Memories of Our Days

EVENT DESCRIPTION

After nearly a year of renovation supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Heritage of Mei Ho House (Museum) will officially be reopened to the public on Wednesday 2 November 2022, with the launch of a new exhibition “Memories of Our Days”.

Located at the heart of Sham Shui Po, Mei Ho House is a Grade II Historical Building which marked the beginning of the city’s public housing policies and has a profound historical significance for the community. Its privately-run, public housing-themed museum has always been a popular attraction for locals and visitors of all ages.

The new exhibition takes visitors back to the past with ten brand-new installations and immersive interactive experiences that bring scenes of the grassroots lifestyles in the 1950s and 60s back to life. It builds a bridge of communication for visitors to learn more about the history and livelihoods of their forebears, the neighbourly perseverance of the communities, and the underlying spirit that shaped the Hong Kong of today.

Old Neighbourhood Stories Liven Up “Hong Kong Spirit 1.0”
The “Memories of Our Days” exhibition, apart from preserving the historical background of Mei Ho House, it also adds new oral histories along with a diversification of artefacts and exhibits to depict the living conditions of grassroots citizens in the 1950s and 60s, revealing the foundation of the Hong Kong spirit from both a cultural and spatial perspective. The new exhibition area on the G/F presents ten thematic zones, covering topics and interesting stories surrounding residents’ everyday life. These range from cultural to entertainment aspects and include: “Dai Pai Dong”; “Street Market”; “Grocery Shop”; “Water Resources”; “Movies and Cinema”; “Herbal Tea Shop”; “Playground”; “Barbershop” and “Children’s Games” all of which illustrate the unique cultures and facets of life in these bygone times.

The exhibition hall on the 1/F focuses on residents’ living environments. Referencing from oral histories, the curatorial team has restored the settings and living units of Mei Ho House, such as the “Multifamily Residential” and the “Loft” in the room, displaying the primitive and crude structures of the resettlement blocks in the early days. Highlight thematic exhibition zones include: “Mei Ho House in the 1950s”; “Veranda-Kitchen”; and “Public Latrines and Washing Areas”. Other newly added exhibition zones include the “Rooftop School” and “Employment and Livelihood”, showcasing the demand for school education and the development of family handicraft businesses. The exhibition also introduces iconic public housing designs in different era, and the Mei Ho House Alumni Network, allowing visitors to gain a more in-depth understanding of the daily situations of the residents, the bonding between neighbours and the metamorphosis of the heritage site.

The mural at the entrance created by local illustrator Don Mak, is another must–see for the exhibition. Using soft colours, the mural summarises stories of Mei Ho House and residents of the Sham Shui Po area across time and interprets the changes in the district since the 1950s.

Optimising Visitor Experience with Interactive Digital and Immersive Displays
Visitor experience is enhanced by integrating different interactive and multi-media elements into the exhibition. These include sound effects, interactive installations, animations, motion sensing games, augmented reality (AR), and use of mobile application, allowing visitors to feel as if they were at the scenes in person. Taking “Rooftop School” as an example, visitors can try a motion sensing game to follow the teacher to do morning exercises in front of the screen.

The Educational Significance of the “Memories of Our Days” Exhibition
The “Memories of Our Days” exhibition aims to build a bridge between the younger and older generations, promoting cross-generational communication and fostering a better understanding of Hong Kong’s history and society. The exhibition hopes that visitors, especially youngsters, can reflect on the life and origins of the past generations through historical narratives, appreciate the perseverance and hard work of the older generations, and enhance their awareness of the conservation of architectural and cultural heritage.

“Jockey Club Cultural Heritage Programme@Mei Ho House” Offers Learning Opportunities with Guests Sharing
In addition to the revamp of Mei Ho House, the trust has also supported HKYHA to launch the “Jockey Club Cultural Heritage Programme@Mei Ho House”, arranging nearly 130 community outreach activities that feature contents of the exhibition, including thematic lectures about the history of Hong Kong and Mei Ho House, oral history sharing sessions, cultural tours and more, welcomes visitors from all walks of life to participate. Specially designed for students, the “Modern Life in Sham Shui Po Guided Tour” helps them gain a deeper understanding of the connections among architecture, urban space, and community life. Through this programme, HKYHA has also invited Mr Roger Lee Yan-Lam, producer of “A Simple Life” (Chinese name: Sister Peach) for a sharing. As a kid, lived with Sister Peach (whose full Chinese name is Chung Chun To鍾春桃) in a tenement building outside Mei Ho House. He said, “Whenever Sister Peach (amah) went to the cinema, she always took my sister and me along. That sowed the seeds for my future interest in film.” Through his oral history sharing session, he will verbally take the audience on a trip around the neighbourhood and trace the daily life of Sister Peach.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Mei Ho House was built in 1954 to rehouse fire victims of Shek Kip Mei. It is the only first-generation H-shaped resettlement block still standing in Hong Kong. In February 2009, the Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association was selected as a partner under the “Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme” of the Hong Kong Government to convert this Grade 2 Historic Building into a city hostel. The YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel was awarded with an “Honourable Mention at the UNESCO Asia- Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation” in 2015. Mei Ho House is a building with a unique history that preserves the precious collective memories of millions of Hong Kong citizens. Through the revitalisation project, Mei Ho House will continue to promote cultural exchange and contribute to Hong Kong society. Mei Ho House Alumni Network aims to reuniting past residents, archiving their oral history and reviving a sense of community and neighbourliness.

With the funding support by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in December 2019, HKYHA has started the preparation work and curatorial process for the renovation project of the Heritage of Mei Ho House in 2020, including relevant research and craft for new exhibition contents. In addition to hardware upgrade, The Trust supports HKYHA in launching the “Jockey Club Cultural Heritage Programme@Mei Ho House”. Centred on the city’s first generation of public housing - Mei Ho House, the programme includes cultural outreach activities that aim to connect with the community, promote cultural conservation and encourage people from all walks of life to explore the fascinating historic development and human stories of the Sham Shui Po district.