susan
BORn
Hong Kong
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My life in Hong Kong was hard, we were very poor and in order for my siblings to go to school, I gave up my secondary education because our family couldn’t afford to send all the children to school. From the age of 5, I started to help with the housework and I would do all the housework and my school work, it was so hard to fit it all in. As the eldest daughter, I did everything because in traditional Chinese culture, sons are seen as more precious than daughters, sons are golden treasures!
At school, I used like to do calligraphy and drawing. I would always take first prize in the competitions. The art teacher asked me to be his personal student and teach me all the skills he’d learnt over his lifetime. He said I had natural talent but also I was the poorest. I said no to him because I am the eldest daughter and one day I will go to the UK to earn a living for my mum. Even at 13, I thought about going to the UK. This drawing, I did when I was 14. It was raining that day and I couldn’t work the fields and because I never waste any time, I drew this.
The day I came to the UK when I was 15, I was so happy, I felt so free. I could be in charge and earn a living. This picture was taken when I was 20 and this is my husband, he was 29. This photo was taken on our first date. I said to him, if we continue dating and don't split up then this photograph will be our wedding photo. We got married a year later when I was 21 and this became our wedding photo.
The artwork represents my story…my life before was like a stone, sturdy and barren. My hope is…I’ve struggled so much…I hope in the future that I can turn a rock into diamonds! From the inside the rock is an explosion and from the explosion, there are bright diamonds! The light is beaming out. I can go around the world on this light. That is my manifesto, tomorrow will be better, my stones will become diamonds!
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我在香港的生活很苦。我們很窮。為了供我的兄弟姐妹上學，我從中學肄業。因為我的家人沒法供所有的孩子上學。從5歲開始，我就開始做家務。不僅要把作業做完，還要把家務做完。要把這些全做完很不簡單。作為長女，我要做所有的事情。因為中國傳統文化重男輕女，兒子都是金寶貝。
在學校里，我很喜歡書法繪畫。我在比賽中總拿一等獎。藝術老師曾收我為徒，教我他畢生所學。他說我很有天賦，但最貧困。因為是長女，我回絕了他。終有一天，我要去英國為母親的生計賺錢。僅僅13歲的時候，我就想去英國。這幅畫是我14歲的時候畫的。那天下雨，我沒法去田間幹活。所以我就利用這個時間畫了這幅畫。
我15歲的時候從香港來到英國。我很高興，感覺很自由。我能自己做主、謀生。這張照片是我20歲，我先生29歲的時候拍的。這張照片是我們第一次約會的時候拍的。 我對他說，如果我們繼續約會而不分手的話，我們就把這張照片作為結婚照。一年以後，我21歲的時候我們結婚了。它就成了我們的結婚照。
這個藝術品代表額我的故事…我原來的生活像頑石，頑強但貧瘠。我的希望是…我掙扎了太久…我希望未來我能把頑石變成鑽石。岩石由內而外炸裂開，從中產生了炫目的鑽石。它散發著光芒，帶領我探索世界。這是我的座右銘, 明天會更好。我這頑石也會變成鑽石。