Beauty, value of ethnic cultures

In the 1980s, when Lee Mei-yin first saw an embroidered apron made by the Miao ethnic minority on the mainland, she was so mesmerised that she began collecting minorities' costumes. She was living in Canada then, not expecting she would return to Hong Kong years later. Neither had she expected to become an educator in traditional Chinese culture.

The average student in Hong Kong doesn't know there are 55 ethnic minorities on the mainland; few are probably aware of the tremendous artistic and historical value in the artefacts not commonly seen in public.

Since her return with her husband, Lee has made it her mission to educate the public about the history and value of the ancient costumes. Her collection of costumes and baby carriers - most of which belong to such ethnic tribes in southwest China as the Miaos, the Dongs, the Shuis and the Zhuangs, and date to the late 19th and early 20th century - will be featured at an exhibition at the University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery later this year. As the ethnic groups have no written script, the patterns on these costumes served as an important indication of personal status.

Public interest in Chinese culture, especially among students, is weak in Hong Kong, but increasingly Lee has been asked to speak on her brand of knowledge at schools and public venues such as the Hong Kong Museum of History.

She keeps busy with her research, reading writing and attending conferences such as the one on Dunhuang artefacts held in March at HKU. "Chinese culture is very rich, but there is a big gap in knowledge about it between experts and the public."

She is also among a tiny group of local people with knowledge about the historic and artistic value of the Mogao Grottoes near Dunhuang - the caves constructed and painted by devout Buddhist monks from the fourth to the 14th century that dot the Silk Road. They were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987.