Hong Kong--A Window Ajar 

and

A Gwaipoh in Hong Kong

The Journey of a Thousand Miles

Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.

                                               —from the Tao Te Ching

Passion is a powerful emotion. It can drive a person to reach for hidden dreams and to overcome obstacles within and without. For me, it was a fire that consumed my being for eight years. It led me on an intimate photographic journey into a society of vigor and transition, of crowds and cramped spaces to wide-open territory and total isolation, from the remote rural to the ultra modern. This is Hong Kong—the place, but what I went looking for and experienced was Hong Kong—the people and their culture.

My first visit to Hong Kong was as a tourist in 1992. It was a brief and haunting experience. When I developed my film and viewed my images, I knew that there was something special in that place that I needed to explore. I researched Hong Kong’s history and soon-to-be-fate, created a centerpiece portfolio of twenty-two Gum Bichromate* prints and formulated my project, Hong Kong—A Window Ajar. My goal was to return to Hong Kong before it reverted back to communist China on July 1, 1997,  and to become intimate with Hong Kong people—to observe and record how they live, work, play and worship.

I made a plan and spread the word about my project to the public, to artistic communities, to the educational systems and to businesses through exhibitions, lectures, publications, grant applications, and national and international networking. In March 1997, I returned to Hong Kong with the support I procured through private and public funding** all of which I used towards travel, living expenses, film and processing, and the production of two exhibitions and two lectures.

I lived in Hong Kong for three months. I photographed daily, exposing 400 rolls of film and developing 320 black and white rolls in the bathroom of the flat where I rented a room from Mary and Peter. I met and negotiated my living arrangements with them over the Internet which wasn’t easy since they spoke very little English and I spoke no Cantonese. Through sharing a home with them in a small village outside the city and by immersing myself into Hong Kong’s busy lifestyle, I learned to communicate with a variety of people whose cultures were unfamiliar and whose lifestyles were very different from mine. Despite my advanced attempts to prepare myself for whatever arose, I wasn’t always ready. I struggled with the hot, humid weather and homesickness. I doubted myself and the purpose and focus of the project. In time, I released my preconceived expectations while accepting my limitations. I stopped fighting and embraced my dream.

In 1999, I produced a hand-made book entitled: A Gwaipoh in Hong Kong that I hoped would be published but never was. I am a Gwaipoh, the Cantonese word for a female foreigner—a ghost woman. Yet the people I met, some of whom became my friends and others whom I only touched in passing, embraced and trusted me and allowed me into their lives as much as strangers can, and sometimes even a little more. The book has 85 photographs along with a narrative complied from my diaries. It is a visual and intimate portrait of Hong Kong life—from the heart and below the surface.

Of all the things I learned about myself while undertaking this project, the most profound is that no one walks alone, and that dreams do come true with the encouragement and support of others.

*Gum Dichromate is a late 1800’s photographic contact printing process. However, unlike historical gum printing, I manipulate and vary the densities of my negatives, apply and layer my own color mixtures, and alter the final print with pencils and paints. I feel this process of layering emulsion upon emulsion, color upon color, reveals the layers and the intensity of Hong Kong society.

**Thank you to these people and organizations whose financial and/or logistical support helped make this project possible.

Charles and Ann Schwab
Kenneth R. Rayna
Joe and Doris Rayna
Holly Schwarz-Lawton and The Urban Cultural Park & Visitor Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
Ramsay, Russ Sowers, and the Ramsay Galleries, Honolulu, HI
Saratoga County Program for Arts Funding and Saratoga County Arts Council
New York Foundation for the Arts and Rensselaer County Council for the Arts

And to the all the people here and abroad who helped me in countless ways; who held me close to their hearts; who kept me in their prayers; who believed, trusted and supported me throughout my five year journey, thank you, as I could not have done it without you.