Hong Kong loves a good shindig! That's a given. In the last couple of months there've been at least half a dozen festivals around town, including one of the biggest art festivals in the world - Art Basel. But I figure there's enough info flying around on that for you to get a 'google' handle on without my two cents worth. There's also Le French May bringing a touch of Paris to Asia's Manhattan with a plethora of baguettes, croissants and enough l'eclair au chocolat to keep your gym membership alive, not to mention the ever popular and action packed Dragon Boat Carnival. The biggest in the world, this baby is renowned for revellers, beers and plenty of cheers! But what really caught my eye and not just for its annual 'Bun Festival' (which as one of the world's top ten 'quirky' festivals is a whole lot of fun) is a little island just south east of the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's concrete jungle -- it's called Cheung Chau Island, meaning Long Island and yes… it's an excuse to bring you some pretty pictures (most of which I can't take credit for). Long Island it's not though - stretching just ten kilometres, it's one of 263 islands that skirt the biggest of them all - Hong Kong Island. But like a lot of things in life, don't be fooled by its size -- this pocket-sized paradise packs a mean tropical punch! Inhabited by locals for longer than most people have been wielding chopsticks in Hong Kong, historians put Cheung Chau at at least 7000 years old. These days around 23,000 people squeeze on board the duly nicknamed 'dumbbell' (because of its shape) but 100 years ago this once thriving fishing village had more residents living on Junk boats than on land. First impressions are of an island that still bears the footprints of a charming way of life that existed well before civilization. Laced with cobblestone streets and narrow lane ways, Cheung Chau has all the hallmarks of a quaint European village. With no roads wide enough for cars, it's two feet or two wheels... unless you've got an emergency! Then you'll take a ride in these 'made to measure' teeny tiny emergency service vehicles. (Which much to my husband's amusement fascinate me no end!) Littered with temples, seafood restaurants and sandy beaches, a 30 minute boat ride from Hong Kong, the island today is ripe for tourists. But truth be told, there's more to this treasure island than meets the eye -- it quite possibly has more history than could be deemed appropriate for such a small archipelago. For starters, there's a 19th Century pirate’s hideout -- famous Cheung Po Tsai reportedly used to hide his treasure in a cave on the island while he was sailing the South China Sea, pillaging villages and swigging rum. (In fact, the well known movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean' has a character based on this notorious lad.) With a robust community that has well and truly stood the test of time, most locals today stem from generations of family that have long called Cheung Chau home. And it's an island that hasn't been immune to hardship… in the 19th Century a plague almost devastated the tiny sanctuary. To save Cheung Chau, local fishermen travelled to mainland China to seek out the holy statue of Pak Tai (Emperor of Heaven) and bring him back to the island, desperately hoping his power could bring them safety and prosperity. Guess what? Legend has it, it did. And so it was the beginning of the famous Bun Festival. According to folklore, the epidemic disappeared after the event was staged and from then on it's been held every year, without fail. That said, there's another school of thought that the festival originated after a ceremony to placate the ghosts of victims of pirates who used to terrorize the island in the 18th Century. (Locals even advised us against swimming on the island during the Bun Festival, should we fall victim to evil spirits lurking in the waters....) Like everywhere in China, ancient mythology plays as big a role today as it ever has. Even now, before the Bun festival date is set, locals must ask Pak Tai's advice. Using two stones - flat on one side and curved on the other…. they're thrown into the air. The way they land dictates when the festival will be held. (Who needs a calendar!) Before the festival begins, residents on the island purify themselves by having a bath and eating a vegetarian diet for three days. Many fishermen cease to fish. Back in the day, locals built an altar to honour Pak Tai and ward off evil spirits. Aptly named the Pak Tai Temple, it's now the oldest temple in Hong Kong. 100 years later the same rituals are performed including a procession of courageous lions and magical unicorns dancing to the beat of rhythmic drums, along with the Piu Sik or Floating Colours parade which has become world famous! Children as young as three sit (although a little precariously) on poles with bicycle seats, some as high as 2.5 metres for up to four hours on floats gliding through the streets. The aim is to make them look as though they are Gods floating through the air. (I'm told by my local Cheung Chau friend, once these children are up on their seats….bribery is key - ice-cream anyone?) Then there's the grand finale - as night falls, competitors stand poised at the bottom of an enormous 60 foot bamboo tower studded with lucky buns! On signal they scramble to the top and try to pluck off as many as possible. These days they are plastic, the traditional bun climb came to a tragic end in 1978, when a tower collapsed, injuring thirty climbers in the process. The event was then banned for the following 26 years. Reintroduced in 2005, the new event is somewhat tamer than the original and all climbers wear harnesses. Don't worry if you're not up for the climb, these holy buns symbolizing good luck and good health are now available on the ground for everyone. Cheung Chau is a fascinating island village where in many respects, time stands still, a place where legends live on and still waters run deep. What about you? Have you stumbled across a treasure chest in your part of the world? Where is it? I'd love to know. *Thanks to Martin Williams for allowing me permission to use his spectacular photos. You can see more on DrMartinWilliam's website here >> … [Read more...]
12 reasons you know you’ve been EXPATIFIED in Hong Kong…
If there was a definition for EXPATIFY (which there's not) I'm pretty sure it would go something like this: Acceptance of the alien nature of an environment, development of new-found tolerances, greater objectivity and appropriate coping skills. Pretty much sums up the adjustment required when you become an expat don't you think? When you launch yourself into expat life -- for awhile, everything seems out of kilter. For me, stepping off the plane into the neon-lit metropolis of Hong Kong was akin to plunging head first into an ocean full of hungry sharks. I was frantically treading water, doing my very best not to get swallowed up. Everything in my new environment felt all-consuming, overwhelming and more than a little suffocating. I could literally taste the foreignness. Heart in my mouth, eyes wide like saucers, I struggled to soak in my new surroundings. The predominant and (for many) most memorable image - the rows upon rows of imposing skyscrapers that stand luminously guarding a city that's heaving with bodies. A city where the light never dims and everything and everyone operates in permanent overdrive. There's not a spare patch of land in sight - roads are packed with vivid red taxis jostling for position, while on the water, ferries zip in and out, past the Junks, weaving through the hundreds of container ships, docked briefly in one of the busiest ports in the world. Overhead, a constant buzz of helicopters criss-cross through a concrete jungle. A fragrant harbour loaded with its distinctive smells, in every direction it's sensory overload. To read more, continue over to Expat Focus>>> … [Read more...]
A motherless country….
Today my heart aches. Not for me…not for my family. But for someone else's family. Someone who doesn't have the luxury like I do, of having her little girl under the same roof. Not in her arms nor at arm's length, arguing over what she wants for breakfast or which channel she doesn't want to watch on the TV…she's not even 'just around the corner' at a play date or at school for the day. I say luxury but for the majority of us born in the western world, luxury is not a word we would normally associate with having a child, our own child living with us in our own home. Caring for them as only a parent knows how, making sure there's enough oil to keep the wheels spinning on the family home, day in, day out. It's largely something we take for granted and all too often catch ourselves complaining about, passionately. For some people, like my friend who's also a Domestic Helper, Lara*, it's simply not an option to have her little girl living with her, permanently. … [Read more...]
Milking Hong Kong for all it’s worth…
For the last few months here in Hong Kong, if nothing else, my eyebrows have had a good workout, raising frenziedly with headlines like this leaping out at me from the pages of newspapers (local and international). “Milk Smugglers Top Heroin Courier Arrests in Hong Kong" "China's Parents Crave Illegally Imported Baby Formula" "Chinese moms risk prison if caught smuggling infant formula, but could they stay in Hong Kong?" and "Hong Kong is troublesome, says milk powder offender" Did somebody say 'milk powder offender?!' Admittedly I was a little baffled as to how something so seemingly innocuous like baby food could be the cause of such scandalous headlines. Then during my latest airport dalliance, a bit like the news headlines every 15 minutes, announcements boomed across the intercom - "Warning: All travellers to China are to take NO more than two tins of infant’s formula across the border!" That's two tins, OK! Message received loud and clear - but just in case you didn't get it, once through customs you'll be greeted by this: … [Read more...]
Close encounters of the inflatable kind…..
Look what I found in my backyard...... Yes! Watch your step - this is a giant pile of p*#!! Or perhaps better known as a 'Complex Pile' by Paul McCarthy (USA) It's 15 metres high and 33 metres long and it's part of 'Mobile M+:Inflation' - A (con)temporary sculpture park of inflatables.' There are six inflatable pieces, including this giant pair of female legs next to a big black cockroach! Or, artistically known as "Falling into the Mundane World" by Tam Wai Ping. (Hong Kong) But wait there's more... … [Read more...]
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