Untold Stories: 6 Tales About 'The Help'

Delve deep into the lives of Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helpers

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INGAT: EDITED BY YVONNE YU (2024)

A powerful anthology of poetry, essays and short stories written by foreign domestic helpers, Ingat delivers personal reflections on everyday life in Hong Kong. Centred on themes of memory, identity, loneliness and resilience, the collection transforms lived experience into literature, while giving space to voices that are often overlooked.

MAID TO ORDER: NICOLE CONSTABLE (1993)

A clear, accessible study of helpers’ lives, Maid to Order in Hong Kong combines research with personal accounts that are as relevant today as they were in 1993. The interview-based narrative explores working conditions, relationships with employers and structural inequalities in a balanced, informative way.

MY EXTRA-SPECIAL AUNTY: JOANNA BOWERS (2024)

Told from a child’s perspective, My Extra-Special Aunty highlights the loving bond that is so often established between Hong Kong families and their helpers. The picture book celebrates the cultural diversity and creative talent within the helper community, complete with illustrations by Cristina Cayat and Noemi Caballero Manguerra.

STRANGERS AT HOME: SO MEI CHI (2015)

A poignant documentary-style photobook, pairing Rob Godden’s intimate images with So Mei-chi’s controlled prose, Strangers at Home reveals the quiet dislocation of Hong Kong’s helpers. Tender yet unsettling, it captures personal stories, and highlights the emotional cost of leaving family behind to live in someone else’s home.

TALES FROM VICTORIA PARK: TODD CROWELL (2016)

Tales from Victoria Park follows the lives of multiple Indonesian helpers through a collection of upbeat short stories focused on their Sunday gatherings, friendships and romances. At the same time, the narrative reveals how helpers are often overlooked – and that they only becoming ‘visible’ when they gather in public spaces on Sundays.

THE EXPATRIATES: JANICE Y.K. LEE (2016)

The Expatriates focuses on three American women living in Hong Kong who owe their privileged existence – at least in part – to their live-in help. The narrative explores the stark contrasts in lifestyle, revealing how the wealthy characters interact with, and often disregard, the helpers who take care of their children and homes.