Dr. Leo K.K. Wong's World of Images
Dr. Leo Wong Kwai-kuen spent years photographing Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s, and now a collection of his photos of the city are on show at a large-scale photo exhibition in Times Square. He tells Cynthia Chung about the changes he's witnessed throughout the years of looking at life through a lens.
HK Magazine: What's the background to your photos?
Leo Wong: When we take photos, we never have a purpose in mind. These photos were taken half a century ago, when I just went out and took photos of whatever I saw. I was a doctor then, life was very busy: we had to go to the hospital. When we had free time, we went to the New Territories. When the scenery and the action was good, we took pictures. But of course, years later, when I collected the photographs, I found out that these pictures could form a theme.
HK: How do the photographs reflect changes and development throughout the years?
LW: The change is for good for general public because you can see are a lot of new buildings, and the economy is better. But for us photographers, I feel that some beautiful scenes from the old days no longer exist. For instance, the morning mist in Sha Tin was famous for its beauty, and the resettlement estates buildings today have all fallen down.
HK: How do you feel when you look at your photos?
LW: The photos remind me that at that time, Hong Kong wasn’t a very rich community. However, children and adults were all very happy without shoes. Now, it’s a different period, people have different way of life and happiness. Nowadays children have digital phones and iPads, and they are happy for a different reason.