign, along with symbols and words for warding off misfortune and inviting good luck.
“My mother told me my grandmother was always a bit ‘restless’ – she’d frequently move from one place to another. But no matter where she went, she always brought that red packet,” Lau said.
“As a child, I used to find her a little extravagant. Every meal had to include fresh fish. I didn’t understand then that she had been a fisherwoman. She knew how to pick the best catch and was used to eating fish daily.”
She recalled how her grandmother would gently feed her fish meat and carefully remove fish bones for her: “Once, I accidentally swallowed a bone, and I still remember my grandmother and my parents placing a bowl over my head and tapping it with chopsticks – it was part of a playful little ritual.”
Now, before each new school year, Lau visits Man Mo Temple to pray for a smooth academic journey. She also checks her annual fortune at Wong Tai Sin Temple.
“Sometimes I wonder why I’m so superstitious. Maybe it skipped a generation and came from my grandmother. Or maybe every generation, in uncertain times, finds its own way of seeking a little peace,” she said.
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Generations of love
Toby Sin Chee, 21, a final-year creative media student at City University of Hong Kong, chose her grandmother’s contract of indenture as the centrepiece of her family story.
“All four of my grandparents are still alive, and I felt that while they still remember their past, I should take this chance to capture both their present lives and the stories they carry,” she said.
One of the most memorable experiences for the student was her ongoing conversations with her grandmother.
“We kept talking and digging deeper. Her memories from when she was seven or eight are already quite hazy … I kept asking questions to piece things together,” she said.
“She would give me tidbits of the story, and I’d follow up with more questions. At one point, I needed to refer to her old indenture contract for details. I had never seen the physical document before – it was already falling apart. So we’ve sent it for restoration.”
The process helped her rediscover her beloved grandmother, and learning about the world she grew up in gave her new insight into how she was raised, Sin said.
“She came from a life of hardship, and that’s why she made sure to never leave her children behind. She was always there for me, sleeping beside me, talking to me every night. In some ways, she was even closer to me than my parents.”
She added: “Through learning about her past, I’ve come to realise that the happiness I enjoy today didn’t come easily. It was built on generations of struggle, sacrifice, and love.”
Glimpses of the Past: Stories of Family Heirlooms runs until May 9 at S H Ho Academic Building at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.
