Explore Unique Hong Kong Cultural Experience Through Art
5 Mins Read
Hong Kong is a modern city full of cultural heritage. While new technologies and modern inventions bring a lot of convenience to our daily life, many of the traditional and cultural activities are still being appreciated and valued by many locals and tourists. In this blog post we would like to share with you some of these unique cultural experience in Hong Kong. Whether you are living in Hong Kong long term, for the time being or just visiting for a few days, you may probably have these unique cultural experiences on your list to try. Let’s kick start our Hong Kong cultural experience journey together through Art!
Star Ferry
Star Ferry is a well-known transport in Hong Kong that has been taking us from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon or vice versa for over a century. The double deck design and the use of the colour green have made this a beloved icon in the city. To enjoy this unique cultural experience, simply hop onto one of the star ferries at the pier in Central on Hong Kong Island or Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon and enjoy the gorgeous Victoria harbour view along the journey. The ferry ride crossing at Victoria Harbour has also been named by National Geographic as one of the 50 places of a lifetime.
If you would like to enjoy this cultural experience in a unique way or organise a special celebration, Star Ferry also offers private rentals where you can host a party and enjoy this cultural experience together with your family and friends. On top of the Classic Ferry that most people are familiar with, they also have three specially designed Star Ferries named Word Star, Shining Star and Meridian Star. The signature double-deck ferry in the colour green remains unchanged for them with stylishly designed inner decks that offer room for social gatherings and comfortable sofa seats for resting in.
Ding Ding
Did you know Ding Dings also known as Hong Kong Trams have been traversing on Hong Kong Island since 1904? These double decker trams are not only a public transport for many people in Hong Kong, they are a a true Hong Kong cultural experience where passengers can enjoy the street view during a journey. Ding Ding was named after the sound that the tram makes for alerting people on the street to stay away from the tramways when they are moving. The Ding Ding goes from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan or vice versa. You can enjoy this cultural experience is a varied way, the easiest way would be to simply hop onto one of the ding dings at the tram station and enjoy the journey. The only thing you need to decide on is which direction you would like the tram to take you to.
If you are looking to learn more about this cultural experience, the Hong Kong Tramways host a one hour tram tour where you can learn more about old Hong Kong and the history of Ding Ding. And if you are looking for a memorable celebration, they also offer Party Tram rental for you and your friends to enjoy this unique cultural experience.
Dragon Boat
Dragon boat festival also known as the Tuen Ng Festival happens on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year. It is a festival hosted in honour of Qu Yuan, who was a Chinese poet a long time ago. Qu was believed to be a very loyal talent to the emperor at that time however he was misunderstood by the emperor and forced to return to his home village. Qu felt that he was misjudged and decided to jump down the river and took his own life in 278BC. The villagers had high respect for Qu and did not want fishes to destroy Qu’s body so they threw rice wrapped with bamboo leaves in the river to feed the fishes and make loud drum noises on dragon boats; hoping the drum noises and the look of the dragons would scare away the fishes.
Today, many people in Hong Kong still celebrate Tuen Ng Festival and carry some of the traditions. Family and friends would gather and eat rice dumplings wrapped with bamboo leaves on this day and dragon boat races are hosted on that day in celebration of the festival. The Dragon boat race has now become an activity that attracts different groups and organisations to participate in as a group sport. Dragon boat sport is not only popular in Asia but also across the world. It is now under consideration as an Olympic sport.
Red Lantern
There are many traditions in Hong Kong especially when it comes to traditional festivals. Hanging red lanterns is one of them. Many people believe red lanterns symbolise good luck and good fortune, and the colour red on its own symbolises happiness and prosperity so you will always find red lanterns hung up during big celebrations or festivals such as during Lunar New Year. Red lantern decorations are loved by many business owners so you may also find them hung up in restaurants or store fronts all year round.
Mahjong
Travel Mahjong City (HK Smart Design Award) - North Point, Sai Kung, Southside, Tung Chung by Karen Aruba Art
Mahjong are a type of traditional craftsmanship and considered an intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. It is a tile-based game consisting of 144 tiles made up of Chinese characters and symbols. There are some variations when it comes to game rules in different cities, in general it is a game designed for four players to enjoy around a square shaped table where each player sits on one side and shuttles the tiles on the table together whenever the game begins. Each person will start with a set of 13 titles where they take turns to draw and remove titles until they form a set of 14 titles that score points for winning the game based on the rules.
Mahjong is a game that was first introduced to the market back in the Qing dynasty and it is still a popular game till date. While Mahjong can be a game for gambling, it is more of an entertainment for many people and a leisure activity during family or friends’ gathering. Just like many other gambling games, the game itself doesn’t necessarily need to involve money. Players enjoy the fun throughout the game and score points for the winner. Hand-carved Mahjong tiles are also appreciated as a type of art and craftsmanship in recent years as the skill of hand-carving tiles is now hardly found in the market with the increased supply of machine-made titles.
Thank you for being an appreciative reader as always. What are some of your favourite cultural experiences in Hong Kong? If you enjoyed reading this blog post, please share it with your family and friends. Thank you and we will be sharing with you stories of craftsmanship and culture again very soon. Until then, take care.
Sources: Discover Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tramway, Star Ferry, Wikipedia
June 2020
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The Qraftie blog aims to provide you stories related to craftsmanship, culture and lifestyle around Hong Kong.
