Memories in the evening

Book Design|Editorial Design|Graphic Design
Memories
in the evening

Project Type:Personal Project
Year:2023

Specification: 297mm*420mm
Page: 96
Paper Type: Embossed Paper|Silk Paper|Smooth-Surface Paper

Voicer China Wechat Official Account Hiiibrand Award 2026 Shotlist

This is a project about memory, objects, and the life experiences of women in 1980s China. Through five old items my grandmother kept—a suitcase, a radio, knitted socks, photographs, and handwritten manuscripts—I attempt to tell her life story from a personal and intimate perspective. These everyday objects, once overlooked, have over time become vessels of our family’s memories and emotions, quietly bearing the marks of an era.

The project began with a childhood misunderstanding. As a child, I saw my grandmother’s habit of keeping old things as a form of hoarding. I didn’t understand why she held on to what seemed like clutter. One day, while in the attic, I rediscovered these long-stored items. As I revisited them and had deeper conversations with my grandmother, I began to see them in a new light. I realized that these objects were not just about her—they reflected the lives, hopes, and struggles of many people from her time.

The structure of the book follows the objects themselves. Each chapter is centered on one item and uses a mix of images, writing, interviews, and visual design to reconstruct the memories attached to it. This book is both a gift to my grandmother and a personal journey for myself—a way to reconnect with family, reflect on identity, and explore the emotional dimension of publishing and storytelling.

Through these small but genuine traces, we may find—outside of grand historical narratives—the quiet, tender fragments of life that are so often overlooked, yet deeply meaningful.

Specification 297mm x 420mm pages 96 Paper Type Embossed Paper/ Silk Paper/ Smoot-Surface Paper