The exhibition, through the lens of diaspora aesthetics, reveals the adaptation and struggles of immigrant artists within cross-cultural environments, providing a crucial dimension for audiences to understand their lived experiences. However, when we immerse ourselves in the stories of artists like Yumei Hou and Terry Luk, along with their works, we may uncover another latent narrative – these artists are not merely coping with displacement but are also actively sustaining a cultural lineage. Flowing through their creations is an instinctive awareness of inheritance, creating paper cutting and calligraphy is rather a form of "unconscious cultural resistance" than merely self-expression. This resistance is not fierce but rather slow – a defiance against the erasure of cultural uniqueness through the day-to-day practice of traditional crafts.

“In China, nowadays, it’s actually rare to find people who can write even one script properly, let alone three. Take myself, for instance—I have four children, but none of them are interested in calligraphy. That’s why I came here (to the opening)—hoping that the general public would develop an interest in promoting calligraphy.” Said Terry Luk, who was a master calligraphy artist and was 77 this year.

“I learned how to do paper cut when I was really young, but later did I realize how much I can do for it. When I grew up, people started asking me for paper cuttings to display in exhibitions. That’s when I realized that my work could be valued, so I gave a few pieces, and my teacher took them around the country for exhibitions. My teacher then told me, 'Yumei Hou, this is Manchu paper cutting, and it’s on the verge of disappearing in the country. Nowadays, many artists carve paper using pre-drawn templates, but your ability to cut freely without a draft is truly rare. Please do continue this skill and never abandon it—keep carving with your hands.” Papercut artist and sculptor Yumei Hou shared.

These two narratives—diasporic adaptation and cultural mission—are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary: the diaspora experience shapes the context of their creations, while a sense of cultural duty gives their work a deeper meaning. What makes this exhibition so moving is its dual nature—the artists are both members of a dispersed community and keepers of cultural tradition.