Experiential Learning Project Profile
GH01-005
The Water People Living
Museum in Aberdeen
Oral History, Cultural Tourism
& Social Enterprise
Background
It is said that the metropolitan Hong Kong grew from a fishing village,
but few of us know much about this chapter of Hong Kong’s history.
Aberdeen has a long history of fishing with its geographic and sociocultural landscape of a water community.
The Living Museum under the “We Are With You Project (WAY)” aims
to preserve the cultural heritage of the water community and to share it with the
general public. The project is led by Dr. Wong Wai Ling, a leading researcher in oral
history in Hong Kong with research interests spanning over oral history, storytelling
and community history and gender. In 2014, there was pilot study done on oral
history and cultural tourism in its first year of implementation. We have identified
remarkable experiential learning project opportunities for faculty and students.
PROJECT LOCATION
The ground and
water areas of
Aberdeen
Possible Experiential Learning Activities
In the next years, the project will continue with doing oral history and cultural
tourism, while the incubation of social enterprise emerges to be the next phase of
development.
• Students could further investigate the history of fisheries and water community;
and enrich the oral history archive by conducting more
interviews and collecting more stories. They may also
develop themes of stories and enrich the archive with
different forms and media of artifacts, documentation
and presentation.
• Students could also design guided tours to introduce
Hong Kong’s past and present history through the
living cultural heritage and fishing community there to
both local visitors and international tourists. Members
of the fishing community or students may tell
stories of Hong Kong history, development and even
interesting personal life stories of the fisheries.
HKU WAY Project,
Hong Kong Fishermen’s
Association, Southern
District Women’s
Association, Aberdeen
Kaifong Association,
Caritas
KEY AREAS
• Students could apply their knowledge and skills by consolidating the project and
developing it into a social enterprise with self-sustainable business models and
operations to preserve this cultural heritage and support the fisheries and fishing
community.
Students of culture and heritage, tourism,
humanities and social sciences, business,
biology, nutritional sciences and others, will
work with people from the fishing community
in Aberdeen and other community partners to
design cultural tours, develop the project into
a social enterprise and apply their knowledge
and skills for the betterment of the community.
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Interested faculty members are
welcome to contact Amia Cheung,
Lecturer of GHELC.
Phone: 2219 4877
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://ghelc.hku.hk
Hong Kong Fisheries History,
Fishing and Water People
Community, Cultural Heritage,
Tourism, Social Innovation,
Social Enterprise, Oral History,
Story Telling, Narration,
Documentation, Social Sciences,
Business and Economics