The touring exhibition “Lost and Found in Hong Kong: The Unsung Chinese Heroes at D-Day” is now on display at the Ho Sik Yee Library of Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU). Showcasing a collection of rare historical materials, the exhibition unveils the little-known history of Chinese naval officers' participation in the Normandy landings (D-Day) during World War II (WWII). The exhibition is co-organised by the “D-Day in Hong Kong” initiative of the Urban Studies Institute (USI), HKMU Library, and the Department of Social Sciences, HKMU School of Arts and Social Sciences. The exhibition will run from now until 31 July 2025. Admission is free with prior registration.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held today (6 June), the anniversary of D-Day, on the HKMU campus. The officiating guests included Hon Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, President of the Legislative Council; Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing, HKMU President; Prof. Charles Kwong Che-leung, Vice President (Administration and Corporate Development) of HKMU; and Mr Angus Hui Chong-yin and Mr John Mak Hiu-fai, Co-Curators from the USI.

Key exhibits include the wartime diaries and family letters of Mr Lam Ping-yu, a Chinese naval officer during World War II, along with precious photographs and documents from around the world that support these records, such as newspaper clippings and ship logs. Lam and 23 other Chinese naval officers were sent to Britain for training during the war and participated in major military operations, including D-Day. After the war, Lam settled in Hong Kong. In 2015, his diary was accidentally discovered in a soon-to-be-demolished tenement building. This diary is currently the world's only known primary source on Chinese participation in D-Day.

In his speech, Prof. Kwong said, “HKMU is dedicated to preserving history and collaborating with various sectors of society to promote diversified learning and knowledge sharing. This exhibition held at HKMU is a perfect example of this. By showcasing little-known stories from WWII, it enables students, faculty and the public to understand history from multiple perspectives, thereby gaining inspiration and reflection.”

Mr Hui said, “We appreciate HKMU's support in enabling the revival of this touring exhibition in Hong Kong, offering the public more opportunities to understand WWII from new perspectives. The extraordinary experiences of Lam Ping-yu and other Chinese naval officers weave a gripping true story that illustrates the deep connections between the histories of Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world.”

The exhibition has been touring Hong Kong's tertiary institutions since last year, with HKMU its second stop. Recently, the curatorial team achieved further research breakthroughs, such as successfully contacting the descendants of Lam and several other Chinese naval officers, and uncovering additional corroborating documents and oral histories, revealing further connecting threads between Hong Kong and global history. Through Lam's children, the team learned that after settling in Hong Kong after the war, Lam worked as a sea captain for a local shipping company before emigrating with his family to Europe and then America in the 1970s.

Now relaunched at HKMU, the exhibition features more first-hand information and exhibits—such as the Ocean Passages Lam studied during his tenure as a sea captain to prepare for his regular licensing exams and his collection of stamps from around the world—offering deeper insights into this lesser-known chapter of history.