(Left) The third edition of Wong’s book “Allowed Me to Keep On Painting” was published in May, 2021. (Right) Wong expressed his loneliness in the picture, that he had to live on his own in Taiwan and he felt homesick. Dec, 2022. Courtesy of @vawongsir
A former Hong Kong secondary school teacher and political cartoonist forced into exile began a new project to help adapt to life in Taiwan. His work captured the helplessness and hope of Hong Kong people living away from their homes.
In early 2020, former secondary school general education and visual arts teacher Wong Sir, who goes by vawongsir on Instagram, received an anonymous complaint when he published a current affairs cartoon he created himself on social media, resulting in the school’s refusal to renew his contract.
Wong felt the increasing pressure under the Hong Kong political environment and left Hong Kong in May 2022 for Taiwan to study at The Graduate Institute of Trans-disciplinary Arts at the National Taipei University of Arts. There he began his new life.
Like most Hong Kong people who were forced to leave the city due to political reasons, Wong gets homesick in a new city and misses his family and friends in Hong Kong.
“When I came to Taiwan to study, I spent most of my time alone in a rented unit ordering takeaway. It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked a meal. In the past, I spent Christmas and New Year with my family and friends. This year I’ve had to live alone, and I began to feel homesick... ” Wong expressed his feelings to the Epoch Times.
Wong said he realized that it wasn’t easy to start anew in another country, explaining how in Hong Kong, people knew of him because of his art, but in Taiwan, most people didn’t know of him. Although he wanted to continue drawing political cartoons, he did not understand the political situation in his new country. Adding that, he wants to introduce himself to the people in Taiwan and embrace his new country and integrate into it.
At the end of 2022, he launched the art project “One more pair of chopsticks” in hopes of reaching Taiwanese families. The project aims to share different life and culture among Hong Kong and Taiwanese people. He asks by local Taiwanese families if he could join them for a meal in exchange for one of his artworks. “Starting with a meal, understand the thoughts of the Taiwanese, and understand each other,” Wong described.
A bowl and a pair of chopsticks on the posters of Wong Sir's “One more pair of chopsticks” project posted on Instagram in Dec. 2022. Courtesy of @vawongsir/Instagram
A New Life Embracing Taiwan
Wong’s friends expressed concern over his open invitation, afraid he would end up in a dangerous situation. Wong smiled and said, "I don’t know why. I just trust the Taiwanese. Since I want to start this project, I have to trust them. After all, I have nothing worth to be cheated and taken away.”
On Dec. 24, 2022, Wong received his first invite from a Taiwanese photographer, Michael, who saw Wong’s post on social media and took the initiative to invite him to dinner. Wong graciously accepted.
Wong Sir's drawing of a the first Taiwanese family to invite him to dinner for his "one more pair of chopsticks" project in Taiwan on Dec. 24, 2022. Courtesy of @vawongsir/Instagram
“Michael is quite well-versed in cooking and especially cooked a delicious ”Sorrowful rice of ecstacy” for me. He used Hong Kong-made rose wine and sprayed it onto the roast pork prepared after 4 hours of sous-vide. It tasted soft instead of the dry meat feel that comes from some food stalls.” For the very first meal, Wong was able to enjoy Hong Kong-style delicacies made for him by a Taiwanese family, roast pork rice with soft-fried egg, a taste of “home” that he had not had for quite a while.
The name “Sorrowful rice of ecstacy” originated as a virtual dish invented by Hong Kong comedy superstar Stephen Chow in his 1996 hit movie “The God of Cookery” as his entry in the final of the cooking competition in the film. The striking name (instead of the more commonly known roast pork rice) later appeared on the menus of various restaurants. It then became a delicacy in Hong Kong.
In addition to Hong Kong-style food, he tasted Taiwanese clam and chicken soup with garlic. After the meal, Michael also took him to the backyard to make a piece of fried fish, served with warm mulled wine, adding warmth to the cold winter day.
He is very grateful to Michael and his family for their warm-hearted hospitality. Everyone talked frankly and about everything, which also changed some of his misunderstandings about the political attitude of the Taiwanese. Wong said he also used his own experience as an example to let them understand more about the current situation in Hong Kong.
"Sorrowful rice of Ecstacy" (Roast Pork Egg Rice) cooked by Taiwanese photographer Michael for Wong Sir, an exiled Hong Kong Artist, in Taiwan in December 2022. Courtesy of Wong Sir
Michael once took a portrait of his family. The inspiration came from a scene in the Taiwanese TV series “Heaven on the 4th Floor” starring Anthony Wong Chau-sang. The photo became the blueprint for Wong to draw a family portrait for them. The pleasant experience of having a meal with the Taiwanese family gave Wong confidence, and he looked forward to the his next invitation.
A drawing of the second Taiwanese family invited Wong Sir to dinner in December 2022. Courtesy of @vawongsir/Instagram
Tasting Authentic Taiwanese Flavors
Soon Wong received a second invitation. The mother of the family, Yi Chi, invited him to be a guest at their home. In the family was a young boy in his first year of high school. As soon as Wong entered the house, he immediately felt a strong human touch.
What impressed him deeply was that, Yi’s husband, Chang Lung, especially prepared a bottle of Kinmen sorghum wine with over 50 degrees of alcohol as a treat and gave him a special “mullet roe,” snack to go with the drink. Another dessert he tasted for the first time was “ ”Niu Wen Shui,“ a traditional Hakka dessert. Wong shared, ”It’s similar to Hong Kong’s glutinous rice balls, like flattened meatballs, but the preparation is more hands-on. The owner said they use rice to grind it into a pulp and then make it by hand. It takes a lot of time. If I didn’t go to Taiwanese homes, I probably won’t taste such authentic Taiwanese snacks and experience the diverse local culture.”
Taiwanese authentic snack "mullet roe," taken in December 2022. Courtesy of Wong Sir
Traditional Hakka dessert "Niu Wen Shui," taken in December 2022. Courtesy of Wong Sir
This Taiwanese family also specially bought a roasted duck to treat Wong. As is common among most Taiwanese, they all think the most typical Hong Kong-style delicacy is “Siu Mei (roast foods),” hoping to bring him the taste of his hometown. The hospitality from the host family made him feel a bit uneasy. He said he didn’t want the families to spend too much and was satisfied with home-cooked meals.
Wong believes the dinner table is a particularly good opportunity to communicate and learn more about another culture. During his time with the second Taiwanese family, he learned how the Taiwanese view the “anti-extradition” movement in Hong Kong. “During the conversation, I knew they are very concerned about Hong Kong in 2019. They feel that the Hong Kong people are very brave and worried about our safety and welcome us. But from a parents’ perspective, if one day their children’s freedom is threatened and they need to go outside, they may still worry about them. Of course, in the eyes of the children, it is natural they want to defend their homeland and freedom. This also made me see how the incident in Hong Kong may impact the next generation in Taiwan.”
“I hope this art project can last half a year to nine months. I want to know how people in different places in Taiwan celebrate their festivals, such as the Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Are these festivals different from those in Hong Kong? Is there a difference in the way Taichung and Tainan celebrate the festival? These are all things I want to experience.” said Wong.
He mentioned that he hopes to meet Taiwanese people from all parts of the island, not just limited to families in the city. They do not need to be a complete family. Friends who share rented units are also welcome to contact him. He believes that through the “One more pair of chopsticks” project, he can come across different local groups and their life experience. He hopes the series of works compiled during his experience in Taiwan can be exhibited or published to be shared with everyone.
Wandering in a foreign land, Wong is now more relaxed than when he first arrived. “I was not used to it at first. Chatting with Hong Kong people would be very exciting, and everyone would embrace and cry, but now I think it’s time to try to integrate into the culture here. Starting with a meal, understand the thoughts of the Taiwanese, and understand each other.”
