I never really knew my grandparents, their lives, where they came from. Come to think of it, I didn’t know much about my own parents either. I was sent to boarding school at 13 and spent years travelling after university. It wasn’t until my daughter was born that I realised I had no idea about where I came from. Sure I look Chinese but I never felt very Chinese. I knew I wasn’t equipped to guide her when she was old enough to come searching for answers.

In 2010, I spent two years researching my own family history and produced a storybook of my family for them. I was able to find answers to the many questions I had, about my own identities. Through numerous family stories, I met my ancestors for the first time and got to know them as people. It helped me understand my parents better and why my childhood took the direction it did.

I invite you to take the first step in starting your own storybook. Write a few short paragraphs about your parents, grandparents and if you have at hand, send a few old family pictures to: share@kurttong.co.uk

The stories will be posted onto www.blankfamilyalbum.com

Kurt Tong
www.kurttong.co.uk

The Queen, The Chairman and I is exhibited at The Horse Hopsital (Russell Square, London) until 23 June. The exhibition edit, presented below, represents only a small portion of Kurt’s family history that he discovered while undertaking this project. He has made a substantial book dummy of the entire project, which is available to view at the exhibition.
www.thehorsehospital.com

The book dummy: