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GABRIELLE CHENG WRITING 

I walked into the San Lorenzo Market in Florence, Italy.

"Where are you from?", a street vendor approached and asked.

"Korea? China? Japan?", he added quickly.

"I grew up in Hong Kong and study at the U.S."

"I mean, where are you from? Your family?", he enquired with a confused frown and a heavy Italian accent. 

"China", I answered. 

"Oh! Bella! Good! So many Chinese tourists...", he began.

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"Not all those who wander are lost."

 

I remember these words from my friend's phone case. Am I lost? But where do I belong in first place? These questions often came up as I was travelling. Carrying a Chinese face, I often stood out amongst my American friends while I was studying abroad. When I went through the security check-in of museums, it's not suprising that the security guards would speak in Mandarin and say, "Xie Xie", to me instead of "Thank You". It's surprising that I could be so easily defined in this part of the world. Yet, Hong Kong embodies a much more complicated culture and ideals than many would think so. Because of my personal background, I have developed an interest on the Asian region and here, I have included many of my works that are related to Hong Kong.

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This portfolio includes a number of artifacts diverse in genres such as an argumentation and poetry. They are my attempts to understand and make association with my cultural heritage. After all, I guess we have to be lost in order to be found. So my journey begins.

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