Collector Simon CHEUNG collected a variety of glass milk bottles of different eras over the years. The most precious one is a double-headed glass milk bottle that he found in a deserted village in Lung Kwu Tan, Tuen Mun. It was made in Hong Kong approximately 100 years ago. Simon will tell us in detail about the history of the appearance of glass milk bottles in Hong Kong, and how it reflects the social conditions at that time.

At the beginning of the last century, due to material deprivation, most people did not have an easy life. As such, parents’ expectations for their children were often the simplest – to grow up. LO, Ah-heung, a 94-year-old lady, doesn’t recall that her parents have ever told her about their expectations on her, and they only hoped that she could have the ability to survive by herself. Therefore, LO also raised her children in the same way, and she trained them to take care of themselves since they were small, hoping that they would have enough will and perseverance to face different adversities in their lives.

As a mother of two daughters, Carin was once very stressful when her eldest daughter was born. She always put her daughter’s safety first. Although Carin began to learn to relax after the birth of her youngest daughter, the living environment and education system of Hong Kong put a lot of pressure on her, and she even felt a bit lost. Carin hopes to go back to her original wish for her daughters: she only wants her daughters to grow up healthily and happily. On the other hand, there is Jamie, who believes that she should let her children try on their own. Even if they fail or get hurt, it is part of their growth. She believes that it is more important to accompany their children to grow up and provide them with support and encouragement.

Over the past century, how much has the way of parenting in Hong Kong changed?

Printed matters have become an inseparable part of our life, and they were essential carriers of cultural heritage and records in the last century. Since early 20th century, Central and Sheung Wan have been filled with shops and companies. The flourishing commercial activities had generated a great demand in printed matters such as invoices and contracts, and that gave rise to many small and medium-sized printing workshops. From typesetting to printing, from paper cutting to binding, they all depend on skillful printing workers. Experienced workers work hard in front of the printing machines, with their hands often stained with ink. Master LAM On was one of them. He started working as an apprentice, and has witnessed the rises and falls of the printing industry until he retired.

Movable type printing was replaced by the more time-saving and convenient offset printing in the 1980s. It has faded inevitably and those movable type printing machines were then abandoned. At the same time, the imperative drive of technology gave multiple hits to the printing industry. With physical printed matters being replaced by computer image files, and people getting used to replace papers with e-books, digital business cards and e-cards, physical printing seemed to be a sunset industry. Nevertheless, some young people still buck the trend and join the industry as a new force, believing that industry transformation can be achieved by incorporating more design elements to printed matters.

Designer Loraine WONG considers that traditional printing is more ingenious and having a greater human touch than digital printing, which operates like a production line. Therefore, she became a student of Master LAM On to learn about the techniques in movable type printing. Apart from reflecting on how to incorporate traditional techniques into modern arts to make cultural and creative products, she also hopes to make printed matters of tactility and passion in the digital world.

Although living in an era of rapid digitalisation, through printed matters, we can still understand the past, feel the present and explore the future. One has to wonder what kind of culture is awaiting in a century’s time.