Week 2 - Cultural (04/02/12)

This second week of our international exchange seems to have absolutely flown in but we have had many opportunities to experience more of the Chinese culture and gain an insight into the way of life in this beautiful country, as well as developing our friendships with the other international and home students of HKIEd. 

As soon as we arrived in Hong Kong, it was obvious that the culture of this land was completely contrasting to that which we experience in Northern Ireland. Of course there are some things which are familiar to us, i.e. Heinz tomato soup and Mars bars etc. but they come at a very high price and so the majority of the things that we are experiencing are new and fascinating. Traditional Chinese food is definitely a new and interesting experience but as we our only here for 5 months we have consciously decided to at least attempt all new things. This included ‘yuan xiao’ known to us as sweet balls, which was made by one of the home students for us to enjoy. It is a typical Chinese dessert that is enjoyed around the New Year period, whose name and shape symbolise ‘togetherness and completeness’, which is extremely important to Chinese families but which definitely requires an acquired taste. After we tried this dessert, I was given the opportunity to play a few traditional Chinese games with some of the other home and international exchange students. This included a game called Majan, which involved trying to arrange blocks with the same or consecutive Chinese symbols into groups of three...I still am slightly confused about how to play it, as I can’t read Cantonese but I have decided that it is similar to a more formal game of UNO.

Enjoying our 'Sweet Balls'

Trying to master Majan

This week we decided that we would prefer to see some of the more unknown attractions, which make up Hong Kong. Kowloon Walled City Park was our first destination at the beginning of the week, which is said to occupy one of the most historic sites in the territory. Initially this area was used as a Chinese military base, however in 1899 civil order began to slacken with the occupation of British soldiers, resulting in the ‘eventual deterioration of the area into a semi-lawless enclave and festering squatter slum’. In 1994, Chinese authorities demolished the site and decided to create a park which would incorporate the many relics that were discovered. The park was completed in 1995 and now stands as a tranquil escape from the busyness of the city that towers over it, where people can meditate, play chess or simply relax and enjoy the scenery. 

The homes that previously existed on this site

Kowloon Walled City Park as it now exists

The park also includes an area dedicated to the 12 Chinese Zodiacs which are extremely important to Chinese people, as they believe that the animal linked to the year you are born in is representative of the way others see you or how you present yourself. 

Garden of Chinese Zodiac

We also took the chance to visit Sam Mun Tsai, a fishing village in the outskirts of Tai Po, on one of the warmest days this week, which resulted in both Andrew and I getting a bit of a suntan - not bad for winter.  From walking around and observing village life, we were able to notice the contrast in pace of life compared to those who work in the town centre and those who seemed relaxed as they fished off the pier. Again I found myself being completely surprised at how wrong my perceptions of how life in Hong Kong actually was, as I believed that people here would be driven by high-powered careers in the skyscraper office buildings that encapsulated this country.

Sam Mun Tsai Fishing Village

Fishermen hard at work

Throughout this week, we have had the opportunity to learn about the cultures that are represented by this international group of exchange students, as well as understand and appreciate the culture which exists in Hong Kong. On Friday, we all went to Aberdeen, which is known for its floating village and especially famous for the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, attracting over 30 million people since opening in 1976. We also took the chance to walk around the town, finding the Tin Hau Temple, where we experienced a sense of respect and calmness, indicating the importance of this place in a cultural sense for local people to worship in. 

International group on our way to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Tin Hau Temple

Burning incense at the front of the Temple

Traditional Sampan boat - used to travel around Aberdeen

Gandhi states that, ‘A nation’s culture resides in the heart and in the souls of its people’. I believe that throughout this week, as I have spent time getting to know some of the people of Hong Kong and spent time in some of their significant places that I am beginning to understand and appreciate the heart of this nation and the culture that exists here. However, there is so much more to learn, which I can’t wait to discover!