{"id":22458,"date":"2023-03-29T12:13:04","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T04:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=22458"},"modified":"2024-04-17T15:10:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T07:10:10","slug":"revival-of-handwritten-cards-in-the-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2023\/03\/revival-of-handwritten-cards-in-the-digital-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Revival of handwritten cards in the digital age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Handwritten cards make a comeback in the digital age as people crave a personal touch.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Angel Yu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University student Kay Yu Nga-kei, once an enthusiast for writing cards for her loved ones, has reignited her passion in sending out handwritten cards on special occasions like birthdays and festivals since her visit to a birthday card exhibition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing handmade cards for friends and family was her childhood habit, but the 20-year-old turned to social media and instant messaging apps as she grew up. She restarted the habit after being inspired by the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHandwritten words convey the writer\u2019s emotions, style, and personality which makes it unique and more intimate to the receiver. Each of us has a unique handwriting style, something a keyboard does not have,\u201d Yu says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCards can be physically preserved. I enjoy the feeling of spotting handwritten cards and letters in a bunch of papers mixed with receipts and exercises when I am tidying my desk. They are like time machines that make me travel back in time,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yu went to The Happy Birthday 366 Exhibition at Oi! Glasse in North Point designed by artist Hikoko Ito. Held in October 2022, it featured 366 mailboxes, each carrying a birthday card written by Ying Wa Primary School and S.K.H. St. Michael Primary School pupils. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Setting of the exhibition (Photo courtesy of Yuk-kuen Suen)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With 366 Art motifs Hikoko created from the Chinese character for \u201chappiness\u201d featured on the mailboxes\u2019 covers, visitors found their destined mailbox according to their birth dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Search list for destined mailbox for visitors (Photo courtesy of Hikoko Ito)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Each visitor could take a card from a mailbox of their birthday and write down their own messages in new cards for their birthday twins, contributing to a cycle of blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visitors receive cards from mailboxes. (Photo courtesy of Yuk-kuen Suen)
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Yu received a card from the mailbox with a line saying: \u201cI am good at uncoloured art.\u201d and a drawing of Peppa Pig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could tell it was written by a zestful kid judging by the pencil strokes. It made my day. I have always loved works by kids. The embodiment of innocence offers pure happiness,\u201d the Early Childhood Education major student says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Card received by Nga-kei Yu (Photo courtesy of Nga-kei Yu)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In return, she left positive messages like \u201cI wish you a fabulous [and] wonderful day,\u201d and \u201cDo you know that you are the best version of yourself because you\u2019re always the best?\u201d at the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Card sent by Nga-kei Yu (Photo courtesy of Nga-kei Yu)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Card sent by Nga-kei Yu (Photo courtesy of Nga-kei Yu)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by the exhibition after experiencing a long-lost nostalgia, Yu wrote five small notes to her loved ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to remind them of how much I care about them and how great they are. I wish to continue spreading the sense of connectedness I experienced in the exhibition,\u201d Yu says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yu\u2019s mother Anssie Suen Yuk-kuen was one of the recipients of Yu\u2019s loving notes. She also went to the exhibition and picked up this heart-warming habit alongside her daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I want to leave my kids a message before I sleep, I will write them a memo and put it on a desk,\u201d the 54-year-old housewife says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The messages are reminders of breakfast in the oven or rice cooker, and greetings like \u201cHave a happy school day, fighting!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually look forward to their replies. If I WhatsApp them, it is very likely that I will just see blue ticks or a sticker,\u201d Suen says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 54-year-old believes that handwritten notes help her identify the most important people in life whom she would write to. \u201cThe act of picking a card is already a contribution of one\u2019s time. Then you also have to spend time thinking and writing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ito has similar thoughts. \u201cThe whole experience starts way earlier than the moment you have your first word written down. The moment of creativity starts way before that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole process brings you joy more than you ever noticed. You miss out a lot in life if you have never experienced such moments of happiness,\u201d the artist adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hikoko Ito at the exhibition (Photo by courtesy of Lung-tai Ngai)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hikoko Ito sees sending out handwritten blessings as a step-by-step ritual that has to be proceeded with care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, I have to sit in a comfy chair under good lighting. Then, I need to clear my mind. After that, I will choose a piece of paper I like to write in a preferred manner. Ceremonial polity evokes a sense of ritual,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Ito, handwriting is more than a simple communication tool. \u201cIt is not a basic need. It is about the enjoyment you get at the end of the whole process,\u201d Ito says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ito believes handwriting reveals the writer\u2019s emotion and state of mind, so handwritten creations are more expressive and intense. \u201cWhen you write, you infuse the note with emotional energy and it is almost like giving a piece of yourself away,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistant professor Yang Tian from the School of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese University of Hong Kong points out that handwriting allows us to step away from the hyper-digital world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTypewriting allows you to edit before sending. But it is hard for people to edit handwriting unless you rewrite. Therefore, the writer is more mindful of the content written,\u201d Yang says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis form allows users to slow down, which prevents the abuse of technologies that are pervasive in our daily lives,\u201d the research specialist in digital media adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Charmaine Choi
Sub-edited by Victoria Fong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Handwritten cards make a comeback in the digital age as people crave a personal touch. By Angel Yu University student Kay Yu Nga-kei, once an enthusiast for writing cards for her loved ones, has reignited her passion in sending out handwritten cards on special occasions like birthdays and festivals since her visit to a birthday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2182,7],"tags":[2076],"class_list":["post-22458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-april-2023","category-periscope","tag-handwritten-cards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22458"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22474,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458\/revisions\/22474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}