Chinese immigrants have been living in Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 160 years and today make up 5% of the country’s population. In 1860s, immigrants from Guangdong Province in China came here and brought their dialect Cantonese as well. While children are gradually shifting to English and Mandarin, there are still some communities that use dialects. Despite being categorised as Chinese, these languages are incomprehensible to each other. The change makes our emotional connections complex and fragile.

‘Words From Hundreds of Rivers’ explores the visual recording approach of Chinese dialects preservation through the perspective of Shanghainese. Inspired by the inclusivity symbolized in the convergence of rivers into the sea, this walking path invites Chinese immigrants to bridge the intergenerational gap caused by languages shifts. It celebrates the diversity of cultural heritage and reflect on the vitality that language offers in shaping identity.