Helen Owen

Helen was born in the Canton province of mainland China, in 1955. Whilst she was growing up China experienced the Cultural Revolution, in which money and land were taken into state ownership. The middle of five children born to her parents, Helen and her family escaped from China by fishing boat, when she was five years old.

Helen lived in Hong Kong until she was 11 years old when she moved to England with her brother to join her father. Her mother, brother and two sisters remained in Hong Kong until her father could apply to have the family join them. When finally re-united the family settled in Wallasey.

Today Helen works at the Pagoda Chinese Centre in Liverpool as a community worker, within the Youth and Community section. Pagoda is a drop-in centre that offers support, guidance, welfare advise and a translation service to the Chinese community. Helen has kindly donated two objects to eight hundred lives; a set of traditional pattern design Chinese tea cups with lids and a Chinese three shrimp ornament. The decorative design on the tea cups symbolises long life.

Later this year you will be able to listen to audio clips on this website from an interview, in which Helen talks about her experiences of growing up in Hong Kong and life in Liverpool.

Accession number for the shrimp ornament MLL2006.12.1, and for the tea cups MLL2006.12.2.