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The art of rice – and its connection to community
Hong Kong environmental artist and farmer Monti Lai uses her rice harvest to connect the community and commune with her ancestors
Reading Time:4 minutes
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I grew up in Sheung Shui, in the New Territories, close to the border, and think of myself as a country girl. I lived with my parents and two older siblings in the house that my grandfather built. It was made of wood and metal and other materials that he had to hand. My aunt was a farmer and lived within walking distance of our house. We went to a village school, Wai Chow Public School, in the morning and hung out at my aunt’s place in the afternoon, fooling around with my cousins. We went everywhere on our bikes. It was a fun time.
Life outdoors
I tried to spend as much of my time outdoors as possible. At high school, Kap Yan Directors’ College, I was in the cross-country team. We went with our coach to the country park to train, which meant we were off school for at least half the day. It was a great excuse to be in nature. Although I didn’t spend a huge amount of time in school, I still got through my exams.
Montana
When I was 17, I did a student-exchange programme and spent a year living with a family in Montana (in the United States) and going to a local school there. I didn’t do that well at school in Hong Kong but I got very good grades in Montana. I had so much fun in the art classes. My art teacher, Mrs Wood, gave me a lot of freedom. She let me play Hong Kong music in class. I put on a track by (Hong Kong rock band) Beyond and my classmates tried to sing along to the Cantonese lyrics. It was so much fun and set a good base for my future artistic path.
Culture shock
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