Women of Wonder
REMEMBERING THE PAST IS A BITTERSWEET EXPERIENCE, A MIXTURE OF JOY AND SADNESS THAT COMES FROM RECALLING THE PERSON WE ONCE WERE. Melissa Twigg FINDS OUT HOW CHILDHOOD DREAMS SHAPED THE FUTURE FOR FIVE INSPIRATIONAL LOCAL WOMEN
Five inspirational local figures explain how their childhood dreams and aspirations influenced their future careers
Apurple elephant. A teddy bear in a cheongsam. A child’s passport. A battered baseball glove. Sheet music. A recipe for bortsch… When Hong Kong Tatler and Louis Vuitton asked five of the city’s most inspirational women to provide us with 10 mementoes each that best represent their childhood, the result was a weird and wonderful mix of faded pictures, first-edition books, messy drawings, loveworn toys and private keepsakes.
Chosen for their diverse careers and daring approach to life, art and innovation, these women are an inspiration to all generations. In learning more about who they were as children, we can see a direct correlation between their youthful aspirations and the groundbreaking roles they now play in shaping our society.
In the following pages, these five women, trailblazers in their own unique ways, remember their precious years of childhood in a tribute to the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC), one of the city’s key charities and a trailblazer itself since its inception in 1926.
The society was founded at a time when large swathes of the city were plagued by disease and malnutrition. At first it had just one centre where mothers could bring their babies to be fed, bathed and weighed, and where they could receive general advice on healthcare along with free milk powder and orange juice. Before long demand for the society’s services had grown to such an extent that the centre could no longer cope. To finance an urgent expansion plan, the society’s Fund Raising Committee was set up in 1934, spearheaded by a group of local women with a passion for education and social development.
Today, in the year that marks the 80th anniversary of the committee’s formation, the society operates 27 facilities around Hong Kong that provide needy families with a range of vital childhood services. Their existence is essential to the lives of many and is owed entirely to multiple generations of dedicated people working to raise money for this worthy cause.
“As a brand that’s founded on passion, innovation and daring spirit, Louis Vuitton is excited to pay tribute to the HKSPC through these five Hong Kong figures who continue to make the city a more caring, diverse and enriching place to live,” says Michelle Kwok, vice-president of communications for Louis Vuitton. “In fields ranging from education and food to music and film, these ladies represent the diversity of Hong Kong’s past, present and future, and we hope their stories will inspire the city and its next generations to further greatness.”