From
September
2024
onwards,
the
exhibition
has
publicly
exhibited
the
diaries
and
letters
of
Chinese
naval
officer
Lam
Ping-yu
which
reveal
his
participation
in
the
Battle
of
Normandy
(D-Day)
on
June
6th,
1944,
aboard
the
British
battleship
HMS
Ramillies
during
World
War
II.
Lam’s
80-page
diary
was
discovered
by
chance
in
2015
in
a
soon-to-be-demolished
tenement
building
in
Hong
Kong.
The
diary
recounts
his
training
in
the
United
Kingdom
with
23
other
Chinese
naval
officers
and
his
subsequent
participation
in
D-Day.
Lam’s
written
records
are
hitherto
the
only
primary
source
of
Chinese
participation
in
D-Day.
By December 2024, the exhibition has attracted up to 8,000 visitors. The team has also received interest from over 40 secondary schools, organising 23 school tour groups, with a total of over 820 students visiting the exhibition. Students visiting the exhibition ranged across government schools, aided schools, schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) and international schools.
Moreover, the team has created an education program to foster initiatives for community-driven individuals. “The curatorial team hopes to encourage more like-minded individuals to enrich Hong Kong’s diverse cultural landscape, playing to their own interests and expertise,” said co-curator Angus Hui. “In striving to encourage young people to take action in cultural preservation, the team has launched the H-Infinity program to share our curatorial experience and resources, in order to nurture similar community engagement projects in Hong Kong”.
After the exhibition at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library concludes, it will move to London in February as the first stop of the international tour. “With Lam’s participation in D-Day, our exhibition is committed to highlighting the long-standing connections, friendships, and solidarity between East and West”, opined co-curator John Mak. “Building on the momentum in Hong Kong over these past few months, we will continue to bring this fascinating Hong Kong story to Europe, offering a unique historical perspective to audiences worldwide.”
New
Breakthroughs
in
Historical
Research
After
the
exhibition
launch,
the
curatorial
team
successfully
contacted
the
family
members
of
Lam
Ping-yu,
the
owner
of
the
diary,
in
Hong
Kong,
the
United
States,
and
Brazil.
This
helped
the
team’s
research
on
Lam’s
life
from
the
1920s
to
2000,
and
his
connections
to
Hong
Kong.
In
mid-December
last
year,
the
co-curators
travelled
to
the
East
coast
of
the
United
States
to
meet
with
Lam’s
direct
descendants,
gathering
more
information
to
further
historical
research.
Exhibition
Details
Date:
September
23rd,
2024
to
January
24th,
2025
Address:
Digital
Lab,
G/F
University
Library,
Chinese
University
of
Hong
Kong
Opening
Hours:
11:00
a.m.
to
7:00
p.m.
Fee:
Free
Entry
Hashtag: #D-Day
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