Hong Kong Photographer and Writer Uses Her Dream to Encourage Hongkongers: Never Give Up
Hongkonger Celia Cheng Kwok-yan is a photographer and author who has left her footprints on the World’s Three Poles (the North Pole, the South Pole, and the summit of Mount Everest) and on the seven continents. After a two-year hiatus as a result of endless pandemic, Cheng lastly picked up her backpack once more in April and ran off to spirit away for half a yr.
She deliberate to journey from south to north, ranging from the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal, to Scotland, Iceland, and probably the most northern a part of the world, Greenland.
Having skilled waves of coronavirus outbreaks, Hongkongers, and pals departing from the town, Cheng sounded sentimental, “We don’t know what’s going to occur tomorrow.”
When touring grew to become a luxurious below all circumstances, Cheng treasures each likelihood she will get to inform her journeys, through the use of her digicam, video, pen and paper; she paperwork each final little bit of her experiences, to hopefully encourage different Hongkongers to remain robust even in adversity.
Cheng describes her occupation as a photowriter. Nicknamed “the Poet,” Cheng integrates pictures and writing to doc her travels. Cheng has already printed 18 journey books (on the time of writing this text). Lately, she has began to plan, manage, and host out-of-town pictures excursions. Cheng mentioned that was “killing two birds with one stone:” fulfilling her desires whereas serving to others.
In each picture that has ever been taken, Cheng is at all times behind the digicam, coated in sweat and keenness.
One in all her most iconic pictures is a photograph of her standing up inside a Jeep whereas taking pictures of the nice animal migration in East Africa.
She enjoys the method of pictures. To her, it’s not nearly urgent a button, it’s all concerning the tales behind the scene.
Perseverance and respect are indispensable on the highway.
Rising up, Cheng by no means had an opportunity to step exterior of Hong Kong, “My mother and father by no means traveled, not to mention taking me on a visit. I at all times examine locations and new locations. So I dream’t of touring however by no means had the chance after I was younger.”
From her mother and father, the photowriter discovered to be perseverant and respectful to others. These qualities have impacted her profoundly to at the present time, which she is perpetually grateful for.
“My mother and father taught me be a superb particular person, to have manners, to have respect for others, in addition to for myself.” Cheng affirmed.
Seeing her mother and father working onerous on a regular basis, Cheng additionally grew to become a hard-worker when she was in secondary college. She would get part-time jobs to make pocket cash. At one level, she had 4 tutoring jobs. Cheng describes herself as a workaholic, who can’t survive with out work.
Cheng studied advertising in school, which grew to become her blueprint of information on handle time, prospects, assets, and herself for her enterprise.
Initially touring was only a concoction for Cheng’s break day.
She labored onerous and traveled quick similar to everybody else in Hong Kong; She would make a fast journey to recharge and go searching for souvenirs.
However sooner or later she realized she loved sharing to pals, the tales behind each bit of memento she introduced dwelling. Cheng determined to turn out to be her personal boss by opening a small handicraft store, Colourful Life, in Causeway Bay. In her store, she offered each sort of distinctive piece she collected from her travels. Her enterprise grew to become a sizzling spot for her community and media consideration.
This additionally allowed her to construct bridges all over the world with different handicraft boutiques.
Little did she know, the universe despatched her a solution to her prayer. Cheng acquired an invitation to jot down a journey weblog for {a magazine}.
Cheng mentioned sure, with out skipping a beat. From then, the remainder is historical past. Cheng wrote her very first journey journal Sunshine of Iceland.
“I understand there’s a number of substance to combining phrases and pictures,” Cheng mentioned. Her life had a brand new which means from then on.
“I’m an easy-going particular person. my curiosity, adaptability, and communication abilities grew to become a bonus on the subject of speaking to strangers,” Celia elaborated.
“Though we converse a distinct language, and develop in several cultures, our smiles, and physique language are common and might present individuals whether or not you’re pleasant or respectful to them.”
Cheng lately took a photograph of a Nepalese porter, who carried prospects’ language up the hill on uneven Paths. Glancing on the picture, you’ll see the porter’s genuine aspect. Nonetheless, behind the lens, there was a number of effort to make the shot occur. Cheng emphasised belief is a crucial ingredient in speaking to strangers. “Provided that the porters belief you, would they then can help you take their pictures.”
In December 2021, Cheng found that her good pal, mountaineering fanatic, John Tsang Chi-shing, and his son Bob Tsang Lengthy-kit had been about to climb the largest mountain. Sadly, they skilled immense challenges and adjustments as a result of ongoing pandemic. Their perseverance inspired Cheng to start out planning her itinerary.
After some severe and cautious issues, Cheng had deliberate her routes to start her 173-day, around-the-world journey.
Cheng needed to make the journey culturally and humanly colourful. she started at her first cease in Nepal, the place she adopted and documented the journey with the Tsangs, the daddy and son twin to Everest base camp. From reaching the mountain high to climbing again down with out shedding a hair, it was a rewarding expertise for Cheng.
Throughout her journey together with her pals, she personally confronted many obstacles. Cheng twisted her ankle in April proper earlier than they had been about to depart for Nepal. She had to make use of crutches for the next six months. Upon their arrival, the freezing climate up within the mountain, gave Cheng a foul chilly, and the one water obtainable was ice-cold pure spring water.
When she went by way of the footage at first, she needed to chop out all of the components which confirmed that she was sick or weak on the time, however then she determined to maintain them for authenticity functions. Cheng defined, “This was me. The genuine me. That is what I need to write. I don’t need to fake. There’s sufficient pretense on this world.”
Her journey to Nepal resulted in Might 2022. Cheng started to journey to the north. Someday in June, she visited her pal on the Canadian Prince Edward Island, the place she caught lobsters, earlier than heading to Scotland.
Cheng has additionally nailed down her subsequent route. “Aside from pictures and writing, I will even movie movies on the highway, and present every thing because it occurs with the viewers. On my final journey, I felt fully totally different from the earlier ones. I sensed a mission and duty, to understand the time, I’ve to seize, contact and really feel.”
