We have only one photo of Isabel’s childhood home, taken in the 1980s when the house was already fifty years old and in a state of disrepair. We gave our illustrator Ming-fai Hui an unusual assignment in the summer of 2012. Ming was visiting her daughter Deborah, who resided in Honolulu, just as Isabel was visiting Claire. We asked Ming to recreate the house by piecing together Isabel’s rough sketches and fragments of photos. Alongside Isabel and three friends at their mahjong table, Ming sat at another table with paintbrushes in hand, pulling together her lovely artwork in consultation with Isabel between mahjong games.
1980s photo
Ming’s first reconstruction
367 Zhenning Road, recreated
