Latest news with #ChingMing
HKFP
05-05-2025
- General
- HKFP
Environmentalist Jenny Quinton on running eco-education centre Ark Eden and protecting Hong Kong's ‘big nature'
For almost three decades, Hong Kong environmentalist Jenny Quinton has planted tens of thousands of trees on Lantau Island, where montane forests are surrounded by waters that are home to rich marine life, including the uniquely pink Chinese white dolphins. Lantau, Hong Kong's largest island, is vibrant with wildlife and vegetation. It is also where the city's recently expanded international airport is located, with the government eyeing the development of its southern coastal areas into 'eco-tourism' sites. 'My take really is that Hong Kong is the amazing city that it is because it's a city with big nature,' Quinton told HKFP at her home, buried deep in the forest in Mui Wo, a rural area in the northeast of Lantau, where she has lived since moving from the UK more than 30 years ago. 'Lantau – and I mean Hong Kong itself – has amazing biodiversity which should not be overlooked,' she said. 'The priority now should be to conserve this incredibly precious endangered environment.' Pointing to the lush green forest behind her house, which was once a barren slope, Quinton said the area had been plagued by 'bad land management' and the people's lack of ecological awareness. Wildfires engulfed a vast area of forest in Lantau in the 1990s, especially during the traditional Chinese festivals of Ching Ming and Chung Yeung, when people often burned paper offerings during visits to family graves. Regenerating the area took decades, and it was a collective effort involving her, other devoted residents, and volunteers at her eco-education centre, Ark Eden, Quinton said. The environmentalist founded Ark Eden in 2006 as an outdoor site that promotes permaculture – a system of designing sustainable land management that allows humans and nature to coexist. As the centre approaches its 20th anniversary next year, much still needs to be done to raise eco-literacy in the city, Quinton said. 'You can't do anything unless you change people's thinking,' she said. 'Big wake-up call ' Quinton, who grew up in Cheshire, England, was 28 when she arrived in Hong Kong in 1989 on a backpacking trip with her boyfriend. She originally planned to work as a teacher in Australia, but the pair were immediately attracted by the nature on Lantau – a ferry ride away from the skyscraper-lined business district of Central. After only three weeks in Hong Kong, they moved into a village house in Mui Wo – and a few months later into another house, where she still lives – thanks to the hospitality of other expat residents. But it was not a time without challenges and trauma, especially when her boyfriend died prematurely several years after their arrival in Hong Kong. Quinton became a single mother raising two kids. She set up an English kindergarten in Mui Wo in 1991 before working as a primary school teacher for the English Schools Foundation (ESF). It was also a time when wildfires in Mui Wo could threaten life and property – including Quinton's. 'I had a very big wake-up call that day, which was probably about 1992 or '93,' she said. 'The place being just shrouded in smoke and all these fires descending, and one fire coming from the back [of the house].' She escaped with her children and raced up the hill, taking brooms with her to fight the fire until the government's helicopters arrived to put out the fire. She began 'to understand what's happening to this place,' she said. 'It's the fires. This was why the land looked like it [did], and this was why the rivers were like they were.' The incident changed her life. 'In the morning, I wasn't an environmentalist. By the time night came, I was.' Ark Eden Starting Ark Eden stemmed from Quinton's observation that Hong Kong lacked institutions promoting environmental awareness in the early 2000s, especially those that brought people into nature. 'One of the problems we had [with] protecting the environment was that there's hardly any eco-literacy at school,' she said on the rooftop of her home, which was also the first facility of Ark Eden. 'If you wanted to get environmental education, it had to happen outside.' Ark Eden, sandwiched between a small river and a mountain, is within walking distance of Mui Wo's Silvermine Waterfall and Silvermine Cave. The facilities of Ark Eden have expanded over the years. They now include an eco-farm, a natural swimming pool that uses a mountain stream, as well as a playground with seesaws and swings – all hand-built by Quinton and her team. Although the site is located almost 30 minutes on foot from Mui Wo's ferry pier, demand for Ark Eden's programmes is high, Quinton said. That was the case during the Covid-19 pandemic, when school-age children were forced to study from home, losing the opportunity to socialise with peers on campus. Children 'absolutely need these relationships to develop,' she said. 'What happened was there were big chunks of child development that were really delayed' due to the pandemic. Summer camps at Ark Eden allow children to participate in weeks-long structured programmes on the site and its surroundings to build their resilience, life skills, and the spirit of free play in nature, she added. A camp programme attracts between 30 and 60 children, supported by Ark Eden's team of six full-time staff members and a larger group of part-time instructors. 'Work with the people' Last month, the government unveiled further plans to develop an 'eco-recreation corridor' along the southern coast of Lantau, comprising the island's Cheung Sha, Pui O, Shui Hau, and Shek Pik. 'It provides a variety of recreation and eco-tourism facilities… with a view to shaping South Lantau into a one-of-a-kind leisure and recreation destination as well as bringing more experiences to the general public and tourists,' the Development Bureau said in a press release. Land tendering for the 9.3-hectare area is expected in 2027. During a public consultation last year, Ark Eden expressed opposition to the plan. 'The Hong Kong Government needs to truly value Lantau Island for its unique contribution to Hong Kong, China and the world,' Quinton wrote in a submission to the government. She argued that 'most of the aims of the proposal can also be achieved by leaving the South Lantau coast undeveloped.' Quinton told HKFP that past development in Lantau had caused irreparable damage to the island's environment. She highlighted the dwindling number of Chinese white dolphins, whose habitat has further shrunk due to major infrastructure development projects, such as the third runway of the international airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Construction for the third runway and the cross-border bridge – both located north of Lantau – began in 2016 and 2009 and was completed in 2021 and 2018, respectively. In 2010, more than 150 white dolphins were spotted in the waters surrounding Lantau, dropping to 34 in 2023, according to official figures. 'We totally killed the Lantau seas with building up Hong Kong,' Quinton said. 'But if we really stop thinking [about] short-term profit all the time and [start] thinking long-term prosperity, we're gonna preserve Lantau Island.' She urged the government to pay heed to local residents, who have taken care of the environment for decades. 'Work with the people, ask the people what they would like. And then you will – with the help – be able to create something that is far more high-class than you've ever asked.' Almost 1,000 monthly donors make HKFP possible. Each contributes an average of HK$200/month to support our award-winning original reporting, keeping the city's only independent English-language outlet free-to-access for all. Three reasons to join us: 🔎 Transparent & efficient: As a non-profit, we are externally audited each year, publishing our income/outgoings annually, as the city's most transparent news outlet. 🔒 Accurate & accountable: Our reporting is governed by a comprehensive Ethics Code. We are 100% independent, and not answerable to any tycoon, mainland owners or shareholders. Check out our latest Annual Report, and help support press freedom.
South China Morning Post
04-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Does China's ‘epic response' to Trump tariffs signal end of hopes for meaningful talks?
China reacted to tariffs imposed during Donald Trump's first term in office with a strategy of phased concessions, but this time round it has adopted an unyielding stance with a massive package of retaliatory measures. Advertisement Observers said the shift stemmed from changes in the trade dynamics between the two countries and the upending of the global landscape by Trump's agenda. The Chinese authorities fired off a blitz of policy announcements – notably 34 per cent tariffs on all imported American goods to match the latest US levues on Chinese goods – on Friday, a public holiday known as the Ching Ming or tomb-sweeping festival. China's decision to hit back swiftly – rather than seek immediate negotiations – may signal a shift in strategy, said John Gong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. 'Beijing likely sees little room for meaningful talks or suspects Washington has no real interest in negotiating,' Gong said. Advertisement 'It's also notable that China is the first among the affected countries to strike back, which could mark an escalation in the tariff war.'
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tomb Sweeping Day and breakdancing in Congo: photos of the day
Relatives visit graves at Pok Fu Lam cemetery in Hong Kong, as people honour their ancestors during the annual Tomb Sweeping Day, known locally as Ching Ming or Qingming Photograph: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Miami international airport. Global stocks fell sharply and the US dollar hit a six-month low after Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs against the US's global trade partners Photograph: Kent Nishimura/Reuters People sleep under mosquito nets on the street in Mandalay following last week's 7.7-magnitude earthquake Photograph: Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Images Farmers pick tea leaves in Yuyao for the Qingming festival. They choose the very first tea sprouts, which are considered to be of high quality Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock People fish at Lake Victoria, in Kisumu, where the fishing industry has become an important source of income for residents Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock A breakdancer from the Congo Street collective performs at the Kituku market port in Goma. Drawing inspiration from breakdance and hip-hop, while incorporating their unique style, the collective transforms this space into a vibrant stage, captivating the audience with their energy and mastery of urban dance Photograph: Jospin Mwisha/AFP/Getty Images Germany's Pauline Alexandra Pfeif competes in the women's 10m platform preliminary during the World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2025 at Centre Acuatico Code Metropolitano in Guadalajara Photograph:Artists perform during the Lusail Sky festival as part of the Qatar Eid al-Fitr celebration Photograph: Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock Photograph:Craftsmen work on diamonds at a processing unit in Surat Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Snails are displayed to be sold on the side of a road in Sousse Photograph: Ons Abid/AP
South China Morning Post
03-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
What is the Cold Food Festival, celebrated before Ching Ming in memory of a loyal subject?
The largely forgotten Cold Food Festival, known in Mandarin as hanshi jie, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 105th day after the winter solstice. In 2025, this falls on April 4. Advertisement The festival began around the 7th century BC and was widely observed through the eating of cold food and avoidance of the use of fire. The tradition had faded by the Tang dynasty (AD618-907), when it was consolidated into the more well-known Ching Ming Festival As a result, not many in China observe the Cold Food Festival today, although it is still recognised in name. The Cold Food Festival occurs just before the Ching Ming Festival, or ' tomb sweeping ' day, which falls on the 15th day after the spring equinox. A woman sweeps a tomb during Ching Ming at Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing. Photo: AFP The Ching Ming Festival, a public holiday in Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau and Taiwan and celebrated by Chinese communities everywhere, is marked by the cleaning of ancestral tombs and the burning of incense and paper goods. The practice of eating cold food has carried over to the observance of Ching Ming.
