Dr. CHU Yiu Kwong

Biography

History Teacher
Member of Society for Indigenous Learning

Dr. Chu Yiu Kwong is a history teacher and a member of Society for Indigenous Learning. In 2015, He completed his EdD at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he researched oral history teaching. Dr. Chu is now working at a local farm. By merging teaching and farming together, he learns the ways of life and discovers folktales of Hong Kong with his students.

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Abstract

Awakening of Indigenous Consciousness: History, Visual Art and Land Education
(presented in Sharing Session 3: Art and Other Knowledge)

In the year of 2009, land conservation and development reached a crossroad. Hoping that history education could break through the limit of school subjects and be involved in the society, I asked for the advice from my colleague, an experienced visual art teacher, namely, Ricky Yeung, about the method to empower my students and myself to preserve the memories of the Fanling theatre. Having left my teaching job at school, I started to explore the old towns with him, doing oral history projects with our students and turning memories of old stories into images. The boundaries of art and history disappeared. I have tried to present/ re-present the memories of villagers in different forms, such as singing and installation. From the village of Ma Shi Po, Sing Ping and Chuen Lun to the Arts festival of Echigo-Tsumari, I learnt the living experience and craftmanship from different villagers with my students, and finally came back to our homeland where we belong to and live in. According to the principles of permaculture, we farm and learn together, believing that our efforts can make our homeland a better place for all living creatures to thrive.