Editorial

This special edition on Hong Kong comes at a time of turmoil for the entire world and an especially a long period of turmoil for Hong Kong. Since 2014, until March 2020 Hong Kong has been, more or less, preoccupied with social struggles. For a period of time Hong Kongers returned to life as usual until June 2019 when the activities erupted once more. This time they were sparked by a plan to allow extradition to Mainland China. The bill was withdrawn in September 2019, but demonstrations continued until the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic hit Hong Kong in January 2020. At this time the protests as they had been before ended but did not stop, rather they changed their form. With a health crisis emerging protests dissipated, but a new kind of activity emerged in the form of online petitions, worker strikes, and mobilization into unions.

This led to large scale stress and disruption. For some a chasm was opened between the generations and a generational divide has been exposed. Many of the older generation cautioned against placing politics before economic stability. Some of this generation had fled Mainland China during the Mao Zedong era and found stability in Hong Kong. This was now being threatened by some of the younger generation who had different opinions.

The articles in this special edition were written under this stress. The attention of all the authors was divided. Despite being preoccupied with the struggle, the fear, and the urgency for their future, their articles reflect their work, and their attempts to focus on the concerns as budding professionals. These articles reflect an understanding that there was need for personal expression, as well as their need to continue to grow, and not to be all consumed by the discord with which they were surrounded. There were some authors who found this too difficult and pulled out, some submitted articles without a mention of the activities they were attending, while others tentatively mentioned the circumstances under which they were writing. Nevertheless, and importantly, the articles in this edition represent the current state of Art Therapy in Hong Kong and the efforts of the authors to integrate their Western training with their Chinese traditions.

The editors of this special edition, Debra Kalmanowitz and Ka Kit Lai each have each written an introduction to this special edition. Kalmanowitz explores the advances and changes in Art Therapy in Hong Kong over the last 8 years since she co-edited the book Art Therapy in Asia. To the bone or wrapped in Silk (Kalmanowitz, Potash and Chan, 2012) and Ka Kit Lai explores the articles from a Taoist perspective.

Rainbow Ho’s article looks at the notion of independence in an interdependency and the interaction between tradition and modernity, East and West. She ponders the current tendency or tension between the push to independence in an interdependent culture in what she refers to as an Asian global city. Esther Yau Ching Nam looks at Chinese calligraphy and its relevance to working with teenagers in a school and group setting. She explores the model of the expressive therapies continuum (ETC), according to Hinz (2015), as a way of conceptualizing how and why particular art interactions can be therapeutic. Joanna To explores the connection between metta meditation (loving kindness meditation), Chinese Buddhism, Chinese calligraphy, and their applications to Expressive Arts therapy. She also looks at this in relation to the ETC (Hinz 2015). Leung Wai Yu engages traditional Chinese landscape, Zen Buddhism and Daoist ideas into her understanding of herself as well as her practice as an Expressive Arts therapist. Sara Y. Chu illustrates how, she in her own particular way makes meaning of the models she has learned, both from China and her Expressive Therapy training and gains insight on a personal and professional level. Bianca Lee explores the reality of working in Hong Kong and how she had adapted her practice to form what she calls home-based art therapy. Aleck Kwon Man Kit looks at the use of the expressive therapies model and how this helps to integrate multiple identities, those of being Chinese, gay, and HIV positive. Gracelynn Chung-yan Lau takes a different perspective, born in Hong Kong, but growing up in Canada, she explores her identity as a Chinese Canadian and speaks about decolonizing her identity through an arts-based enquiry.