Wang Chau Village: (Non-)Indigenous Wisdom, Amidst Eviction

The paper introduces a ‘patchwork ethnography’ into non-indigenous wisdom, located in Wang Chau Village—a green belt in the northwest part of Hong Kong. Despite a four-year resistance led by “non-indigenous” villagers, the government is adamant in displacing over 500 villagers, instead of building social housing units on nearby brownfield sites. Socio-spatial issues and an archaic land policy leftover by the former British colonial government, are problematic for the villagers, the concern group and the public. However amidst adversity, villager wisdom and situated knowledges continue to illuminate—confronting displacement, eviction and ecological destruction. The paper presents a villager ethnography that relates to over 51 Chinese medicinal herbs, jackfruit festivals, DIY fruit enzyme and traditional bone setting. The presentation shares participatory action research and research-creation methodologies that aim to catalyse a multi-species creative practice and sustain an indigenous wisdom amidst and after the upcoming village eviction.