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Father and daughter looking out on a harbour of fishing craft, Cheung Chau Island. Image: Mike Smith. |
Real buns decorated near the tower, Cheung Chau Island. |
POSTED: 19 JUNE 2011 Destination: Cheung Chau Island MIKE SMITH discovers that even bustling Hong Kong's quieter side really comes alive for one day of the year. With all its excitement and vibrancy, bustling Hong Kong — with its harbour and skyscraping financial towers — remains hot property on the world stage. And it doesn’t just relate to real estate, where the purchase of a tiny 20th-floor single-room apartment can set you what resembles a telephone number. As a holiday destination, Hong Kong has long been on the traveller’s radar for its bargain shopping, many dining options, fashionable late night bars and some of the world’s most lavish international hotels. And those characteristics remain impressive. After a day mingling with the crowds, an evening walk along the waterfront of Kowloon can be rewarded with a colourfully spectacular sound-and-laser-light show further highlighting the neon-lit buildings on Hong Kong Island. For sports fans, there’s the horse racing at Happy Valley or Sha Tin in the New Territories, the annual Rugby Sevens tournament and, in June, the traditional action of dragon-boat races. For families, there’s also the excitement of Disneyland on outlying Lantau Island (home of today’s international airport), an extended multi-award-winning Ocean Park on Hong Kong Island and the mandatory ride on the Peak Tram, also on Hong Kong Island, for a bird’s eye view of the harbour and stream of ships. The 1997 handover from the British rule to the Chinese has not hindered the city’s growth and ability to excite visitors. Yes, some will say Hong Kong 2011-style is as pulsating as ever ... a city that never sleeps. And it’s hard to disagree. But, for those looking for a quieter side to this major Asian seaport — population seven million — there’s the tiny outlying island of Cheung Chau, 10 kilometres south-west of Hong Kong and about 30-45 minutes by ferry. Unlike the soaring skyline for which Hong Kong is renowned, Cheung Chau’s main centre is a mix of small rickety waterfront shops and two-storey homes, a fishing village which locals say has grown into a town. The change of pace is dramatic, especially on weekdays when the numbers of visitors are few and many of the island’s 30,000 residents are out fishing or working in Hong Kong. It’s not surprising to hear that this island, which measures no more than 2.5 square kilometres and, to an overhead seagull, resembles a skeletal leg and foot, was once a hideout for notorious pirates. Today’s guests also see the island as a sanctuary for its beaches, tiny centuries-old temples, eateries, novelty stores, easy walking trails and hidden coves. From the moment you step from the ferry on to the pier you feel at ease, where dining on fresh seafood at one of the waterfront restaurants is almost exclusively yours while admiring a small harbour dotted with fishing craft, some old, some new. There are small temples such as Pak Tai (the oldest on the island), Pak She Tin Hau and 1813-built Hung Shing to visit. As to the beaches, Tun Wan and Kwun Yam Wan (Afternoon Beach) are the most popular stretches, especially on weekends when the wind is at its briskest and windsurfing is the craze. You may want to visit the so-called cave and hiding spot of a famous 19th-century pirate, Cheung Po Tsai, who was once in control of 600 junks and an army of 4000 men. The rock carvings near the island’s Tung Wan Beach are declared monuments of Hong Kong. And the good news is that you can see them with the madding crowds of Hong Kong left behind. For one day of the year, however, the locals of Cheung Chau turn on a religious street party, baking bread to celebrate and, ultimately, make bread of a different kind — at the cash registers. This special day is usually in early May — on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar — and the quaint isle bursts at the seams to cater for the 50,000-plus crowd of “mainland invaders” and offer all the trimmings of a Bun Festival. It is a day where countless rolls are baked — and stamped — to create towers, as well as be consumed. A steady flow of guests ultimately transforms the normally sleepy fishing village into what is seemingly organised chaos — including a procession of lion and dragon dancers and marching bands. As part of the parade, young children are colourfully dressed as legendary and modern heroes, appearing to glide through the air hoisted above the procession, albeit supported by hidden poles. At midnight, a select group of men is urged to climb a steel-constructed tower to snatch buns and fill bags. “Originally, the towers were made of bamboo and involved hundreds of climbers but an accident a few years ago stopped the activity,” informed Michael, our astute local guide from the Hong Kong Tourist Board. Fortunately, the challenge returned in 2005, but is restricted to a handful of climbers. Nonetheless, it remains an eye-catching spectacle, if you have the energy to remain until then. Legend of the climb dates back generations when it was said that every year in May villagers on the island must keep to a vegetarian diet for at least three days, the final day being that of the Bun Festival procession. When the clock struck midnight, hundreds of young men would hurry up three towers decorated in buns, put the rolls in a bag or spray them over the crowd of onlookers. Sadly, tragedy struck in 1978 when one of the bamboo structures bent under the weight of the buns and climbers. Today’s climbers are equipped in mountaineering gear and restricted in number. And the buns on a now single tower are artificial, yet other smaller towers display the real rolls. The festival is considered the most famous of Da Jiu festivals — Taoist ceremonies which are also held by mostly rural communities in Hong Kong, either annually or at set intervals of up to 60 years (in line with the Chinese astrological calendar). Records show the creation of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival dates back to the 18th century when the island was devastated by a plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought in an image of the water god Pak Tai. It is said that this deity drove away evil spirits by being paraded through the narrow streets and lanes. Many of the Bun Festival’s activities also centre on the historic Temple of the Jade Vacuity, which was built in dedication to Pak Tai. DISCLOSURE: Mike Smith was a guest of the Hong Kong Tourist Board, flying Cathay Pacific and staying at the Mira Hong Kong in Kowloon. FACT FILE: Getting there: Cathay Pacific has almost 80 flights each week between Australian mainland capitals and Hong Kong. They include four a day from Sydney and three from Melbourne. Special fares are often available at Cathay Pacific. See your travel agent or visit www.cathaypacific.com.au. Tto reach Cheung Chau from Hong Kong Island takes between 30 and 40 minutes by ferry. Stay and dine: Mira Hong Kong, Nathan Rd, Tsim Tsui, Kowloon, formerly the Miramar Hotel. This contemporarily redesigned and reinvented upscale centrally located hotel (492 elegant rooms and suites) thrives on winning awards — and for good reason. It has plenty to show off, from the overall design of architect Edmond Wong and interior designs of lifestyle guru Colin Cowie, to a lavish day spa and a prized collection of restaurants, including two-Michelin-starred Cuisine Cuisine, which serves modern Cantonese delicacies. Details, www.themirahotel.com. Festival: Cheung Chau Bun Festival, normally held in early May. Family suggestions: Ocean Park, multi-award winning theme park on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. The waterfront and summit areas are connected by cable cars and the Ocean Express tunnel funicular system. Began as an aquarium but has grown into a fully fledged educational – and entertaining – park with giant pandas and red pandas among the star attractions. Admission is $HK250 (about $A31) an adult and $HK125 ($A15.50) a child. Details, www.oceanpark.com.hk. Details: Hong Kong Tourist Board, 1300 886610 or (02) 9283 3083, www.discoverhongkong.com. |
Above and below: Bun Festival children, Cheung Chau Island.
Red pandas at Ocean Park, Hong Kong Island.
Bun Festival tower, Cheung Chau Island.
Two-Michelin-star Cuisine Cuisine restaurant at Mira Hong Kong Hotel, Kowloon.
Ocean Park and its gondola ride. |
Dragon dancing on Cheung Chau Island. |
Ferry leaving Hong Kong Island bound for Cheung Chau. |
