The wedding etiquette are quite impressive for me and as a mainland student, I feel so much connected with HK as I feel we share the same cultural traditions.In the modern age ,these etiquette are no longer rituals or rules which are bounded to follow,but some people still choose to follow these etiquette because they values the underlying spiritual legacy,such as family-oriented, one should always be grateful toward parents, harmony and tolerance are important for family life and so on.
HK is known that it enjoys a unique culture of east meet west.The western culture have permeated into every aspect of daily life such as language, religion,living habits, values systems and so on.It is interesting to note that the traditional Chinese culture is not overwhelmed by the western culture.Cultural integration is perfectly demonstrated through the wedding etiquette in HK. Hk embraces diversity and at the same time reserves traditions- the cultural root. The Indian,Malaysian Philippines immigrants also contribute to the cultural integration in HK. In my opinion, the unique of HK culture is that people are more tolerant toward diversities and this provides an excellent environment for artistic creation.The confliction of ideas also triggers critical thinking.
In a word,this field trip really make me consider more about the cultural identity of HK and offers me new perspectives.
On November 6th, I went to the Hong Kong Museum of History with my group members. Honestly speaking, what impressed me most is the story of the four ethnic groups in Hong Kong. From the information board, video and exhibitions of that period, I get a better picture of the rise and fall of those original residents, as well as their traditional customs and various identities as time goes by.
However, among these four ethnic groups, the Hakka People, or Boat Dwellers, have suffered huge controversy. Historically, the Hakka in Hong Kong were considered “outcasts”. In recent years, the population of Hakka has appeared a rapid decline and their traditional culture and language are under threat.
The book named “The Last Generation of The Hakka”, which describes the hardship and struggle of abandoning their traditional life style, has attracted attention. The Hakka once famous for floating villages and boat dwellers, but now flashy yachts have edged out the old boat families, and a ban on trawler fishing in the past years only accelerate the drift to dry land. In this book, Mr. Leung Siu-yung, a fisherman, and his son tell of their hardship, struggles, and hopes for the future.
Besides, the Hakka supplied their women as prostitutes to British sailors and assisted the British in their military actions around Hong Kong. The stereotype that Hakka women were prostitutes was quite common. Thereby, Tanka women were ostracized from the Cantonese community, and were nicknamed “salt water girls”.
However, facing the shift or even death of the Hakka Language, the attitude of the Hakka people towards this has been unexpectedly neutral. As mentioned earlier, the Hakka community was discriminated, and their language, might in fact be a symbol of discrimination too, thus, losing such language, in the sense of the Hakka, can be seen as losing the identity of being discriminated, thus they did not really feel pity towards it. Once I watched a video about the interview of the last generation of Hakka on Youtube. Like Uncle Wing, during the interview, he always emphasized that there was no difference between the Hakka and those people living onshore, and that the language they used was just the same as Cantonese. It is obvious that he is still afraid of being discriminated by others because of his identity and thus does not want to speak Hakka anymore.
Seemingly strange though, as an outsider, we still hope to treasure such unique culture and language of Hakka.
Hong Kong, a modern metropolis, always give people an impression of busy, formative and just like a concrete forest. It is seldom known that Hong Kong also has another aspect which is lively, unique and colorful.
Last week, our group went to Hong Kong History Museum to have a look at the real traditional Hong Kong living style. Among all the exhibitions, the folk culture in Hong Kong attracted us most. For instance, the dragon dance and lion dance on the Mid-autumn festival, the Cantonese opera and the special clothing and decorations of the traditional Hoklo and Hakka people. But what impressed me most was the “Lighting Lantern Festival”. It is a festival to welcome the new born sons of the village, which conveys an spirit of the parents and family’s love and care for the offspring.
In the ceremony, we can see some traditional handicrafts such as the paper lantern and people’s eating style for example Poon choi. These ancient culture were passed down along with the festival, although there are definitely lots of changes comparing to thousand years ago. For example, now more people tend to use the plastic festival lantern instead of the paper lantern. In my opinion, this is an expression of the development of people’s environmental awareness. Burning the paper lantern would pollute the air more or less and it is paper wasted, but plastic lantern can use for decades in the household, hence it is more environmental friendly, and the spirit of the ceremony can be expressed all the same.
Also, this ceremony gives me another thinking that today’s Hong Kong gives me an impression of equal and freedom, it is hard to imagine that traditionally there was still the inequality between female and male. The festival will hold only for the birth of boys. It seems that only boys are welcomed by the parents and ancestors. It recalls me that in traditional China, women were thought as belongings of men, they have really low social status, because it is commonly thought that girls will get married one day, they will not belong to the family that they were born, while boys always in this family and he can bring new members to this family, hence they were thought as the real host of a household.
No matter good or bad, the old culture and history are the core part of the nation’s spirit, we should acknowledge but not neglect. It’s glad to see that among all the visitors in Hong Kong History Museum, over half percent are foreigners, which is hardly seen in mainland museums. I saw a foreign couple took their children there, they were standing at the exhibition of traditional bridal sedan chair, the baby girl sang to the marriage music of the suona horn. The scene is so harmonious, it’s a combination of western and eastern as well as ancient, contemporary and even the future generation. I think it is a good way to broadcast traditional Chinese culture.
Last week, our group members went to Hong Kong museum of history. Before I came to this cosmopolitan city, all I could think of was related to shopping and various theme parks. And I even regarded the comment that Hong Kong is a culture desert as sensible. It seems that all workaholics turn into shopaholics once stepping onto this fantastic land. It was not until I became a student here that i changed my idea. Thus it’s obvious that if you really would catch a glimpse of the essence of a city, you should at least study or work there for a period of time. Simply traveling around sometimes may just render you fragments of memory or traces of so-called culture belonging to a specific city.
There was a great exhibition—The Story of Hong Kong in the underground floors. Walking through the galleries, exhibits displayed altogether make up a culture landscape, relating the history of Hong Kong traced back to the remote ancient times. Our group focused on the folk culture of Hong Kong this time. And my part is about the annual festive event of Cheung Chau.
Mentioning Cheung Chau, it is always a place of quietness and peacefulness. No vehicles or skyscrapers could you find here. Hardly could you experience congestion or rush in this wonderland. And the only means for you to get there is through ferry. A raft of westerners are attracted to buy houses in Cheung Chau to keep themselves away from pressure and annoying workloads. I even went there to see the beauty exclusive for Cheung Chau on 1st of October this year. There I came across a local teacher who graduated from the University of Hong Kong. She grew up here and chose to work here. She said Cheung Chau is such a place where you are likely to find the source of happiness.
There is just an occasion that Cheung Chau will be surrounded by bustling crowds. That is during the bun festival of Cheung Chau in the fourth lunar month each year. Cheung Chau is an island with the population of about 23,000. While during the festival, the number is not just doubled. It’s an ideal way for people to show their worship towards deities. And meat and slaughter are not allowed in the midst of celebrating. A lot of westerners choose to conform to this rule, even they admit they cannot live without meat. And there are various forms to observe in the three days, including lion dance, the Cantonese opera etc. All the people are immersed in merry atmosphere. And one foreigner told me what he enjoys most is to scramble for a lucky bun for its implication of peacefulness. For me, I am most interested in the parade, where you can find cute floating fairies acted by local children.
This festival is another typical example to illustrate that Hong Kong is such a city combining Asian beauty with exotic elegance. The cultural signals in its nature are intangible cultural heritage, calling for cherish, preservation and continuation.
Every year, in Xinjie district of Hong Kong, villiagers will hold Lighting Lantern Ceremony to welcome new born members who were born in the village the previous year. Usually, it begins at the 12th day of the Chinese Lunar year. The ceremony is to tell the ancestors of the new born sons. In Cantonese, the word “丁” a son has the similar pronunciation as the lantern. In the ceremony period, the family of the new born son will put up lanterns in the temple of the village and hold a banquet for all the village, and special food are selected to represent fortune and luck. Usually, “Poon choi” is the best dishes. And the name of the father and the baby were written on the register. Then transfer onto a red paper and for the distribution of plate of pork. At the 15th this month, closing lantern ceremony will be hold and the lantern will burned and sent to the ancestors.
Poon choi
also known as pun choi or Big Bowl Feast, is a traditional type of dish originating from Hong Kong village Cantonese Cuisine. It may also be found in different parts of Hong Kong. It is served in wooden,porcelain or metal basins due to its size and communal style of consumption.
It was said that Poon Choi was invented during the late Song Dynasty. When Mongol troops invaded Song China, the young Emperor fled to the area around Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. To serve the Emperor as well as his army, the locals collected all their best food available, cooked it and because there were not enough containers put the resulting dishes in wooden washbasins. In this way, Poon Choi was invented.[1]
In 2003, a million Poon Choi feast was held in the former Kai Tak airport. It opened 660 tables, seats 12 people per table, together with the staff a total of nearly ten thousand people participated. It broke the world record of the highest number of people gathered eating Poon Choi. ( Wikipedia )
Making of Poon choi
the village temple
the father and his new born son
putting up the lantern in the temple
ancestor worship
preparing the feast
The Traditional Paper Lantern
A Paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, although more complicated lanterns consist of a collapsible bamboos or metal frame of hoops covered with tough paper. Sometimes, other lanterns can be made out of colored silk (usually red) or vinyl. Silk lanterns are also collapsible with a metal expander and are decorated with Chinese characters and/or designs. The vinyl lanterns are more durable; they can resist rain, sunlight, and wind. Paper lanterns do not last very long, they soon break, and silk lanterns last longer. The gold paper on them will soon fade away to a pale white, and the red silk will become a mix between pink and red.( Wikipedia)
The making of Paper lantern
I was quite amazed because today’s Hong Kong gives me an impression of equal and freedom, it is hard to imagine that traditionally there was still the inequalitybetween female and male. The festival will hold only for the birth of boys. It seems that only boys are welcomed by the parents and ancestors. It recalls me that in traditional China, women were thought as belongings of men, they have really low social status, because it is commonly thought that girls will get married one day, they will not belong to the family that they were born, while boys always in this family and he can bring new members to this family, hence they were thought as the real host of a household.
No matter good or bad, the old culture and history are the core part of the nation’s spirit, we should acknowledge but not neglect. It’s glad to see that among all the visitors in Hong Kong History Museum, over half percent are foreigners, which is hardly seen in mainland museums. I saw a foreign couple took their children there, they were standing at the exhibition of traditional bridal sedan chair, the baby girl sang to the marriage music of the suona horn. I think it is a good way to broadcast traditional Chinese culture.
Cheung Chau is an outlying island situated to the southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is recognized as city dwellers’ paradise, with no skyscrapers, no vehicles. Hardly would it be disturbed by too fast life pace or congestion characterized in modern cities. However, this tranquil island is transformed into a hive of activity when the fascinating Bun Festival takes place in the fourth lunar month each year. The festival is Cheung Chau’s main claim to fame. Although it takes about an hour to get there by ferry, visitors are soaked in the atmosphere of a typical fishing village during the Bun Festival.
The festive activities of the Taiping Qingjiao ceremony has been held annually since the 19th century in Cheung Chau, including the bun mountains, the Cantonese Opera theatre, the colorful parade, the lion dance, and the Taoist altar, all combining to capture the colorful and bustling atmosphere of the ceremony.
During the festival, there is a tradition that the residents stop slaughtering and give up meat for three days. Most of the restaurants on the island serve only vegetarian foods in this period of fasting.
Watching videos of the grand festival, what impresses most is the big and small bun towers made of lucky buns, which are located in the playground outside the Pak Tai Temple. They are made to thank the deities and bring good luck to everyone. The race of snatching buns on the bun towers is really interesting and usually the most eye-catching. Tourists are also attracted to obtain the buns distributed for their implications of peacefulness. Nowadays, the ‘lucky bun’ has become the symbol of the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival.
The Cheung Chau Jiao Festival is inscribed onto the Third National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. More new elements are constantly infused into the festive activities by communities and groups. It’s really a wonderful way to deepen people’s interaction with nature and their history.
The fundamental religious rituals of the Hailufeng region are carried on, thus providing a sense of identity and continuity. On the other hand, it can also adapt to social and economic changes and unite different ethnic groups on the island. Taking in various cultural elements, such as Cantonese operas, lion dance, color floats, it brings into full play its creativity, and turns the traditions of Huizhou and Chaozhou people in Cheung Chau into an outstanding heritage.
Then we see the significance of preservation of this natural heritage. After watching the interview of the paper craft masters about the heritage of skills in making the folk craft, and interview of historians and experts about the need and ways of cultural conservation, we have a knowledge of means of conservation, including evaluation of videos, proposal of cultural heritage conservation, and design of pamphlet, through which we have access to introducing the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, selecting a theme which shows the characteristics of the festival and its nature as an “intangible cultural heritage”, and describing the related cultural experiences during the Festival, altogether to reveal its nature as an intangible cultural heritage.
Red is favorite for Chinese people for festivals on special occasions as it is considered lucky as well as keeping the evil spirits away. So you will find the bride and groom wear in red in their wedding ceremonies. The traditional Chinese wedding dress preferred by HK people is usually a one-piece frock named Qipao, embroidered with elaborate dragon,phoenix and flower.
It is interesting to note that new couples typically decorate their homes with the character Xi.This character is symmetrical,with two halves of the standard Chinese character Xi for happiness, it represents the wishes for the two young newlyweds to have a happy and everlasting marriage. The double happiness graph (pronounced “shuang-hsi” in Mandarin) is a special Chinese character used only for weddings in stead of regular Chinese writing or printing.
The tea ceremony and the wedding gifts for the new couple
The tea ceremony is one of the most significant part reserved from a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony.The order of service usually starts from parents,grandparents,grand-uncles and grand-aunties,uncles and aunties to elder brothers and sisters within each generation, dad’s relatives are served before mum’s relatives.
After having the tea, the wedding gifts for the bride and groom will be presented on the serving plate.The gifts are usually red packets or jewellery.Some relatives prefer the bride and groom to wear the jewellery gifts immediately and will even put it on for them.With generous relatives, you may look like a Christmas tree after the tea ceremony!
The symbol of happy marriage
It is interesting to note that new couples typically decorate their homes with the character Xi.This character is symmetrical,with two halves of the standard Chinese character Xi for happiness, it represents the wishes for the two young newlyweds to have a happy and everlasting marriage. The double happiness graph (pronounced “shuang-hsi” in Mandarin) is a special Chinese character used only for weddings in stead of regular Chinese writing or printing
.
Western Style Church Ceremony
Once was British colony,HK was greatly influenced by the British culture and religion. A western style church ceremony was also of great popularity.The ceremony also involves exchanging wedding vows and wedding rings.
Modern Ceremony- A mixed style of east and west
Nowadays, the younger generation are more flexible at designing their own wedding ceremonies.They adopted a mixed style of east meet west.With the help of modern facilities,people developed their own ceremony creatively. A wedding ceremony on the Victoria Bay and be one of the most memorable experience in one’s life. As time goes on, new forms of ettiques and ceremonies may take place,but the commitments of the new couples never change as well as the best wishes from their relatives.
Since mid-nineteenth century, many residents from coastal provinces in China have moved to Hong Kong, with pursuits to escape from war or famine. There were mainly four ethnic groups that settled in Hong Kong prior to the arrival of the British: the Punti, the Tanka people or Boat Dweller , the Hakka and the Hoklo.
The Punti
The Punti is a Cantonese term, referring to the “original resident” who mainly came from Guangdong province in southern China. They are contrasted with the Hakka, another Han Chinese linguistic group, who settled in Hong Kong after the Punti peoples. “The Great Five Clans — the Hau, Tang ,Pang, Liu, and Man — were among the earliest recorded familial settlers of Hong Kong.” Although there was a light development of agriculture since they arrived in Hong Kong, the area was still relatively barren and the Punti mainly relied on salt, pearl and fishery trades. Nowadays, the Punti has become a commonly used term in Hong Kong authorities, especially in law courts.
The Tanka people, whose origins can be traced back to the native ethnic minorities of southern China, usually took refuge on the sea and gradually assimilated into Han culture. However, Tanka have preserved their own traditions that are quiet different from Han Chinese culture. Nowadays, these boat dwellers are referred to “on-water people” in China. Actually, there is no standardized English translation of this term. Until 1999, Dr. Lee of The University of Hong Kong proposed the term “Boat Dwellers” and it has been adopted by the Hong Kong Museum of History for its permanent exhibition. Historically, the Tanka in Hong Kong were considered “outcasts”. The book below is quite famous and it provides a vivid picture of the current situation of the Tanka people.
The Hakka people is also considered to have a close link with the coastal provinces in China, such as Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian and so on. Although the majority of the Hakka lived in Guangdong, they had a completely different traditions and identities from Cantonese people. It is said that Hakka communities have arrived in the Hong Kong after the rescinding of the coastal evacuation order in 1688. The traditional occupations of Hakka families is farming and cultivation. Traditionally, Hakka women focus on the farming while men sought labouring jobs in the cities or even abroad, so the rural Hakka population began to decline rapidly from the end of 19th century, as well as the agriculture. Today, we still can see some Hakka villages around Hong Kong and many of their inhabitants have moved to the post war new towns like Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Sha Tin and further afield.
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people, whose origines can be tranced back to the southern Fujian of South China. People usually call then Min-nan people or Hokkien Lang. Although Hoklo is one of the four major ethnic groups of Hongkong in the early years, there is less written records saved because of the relatively low cultural level. As showed below, rowing dragon boat on the land is a traditional wedding ceremony.
Hong Kong, a modern metropolis, always give people an impression of busy, formative and just like a concrete forest. It is seldom known that Hong Kong also has another aspect which is lively, unique and colorful. Last week, our group went to Hong Kong History Museum to have a look at the real traditional Hong Kong living style. Among all the exhibitions, the folk culture in Hong Kong attracted us most. For instance, the dragon dance and lion dance on the Mid-autumn festival, the Cantonese opera and the special clothing and decorations of the traditional Hoklo and Hakka people. But what impressed me most was the “Lighting Lantern Festival”.Here I will introduce some typical children’s clothing and decoration and then about the “Lighting Lantern Festival”.
Children
Clothing and Decoration
a) Hoklo Children
Necklace with enamel look on the shape of a butterfly. Metal charms in auspicious styles are attached to the necklace to protect the child from demons and other evils.
![ep03-08[1]](https://foreveraimama.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ep03-081.jpg)
The Story of Hong Kong 
