Mr Joe WONG Man-hon
Paper Artist
Engineering and Design graduate
Some memories of our city are not kept in museums, but held gently in the palms of our hands.
Recently, the Mark Six 50th Anniversary Interactive Drawing Keychain has gone viral online. With a gentle shake, seven numbers tumble into the palm, transforming the familiar lottery ritual into a playful companion small enough to dangle from a set of keys. Over 6,000 pieces have been sold, with each keychain conceived by PolyU alumnus Mr Joe Wong Man-hon and produced with the participation of persons with disabilities from SAHK, passing through more than 30 meticulous steps before reaching its new owner.
“Something like this,” Joe says, “cannot be matched by factory mass production, nor replaced by AI.”
Joe’s philosophy of craftsmanship was forged in a home filled with antique furniture. His father loved woodwork and ink painting; the patterns on porcelain and the geometry of paper cuttings were woven into his imagination from an early age. Through his bachelor’s degree in Product Analysis with Design and master’s degree in Design Strategies at PolyU, Joe not only mastered mechanical principles and product structures, but also learned to transform creative sparks into works that are tangible, practical, and collectible.
After graduation, he turned his focus to paper art. Over the past decade, Joe has brought to life more than 200 products, including paper-sculpted greeting cards featuring sailing junks, flower boards and lion heads, beloved by tourists seeking a tangible piece of Hong Kong; a collaboration with a century-old sauce brand, using intricate layered cut-out techniques to depict Victoria Harbour on an XO sauce gift box that became an officially licensed product of the National Games; and a special-edition coaster gift set commemorating PolyU’s 85th Anniversary, spotlighting the University’s landmark architecture, its history, and its contributions to national space missions.
Yet his art refuses to stay small. At the 2018 Lucca Biennale in Italy, Joe constructed a three-metre-tall white porcelain vase installation from over a thousand individual components. At Art Central last year, he presented “Blooming Dream Vase” in a two-by-two-metre immersive garden, using a single colour of paper and layered light and shadow to bring an entire scene vividly to life. His ever-evolving craftsmanship has earned him accolades, such as Italy’s A’ Design Award, the DFA Design for Asia Awards, and recognition as one of Perspective magazine’s “40 Under 40”.
But what Joe treasures most are the many pairs of hands behind each piece. He invites sheltered workshops to collaborate on producing retail products and designs assistive tools that make complex processes accessible to trainees – turning production into participation, and craft into empowerment. In his eyes, design is never only about aesthetics. It is about connection, and about recognising the quiet, powerful value that exists between people.
From a single sheet of paper to a popular keychain, this alumnus continues to embody the spirit of “do well, do good”. As he puts it: “If you love something, just do it.” In an age driven by speed, replication and algorithms, such commitment to local originality and handcrafted storytelling makes this aspiration shine all the more brightly.
If you love something, just do it.
Publishing Date: September 2026
