A PEER SUPPORT GROUP FOR HK-FILIPINO YOUTHS

(Un)knowing Rizal’s historical trail in Hong Kong: What am I proud of as a Filipino really?

by Jan Gube

 

On December 28, 2014, Section Juan and Lakbay Dangal Hong Kong hosted a historical walking tour in Central, entitled “A Rizal Day Activity: Filipino Heroes and The Hong Kong Connection”.

 

To coincide with this walking tour was the day the Spanish Governor-General in the colonial Philippines confirmed the death sentence of Dr. Rizal. As a hopeless historian myself, history hardly piques my interest. But this walking tour was more than just finding facts.

It was being part of a past in the present as a Hong Kong Filipino. This cultural identity quest was in tandem with my inkling conviction: I am proud of being a Filipino, but what am I proud of exactly?

 

Before the tour, I was aware of some (and only some!) historical ties between Hong Kong and the Philippines, such as the first Philippine flag made in Hong Kong. Having grown up in Hong Kong, the sites we visited were all familiar to me.

Though behind this familiarity was a nagging sense of naivety, such as not knowing what Chater Garden was before, where the tour kicked off, and the names of the two lion statues at the main branch of Hong Kong Bank. But thanks to all Lakbay Dangal tour guides for enlightening us with their informative, cheerful, enthusiastic and lively presentation.

 

Part of the tour was a walk to D’Aguilar Street. It reminded me of Hong Kong’s bright lights and glamorous lifestyle. It was surprising to realize how part of this melting pot of Hong Kong was a place for eye treatment where Dr. Rizal attended as an ophthalmic surgeon (Check out the Asia Pacific Academy of Opthalmology. The APAO awards the most prestigious Jose Rizal Medal to an outstanding ophthalmologist annually for his/her excellence in ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region. This medal was instituted to commemorate Dr.Jose Rizal at the APAO Congress by the APAO Council and presented by the dignitary who officiates the opening ceremony. Source: http://www.apaophth.org/award_past.php)

 

Another interesting spot was his residence in Mid-levels. He lived in a street called Rednaxela Terrace. The street name was downright idiosyncratic at first glance, but not when you spell it in reverse. These places are marked by The Antiquities Authority as official historical sites in Hong Kong. That means Dr. Rizal is part of Hong Kong history.

 

The walking tour taught us, not just about Dr. Rizal, but also about some historically significant streets in Central. For sure, roads like Queen Elizabeth Road and Queen Victoria Street were named after the British royal family.

 

Walking further, the tour guides showcased the historical origins of Ice House Street and Duddell Street. Respectively, they were named after an ice factory and the Duddell brothers (George and Frederick Duddell who once owned the street back in the 19th century). Duddell Street is where the last four gas lamps in Hong Kong are preserved. They are still functioning very well.

 

Fast forward, exhausted as we were as we finished the tour, I felt that the tour guides could still go on talking about Dr. Rizal. Their passion in sharing Dr. Rizal’s stories in Hong Kong testified to the richness of historical ties between Hong Kong and the Philippines.

In its own way, the tour presented us with both a challenge and opportunity. All of us left the tour with the same sentiment: we need to know more about our history. More than this challenge was a cultural awareness we gained from the walk.

 

Dr. Rizal was no doubt a key figure in rekindling our sense of belonging in both Hong Kong and the Philippines, which is something to be proud of as a Hong Kong born and bred Filipino.

 

Ron Adams, an Australian historian, once wrote, “all of us were provided with lessons from the past but also with hope for the future”. If we are capable of keeping up with pop culture, we may as well look back where we came from – how did Filipinos come to Hong Kong and why?

 

Everything occurs within a context that moves across time and space, from past to present. Thus, the hope for the future rests on an opportunity to leave a mark in the city as Filipinos in Hong Kong, a mark that will signify our efforts in passing on the richness of our cultural heritage to the younger generation. It only starts with telling a story.