Photo: GORK
Event: Bun Festival / 長洲太平清醮
Geo: Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, CH
This post was made possible by deep research that helped me navigate locations in Hong Kong and include the tiny island of Cheung Chau in my review. Once a year, locals erect three bamboo towers as tall as a five-story building, covering them with nine thousand steamed buns (bao) stamped with the red seal "平安" (Peace), and from noon until midnight, the island transforms into a mix of carnival, fair, and Buddhist ritual.
Descending from the familiar Speed Ferry at the island’s pier, you are swept up by a dense wave of people. Narrow streets, mind-boggling heat, and a "floating" parade procession of several teams coming towards you. They unite based on professional affiliations such as doctors, builders, athletes, and, seizing the public’s attention, they announce some sort of manifesto. Children dressed to symbolize their team’s activities lead the procession on a hidden frame, handed a social sign and asked to smile brightly, wave their hands, and blow air kisses. Following the children and their team is either a statue of Buddha or a fantastic dragon, exactly as you know from movies. It is believed that touching the dragon brings luck for the entire year. Let’s see!
The finale of this event begins at midnight—unfortunately, I didn’t wait. The essence is that twelve athletes climb the central 16-meter tower: the higher they climb, the more points they earn. About ten years ago, I also accidentally attended a carnival in Tenerife. Despite the different scale, the feelings are the same. Only on Cheung Chau is the atmosphere more family-friendly, kind, and without tons of trash. Locals gifted me various keychains, and while wandering around central Hong Kong with them, people expressed surprise that they had never been there despite living in Hong Kong. It reminds me of "Muscovites" who have never seen the Tsar Cannon in their lives 😄
Content of the Hong Kong cycle
@gorkjournal
3D · Render · Photo · Archviz · GORK
Event: Bun Festival / 長洲太平清醮
Geo: Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, CH
This post was made possible by deep research that helped me navigate locations in Hong Kong and include the tiny island of Cheung Chau in my review. Once a year, locals erect three bamboo towers as tall as a five-story building, covering them with nine thousand steamed buns (bao) stamped with the red seal "平安" (Peace), and from noon until midnight, the island transforms into a mix of carnival, fair, and Buddhist ritual.
Descending from the familiar Speed Ferry at the island’s pier, you are swept up by a dense wave of people. Narrow streets, mind-boggling heat, and a "floating" parade procession of several teams coming towards you. They unite based on professional affiliations such as doctors, builders, athletes, and, seizing the public’s attention, they announce some sort of manifesto. Children dressed to symbolize their team’s activities lead the procession on a hidden frame, handed a social sign and asked to smile brightly, wave their hands, and blow air kisses. Following the children and their team is either a statue of Buddha or a fantastic dragon, exactly as you know from movies. It is believed that touching the dragon brings luck for the entire year. Let’s see!
The finale of this event begins at midnight—unfortunately, I didn’t wait. The essence is that twelve athletes climb the central 16-meter tower: the higher they climb, the more points they earn. About ten years ago, I also accidentally attended a carnival in Tenerife. Despite the different scale, the feelings are the same. Only on Cheung Chau is the atmosphere more family-friendly, kind, and without tons of trash. Locals gifted me various keychains, and while wandering around central Hong Kong with them, people expressed surprise that they had never been there despite living in Hong Kong. It reminds me of "Muscovites" who have never seen the Tsar Cannon in their lives 😄
Content of the Hong Kong cycle
@gorkjournal
3D · Render · Photo · Archviz · GORK