‘Social Memory: Conservation and Coexistence of Cultural Heritage ’Talk Series Third Talk ‘Resonance of Artefacts: Conserving Artefacts and Preserving Memories’

Co-organised by TWGHs Records and Heritage Office and Hong Kong Public Libraries

‘Social Memory: Conservation and Coexistence of Cultural Heritage’ Talk Series

The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) attaches great importance to the preservation of cultural heritage. In 1970, the centenary of TWGHs, the original Kwong Wah Hospital Main Hall, built in 1911, was converted into Tung Wah Museum to preserve and categorise the relics and archives related to Tung Wah. This marked the beginning of TWGHs’ journey in conserving and passing on heritage. In 2010, the Records and Heritage Office was established, with an aim to safeguarding, developing and sharing the heritage of Tung Wah through promotion of heritage   conservation and provision of cultural services, thereby contributing to Hong Kong’s heritage conservation efforts.

Cultural heritage carries the stories, experiences and wisdom of our predecessors. It is closely intertwined with the daily lives of people, and serves as a historical footprint of social development. Through the aspects of traditional customs and temples, built heritage and artefact conservation, the subject talks will explore how the transmission and conservation of cultural heritage can connect communities through faith, historic buildings, and artefacts, integrating history and culture into everyday life, and enabling the public to understand the significance of heritage conservation amid rapid social change. 

Third Talk ‘Resonance of Artefacts: Conserving Artefacts and Preserving Memories’

Every artefact bears the traces of everyday life, holding stories tied to the city and its community. What makes them so moving is not merely their past, but the wear and marks that they have preserved, markings that silently narrate the people and stories of the past. Through various case studies, the talk will explore how artefacts embody Hong Kong’s social memory, community history, and personal stories. The speaker will also introduce the principles and methods of conservation, sharing how volunteer participation transforms conservation work into an opportunity to encounter history and a way to reconnect with the past. Through these stories, we discover that conserving an artefact is a way to meticulously preserve a memory.