To encourage students to explore other communities beyond Hong Kong, Chung Chi College organises non-local service-learning programmes every year. Last December, the College held a 9-day “Shunde Cultural Preservation Community Service-Learning Programme”, where students delved into the profound Lingnan cultural heritage, recognising the intangible heritage there and the transmission of traditional culture in contemporary society.

Q: What motivated you to participate in this Shunde service-learning programme?

A: Shunde is a water town rich in intangible cultural heritage (ICH), such as Cantonese Opera, Guangzhou embroidery, bonsai, and needlework, which made us want to experience its charm firsthand. Furthermore, the programme focused on how traditional community culture can survive amidst rapid urbanisation. This meant we were not just observers, but collaborators who could inject vitality into traditional culture from a youthful perspective, which was a truly valuable opportunity.

Q: To truly integrate into the local context, what special approaches did you take during the service?

A: We immersed ourselves in the daily life of the community, staying in local guesthouses and dining at the elderly community canteen. This down-to-earth approach allowed us to observe within the real local network. With the arrangements from our partners, Hao Space and Qichuang Social Service Centre, we participated in various workshops, interviews, and co-creation meetings to learn about cultural inheritance, intergenerational dialogue, and self-discovery.

(Left) Local mothers from Shengping taught us sewing techniques and made tote bags; (Right) We conducted our service in the elders’ canteen, seeking intergenerational connection and exchange.

Q: Among the cultural experiences, which parts left the deepest impression on you?

A: There were so many! Many activities allowed us to marvel at the unique aesthetics of the local culture. For example, in the needlework experience, we collaborated with local mothers from a women’s group to transform fabric scraps into tote bags, showcasing the wisdom of resource reuse and the spirit of neighbourly mutual support.

In the Guangzhou embroidery art workshop, led by its inheritor, we witnessed the exquisite “silk splitting” technique. At the bonsai garden in Xijiao Village, we listened to Mr. Weng explain the oriental aesthetics of plants miniaturisation. Every bit of this journey has strengthened our determination to preserve and inherit the traditional Chinese culture.

Q: What ideas did you bring to the Cantonese Opera inheritance exhibition you organised? What did you learn from working on the exhibition and participated in this service trip?

A: The exhibition was indeed the most intense collision of ideas during the service trip. We visited the Shengping Opera Club and interviewed Mr. Lai, the Club President who is dedicated to guarding tradition, as well as Huang Yuan, a young instructor trying to innovate by integrating Cantonese Opera with modern teaching and pop culture. Addressing the debate on “Will Cantonese Opera disappear”, we curated an exhibition titled “This Sound, This Place”. We transformed abstract cultural disclosure into a tangible dialogue that could be touched, heard, and voted upon. This made us realise that cultural inheritance is not a black-and-white battle of ideologies, but a symbiotic ecosystem where the old and new coexist.

The exhibitions, videos, and written records we left behind have become new assets for the community. For us, the most profound impact came from “learning by doing” - whether it was Mr. Lai’s decades of persistence, or the concentration and immersion of the local mothers, they prompted us to reflect on our own learning motivations and life values. We deeply realised that beyond the university campus, a vibrant and authentic community is also a vital place for education.

(Left) We recognised the Cantonese opera culture and how modern education and popular culture were integrated into Cantonese opera at the Shengping Opera Club.; (Top and Bottom Right) Themed with the inheritance of Cantonese opera, our subgroup organised an interactive exhibition.