1860. 

I am Yong

We began our  journey in Vladivostok, Russia. This year, I was born in a coastal city. At that time, it was still called “海参崴” (Haishenwai), which means “small seaside village.” However, on July 2nd, our city was ceded to the Russian Empire from the Qing dynasty, and was renamed "Vladivostok," which means "control of the East." In the same year, my family started a journey to the south and travelled along the seashore cities in an old carriage. We carried a big box with us that contained various types of vessels. We passed through Korea and China. We were in Shanghai in the 1880s. At that time, I was in my 20s and experienced the first railway that was built there by the UK. During our journey, we collected, kept and lost vessels. It was a tumultuous time. My family didn’t settle in one place for too long. Because of the war, we kept moving toward the south. We passed through some suburban cities in China in the 1900s, when I was in my 40s. I had my own family by then, and my daughter Mi (Rice), was 11 years old. We travelled by donkey cart. When we got to southern China, it was the 1930s. Everyone started using bicycles. Mi got married and had a lovely baby. His name was Shan (mountain).

1940. 

I am Mi. 

After my father passed away in a small coastal city in China, I kept on my journey with my family. We got to Vũng Tàu, Vietnam. It was the 1940s, a turbulent time. It was the French Indo-china period. At the same time, Vietnam suffered the Japanese invasion. During WWII, under the Japanese occupation, there was a big famine from 1944 to 1945. To survive, we jumped onto a cargo ship, roved along the South China Sea and India Ocean. We collected things along the way and traded what we had in the box. We arrived in Victor Harbor in Australia in the 1960s. We cycled around the city and along the seashore. We explored different islands close by and saw wild animals. My family loved adventures, especially my son, Shan. When he was in his late 20s, he bought an old car to go on road trips. We sought a sense of belonging. 

1980s.

I am Shan. 

After I retired, I went on an adventure to Vilankulo, Mozambique on a fishing vessel with my daughter, Joy. We were curious about this coastal city on the other end of the Indian Ocean. We brought our family box with us and kept collecting vessels. We spent our lives in Vilankulo in the 1990s. Joy had an off-track vehicle. She camped, drove off-road, and into the wild. She loved taking photos and making films. She also wrote. She produced documentaries and photographs about this land and its life. 

2000s

I am Joy.

There were schools and art centers in Valparaíso that invited me to tell the story of my heritage and life in Vilankulo. I moved to Valparaísoin the early 21st century, and still live there today. One day, I opened the box that contained all the vessels my father, grandmother, and great-grandfather had collected. Ordinary things from the past become heirlooms.

1992.06.13

During these past two years in Mozambique with my father, I became friends with a beautiful cheetah. Cheetahs are normally sensitive and shy. Most of them are very cautious around humans and vehicles. If there are cars getting too close, they will run away or hide in the grass. However, this cheetah seemed completely unafraid of us or our car. After a few months, she even allowed me to park my car within five meters of her. I call her Lulu.

One afternoon, while she was resting on the grass, I opened my car door quietly, squatted by the wheels, took photos, and made drawings of her. She seemed to know what I was thinking and doing, and didn’t run away. Instead, she was rolling around on the grass and posing for me!

Sometimes on hot summer days, she darts quickly under my car and into the shade to rest. I take out my sketchbook and draw her. We are like old friends, accompanying each other for the afternoon.

2015.09.23

Valparaíso is such a colourful city. I love wandering the alleys and discovering the cool murals  and the stories behind them. One day, I was in a rush to meet a friend. I was walking fast in the metro station and my bag mustn’t have been zipped all the way. A person bumped into me, but in my hurry, I barely noticed that my sketchbook was knocked out of my bag! I thought it was lost forever. 

However, the other day, when I walked into a little alley that I had never been to before, I couldn't believe what I saw! It was a whole mural of drawings from my sketchbook! Someone had turned my sketches into murals! Lulu, the cheetah, landscapes from Mozambique, as well as the drawings I did of Valparaíso.