“Postcards” is inspired by the Cantonese tradition of communicating in a hidden or coded way, especially under watchful conditions. My mom used to send letters to family on the mainland, never knowing whether they would make it through. Each letter had to be worded carefully, in the hope that it wouldn’t be censored or trigger unwanted attention. This piece draws on the coded, cautious phrases Hong Kong families relied on in the 1970s and 80s, when cross‑border mail was routinely opened, delayed, or taxed. Each generated postcard offers a carefully worded “safe” sentence—just enough to signal care and connection across an uncertain distance. In this contemporary digital version, each postcard uses neutral, coded language, echoing the hidden messages people continue to send within today’s political climate. I’ve added extra languages as a way of reaching out to friends in the places where I’ve lived, visited, and still correspond with—Hong Kong and China, Miami and Spain, France, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and Italy.
See it fullscreen here https://anjchang.com/postcard_corners.html or below
