Conversation between Wing Po So and Yuanyu Li｜蘇詠寶與李沅鈺的對話

Conversation between Wing Po So and Yuanyu Li 蘇詠寶與李沅鈺的對話 14 March 2025, Para Site 2025年3月14日，Para Site Yuanyu Li (YL): Could you please tell us where the Chinese medicine drawers come from, and how you collected them? What is the story behind them? 李沅鈺：能否說明這些百子櫃的來源和收集過程？背後有什麼故事？ Wing Po So (WPS): These drawers were collected from a now-closed pharmacy in Tsuen Wan. I feel a deep connection to that pharmacy because it was a generational family business, much like my own family’s pharmacy. I understand very well how precious these drawers are—they hold the essence of the pharmacy and carry the family history within them. Our family pharmacy also had a similar experience; we closed our business in 2012, but we kept all the drawers in our 400-square-foot apartment, where they took up almost the entire space. We lived surrounded by them for about 3 to 4 months. But my parents couldn’t bear to live without the shop because it is such a big part of their lives. So, we reopened it in Sai Ying Pun. That is also when I started incorporating natural materials into my artistic practice. 蘇詠寶：這些百子櫃來自荃灣一間已結業的藥房。我對那間藥房有深厚情感，因為它和我家族的 藥房一樣是世代相傳的生意。我深知這些櫃子的珍貴——它們承載着藥房精髓與家族歷史。我們 家族的藥房也有類似經歷：2012年結業時，所有百子櫃被保留在我們家400平方呎的單位內，幾 乎佔滿整個空間。我們與它們共同生活了約三至四個月，但父母始終無法割捨藥房，畢竟是他們 生活的重要部分。最終我們在西營盤重開藥房，而我也從那時開始將天然材料融入藝術創作。 The Tsuen Wan pharmacy was introduced to me by a vintage shop owner whose shop is in the same building as my studio. We often collaborate and communicate, and they told me about this pharmacy closing down. They wanted to check it out because, of course, they collect vintage items. But in Hong Kong, nobody really wants to take these drawers, unless they have a large house. I felt an urgency to preserve them, and I have always wanted to repurpose them in my practice. That was two years ago, and the idea has stayed with me. This exhibition gave me the perfect opportunity to include the drawers in my work.​