Public Guided Tours

Central & Sheung Wan Audio Guide x Lau Yee Ching

25.11—
02.01.2022

Venue

Central & Sheung Wan

Time

Anytime

Guide

Lau Yee Ching

About

Born on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, Lau Yee Ching (Ah Ching) resided in the area with his family for decades and roamed the streets of Central and Sheung Wan for more than half of his life. Sometimes a poet by the pen name “Yam Gong”, he finds his inspirations here, there and in the local tongue, such as his early work “Tung Street is east of Sai Street, Sai Street the west of Tung Street; Upper Lascar Row is upper than Lower Lascar Row, Lower Lascar Row below the Upper Lascar Row”. At times he turns inwards, at times unravels, making his way through the light decorations of yesterday and today, making doodles that at times rhyme and at times don’t: all in response to this city, this at-times world. These streets, this city, this world.

Overview

“The grains slip and drop one by one
Through your young, soft fingers
Oh, through your aged fingers
Would you find this mystical”

Next up in our Audio Guide series is local poet Lau Yee Ching’s Central and Sheung Wan. Having lived in Sheung Wan for over 40 years, Ah Ching draws upon collective and personal memories on this walk up and down the vein-like streets— taking us on a meander through time with stories and poetries of when Hong Kong first opened port, the plague, his childhood fragments, bygone sights…

In his sound design, Steve Hui bridges the old and new with the layering of one of Hong Kong’s most popular Naamyam pieces back in the days “Wayfarer’s Autumnal Lament” (performed by To Wing and Au Kwai Cheung) and his electronic soundscapes.

Available in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, the guide begins at Grand Millennium Plaza and takes us past Kau U Fong, Gough Street, PMQ, Tai Kwun, Bridges Street, Ladder Street, Tai Ping Shan Street and ends at the Hollywood Road Park. The link to the playlist and map will be sent to your email upon registration, after which you’re all set to start exploring whenever you wish.

At the end of the tour, you may consider:

Following the Satellite Guide to explore surrounding sites of interests and partner merchants in the Central & Western District & the Wan Chai District;
Visit Satellite Exhibition Collaborator Blue Lotus Gallery’s exhibition “HK UNSEEN” in the Central & Western District;
Visit Satellite Exhibitions “Barter: Outside our windows” and “Objects of Abnormality” in Wan Chai.

Special thanks for the courtesy of Betty Ng for the use of “Ladder Street” by Yesi and Gordon T. Osing for its English translation.