I’ll see you all underneath the pot, in another life.
Creator:
Andie Lloyd 李安安 (Any pronouns)
Being “diapsora” means navigating complex feelings of maintaining one’s original identity and a sense of “foreignness” in a foreign land. For Hong Kongers who have either self-exiled or simply moved abroad in search of bigger and brighter futures, whether in Taiwan, the UK, Canada, or elsewhere, the search for familiarity and “being settled” is often an endless search. In Vancouver, this constant straddling of the two motivations has led to the proliferation of Hong Kong cultural amenities across the Lower Mainland, allowing fellow Hong Kongers to gather, reminisce, and complain how something doesn’t compare to what they’re like in Hong Kong. In this work, Andie highlights real-life experiences of Hong Kong diaspora both from their own perspective as well as others, accompanied by a playlist of quintessential Cantonese music. In what ways do you think diasporic individuals try to strike a balance between familiarity and settling in – or is there something wrong with this question in the first place?
(Note: There is a playlist that accompanies the following piece: Access playlist here