The objects in the photos bring back many memories. Swings I have always loved – the motion of swinging and soaring high up to the sky. As a child I remember loving going to the park and having a swing. The higher I went the better. Even today if I find a swing that is not just for children I will sit in it and have a gentle swing – but no more swinging high to the sky!

The rocking horse was given to our elder son on his first birthday. He is now 46 years old. He loved it and spent many hours rocking on it. Often as he got older he and his sister sat on it together and rocked away. Now our grandchildren are using it. The rocking horse is a timeless object and I hope it will still be around for future generations.

In 2007 on a visit to Gum Kay, Zhong Shan we found the two wooden plaques amongst the rubble on the floor of the ancestral home. We took them back to our hotel and cleaned them up and discovered they were wedding plaques given to Jack’s parents on their marriage. They were the only mementos found in the house since Jack’s mother and sister fled from the Japanese invasion in 1939.

Meilin CHONG

2016

Meilin and Jack CHONG

Talking to Meilin [黃美蓮] and Jack CHONG [何澤旗] at their Auckland home, I was shown a pair of wooden wedding plagues with a Chinese couplet of an auspicious idiom [此日來儀,吉夢為熊[1]] blessing that the bride will get pregnant soon. In 2007 on a visit to Gum Kay, Zhong Shan[2], they found the pair of broken wooden plaques amongst the rubble on the floor of the ancestral home and discovered they were wedding plaques given to Jack’s parents on their marriage. They were the only mementos found in the house since Jack’s mother and sister fled to New Zealand from the Japanese invasion in 1939.

I photographed the pair of wooden plaques on top on a bedspread which was a gift to Meilin and Jack at their marriage in 1968. The bedspread has a pair of ‘dragon and phoenix’ flying high in the sky, an auspicous symbol of the perfectly matched ‘bride and groom’.

Putting together the two memorable objects from the marriages of the two generations will likely instigate a dialogue with the family and also with the communities.

[1] Literally, in the context of wedding, it says: “on the wedding day of welcoming the bride to the family, an auspicious dream prophesies the pregnancy of the bride. ‘來儀’ is originated from ‘有鳳來儀’ which means ‘the coming of the auspicious phoenix (a graceful female). ‘吉夢為熊’ is originated from ‘夢熊之兆’.

[2] Excerpted from a short essay by Meilin and Jack CHONG, 2016. 

King Tong HO

2016

照片里的物件唤回了我的记忆。我喜爱荡秋千, 享受那种大幅度摇荡, 在高空的感觉。我记得孩提时期, 喜欢去公园荡秋千, 荡得越高越好。即使到了今天, 如果看见有成人秋千, 我还是会坐上去, 但是会温和地, 不再摇荡到高空。

 我们的大儿子已四十六岁。他的第一份生日礼物是木摇马。他喜爱摇木马, 在木马上度过了许多时光。当逐渐长大, 他经常和妹妹一起在木马上摇。如今, 我们的孙辈们仍摇这木马。我希望它永远陪伴着我们的后代。

在二零零七年对中山金溪 的一次探访中, 我们在祖屋地板上的废物中, 找到了两块木制雕饰。我们将它们带回旅馆, 弄干净后, 发现它们原来是泽 旗父母的结婚贺礼：一对雕饰。它们是泽旗的母亲和姐姐于一九三九年逃避日本的侵袭后, 在房子里找到的唯一纪念品。

黄美莲

2016

黄美莲与何泽旗

我与黄美莲和何泽旗在他们奥克兰的家交谈时, 他们出示一对木制婚礼雕饰, 上面刻有一对中国吉祥贺语：「此日来仪，吉梦为熊[1]」, 以祝福新娘早生贵子。二零零七年, 他们探访中山金溪[2]时, 在祖屋地上的废物堆中找到了这对破损的雕饰, 并发现 是何泽旗的父母亲 的结婚贺礼。自从何泽旗的母亲和姐姐于一九三九年因躲避日本侵华而逃到纽西兰后, 此为唯一在祖屋寻到的纪念品 。

我把雕饰放在床罩上拍摄。床罩是黄美莲和何泽旗在一九六八年结婚时收到的礼物。床罩上绣有一对在天空翱翔的龙凤, 寓意新郎新娘的完美结合, 吉祥如意。

我把两件来自两代的婚礼纪念品放在一起, 来牵引出家族与社区间的一些对话。

 [1] 雕饰上的吉祥语：「此日来仪，吉梦为熊」, 意思是新婚日迎来吉利的新娘, 有梦预言怀男孕。这两句源于“有凤来仪，梦熊有兆”, 凤凰为百鸟之王，仪是仪容, 全句即吉祥之征兆。梦熊, 即梦见熊罴, 是吉祥语, 为生男的象征。

[2] 节录自黄美莲与何泽旗之短文。

何经棠

2016

照片裏的物件喚回了我的記憶。我喜愛蕩秋千，享受那種大幅度搖蕩，在高空的感覺。我記得孩提時期，喜歡去公園蕩秋千，蕩得越高越好。即使到了今天，如果看見有成人秋千，我還是會坐上去，但是會溫和地，不再搖蕩到高空。

 我們的大兒子已四十六歲。他的第一份生日禮物是木搖馬。他喜愛搖木馬，在木馬上度過了許多時光。當逐漸長大，他經常和妹妹一起在木馬上搖。如今，我們的孫輩們仍搖這木馬。我希望它永遠陪伴著我們的後代。

在二零零七年對中山金溪 的一次探訪中，我們在祖屋地板上的廢物中，找到了兩塊木制雕飾。我們將它們帶回旅館，弄乾淨後，發現它們原來是澤 旗父母的結婚賀禮：一對雕飾。它們是澤旗的母親和姐姐於一九三九年逃避日本的侵襲後，在房子裏找到的唯一紀念品。

黃美蓮

2016

黃美蓮與何澤旗

我與黃美蓮和何澤旗在他們奧克蘭的家交談時，他們出示一對木制婚禮雕飾，上面刻有一對中國吉祥賀語：「此日來儀，吉夢為熊[1] 」，以祝福新娘早生貴子。二零零七年, 他們探訪中山金溪[2]時, 在祖屋地上的廢物堆中找到了這對破損的雕飾, 並發現 是何澤旗的父母親 的結婚賀禮。自從何澤旗的母親和姐姐於一九三九年因躲避日本侵華而逃到紐西蘭後 ，此為唯一在祖屋尋到的紀念品 。

我把雕飾放在牀罩上拍攝。牀罩是黃美蓮和何澤旗在一九六八年結婚時收到的禮物。牀罩上繡有一對在天空翺翔的龍鳳, 寓意新郎新娘的完美結合, 吉祥如意。

我把兩件來自兩代的婚禮紀念品放在一起, 來牽引出家族與社區間的一些對話。

 [1] 雕飾上的吉祥語：「此日來儀，吉夢為熊」，意思是新婚日迎來吉利的新娘，有夢預言懷男孕。這兩句源于「有鳳來儀，夢熊有兆」，鳳凰為百鳥之王，儀是儀容，全句即吉祥之徵兆。夢熊，即夢見熊羆，是吉祥語，為生男的象徵。

[2] 節錄自黃美蓮與何澤旗之短文。

何經棠

2016