GLHK 2025 Questionnaire

一頁舟好快要踏入第四年。我哋喺二月發出問卷去問大家對我哋嘅睇法，同埋我哋應該點樣去改進。

我哋好開心，收到好多鼓勵同埋力量俾我哋繼續向前行。

Gathering Leaves shall be entering it's 4th year. In February, we sent out a questionnaire to seek views about us, how to improve. We are happy to have received a lot of encouragements and strength for us to move forward.

 Please elaborate your reasons to visit GLHK

• To borrow books

• A great place for the Hong Konger to gather with the lovely volunteers

• Lots of interesting events that really deepen my knowledge of Hong Kong/ UK. Guest speakers are all experts in the subject and really inspiring

• To participate in activities related to Hong Kong's culture and history that interest me; to meet local friends and share experiences of living overseas; and to understand the situation of Hong Kong immigrants as part of my master's research

• love the events

• For a talk

• Meeting people (old and new) and remind a connection with HK

• 喺香港成日去圖書館，一星期去幾次，呢邊local既圖書館好令人失望 好開心知道左有個地方可以借到中文書，仲要好近（northern line沿線） 香港圖書館都有ebook data base可以睇但始終唔慣覺得好傷眼

• Recharge, to immerse myself in the passionate environment

• to meet people, like minded or not, to listen what people have to say about the things they care about; to reflect and learn.

• I like going to the events hosted at gathering leaves as it’s very diverse in topic and I feel like I’m actually learning something new! I also host zine-making/ crafts workshops at Gathering leaves too.

• Used to work there and supported setting up GLHK

• A place to have hood conversation.

Please say a few words what does GLHK (BCL/Studio 8) mean to you? 

• A place to read or borrow books banned in HK

• Hong Konger platform, storage of HK culture and life spirit

• A venue/ platform/ community that facilitates Hongkonger community to learn and grow and nurture our identity and culture

• A hub for learning, cultural exchange, and meaningful friendships

• Important cultural hubs to gather people from different backgrounds

• A good place for gathering and a good collection of books on Hong Kong.

• Connectivity

• A library

• 入多啲書！

• a safe space, with a lot of trust and belief

• GLHK is an enabler - like a catalyst - it enables events

• 書蟲聚腳地

• I love GLHK. It's a generous space for lots of different conversations to happen.

• It’s a welcoming place where anyone can come and try out ideas. Sometimes it feels like an extended living room and other times it’s a lecture hall or a design studio. A unique feature of Gathering leaves that I appreciate is how seriously people take sharing, listening and learning from each other. As a young creative practitioner working a non-fulfilling 9-5, getting to put on events/ be a participant at a gathering leaves on the weekends is very special.

• It's a very unique and special place with people who are very passionate and dedicated to the cause. It's a great opportunity for people to connect and has really built a sense of community.

• A good place to read books of Hong Kong, good place to attend events, meet Hong Kong people

• It is a good place to learn and to meet friends.

• hker

• Community, sense of belonging, learning, experiencing

Please elaborate your selection to the above question about GLHK Hong Kong books collections?

• Good collection

• 2019 social movement and Cantonese

• I think the book collection is great given GLHK is a community-based organizations running library

• As someone new to learning about Hong Kong, I find GLHK’s book collection already quite rich and more than sufficient. I haven’t visited GLHK since 2023, but at that time, I observed that there were relatively fewer children's books, picture books, as well as books on Hong Kong’s artistic works and natural geography. However, this may have changed since then.

• I think the collection is great enough, can focusing on exploring those books not so popular but significant

• I would love to see more book on the history and culture of Hong Kong,

• More variety hence more number

• Need more graphic novels and books written in Classical Chinese.

• 愈多愈好！

• I read books that are already prohibited in Hong Kong, which is an invaluable collection of both HK collective memory and a documentation or record of the rapid changes in HK

• I am particularly interested in books about the post war Hong Kong to 1997; 2, the more controversial a book might be, the more curious I am about it, the more I wish to read.

• 可以多一啲熱門 & 非文學類香書籍

• I think GLHK is doing quite well with available resources

• I attend the GLHK for the events so do not have sufficient knowledge to share on the books available.

• I do not know enough about the collection but I know it's one of the biggest if not the biggest in London!

• More Hong Kong books needed

• Given the constraints GLHK has done a good job already.

• Can include more books from Taiwan

Please elaborate on your selections to the above preferred nature of events

• Book fair is a good way to help small book shops in HK

• Group gathering among Hong Konger

• I think the positioning of GLHK would be clearer if it's centralized around book and literature and Hong Kong culture, heritage and Hongkonger identity

• I believe that book fairs are the most iconic events of GLHK and best align with its founding vision. Talks, book clubs, and discussion sessions also play a crucial role in fostering interaction among participants, which I find very important. Additionally, given my personal curiosity and interest in London’s architecture and social issues in the UK, I have found GLHK’s interpretations and introductions from different cultural perspectives particularly inspiring. At the same time, I believe that cultural festivals and gatherings help strengthen the community and provide a sense of collective mental support.

• I chose a lot but I do think it's important to stay focused on what your org trying to build up. Some of the events have the potential to elaborate into a series of in-depth exploration of certain topics. It would be great to organise regular book clubs or workshops to retain some of the supporters of the venue who are devoted in further disucssion on different topics too

• I do not live in London

• I prefer cultural events that relates to Hong Kong

• Cultural gatherings and New year celebrations are too alike within the Hk community in London.

• 都會支持

• I believe it's always about people, and different ideas or perspective

• GLHK should continue to build on its current strength / expertise (rather than spreading itself too thinly)

• 購買中文書

• I think the library space can serve a variety of purposes!

• All of the above are fun to me!

• More cultural living rooms!

• No need to organise new year event, there are many already

• GLHK is a place to provide quality learning activities.

• good location and guest list

• Enjoyed a lot social events/ dinner. Got to know more people.

What would you like to do in GLHK (BCL/Studio 8)? 

• Borrowing books and volunteering work

• Artwork craft workshop in studio 8

• Attend events and sharing

• I would like to be a volunteer who assists with activities, a learner, and a listener who embraces and understands others' life stories.

• taking part in the events and join mutual discussions

• Not my cup of tea

• Learn & chill

• Reading

• Art workshop?

• Art or Architecture sharing, maybe collaboration with the local or University

• meeting people, listening to their thoughts, may even exchange views if the occasion is right

• 閱讀

• attend events

• I would like to continue to create collaborative crafts/design projects.

• Be part of a cultural living room.

• Reading, workshops

• Attending talks and cultural events.

• ???? no idea

• Read

What would you like GLHK to improve on? To become stronger at? To build on? Please tell us? 

• More promotion

• It's really good

• I think as you now have a good base of supporters/ friends/ fans - worth consider to clearly communicate a vision and a mid-term plan on what the ultimate goal of GLHK, so people knows the direction and could contribute more actively

• I believe GLHK has undoubtedly become a cultural hub for Hong Kong in London. In the future, fostering exchanges with other cultural or local communities could help raise awareness of Hong Kong-related issues and bring in additional potential resources.

• I think it's good enough, i would like to see how to develop a more sustainable model of operation in the future

• To be more active in having more update books on Hong Kong.

• With limited resources m I think GLHK has done well.

• More books with readers’ recommendations

• More and more books

• GLHK is good. Go with the flow and things will happened

• GLHK has done great! It should distinguish itself from other good HKer groups. GLHK has its own characters that people are attracted to and this should not change abruptly. It should continue ro build on its strength - which is to provide a platform for a great number of very talented people, who might be passionate about the things they do, to share their journeys, life and work.

• 希望可以多一啲香港非文學類書本

• More publicity will be good.

• not a small circle

What is your advice to GLHK on setting up a membership scheme?

• I think it's worth to have a focus group discussion among active people who're regularly attending GLHK events/ library to get their comments and craft what the scheme looks like. This is more participatory and helps build the ownership, which means the scheme is more likely to succeed with buy-ins and more sustainable

• great to set up this for the sake of sustainability. Wondering if it would be great to develop different tiers of membership. also for volunteers it would be great to let them enjoy more benefits~

• No physical member card, please

• For me things are good without a membership scheme.

• I don't think it's necessary

• Research other models. Don't charge too much.

• No need

• ££ costs

Please tell us anything you wish to share with us. 

• Keep up the good work

• Thank you for all the services you provided

• Thank you for all the excellent work GLHK has done! It's incredible to see the growth and really appreciate all the efforts put into it!

• I would like to express my gratitude to the members of GLHK for creating an inclusive and welcoming space that offers valuable learning opportunities. I believe GLHK will continue to thrive and grow stronger.

• I think that's all for now~ Happy to see GL keep going!

• I do not live in London.

• GLHK has created a fantastic community. A lot of hard work by the founders and volunteers. Thank you!

• Music library for Canto-pop

• 唔知有冇柳爺721本書呢。。。

• thank you so much for setting GLHK up

• I fill in this form from the perspective of a friend of GLHK - I would find it difficult to keep demanding things from GLHK; I wish for the opposite: please do not overwork yourselves. Quite simply, once an organization is overworked or overstretched, things might decline. What is more, behind an organization there are people - you have all put it a huge amount of time and energy and I wish you can take good care before perfecting the place. I wish to be a part of GLHK; if there is anything I can help, I will certainly more than happy to do so if I can.

• 希望可以入手《老友寫老友》等沒有電子書版嘅熱門&新中文書

• thanks for all the work!

• You are doing great work!

• You have done a good job so far.

• I want to express my gratitude towards GLHK. This community means a lot to me.