North of Hong Kong lie the New Territories, a large area of open land not heavily built upon – in fact protected in country parks.To get there meant a drive along the highways through Kowloon and out along a pleasant coastal road around Plover Cove Reservoir. The aim was a walk via Bridal Pools to the small village of Wu Kan Tang and up into the hills around. Wu Kan Tang rests in a relatively lush green valley within the Plover Cove Country Park, a stark contrast from the high-rise tower blocks for Hong Kong. The area itself is a popular holiday destination for the city dwellers as it provides a chance to escape the bustle and mayhem of city living for a day. There were quite a few people out and about but everyone you pass seemed so welcoming and genuine its not something you really minded at all! The paths, as yesterday, were not hard going but the humidity and head were both fairly high, you just get used to a film of sweat and keep moving. Above the village a clearing had been made allowing views in most directions and across Starling Inlet towards mainland China. After the walk a quick boost came in the form of some interesting local cuisine at a bustling eatery in Shuen Wan, it was great to sample something fresh and local, and entirely new!
Today (Monday) is a national holiday known as ‘Autumn Remembrance’, I’ve also heard it referred to as ‘Ancestor day’, it originates from the Han Dynasty. the story goes that a Scholar called Woon was told by a sage to take his family to a high place on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and spend the night there. Upon return to his village every living thing had died, the sage had saved the Woon family’s lives. Although few will spend the night at the top of a mountain many will walk up to somewhere elevated, often combining this with a visit to ancestral graves normally kept on higher grounds. On the walk over Lantau Peak yesterday there were lots of people heading up quite late in the day, it is possible they did spend the night up there in light of this event.
In the evening I headed out along Queens Road West to see the shops, this area is west of the main touristy section, beyond the Man Mo temple, and the shops are less about trying to attract the unknowing passer by but more to sell what people actually want, I saw no other western looking faces whilst I was in this part of town. Hanging outside several shops were objects made of paper, these ranged from violins, cars, computers, planes, dogs, horses, anything you could think of really and all in connection with the national holiday of remembrance. Family members would take these to graves and burn them as well as Hell Money for their deceased relatives. I walked on, passing shops with tanks of live fish waiting to be plucked out, racks of crabs on skewers ready to eat, stores with shelves of dried goods for use as traditional medicines – from dog livers to shark fins (and worse) it was all there – but not feeling the need to cure any sort of ailment with what they had on offer I wandered on. Plus I’m sure by simply standing near the entrance and inhaling deeply it was enough to get a heady concoction of some potent hallucinogen! Brightly lit neon signs and the buzz of traffic led me back to the MTR (very efficient underground) and home to the east. One thing I’m quickly realising is urban photography is very different from the sort I usually do…certainly not the sort of place to set down the tripod and set about arranging a shot, that said I’m enjoying the challenge in this wonderfully diverse place.
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