Taiwanese Community Center for Seniors hosted the opening reception of the “Era of Glamour” photo exhibition featuring old photographs on August 25. The elderly members of the center displayed their treasured youth photos at the exhibition, allowing everyone to reminisce about their fascinating life stories together.
Prior to the exhibition, the seniors delightedly looked at the photos of their familiar friends in their younger days, listened to their friends recounting life stories, and sighed at how time flies and leaves indelible marks on everyone’s faces. However, as they gazed at the photos of their youthful glamour, a proud smile appeared on their faces.
The curator and president of the senior center, Ji Qinghua, stated that through precious photos, the exhibition showcases the members of the senior center in their youthful splendor. Behind each photo lies a rich story and historical background, from their life experiences to cultural heritage. These photos record their lives, showcasing their struggles and glory. Audience members can not only admire these beautiful photos but also learn more about the stories behind them through the introductions provided. Each elderly person is the protagonist of this exhibition. A total of 87 member’s old photos are displayed in this exhibition, which took two months to prepare. After collecting the old photos, the curator spent a lot of time and effort using restoration software to repair the old and damaged photos, working late into the night every day.
The vice chairwoman of the Taiwan Community Center, Fang Xiurong, shared a photo of herself as a child with her grandmother. In the photo, her grandmother, dressed in a cheongsam, looked graceful and beautiful, while a young Fang Xiurong was dressed up by adults. She mentioned that the photo was taken at Datong Photo Studio and has been treasured by her since then. After coming to the United States in 1968, she missed two people the most: her grandmother and her 3-and-a-half-year-old sister. She described her grandmother, who became a grandmother at the age of 37, as very loving and caring. Due to her busy parents – her father a gynecologist and her mother a nurse – her grandmother had taken on many household responsibilities while running a Japanese restaurant, earning the praise of being a ‘heroine among women’ from her father.
88-year-old member Lai Shuyan presented a photo of herself at the age of 30, when she was already a mother of three. At that time, marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers. Despite her parents’ wishes for her to marry a wealthy man, she chose to marry a poor young man from the countryside who had just graduated from college. She went against her parents’ wishes and remained happily married to him for decades, sustaining a loving marriage based on a deep underlying connection.
Member Chen Sehua contributed a photo taken before her arrival in the United States 11 years ago, expressing, “I have aged a lot in these 10 years, but after coming to America, I left behind my worries from the past and have become happy.”
The photo exhibition will continue to be open to members from August 26 (Monday) to August 30 (Friday) at 137-44 Northern Blvd., Flushing NY 11354.