QUINTESSENCE 精华
the purest, most concentrated essence or the perfect, ideal embodiment of something
WHO ARE WE?
United Magazine was established in 2013 as Sha Tin College’s annual bilingual and student-led magazine. Our goal is to bolster student creativity and confidence, support diversity, and provide opportunities for students to express themselves.
This marks the 13th edition of the magazine, with our theme this year being QUINTESSENCE ⎯ the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.
We would like to extend our appreciation to everyone who has made contributions to this magazine, be it through writing articles or creating accompanying artwork. We would also like to express our gratitude to Ms. Danielle Yang, our supervisor, for providing us with valuable support and guidance throughout the process. Last but not least, we would like to thank you, the reader, for allowing our message to reach an audience. Through this year’s theme, we invite you to explore the boundaries between perception and truth.
今年是《聯》(United Magazine) 的第十三期年刊。
聯 ── 它意味著連結、聯合，也是心與心之間的橋樑。從創刊至今，每一屆的編輯團隊都在用自己的方式，賦予這個字更深的意義。而今年，換我們來書寫屬於第十三期的篇章。
我們這次的主題是 「精華」── 一個簡單卻深刻的提問：當一切外在被剝離，剩下的是什麼？
翻開這一期稿件，我在每一頁裡找到了答案。
有人寫一張機票，承載著青春裡未竟的告白；有人寫回家的路，在年夜飯的熱氣中確認自己屬於哪裡；有人寫一本書的溫度，在快速翻閱的時代裡，守護那些無法被壓縮的感動；有人寫低潮時門把上那袋麵包，苦盡終究回甘；也有人寫清晨五點廚房裡亮起的那盞燈，寫病床前握著的一雙手。描寫著那些說不出口，卻一直放在心裡的情感。
每一篇文章都在用自己的方式，去尋找、去觸碰、去呈現那個最核心的「精華」。
我們常想：什麼是好的文字？或許不是華麗的詞藻，也不是複雜的結構，而是當你讀完之後，心裡某個柔軟的地方被觸動了，久久無法忘懷。這本年刊裡的作品，正是這樣的文字。
感謝每一位投稿人，願意把自己的故事、回憶與情感交付給我們，讓這些文字有了最真實的溫度。感謝英文部和中文部的編輯團隊，無數次反覆的修改與校對，讓這本年刊從一疊稿件，真正變成一本有溫度的書。感謝每一位插畫師，用畫筆為文字賦予了另一層生命。也要特別感謝楊老師，一直以來對《聯》的支持與指導。
也感謝每一位讀者，願意翻開它，走進我們的世界。一本書的意義，從來不僅在於被寫出來，更在於被閱讀、被感受、被記住。
願你在閱讀時，能找到屬於自己的「精華」
Nicole Mak
聯 United Magazine 2026
Chinese Editor-In-Chief
Words From The Chinese Editor-In-Chief
2025-2026
Words From The English Editor-In-Chief
2025-2026
This year marks the thirteenth anniversary of United Magazine.
In this ever-changing world, people strive for flawlessness, forged from rivalry, competition, and self-doubt. “Quintessence”, also known as aether, explores the concept of perfection, a pure, untouchable substance. This year’s entrants delve into this paradigm of preeminence, driving introspection into one’s own search for perfection.
Our publication presents us with a juxtaposition between the breathtaking beauty of nature and the imperfection of perfection. These pages overflow with a myriad of inscrutable pursuits, traversing a vast world of complex, paragonic structures in human life; you’d flip through one page, and see fragments of reality – characters, too real to be fictional, yet embodying enigmatic emotion that captures the essence of our society- and another page, dissecting the author’s profound interpretation of the noun… I assure you, there are many more, each as significant as the other.
This publication is the purest expression of our valuable voices, reflecting the definition of quintessence.
I extend my gratitude to my fellow United Magazine editors and designers who contributed extensively to polish such a quintessential - and yes, I am deliberately using this diction for the sake of it - collection of works, and the writers and artists who delved into such a complex realm to craft our magazine.
Let us endeavour in this paradoxical sanctuary of quintessence.
Samantha Lam
聯 United Magazine 2025-2026
English Editor-In-Chief
GALLERY
DIGITAL FLIPBOOK
Meet the Team!
Editors in Chief
Samantha Lam
Nicole Mak
Supervisor
Ms. Danielle Yang
Heads of Department
Hannah Tun
Valerie Tang
Rachel Leung
Anissa Chen
Samantha Lam
Nicole Mak
Team Members
Amogh, Akanksha, Beatriz, Cheryl, Izzy, Jason, Kate, Miley, Renee, Savannah, Tabitha, Erin, Vanessa, Katherine, Tiffany, Danice, Angie, Yui Yi