The Life and World of Wong Hin-Shing in His Own Words and Photos
--- a posthumous souvenir to all his friends
Preface by Yu Fong-Ying (’61) May 15, 2024
Wong Hin-Shing had expressed to one of his good friends that he would send out a disc to all his friends as a present to them on his 80th birthday on May 17, 2024. He had earlier compiled a disc delineating Sister Ho-Kok’s life which he distributed to some of his friends who knew them both.
In early 2019, Hin-Shing and I were toying with the idea of compiling our own In Memoriam files to be sent out like the previous over 30 files on deceased fathers, teachers and schoolmates. We, at least I, did not take it seriously. But when Hin Shing passed the file to me it was almost complete, certainly up to the beginning of 2019. It was a plainly, clearly and succinctly written short life of himself and it contains hundreds of photos. It contains not only insights Into his life but also a broad view of ’61 grads and people whose life path crossed his. Unknown gaps are filled. There is a rounded picture of him and his world. There are about 10 letters from Madam Wong Kit Kwan as well as short letters from Madam Lee, Fr Mallin and Mr Hsieh. The Appendixes reveal his favourites – music, literature, movies and serve as a guide to what he often called “low-brow” tastes which to me are middle to high-brow affairs. But there, in all frankness, is the man himself.
Read it and you will know Hin-Shing well: the road he travelled, the forces that shaped him, the things he held dear. Above all, the man himself, a decent, honest, sincere friend. What is missing is the pain and the suffering, and for that, we must be thankful.