Events

Title: Rhymes of Shui Hau
Executive Producer: Chloe Lai
Director: Chan Ho-lun Fredie
Aerial Cinematographer: Herman Lau
Wai Tau Waa Translation: Mink Chan, Chu Tsz-yui, The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
Text: Haider Kikabhoy, Teresa Ho, Hung Wing-hei, Charlie Lam, Jenny Li
Length of Film: 49 minutes

After the screening, there will be a talk by the producer, followed by a question-and-answer session.

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Desmond Sham, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

SYNOPSIS OF FILM

The village of Shui Hau is three hundred years old. The village is bounded by the Lantau Peak to the north and the South China Sea to the south. In Chinese, “Shui Hau” means the mouth of a waterway, which explains its geographic location. The village, or the island where it is situated, must be understood with an appreciation of the sea. Lantau Island is part of a chain of islands separating the Pearl River and the open seas. The waterway connects Lantau to Soko Islands, Cheung Chau, Peng Chau, Macau and other cities and settlements in the Pearl River Delta. Recent human settlements in Lantau can only be understood from the perspective of the sea and its seafarers.

Rhymes of Shui Hau features three elderly ladies from the village. Their stories, and the rhymes they hum in Wai Tau Waa, an age-old dialect that many cannot comprehend, offer a glimpse of Hong Kong before its industrialisation and urbanisation. If their rhymes open a window to the city’s past, they are also a peephole for our future. If development and urban expansion is given a free reign, we would soon forget the vernacular heritage that we have lost.

ABSTRACT OF TALK

Everyday Life as a Cultural Right in Postcolonial Hong Kong
During the post-screening talk, Chloe Lai will broadly address issues of representation within contemporary Hong Kong. Sharing her experiences and observations from making Rhymes of Shui Hau, she notes how the distinctive practices of populations considered marginal to the mainstream city, such as the Shui Hau villagers, have long been neglected by academia and the general population in Hong Kong. It is through acknowledging and rectifying this omission that a more comprehensive understanding of the city can be developed. This film is a part of the Urban Diary, an online platform representing a synthesis between journalistic methods with concerns featured within urban studies, that documents the voices and stories from the Hong Kong vernacular domain. Dr Lai will explore why the act of storytelling is a good vehicle for conveying and circulating knowledge through the city; and why it is important to pay attention to the stories from everyday individuals if the city is to develop a sustainable way of life for the future.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Chloe Lai is a journalist-turned-storyteller. She curates a digital story museum named Urban Diary. Urban Diary is a collage of stories which features the actions and crafts of ordinary Hong Kong people that make the city vibrant, diverse and resilient. Dr Lai uses engaged journalism to narrate stories of everyday life. She firmly believes in discovering different way of living in the ruthlessly development-driven Hong Kong.

More information about the Urban Diary can be found on their webpage (https://www.urbandiarist.com/en/) and on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ovalurbandiary/).

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you click on the “Register” button above to RSVP.