Organized by TWGHs with generous support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the 6th TWGHs “iRun” Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon was successfully held on 31 January 2016 at the Central Section and Lung Wo Road of the Central and Western District Promenade. We were honoured to have the Hon. Mrs. LAM CHENG Yuet Ngor, Carrie, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Ms. Maisy HO, the Chairman, and Dr. Eric LI, GBS, OBE, JP from the Board of Stewards of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, to be our officiating guests at the Opening Ceremony.

With the aim of promoting social inclusion and a healthy lifestyle among those with intellectual disabilities, “iRun” has become a signature event in the rehabilitation service sector. This year, the Event attracted a record 3,500 participants, including participants from Macau, Taiwan and Guangdong Province. The Event also received support from 8 corporations which sent staff to participate in the 3K Corporate Tournament, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Citigroup Inc., Belle International Holdings Limited, Hyatt Regency Sha Tin, MTR, Ocean Park, Hopewell Holdings Limited and Towngas.

To celebrate the 145th anniversary of TWGHs and further enhance awareness of social inclusion, 145 pairs of able and intellectually disabled persons were invited to participate in the Guinness World Record Attempt – “HUG for Inclusion” Longest Hug Relay by simply “hugging” each other. With the avid support and cheerful participation of the participants, the attempt was successfully accomplished and recognized by the Guinness World Records as the “Longest Hug Relay” in the world.

In the last episode, Miriam Yeung was invited to introduce the Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Services of TWGHs. After having a conversation with Professor Li, the centre-in-charge of TWGHs Wilson T.S. Wang Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Treatment Centre, Miriam had a more in-depth understanding of the integrated Chinese and western medicine services. She believed that patients of TWGHs could benefit from the services.

Louisa So had visited TWGHs iBakery at Kennedy Town and introduced two social enterprises – iBakery and i+o Styling Studio. She realized the importance of “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” during the shooting at iBakery. She was proud of TWGHs as its social enterprises strive to help the needy to develop their potential and build their life.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
The Last Episode: Being a Chinese Medicine Dispenser and Assistant

Two participants got precious experience of being Chinese Medicine Dispenser and Assistant at TWGHs Wilson T.S. Wang Centre of Integrated Health Management and TWGHs Jockey Club Chinese Medicine Dispensary. Besides assisting in doing acupuncture on the patient, they had a try at dispensing the prescription. After working at the Chinese medicine dispensary and the centre for a day, both participants had a more in-depth understanding of the job. They also admired the professionalism and attentiveness of the Chinese Medicine Dispenser and Assistant.

Richard Ng and his son, Carl Ng explore more about the Endless Care Services for the Elderly at Life X which is a centre located at Kwun Tong. After the visit at Life X, Richard and Carl understood that the fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself, possessing positive attitude towards birth and death is the best way to live the life.

TWGHs has served the people of Hong Kong for 145 years, providing diversified services to meet changing needs of the community. To share some of the memorable stories with the public, “TWGHs since 1870 Radio Programmes”, co-organized by TWGHs and CRHK, will be broadcasted during five consecutive Mondays in November.

Each episode is composed of two sessions: DJs of “18/F Block C” radio dramas and chit-chat session hosted by Mr. Stephen CHAN will interview guests to share their memorable TWGHs experiences.

 

• Episode 1: Preservation of Cultural Heritage
• Episode 2: Community Services
• Episode 3: Medical Services
• Episode 4: Education Services
• Episode 5: Fund-raising and Donations

 

---

Episode 1: Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Radio Drama: About the fire of Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918 and the Race Course Fire Memorial and Cemetery
Guests: HO Cham, the 3rd generation of the designer of Race Course Fire Memorial and Cemetery; Sunny, Caretaker of Tung Wah Coffin Home shared the contribution TWGHs has made to the preservation of cultural heritage

Date: 2 November (Monday)
Time: 10:30 – 11:00pm
Channel: CR1 FM 88.1

Stephen CHAN, the programme host, HO Cham, the 3rd generation of the designer of Race Course Fire Memorial and Cemetery (left 1) and Sunny, Caretaker of Tung Wah Coffin Home (right 1).

---

Episode 2: Community Services

Radio Drama: About the relief services provided by TWGHs after the Chinese Civil War
Guests: Gwen KAO, Charles Kuen KAO’s wife; Christine, Volunteer of TWGHs iBakery; Gas, Staff of TWGHs BiciLine talked about the present development of TWGHs community services

Date: 9 November (Monday)
Time: 10:30 – 11:00pm
Channel: CR1 FM 88.1

Stephen CHAN, the programme host, Gwen KAO, Charles Kuen KAO’s wife (1st row, right), Christine, Volunteer of TWGHs iBakery (1st row, left) and Gas, Staff of TWGHs BiciLine (2nd row, left) talked about the present development of TWGHs community services.

---

Episode 3: Medical Services

Radio Drama: About an anonymous lady donated money to TWGHs
Guests: Mr. Alan WU, SARS survivor; Ms. TAI Kuk Ying, TWGHs Senior Chinese Medicine Practitioner; Ms. Joyce KOI, Chinese opera performer talked about the medical services provided by TWGHs

Date: 16 November (Monday)
Time: 10:30 – 11:00pm
Channel: CR1 FM 88.1

Mr. Stephen CHAN, the programme host, Mr. Alan WU, SARS survivor (right 2), Ms. TAI Kuk Ying, TWGHs Senior Chinese Medicine Practitioner (right 1) and Ms. Joyce KOI, Chinese opera performer (left 2) talked about the medical services provided by TWGHs.

---

Episode 4: Education Services

Radio Drama: About free schools founded by TWGHs
Guests: Mr. TAM Chik Sum, a gold medalist of 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games and alumnus of TWGHs; Miss Sharon CHAN, an artist and alumna of TWGHs talked about their school life in TWGHs.

Date: 23 November (Monday)
Time: 10:30 – 11:00pm
Channel: CR1 FM 88.1

Mr. Stephen CHAN, the programme host, Mr. TAM Chik Sum, a gold medalist of 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games and alumnus of TWGHs and Miss Sharon CHAN, an artist and alumna of TWGHs talked about their school life in TWGHs.

---

Episode 5: Fund-raising and Donations

Radio Drama: About Tung Wah Charity Gala
Guests: Mr. HO Lai Chuen, a senior television producer; Ms. Liza WANG, an artist; Mr. Vinci WONG, the 3rd Vice-Chairman of TWGHs talked about the evolution of Tung Wah Charity Gala

Date: 30 November (Monday)
Time: 10:30 – 11:00pm
Channel: CR1 FM 88.1

Mr. Stephen CHAN, the programme host, Mr. HO Lai Chuen, a senior television producer, Ms. Liza WANG, an artist and Mr. Vinci WONG, the 3rd Vice-Chairman of TWGHs talked about the evolution of Tung Wah Charity Gala.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
Episode 6: Being an Bakery Trainee of iBakery

Two participants got precious experience of being Bakery Trainees at TWGHs iBakery. Besides producing cookies and mochi breads, they also tried the packaging work. They have seen the duties of Bakery Trainee in a new light after working at iBakery for a day.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
Episode 5: Being an Special Education Houseparent

Two participants got precious experience of being Special Education Houseparent at TWGHs Tsui Tsin Tong School (Boarding Section). They helped guiding the children with special needs to participate in extra-curricular activities, disciplining the children and taking care of their dietary needs. They have also built up good relationship with the children after working at Tsui Tsin Tong School (Boarding Section) for a day.

Sammy Leung had problems in learning when he was small. It was more difficult for him to study well compared with his classmates. After visiting TWGHs Ho Yuk Ching Educational Psychology Service Centre today, he believed that TWGHs would provide professional services and assistance for children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) so that the children could learn and grow up in a more favorable environment.

Pakho Chau made a visit to Tung Wah Museum to have a look at the exhibition rooms, valuable plaques and historical records. He has learnt the historical evolution of Tung Wah and the spirit of passing on the heritages’ values to the next generation in this trip.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
Episode 4: Being an Eco-tour Guide of BiciLine

In this episode, two participants had one-day job experience of being eco-tour guides of BiciLine to promote eco-tourism. They assisted to check the equipment of bicycles and learnt to introduce the ecological features of attractions as well as main historical relics to the public.

Full version of the interview: 4 September 4:00 – 6:00pm, CRHK 903 “Holy Tricky”, TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment (http://www.881903.com)

C AllStar, a famous Hong Kong’s group, introduced the services of two TWGHs social enterprises – BiciLine and Tin Sau Bazaar. Tung Wah Group of Hospitals is committed to promoting the development of different types of social enterprises over the years. Tung Wah believes that those young people with low educational attainments, low levels of skill and low incomes as well as less-advantaged families would contribute to the community after taking up vocational training.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
Episode 3: Being an Assistant of Tung Wah Museum

Two ladies had one-day special experience at Tung Wah Museum! They provided assistance in preservation, archives digitalization and opening doors of the Museum.

Full version of the interview: 14 August 4:00 – 6:00pm, CRHK 903 “Holy Tricky”, TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment (http://www.881903.com)

Related articles: 

 

• The Chinese Diaspora
• Chinese Leaving Home
• Longing for Home
• Fallen Leaves Returning to the Roots
• Preserve and Share: Tung Wah Museum Archives

 

---

“Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora (A tribute from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong)” Overseas Exhibition — The Chinese Diaspora

In the mid-19th century, millions of Chinese in Guangdong migrated to other parts of the world to make a living and California, the United States was among the most popular destinations. Early archives of Tung Wah Museum indicated that there had long been established relationships between Chinese migrants and the Group, which offered a variety of charitable services for Chinese people living abroad since it was established in 1870.

Celebrating its 145th anniversary this year, TWGHs will launch an exhibition in collaboration with the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, the United States, to look into the connection between the Group and the Chinese diaspora and promote the philanthropic spirit of TWGHs.

---

“Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora (A tribute from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong)” Overseas Exhibition — Chinese Leaving Home

Chinese people who went abroad to make a living in the United States since the mid 19th century were mostly unskilled labour, others were better off businessmen. Most of them came from the Guangdong Province of China, particularly from the Siyi region (Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping and Enping).

Miners from all over the world flocked to California after the discovery of gold in 1848. In 1853, at least 30,000 Chinese departed for San Francisco from Hong Kong and participated in the Gold Rush. Regular ship schedule between the two cities was established to meet the increasing number of Chinese passengers. The prosperous shipping industry facilitated trading business and gave rise to the local merchant elite of the north-south company trade and gold mountain trade, many of them became directors of Tung Wah Hospital.

Chinese workers who left their native land and travelled abroad had to endure long and tough journey. Conditions inside the lowest level of the ship cabin were bad which caused very high death rate on ship. For example, the average mortality rate of Chinese workers on board was 25.2% between 1850 and 1856. On the other hand, those who could make their journey to the destination needed to face arduous challenges in an unfamiliar land.

---

“Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora (A tribute from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong)” Overseas Exhibition — Longing for Home

Since the 19th century, millions of Chinese from the Guangdong Province left their hometowns for overseas countries to seek job opportunities. No matter whether they would eventually return the country alive or dead, they never stopped thinking about their hometowns.

The San Francisco earthquake in 1906 caused a destructive fire which burnt all the city government archives including birth and citizenship records. As records had to be rebuilt by the government, a great number of Chinese were lured to tender false information to claim citizenship and bring in their families. In 1910, the government of the United States established a new immigration station on Angel Island of San Francisco Bay to verify the identity of the Asian immigrants and the process could last for months. Eventually, some people were granted the US citizenship but many others were repatriated immediately.

Even though the Chinese immigrants settled down in overseas countries, many of them were closely attached to their hometowns. They constantly sent letters and remitted money to their families in China via Hong Kong. Many overseas Chinese who could not return home when they were alive cherished the wishes of burying at home after death. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals devoted huge effort in fulfilling the wishes of hundreds and thousands of deceased Chinese to return home through the bone repatriation service.

---

“Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora (A tribute from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong)” Overseas Exhibition — Fallen Leaves Returning to the Roots

For Chinese who travelled afar to seek fortune and stayed in an overseas country for their life time, returning to the birthplace after death to fulfil the cultural legacy of “fallen leaves returning to the roots” was their greatest wish. From the late 19th century to mid-20th century, the repatriation of remains service of Tung Wah assisted many deceased Chinese to be transported back to their hometown and revered by their descendants.

Taking advantage of Hong Kong as an entrepôt, Tung Wah cooperated with overseas Chinese organizations, shipping companies, charitable organizations and local associations in order to facilitate the repatriation of remains service. These local and overseas organizations came together and formed a global charitable network, with Hong Kong and Tung Wah as its nexus. Being the venue where the remains of the deceased were temporarily placed pending delivery to the hometowns, the Tung Wah Coffin Home built in Sandy Bay in 1899 was a hub for this charitable activity.

The Tung Wah Coffin Home archives under the custody of the Tung Wah Museum bear witness to the Chinese emigration history and demonstrate Tung Wah’s intermediate role in the bone repatriation service. They can be graded as unique world-class cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

---

“Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora (A tribute from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong)” Overseas Exhibition — Preserve and Share: Tung Wah Museum Archives

The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals is proud to present the “Tales of the Distant Past: The Story of Hong Kong and Chinese Diaspora“ exhibition with the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, USA.  It is the first time the precious archives and artifacts of Tung Wah Museum are being shown outside Hong Kong.

The archives being displayed documented the services of Tung Wah for the Chinese including the stories of bone repatriation. Due to unfavorable storage environment in the early days, some archives of the same batch were made dilapidated by pests and could hardly be opened. In order to save the endangered historical documents, Tung Wah instigated several archives restoration projects in recent years.  Under the professional skill of overseas and local conservation experts, tens of thousands of damaged documents including the Tung Wah Coffin Home archives were restored and digital images subsequently produced.

The Records and Heritage Office will soon launch the website “Preserve and Share – Tung Wah Museum Archives” of selected archives of the Museum for sharing Tung Wah’s cultural heritage with stakeholders and members of the public.

After visiting TWGHs Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex, Hong Kong boxer Rex Tso learned that the rehabilitation training provided for the disabled through creation of art and physical education helps fully develop the potential of people with disabilities.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment
Episode 2: Being a Food Preparation Worker of CookEasy

Two young ladies became Food Preparation Workers and worked at CookEasy for a day. They helped prepare ingredients, stick labels on the prepackaged food and so on. Watch the video now and see how they completed the missions!

Full version of the interview: 24 July 4:00 – 6:00pm, CRHK 903 “Holy Tricky”, TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment (http://www.881903.com)

Jade Kwan introduced the one-stop comprehensive assessment and treatment program which is provided by TWGHs Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment for people with multiple addictions.

145th Anniversary Celebration Activities: TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment

Episode1: Being a Caretaker of Tung Wah Coffin Home

Two participants got one-day experience of being Caretakers of Tung Wah Coffin Home. They accepted the challenges and completed all missions!

Full version of the interview: 3 July 4:00 – 6:00pm, CRHK 903 “Holy Tricky”, TWGHs Special Occupation Recruitment (http://www.881903.com)

Angie Cheung visited TWGHs Tsui Tsin Tong School to find out how children with intellectual disability can become happy and confident learners.

 

Following Stephen Chan to have a journey from the past to present, exploring   the unknown stories of Tung Wah Coffin Home and International Funeral Parlour.