Village Story is the first virtual public space in Hong Kong that aims at rural conservation and innovation.
From 2021 to 2025, MaD and Common Map, with the support from The Countryside Conservation Office (CCO)’s Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme, planned and developed the Rural Common platform to showcase the stories of local rural areas. Starting from August 2025, the platform will be independently operated by MaD, with Common Map continuing as co-creator.
The platform will start from Qingchunyao and its neighboring villages to collect village stories and understand the wisdom of life through an anthropological approach;
It will also integrate information on existing rural projects, curate village resources and memories, and present the diversity of the countryside in the form of pictures and stories.
Why do we need to organize the “Village Stories” platform?
► One-stop information platform for village revitalization
► Cultural Transmission: The Last Generation of Traditional Villages
► How can modern society learn from traditional culture?
【Project Process】
With the core values of cross-boundary cooperation, co-creation, empathy and sustainable development, MaD has rich experience in community engagement. In this project, we are committed to exploring innovative and diversified development formulas for rural revitalization through design thinking, co-creation with villagers and the public, and uncovering rural stories. To this end, we openly recruited 22 co-creation team members from different backgrounds to go into the rural areas around Sha Tau Kok to collect stories. The team will visit 10 rural villages in two phases to listen to and record life stories and wisdom.
We hope to collect and pass on the village’s precious memories through the drawing of stories and villagers’ wisdom into simple and clear images; at the same time, we will consolidate the scattered rural projects, put together and plan a map of the village’s resources and memories, so that members of the public can browse the rural resources and follow up on the progress of conservation at a glance.
Major Places to be Visited on Period 1: So Lo Pun, Sam Kwan Tsuen, Ngau Chi Wu, Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam, Clam Tong, Siu Tan
Major Places to be Visited on Period 2: Kuk Po, Fung Hang, Luk Keng
We believe that rural revitalization should be based on respect for local culture and villagers in order to have a more diverse and sustainable future. When citizens, travelers and researchers come here to read stories and create bridges of heritage to catalyze cross-boundary innovations, they are no longer passive consumers, but co-creators of rural conservation.
【Who are we?】
Organizers：MaD 創不同協作
MaD (Make a Difference), based in Hong Kong, is a regional collaborative platform for reflection and action – a place to explore the social potential of creativity, meet cross-sectoral changemakers, and respond to social challenges with creative innovations.MaD’s long-term goal is to build a creative civil society. Since its inception in 2009, MaD has evolved from focusing on its annual flagship event, the MaD Annual Conference, to a multi-dimensional platform with programs such as the Jockey Club Make a Difference Social Innovation Lab, the Jockey Club Make a Difference Academy, a number of social and participatory arts programs, and partnerships with a wide range of social and creative organizations. Our programs include the Jockey Club “Make a Difference” Social Innovation Lab, the Jockey Club “Make a Difference” Academy, a number of social and participatory arts programs, and creative projects in cross-boundary collaboration with various partners.
Creative Partners：Common Map 畫方
Common Map plans and revitalizes rural cultural resources. From 2019, the main focus will be on Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and neighboring villages, using mapping, research, and practice to rethink the relationship between the city and the countryside, and between the modern and the traditional.
