HKFP Lens: Hong Kong's Cheung Chau bun festival returns – with fewer visitors than last year
Held annually on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which coincides with Buddha's Birthday, the Jiao Festival features a parade, lion dance, Chinese opera performances, and concludes with the late-night bun scramble competition.
Islands District Councillor Kwok Wai-man told an RTHK programme on Tuesday that around 40,000 people flocked to this year's festival – down from 51,000 revellers last year.
According to Sun Ferry, which operates the ferry service between Central and Cheung Chau, there were around 44,200 passenger trips as of 9pm on Monday – a 19 per cent drop from last year.
The festival, said to date back to the 1800s, attracts both local residents and foreign tourists. The government downsized the scale of the festival in 2020 to 2022, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. It returned to full scale in 2023, attracting 43,000 people to the island.
One of the festival's highlights was the Piu Sik, which translates as 'Floating Colours' – during which children in fancy dress are held up on towering poles and paraded through the winding streets of the outlying island.
Traditionally, they dress up in satirical costumes mimicking top government officials and lawmakers. This year, some were spotted dressed as Finance Secretary Paul Chan.
In the evening, the island held Cantonese opera performances for deities, known as 'Sun Kung Hei.'
The festival culminated in a late-night scramble by competitors up a precipitous 18-metre 'bun tower' made from imitation buns.
Around 1,650 spectators watched 12 finalists – nine men and three women – collect as many buns as possible within a three-minute time limit.
Ice climber Janet Kung and firefighter Jason Kwok won the competition this year.
Kwok, a 10-time champion, defended the 'Bun King' title, while Kung, a three-time winner, claimed the 'Bun Queen' title.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
20 hours ago
- HKFP
‘A sanctuary for us': China's Gen Z women embrace centuries-old script
At a studio in central China's Hunan province, a teacher grips an ink brush, gently writing characters of a secret script created by women centuries ago and now being embraced by a new generation. Nushu, meaning 'women's script', emerged around 400 years ago. Barred from attending school, the women secretly learned Chinese characters and adapted them into Nushu, using the script to communicate with each other through letters, song and embroidery. Passed down through generations of women in the remote and idyllic county of Jiangyong, it is now gaining popularity nationwide among Chinese women who view it as a symbol of strength. Student Pan Shengwen said Nushu offered a safe way for women to communicate with each other. 'It essentially creates a sanctuary for us,' the 21-year-old told AFP. 'We can express our thoughts, confide in our sisters and talk about anything.' Compared to Chinese characters, Nushu words are less boxy, more slender and shaped like willow leaves. 'When writing… your breathing must be calm, and only then can your brush be steady,' Pan said. On Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, the hashtag 'Nushu' has been viewed over 73.5 million times — mostly featuring young women sharing tattoos and other modern work incorporating the old script. Student He Jingying told AFP she had been enrolled in a Nushu class by her mother and that writing it brought her 'a deep sense of calm'.'It feels like when the brush touches the paper, a kind of strength flows into you.' Against 'injustice' Nushu is more than just a writing system — it represents the lived experiences of rural women from the county, Zhao Liming, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University, told AFP. 'It was a society dominated by men,' said Zhao, who has been studying Nushu for four decades. 'Their works cried out against this injustice,' she said. The words are read in the local dialect, making it challenging for native Chinese speakers not from the region to learn it. Teacher He Yuejuan said the writing is drawing more attention because of its elegance and rarity.'It seems to be quite highly regarded, especially among many students in the arts,' He told AFP outside her gallery, which sells colourful merchandise, including earrings and shawls with Nushu prints. As a Jiangyong native, He said Nushu was 'part of everyday life' growing up. After passing strict exams, she became one of 12 government-designated 'inheritors' of Nushu and is now qualified to teach it. 'Really special' An hour's drive away, around a hundred Nushu learners packed into a hotel room to attend a week-long workshop organised by local authorities trying to promote the script. Zou Kexin, one of the many participants, told AFP she had read about Nushu online and wanted to 'experience it in person'.'It's a unique writing system belonging to women, which makes it really special,' said Zou, 22, who attends a university in southwestern Sichuan province. Animation student Tao Yuxi, 23, one of the handful of men attending the workshop, told AFP he was learning Nushu to gain inspiration for his creative work. He said his aunt was initially confused about why he was learning Nushu, as it is not typically associated with men. As it represents part of China's cultural heritage, Nushu has to be passed down, he said.'It's something that everyone should work to preserve — regardless of whether they are women or men.'
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
HK panda cubs Jia Jia and De De turn one
HK panda cubs Jia Jia and De De turn one Jia Jia and De De have grown rapidly and now weigh approximately 30 kilogrammes. Photo: RTHK Ocean Park hosted jubilant fans on Friday to mark the first birthday of Hong Kong's very own giant panda twins, Jia Jia and De De. Born to resident pandas Ying Ying and Le Le, the city's first panda cubs born locally are thriving, according to the park, with elder sister Jia Jia and younger brother De De now weighing approximately 30 kilogrammes. Park caregivers are gradually introducing them to solid food, including chopped bamboo shoots and carrots. More than 300 people joined the festivities, including more than 10 children who were all born on August 15, 2024. "The most exciting part is definitely seeing the pandas themselves because we haven't seen it before," said Ash Chan, who brought along his birthday boy son. Avid panda enthusiast Joanna Ng, an annual pass holder and member of the cubs' fan club, has followed their journey closely both in person and online. "The cubs are particularly cute. I love all pandas but cubs are really cute," she said. "[I'm really excited] to celebrate their birthday and to see Jia Jia and De De in real time and hopefully they are playful." Paulo Pong, chairman of the board at Ocean Park Corporation, said the cubs' public debut has increased revenue. "After we opened the exhibit to the public, the first seven months have been very successful for the park in terms of income as well as attendance," he said. "We've seen [an increase of] over 20 percent of attendance as well as a very high percentage of generation of income. "Thanks to all the new merchandises that we have, thanks to all the different SKUs [stock keeping units] that we have, we managed to also increase the sales of the merchandise multiple times." Pong said the park has been meticulously documenting the cubs' growth and that the footage will be compiled into a film to be shared with the public next year. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in her opening speech that the birth of the twins not only highlights the close cooperation between Hong Kong and the nation in research, conservation and education but also enhances public understanding of national conservation efforts. She noted that a series of promotional activities had already begun in July to celebrate the twin's birthday. "You may have noticed the panda-themed street signs, decorations in various MTR stations and photo spots at the Peak Road Garden, all of which have been unveiled," she said. "The panda-themed Star Ferry has also officially set sail in Victoria Harbour. Additionally, Ocean Park launched the Labubu x Panda Twins lucky draw, which has been well received by citizens and tourists."
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
12 arrested in Hong Kong-Shenzhen joint operation targeting suspected fake concert tickets
Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities have arrested a total of 12 people in a joint operation targeting the manufacturing and sale of suspected fake concert tickets. More than 400 high-quality counterfeit or half-finished fake concert tickets were seized by Hong Kong and Shenzhen police in a recent crackdown on a cross-border syndicate, the city's police force said at a press conference on Sunday. Four men, aged between 24 and 39, were apprehended in Shenzhen, including a Hong Kong man who mainly resides in mainland China and is said to be the mastermind of the syndicate. During the raid in Shenzhen, local authorities seized suspected counterfeit tickets for ongoing and upcoming events, printing machines, invisible ink, cutters, envelopes, and other equipment used to produce the suspected fake tickets. In Hong Kong, seven men and one woman, aged 19 to 65, were arrested for offences including conspiracy to defraud, possession of false documents, obtaining money by deception, and money laundering. They were linked to at least 16 cases of fake concert tickets, with total estimated losses exceeding HK$100,000. Local media reported that the tickets included the concert of South Korean pop star Kwon Ji-yong, also known as G-Dragon. Police said last week that his fans were scammed out of more than HK$610,000 worth of fake tickets to his sold-out Hong Kong concerts. Police said the seized tickets were highly convincing, with the font, anti-counterfeit features, and paper quality closely resembling those of genuine tickets. However, there were minor flaws that could be spotted with the naked eye, for example, differences in the wording of the English terms and conditions, as well as variations in the placement of punctuation marks in the Chinese text. In June, eight people were arrested for allegedly selling high-quality counterfeit tickets to concerts by Cantopop star Nicholas Tse, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, and four other musicians. The eight suspects were part of a cross-border syndicate involved in at least 40 suspected scams, according to local media, with total losses estimated at around HK$650,000.
