By Karen Chong Kuk-heung 01008692@hkbu.edu.hk
YOU might have visited the Space Museum, Kadoorie Farm and the Botanic Garden during school days for many times, and have blamed the teachers for not picking places that are more interesting and uniquel. Will you consider joining a workshop on the use of movable type printing, if there is one?
Ng Chung-tak, an experienced teacher who recently quitted his job and became an elected member of the Kwun Tong District Council, plans to organise such a workshop for educational and historical reasons.
“It will be welcomed by teachers and students as a new alternative of school tour destination,” he said.
This idea came when he was reading a local newspaper in October last year. Knowing that the last type foundry in Hong Kong would terminate its business and that the owner might throw the equipments away, Mr Ng thought of giving a new home.
“If it's something worth keeping, why shouldn't we act on it?” said Mr Ng.
Mr Cheng, who has worked the business for 30-years and the owner of the last type foundry in Hong Kong, welcomed the meaningful project.
“It’s better than throwing all the equipment to the dumping area. You know they have been my best working “partners” for half of my life,” said Mr Cheng.
“You won’t disagree that technology enables easier life. Even prim ary school students know how to use a printer at home,” he said. Facing the cheap and advance printing technology, no wonder the older type of printing method started to eliminate in the new century.
The major reason for Mr Cheng to think of terminating his business, however, was about his own health. Mr Cheng had never thought of retirement, until he was hospitalised for one month, last year.
Mr Ng has spent $10,000 to transport all wanted machines and installs to an abandoned factory building in San Po Kong. There were ten thousand pounds of movable types in Mr Cheng's workplace, and they were about $80 per pound in the past.
By putting the print and paper- making invention together, he hopes the younger generation can look back a little bit in history besides trying to catch up with the world's every minute. “To show the procedures of movable type printing and how the paper in the age is made are the two main themes of the workshop,” Mr Ng said. Students can take the opportunity to try out these things during the workshop.
Mr Cheng has expressed his willingness to help in the workshop, because he has nothing else to do after retirement. However, he doubted if his health problem would become a hindrance. “Certainly I will contribute my afford if my body is still in good shape.” Originally the workshop would be opened during Christmas, but it was now rescheduled. With lack of money to rent an appropriate site for the workshop, Mr Ng is still waiting for donors, either for subsidising the cost of rent or giving out a place. The ideal storeroom in Mr Ng's mind would be some abandoned factory building in Kwun Tong, in which he believed that it could be better utilized.
Mr Ng said that so far he had received many enquiries about the workshop. Therefore, he wanted to start the workshop as soon as possible.
One of those who expressed great interest in the workshop is Pak Kin-man, a teacher who always worries about where to go on a student visit. He said it was rather boring to plan for some “standard” tours like the Ocean Park or the Science Museum.
“I expect the workshop to be more down-to-earth where students can actually learn from doing some practical work,” He said it would be great if the workshop opened in the near future.
Edited by Lily Kwong Ching-wai (Picture courtesy of Mingpao)
What is “Movable Type Printing” ?
In the past, when we did pre- print layout for an article, the workers had to choose the required types from thousands of others by hand, and then arranged them into lines. In the 80s, this kind of printing technique was gradually replaced by the more convenient computerised layouting.