I feel such sadness when I look at the letter sent to Appo by his mother. The sadness is for her, and her family. She begged him to come back home to China, but he never heeded his Mother’s plea. As a mother myself, the overwhelming grief, knowing one would not see one’s child again would be emotionally tragic.

On a brighter side the tea-caddy fascinates me. This little wooden box shows Appo did hold on to a little piece of his homeland, especially as he grew tea in his front garden.

Appo was an astute and competent young man. This is reflected in the houses he built in Nelson and Dovedale. He must have learnt the building trade as a cabin boy on the ships after he left China as a child, aged 9 years. Once he became a naturalized New Zealander in 1852 [first Chinese person to do so] he set to work with his bullock dray and put in tenders for the up-grade of Trafalgar St., Milton St., Collingwood St. and Nile St. etc.

My impression of Appo is that he was held in high regard in Nelson. He was invited to an Early Settlers Lunch at the Council Chambers. Mind you he could speak and write English which would have gone down well with the English and Irish settlers.

This remarkable man has left many descendants throughout New Zealand and I am indeed very proud to be his Great Granddaughter

Diana CLARK [nee Inwood]

2015

Appo HOCTON

Diana CLARK is the great granddaughter of Appo HOCTON [WONG Ah Poo Hoc Ting, 黄學庭], the first recorded Chinese migrant in New Zealand who arrived Nelson on 25 October 1842. She has kept a collection of objects from the family. Amongst them, scatters of a letter from Appo’s ninety years old mother who begged him to return home is widely published. Initially I did not plan to photograph it, but when I encountered the original I was moved by the compressed rigidity and fragility of the scatters. The emotional helplessness of Appo’s mother was trapped in forever in these scatters. Appo did not wish to return home, nor did he reply to her. I never have mentioned my feeling to Diana but am not surprised when she wrote about the photograph of the letter that “As a mother myself the overwhelming grief of knowing one would not see one’s child again would be emotionally tragic”.

King Tong HO

2015

当看到黄学庭母亲寄给他的信时, 我有点为她和她的家庭感到哀伤。她当时祈求他回家、回中国, 但黄学庭从来没有重视母亲的恳请。我将这种作为一个母亲再也不能见到孩子的巨大悲痛, 看成一种情感悲剧。

茶叶罐使我着迷, 这个小木盒印记了黄学庭曾经拥有他祖国的一小片连系 —尤其是他曾经在他的前院种过茶树。

黄学庭九岁时离开中国, 之后在当船工时, 可能学过建筑贸易。他的机敏能干, 体现在他于 Nelson和 Dovedale 所建的房子上。于一八五二年他加入纽西兰籍, 是第一个入籍的中国人。他用运货马车工作及以投标方式重建 Trafalgar Street, Milton Street, Collingwood Street 和 Nile Street 。

在 Nelson 他受到高度尊重, 并曾受邀于议员会堂赴早期移民午宴。由于能操流利英语, 使他很受英国和爱尔兰移民的欢迎。

这个了不起的男人在纽西兰留下很多子孙, 作为他的曾孙我感到自豪。

Diana CLARK [nee Inwood]

2015

黄学庭

Diana CLARK 是黄学庭 的曾孙女。黄学庭据记载是第一个移民纽西兰的华人。他于一八四二年十月二十五日抵达 Nelson。Diana 收藏着一些家族物件, 其中有一封残缺不全, 却曾经被广为刊载的信件, 此信来自黄学庭九十岁高龄的母亲。母亲在信里恳求他回家。黄学庭不想回家, 也不回信。起初我并没有打算要拍摄这封信件。但当看到实物时, 残片所表现的因脆弱而致破碎, 被挤压却透着坚毅的讯息, 深深感动了我, 黄学庭母亲的无助永远被封印在残片中。 我从没有将我的感觉告知 Diana, 但是对于她这样描述这张照片我并不感到意外：我将这种作为一个母亲再也不能见到孩子的巨大悲痛, 看成一种情感悲剧。

何经棠

2015

當看到黃學庭母親寄給他的信時，我有點為她和她的家庭感到哀傷。她當時祈求他回家、回中國，但黃學庭從來沒有重視母親的懇請。我將這種作為一個母親再也不能見到孩子的巨大悲痛, 看成一種情感悲劇。

茶葉罐使我著迷 , 這個小木盒印記了黃學庭曾經擁有他祖國的一小片連系 – 尤其是他曾經在他的前院種過茶樹。

黃學庭九歲時離開中國，之後在當船工時，可能學過建築貿易。他的機敏能幹，體現在他於Nelson和 Dovedale所建的房子上。於一八五二年他加入紐西蘭籍，是第一個入籍的中國人。他用運貨馬車工作及以投標方式重建 Trafalgar Street, Milton Street, Collingwood Street 和 Nile Street 。

在 Nelson 他受到高度尊重，並曾受邀於議員會堂赴早期移民午宴。由於能操流利英語，使他很受英國和愛爾蘭移民的歡迎。

這個了不起的男人在紐西蘭留下很多子孫，作為他的曾孫我感到自豪。

Diana CLARK [nee Inwood]

2015

黃學庭

Diana CLARK 是黃學庭 的曾孫女。黃學庭據記載是第一個移民紐西蘭的華人。他於一八四二年十月二十五日抵達 Nelson。Diana 收藏著一些家族物件，其中有一封殘缺不全，卻曾經被廣為刊載的信件，此信來自黃學庭九十歲高齡的母親。母親在信裏懇求他回家。黃學庭不想回家，也不回信。起初我並沒有打算要拍攝這封信件。但當看到實物時，殘片所表現的因脆弱而致破碎，被擠壓卻透著堅毅的訊息，深深感動了我，黃學庭母親的無助永遠被封印在殘片中。 我從沒有將我的感覺告知 Diana，但是對於她這樣描述這張照片我並不感到意外：我將這種作為一個母親再也不能見到孩子的巨大悲痛, 看成一種情感悲劇。

何經棠

2015