Hong Kong: Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮

I've been fascinated by the Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮 ever since my first visit to Hong Kong in 1991. It was one of the festivals Hong Kong promoted in their brochures which I read intently after that trip. But I was too young to explore on my own then. Plus I had to coincide a trip with the festival if I wanted to see it since it happens only once a year, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

So it was a pleasant surprise, after gathering brochures at the HK airport upon our arrival last week, that the Cheung Chau Bun Festival was the next day! There was another festival parade in the morning celebrating the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕. The parade in Cheung Chau was right after lunch so I decided to visit both.


After Shau Kei Wan, I rushed over to Central to catch the ferry to Cheung Chau from Central Pier 5. The ferry terminals are quite a walk from the MTR station. Anyway, when I got there, I was shocked to see literally thousands of people in line.

What the heck! I was already there. And I didn't know when I would have the chance to visit again on the festival day. So I joined the line which was moving inch by inch. It was a mad rush of visitors to Cheung Chau! That's why the tourist information desk advised me to be in Cheung Chau before 11 a.m.

The fast craft takes about 30 minutes and costs HK$32.20 on public holidays. When I arrived in Cheung Chau, the parade-in-the-air was making its way down the main road. But with so many people, it was really difficult to navigate the parade route or even take decent photos for that matter.

It is said that the festival traces its origins to a plague on the island hundreds of years ago. The villagers of Cheung Chau disguised themselves as deities to scare away the evil spirits responsible for the plague.



Aside from the staple lion dances and dragon dances we see in many Chinese celebrations, this parade is called parade-in-the-air because of the heavily made up children dressed as mythological figures and modern Chinese heroes who are suspended above the crowd on the tips of swords, paper fans and other items. It's actually an illusion because the children are secured by steel frames, an intricate system of rod and wires underneath their clothing, making it appear that they are gliding through the air. It is said that parents consider it a great honor for their kids to be part of the parade.


Kung fu club members, Taoist priests in traditional attire and ensembles with gongs, drums and other musical instruments join the parade that makes its way around the narrow streets of the island.

Of course, my visit would not be complete if I did not see the bun towers. So I walked towards the Pak Tai Temple where the bun mountains or bun towers were located. There are three giant 60-feet bamboo towers covered with buns. One of the events of the festival is the bun-snatching race at midnight. Young men would race up the towers and get as many buns as they could. The higher the buns, the better fortune for the participant's family.


After an accident in 1978 where one of the bun towers collapsed, the government stopped the bun-snatching tradition. It was reintroduced in 2005 with safety measures put into place including a separate steel bun mountain structure and mountain-climbing equipment for the 12 well-trained athletes selected for the activity.

Anyway, I didn't stay too long since I knew that the crowd would all rush back to Central after the parade. So I wiggled my way back to the ferry terminal. I was in line for quite a while. As I boarded the ferry, I could see the line outside the building stretch back really far. Thank God I decided to leave early or I would have missed catching up with my family in Hong Kong Disneyland.

If you do plan to visit the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, here are some tips:
1. With the mammoth crowd that visits Cheung Chau during the festival, it's best to join a guided tour since they take the group on a private boat (so no lines at the ferry terminal) and you get to watch the parade at the official grandstand. Contact the Hong Kong Tourism Board to inquire about the tours. It's not cheap at HK$640 (2010 tour fee). But you basically pay for comfort and convenience.
2. If you want to explore on your own and have time and funds to spare, then book a stay for a night or two in Cheung Chau. At least you also get to witness the bun-snatching competition at midnight and don't join the crowds on the ferry.
3. But if you're on a tight budget or schedule, just make sure you're in Cheung Chau as early as possible (before lunch) to avoid the crowds. It's a good thing the Hong Kong Tourism Board prepares a Hong Kong Cultural Celebrations Activities Guide which lists down the schedule of events and activities of the various festivals held in May.

Hong Kong: Birthday of Tam Kung Festival 譚公誕 at Shau Kei Wan

Speaking of festivals, I was lucky that three major Hong Kong festivals coincided with our trip. The Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮, Birthday of Lord Buddha 佛誕, and the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕 all fall on the same day, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which was May 21 this year. I was able to visit two of them.

While my family was making their way to Hong Kong Disneyland, I took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan, where the Tam Kung Temple is located, to watch the procession that celebrates the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕.



Tam Kung is a very respected deity among the fishermen and boat people of Hong Kong. He is associated with safety at sea. He was said to have blessed seafarers during the Yuan Dynasty and was known for his weather forecasting and curing diseases.



The procession to the temple, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, includes people dressed as gods in Chinese fairy tales, drums and gongs, lion, unicorn and dragon dances, food offerings and fa pau (or paper floral shrines).

Macau: A-Ma Festival and Chinese opera at A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟

The A-Ma Festival was celebrated this year on May 6, the day we arrived in Macau. It falls on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar. We may have missed the festival day itself. But the festivities continued until May 8.


According to historical accounts, the A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟 (Temple of Barra) was said to be the point where Portuguese sailors first landed in Macau, thus starting centuries of cultural and economic exchange between China and Europe. The temple is among the historical structures inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historical Centre of Macao.

It is also said that the name Macau come from A-Ma Gau which means Bay of A-Ma. The main prayer hall is dedicated to the Tin Hau 天后 goddess or Matsu 媽祖, the patroness of seafarers and fishermen, a Taoist deity which the locals refer to as A-Ma. But the temple has shrines to other deities from Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism which is an exemplary representation of Chinese popular religion which integrates all three.



As part of the A-Ma Festival, there were five days of Chinese opera (May 4 to 8) in a specially-constructed bamboo shed. We were lucky to be given access to the dressing room behind the stage where the actors were silently preparing and practicing their lines. The group performing came all the way from Guandong Province. We stayed for a while to catch parts of the performance, but not too long since it was hot and humid plus we had a schedule to follow.


Outside the temple, in Barra Square, a lion dance performance was taking place which happens every Saturday afternoon of May, organized by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The next morning, when we returned to the A-Ma Temple, we caught the Portuguese dance performance in Barra Square at noon, also organized by the MGTO for all the Sundays of May.

Macau: Antonio Restaurante (Taipa), Miramar (Coloane), Clube Militar de Macau and more Portuguese restaurants in Macau

Who said you need to fly to Portugal to have a taste of authentic Portuguese food? Macau being a former Portuguese colony, is a haven for Portuguese cuisine. To add, it has a healthy community of expat Tugas who own many of the Portuguese restaurants.


For our second night, we had dinner at Miramar Portuguese Food in Coloane Island. The restaurant is by the beach and has both indoor and outdoor dining. Our dinner included Sonhos de Bacalhau (Codfish Dreams) HK$/MOP37, Rissois de Camarao (Shrimp Rissois) HK$/MOP40, Bacalhau Assado na Brasa (Steamed Salt Codfish served with Boiled Potato, Chick Peas, Eggs and Cabbage) HK$/MOP148, Frango Assado no Carvao com Batata Frita e Salada (Barbecued Chicken with French Fries and Salad) HK$/MOP120, and the highlight of the night Perna de Carneiro Assada no Forno con Batata Assada (Oven-cooked Leg of Lamb with Roast Potatoes) HK$/MOP298. I personally like the Barbecued Chicken and Leg of Lamb which comes with a special mint sauce on the side.

We even had Portuguese beer, vinho verde branco and brandy to go with our dinner. The owner, Antonio Peralta, was a very gracious host. While behind the success of the kitchen is Afro-Portuguese chef Rosa Maria Conceicao.


For our third night, we had dinner at the Michelin-recommended Antonio Restaurante on Taipa Island. It's a really small but cozy restaurant in Taipa's old quarter. We actually joined Chef Antonio Coelho in the morning at Macau's Red Market as he shopped for the freshest ingredients for our dinner.

That evening, we had Presunto Portugues Pata Negra ("Pata Negra" Portuguese Smoked Ham) HK$/MOP255 for starters. Then he served us something not in the menu, Camarao con Quejo (Prawn Cocktail with Spicy Cow Cheese from Azores). You can actually ask Chef Antonio to prepare dishes that are not in the menu as many of his regulars do.


Then came in the Arroz de Marisco a "Antonio" Servido em Tacho de Barro (Seafood Rice "Antonio" Style Served in a Ceramic Pot) HK$/MOP400 and the Secretos de Porco Preto Grelhados no Carvao com Batata Frita e Salada Mista (Black Pork Fillets imported from Portugal on Charcoal Barbecue with French Fries and Salad) HK$/MOP170. Again, lots of Portuguese red and white wine and champagne to accompany the dishes. Chef Antonio even showed us how to open a champagne bottle with a sword.



Finally, for our Day 4 lunch, we tried out the Sunday buffet at Clube Militar de Macau 澳門陸軍俱樂部. Of course, the highlight of their regular Sunday buffet is the Cozido à Portuguesa which is a stew made of assorted meat including pork, chicken, and beef boiled with assorted vegetables and Portuguese sausages which include chouriço (pork sausage), morcela (blood sausage) and farinheira (flour sausage), which you eat with rice and boiled potatoes.

The buffet, which includes Bufete de Salada (salad buffet), Sopa de Cozido (meat broth soup) and the Cozido à Portuguesa, plus Bufete de Sobremesas (dessert buffet) costs HK$/MOP128 per head, not bad for a really heavy meal.

Portuguese Restaurants in Macau
Here is a list of recommended Portuguese restaurants in Macau. Make sure you request your hotel concierge to reserve your table. And do arrive at the restaurant on time because Macau restaurants are usually very full and busy.

Also ask the concierge to write the Chinese name of the restaurant for the taxi driver. Some restaurants are in Taipa and Coloane, so the taxis will be more expensive. Buses are also available.

Macau red and white wines are excellent and reasonably priced, so order some to go with your meal. All the restaurants have Filipinos with their staff which we experienced first hand. Feel free to ask them for suggestions on their specialties and on moderately-priced good wines.

A Lorcha
Rua Almitante Sergio No. 289, Macau
Tel. +853 28313193

Note: Also serves Macanese cuisine. Try out their Grilled Prawns with Garlic, Stewed Oxtail, Clams (Lorcha Style), Steamed Crab, Feiojada (Pork and Bean Stew), Spicy Charcoal Grilled Chicken, and Mixed Seafood Rice (Portuguese Style)

Antonio Restaurante
Rua dos Negociantes No.3, Taipa, Macau,
Tel. +853 28999998

Camoes Restaurant
Shop 101, Lisbon-Evora, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf
Tel. +853 28728818

Clube Militar de Macau
Av. da Praia Grande, 975
Tel. +853 28714000

Restaurante Escada
Rua de Se Nº 8, Macau (Leal Senado Square)
Tel. +853 28966900 / 28389229

Note: Also serves Macanese cuisine. Try out their Portuguese Homemade Soup, Cod Fish Cake, Hot Spicy Sardine, Clam with Lemon, Curry King Prawn, Codfish with Cream, Bitioque (Portuguese steak with white wine and garlic sauce) and Portuguese desserts

Espaco Lisboa
Rua das Gaivotas, Coloane
Tel. +853 28882226

Note: Try out their Pata Negra (Portuguese Superior Ham), Special Portuguese Sausage “An Flambe,” Traditional Portuguese Duck Rice, Prawns with Garlic Sauce, Salad de Bacalhau com Grao (Codfish salad with Beans), Cochinillo, and Baked Bacalhau (with cream, potatoes and bread crumbs)

Fernando’s
09 Praia De Hac Sa, Coloane
Tel. +853 28882531

Note: Try out their Cochinillo, all seafood items on the menu and Fresh Salad

Miramar
Zona Norte da Praia de Hác Sá
(near Westin Resort)
Tel. +853 28882623 / 28882601

O Manel
Rua Fernao Mendes Pinto, No. 90, Taipa
Tel. +853 28827571

Note: O Manel is small but the food is super delicious. You may have to wait in line, even if you have a reservation. Try out their Clams with Lemon & Garlic Sauce, Torresmos (Crisp Fried Pork Strips), Grilled Spareribs, Grilled Sardines, Grilled Bacalhau, Grilled Bass, Favas (Pork and Bean Casserole), Fresh Vegetable Salad, Octopus Rice, Grilled Chorizos and Baked Apple for dessert

O Santos Restaurant
No. 20, Rua de Cunha, Taipa Island

Ristorante Platao
Travessa de S. Domingos No. 3, r/c B, Edf. Jardim Lok Va,
(the side street where McDonalds is in Leal Senado)
Tel. +853 28331818

Vela Latina Restaurant
201 Avenida Almeida Ribeiro
Tel. +853 28356888

Transferring old houses violates international conservation principles

It seems transferring old houses is becoming a fad nowadays. I'd like to stress, especially to those who claim they are preserving an old house by moving it, that transferring heritage violates internationally-accepted conservation principles.

The Philippines is a signatory to the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites or the Venice Charter. Article 6 of the Venice Charter says, "The conservation of a monument implies preserving a setting which is not out of scale. Wherever the traditional setting exists, it must be kept. No new construction, demolition or modification which would alter the relations of mass and color must be allowed."

Article 7 of the same document states, "A monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears witness and from the setting in which it occurs. The moving of all or part of a monument cannot be allowed except where the safeguarding of that monument demands it or where it is justified by national or international interest of paramount importance."

It is best to preserve heritage in situ. Each structure is part of the historical fabric of the community where it is located. Uprooting it from where it stands deprives the local community of its heritage. Transferring it to another place renders it out of context and distorts its story.

If transferring it is the only means of saving it, then so be it. But such transfer must be done with certain prerequisites including the proper architectural documentation of the house, and the supervision of a qualified restoration architect.

But for people with the collector mentality who treat old houses like collector's items (which they are not), that is a different story. We are against the poaching of old houses by collectors and antique dealers who force, bait or tempt with monetary compensation house owners to sell their ancestral homes.

The best example of such a violation was the transfer of the Enriquez Mansion to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan because the said mansion was not in danger of being demolished in the first place! At the same time, after the house was transferred, they built a ten-floor building in its place, thus destroying even more the historical fabric of Hidalgo Street in Quiapo, Manila. Now is that what you call love for heritage? That's why to date, I have never stepped foot in the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar until they realize that shopping for heritage houses does not help in the preservation of heritage.

With Republic Act No. 10066 - National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 which took effect on May 6, 2010, all structures fifty years and older are presumed to be Important Cultural Properties unless otherwise declared by the NCCA. That includes old houses built before 1960. So therefore, demolishing or transferring an old house now requires the permission of the NCCA. As part of the process, the owner must prove that the heritage house in question is not archaeologically, architecturally, culturally or historically significant before approval is made for the demolition or transfer.