Near and so dear - our home

We know that one of the things that makes Hong Kong special is that we are a diverse, cosmopolitan metropolis.

A non-profit social project has just published a beautiful new volume that represents and celebrates our society's cultural diversity in text and pictures.

Dear Hong Kong showcases a side of the SAR that is often overlooked and makes a valuable contribution to our image and identity.

The project's group of volunteers spent two years interviewing and photographing Hong Kong residents from all over the world and from every walk of life.

The book has profiles of famous people as well as unsung heroes, from all classes and professions, 80 individuals in all (eventually the project will have a second volume, to bring the total to 150).

Each interviewee is featured in a large-format photo portrait that accompanies the text.

As you leaf through the book's pages, you feel as if you are meeting these Hongkongers in person as they tell their stories.

Some of the people in Dear Hong Kong are familiar faces - there is, for instance, Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Others are less so, like Ajmal Samuel, a Pakistani-born member of Hong Kong's para-rowing team.

Countries represented include Cuba, Mauritius, Togo, Cyprus, and the Netherlands.

Color photographs from Dear Hong Kong will be exhibited at the Lamma Art Collective, Yung Shue Wan until February 22.

Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of Tai Kwun Culture & Arts Co Ltd.

standard@bernardchan.com