A new exhibition at Sha Tin's Heritage Museum, The Fun of Collecting, which runs until April, explores the fascinating obsessions of four local design personalities. We ask them about their unique hobbies
ALLAN CHAN: SILVERWARE
Allan Chan Yau-kin (right) started his two-decade-long interest in Chinese export silverware with an oval-shaped dragon mirror he bought as an anniversary gift for his wife.
'I bought it from an antique shop on Hollywood Road. I love that icy-cold touch, running my fingers over the hand-carved lines,' said the designer. Later on, he used it as a magazine cover design which won him a Hong Kong Designers' Association award.
This kind of silverware, he explained, was first produced for 18th century western merchants trading in China. Items were made by native craftsmen who primarily copied European models while slowly introducing traditional Chinese motifs. Chan's amazing collection includes tea sets, bowls, plates, goblets, cups and many other household items. The most valuable piece is worth more than HK$200,000.
'There's a sense of amazement and satisfaction in touching them. Their elaborate patterns, structures and shapes often inspire me in one way or another in my design work.'
JAKIE LEUNG: DEPRESSION-ERA GLASSWARE
