On September 18, 2025, the Centre for China Studies hosted the award ceremony for the “Guardians of Forgotten Histories: Doing War Commemoration Workshop Series,” led by Prof. Jacqueline Zhenru LIN and supported by the University Grants Committee. The ceremony marked the conclusion of an interdisciplinary initiative that integrated academic training with hands-on learning experiences.
Throughout the workshop series, three teams of three CUHK undergraduate students from the Centre for China Studies, the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, and the Department of History engaged in oral history interviews, documentary filmmaking, field visits to Stanley and the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense, and curatorial practices.
In her opening remarks, Prof. LIN recognized the students’ creativity and curiosity in exploring war memories and in assessing the significance of this initiative. Student representatives subsequently reported their outputs in the workshop series, with a particular focus on the interactive features of the digital exhibition.
The three student groups presented their thematic projects in turn. The first explored how artifacts, remains, and emotional traces convey personal and collective memories. The second examined commemoration practices in Mainland China and Hong Kong, revealing how different institutional frameworks shape public remembrance. The third highlighted women’s perspectives in interpreting and shaping wartime narratives.
Grassroots volunteer Sherry, who has long dedicated herself to caring for WWII veterans, shared reflections on volunteerism and the 80th anniversary of the WWII victory. She praised the students’ projects as meaningful tributes to the human dimension of history.
During the award presentation, volunteers presented awards to students in recognition of their contributions: the Echoes of the Past Award (Group One), the Bridging Memories Award (Group Two), and the Threads of Women’s Resilience Award (Group Three).
Coinciding with the anniversary of the Mukden Incident（九一八事變）, the digital exhibition was launched on September 18, 2025. This open and free exhibition features interview archives, short films, and photographic works, inviting Hong Kong and Mainland China audiences to relive wartime experiences and to rethink the value of peace. It also spotlights the grassroots origins of WWII veteran care in Mainland China, underscoring the significance of bottom-up community efforts in shaping how society remembers and honors veterans.
In summary, this interdisciplinary initiative exemplifies the enormous potential of student-led public history projects in creating social impact, extending remembrance beyond institutional settings into everyday community life.
[Visit the Exhibition]https://ww2.my.canvasite.cn
