#4: A Museum of the Mundane - Hong Kong in 39 Objects with Dr Antony Huen

In this episode, we explore A Personal History of Hong Kong as 39 Everyday Objects, a visually striking poem by Dr. Antony Huen that transforms mundane items—from bamboo scaffolding to Octopus cards—into a curated museum of collective memory. Blending personal nostalgia with cultural commentary, the poem invites readers to reconsider Hong Kong’s identity through the lens of the ordinary.

Dr. Huen joins Julia in the Deep Dive segment to discuss:

• Why objects, not people or places, became his framework for Hong Kong’s story.
• The tension between local, colonial, and global influences in the poem.
• How language choices (English, Cantonese, Japanese) reflect Hong Kong’s hybridity.
• Which object he’d preserve for future generations—and why.

We also hear from two Hong K ...