Hong Kong is Where We Are

The Second edition Hong Kong Film Festival (UK) has collaborated with renowned Hong Kong illustrators Ah To and Justin Wong to create this exquisite set of postcards, posters, and tote bags. Their work beautifully brings together elements of Hong Kong and the UK and explores beyond a geographical perspective what it means by “Home Away from Home ” but also that of the temporal, cultural, racial, and emotional. 

“On the notion of ‘distance,’ I feel most deeply the great disparity between Hong Kong in the past and present. This distance has been the reason behind many departures,  thereby creating this physical ‘distance’ with Hong Kong. Having said so, those who have moved to the UK may also grow homesick as their hearts are still very much connected with Hong Kong. They find different ways to connect with Hong Kong culture — this could be through paying attention to the news about Hong Kong, watching TV programmes from Hong Kong, or simply being a reminiscence of the good old times.” In this set of 3 postcards designed by Justin Wong, elements of the UK and Hong Kong are in every picture — with scenes capturing from the indoors to the view out of the window, to that of the outside — all reflective of a Hong Kong sentiment despite living in the UK.

Feeling similarly homesick, Ah To would walk the streets of the UK and occasionally feel a sense of a strange foreign familiarity with his surroundings. For instance, Ah To feels strongly about Warren Street in Tai Hang, Hong Kong. Although lesser known to the locals, Ah To is emotionally connected to it. In contrast, although London’s Warren Street is a busy spot, apart from reminding Ah To of his life back then, it does not carry as much meaning to him. He spent a week comparing the geography of Hong Kong and the UK on Google Maps and discovered how in this tiny city of Hong Kong, countless streets, parks, and districts share identical names as those in the UK. Inspired by this, he created 16 illustrations showing streets, parks, and districts of the same names: “All these places can be found in Hong Kong, yet, they are all scattered around the UK. To a certain extent, the names of such streets and buildings in the UK remind us of the golden age of Hong Kong as well.”

The two artists have also collaborated and designed a tote bag together. On one side is printed “Goodbye, my Old Friend” designed by Justin Wong; on the other is “Welcome to this New World “as designed by Ah To. They both believe that “Goodbyes and Reunions” are both topics of the times. The design, on the one hand, is reflective of our day and age, also echoing the theme of this year’s Film Festival; on the other hand, it serves a practical purpose - a bag to be carried to the airport, to farewells and ‘welcome home’s.

Justin Wong believes that there are many interpretations of what “Home Away from Home” can mean. However, it is important to note that Hong Kong culture will stand strong in the face of departures. “Hong Kong is where we are.” According to Ah To, although a lot of newcomers from Hong Kong to the UK may feel quite helpless at first, through different cultural gatherings, a new synergy will be generated - and from that, on another piece of land, a new kind of Hong Kong culture would be born.