While a lot of Hong Kongers spent this past weekend cruising about as usual, many gathered at Ap Lei Chau to celebrate the annual Hung Shing Festival as the 13th day of the second lunar month arrived. This year marks over a century of the celebrating the Chinese sea god, Hung Shing.
Not many have heard of this festival despite its prominence being rooted in Hong Kong’s maritime culture, but this can be attributed to the fact that it’s mainly celebrated grandiosely at coastal areas in the region. An array of events are held at areas in the city that used to have rich fishing and shipbuilding heritage, such as Ho Sheung Heung, Kau Sai Chau, Lantau Island and Tai Kok Tsui. The origins of this festival stems from worship of the previously mentioned deity of the South Seas, Hung Shing, who was a prominent figure of worship in the lives of fishermen and merchants who needed an almighty power to depend on for safe travels at sea and prosperous harvests.
Crowds gather at Ap Lei Chau Main Street awaiting the Hung Shing Parade. (photo by Khan Heeba Lazmi)
Ap Lei Chau’s cultural significance for this festival lies on Hung Shing Street, where Hong Kong’s oldest and main Hung Shing Temple resides. First built in 1773 by the local community of Ap Lei Chau, it has since been classified as one of the only thirteen graded historic temples for worshipping Hung Shing. Many flock to the island yearly to engage in the festivities held all weekend long. It’s an enduring family tradition for a lot of locals that seems to be in no danger of extinguishing, with new generation parents even more keen on passing the joy of celebrating it down to their kids to cherish.
Hung Shing Temple in Ap Lei Chau (photo by Khan Heeba Lazmi)
Sunday commenced with a ceremony of blessing water lanterns and dragon boats. It was the last stretch of quietude on Ap Lei Chau Main Street before the highlights of the festival – the lion dances and parade – kicked off with a bang. By 2PM, the streets swarmed with people of all age groups and ethnicities. Some were tourists cruising about to get their first taste of local traditions, while others were groups of elderly huddled together on portable stools to get the best view of all the lion and dragon dances.
“My son loves Chinese traditions, so we’ve been coming here every year,” said Cassie Cheung, who was enjoying the parade with her husband and two kids. Even the pandemic wasn’t enough to deter people from returning to rejoice with the community, she noted, since the government is quite proactive in supporting these events carrying forward traditional Chinese culture.
Lion dancing at Hung Shing Festival Parade on Ap Lei Chau Main Street (photo by Khan Heeba Lazmi)
The Hung Shing Bazaar was no less popular among the crowd. Lines stretched out beyond the entrance of the Bazaar, everyone itching to get their hands on the traditional snacks and festive goods laid out at every stall. A section specifically dedicated to game booths were met with a horde of families, the queuing children barely containing their excitement as they waited for their turns to win prizes. Vendors yelled for people to come try samples of their dragon’s beard candy or tanghulu, and people were lured accordingly, exhilarated in the haze of experiencing every festivity there was to offer.
Amidst all this chaos was sat Ah Sai at her stall selling dried fish and other seafood. Her stall was more frequented by an older age group of customers whom she chatted to with a beaming smile and animated gestures. “You’ll find me here every year,” she said, “this festival brings me a lot more business in a day than what I can make at markets all year round.” When asked about whether there’s been a decline in people visiting the Bazaar over the years, she said there’s been no such occurrence because people love to celebrate, and this remains one of the liveliest festivals existing in the city.
Ah Sai and her husband at her stall (photo by Khan Heeba Lazmi)
Clearly there seems to be no indication of decline hitting Hung Shing Festival in Ap Lei Chau, the culture, traditions and festivities still widely celebrated and embraced by people of all backgrounds. With a vitality and unbounding energy rivalling that of the more recognized Dragon Boat Festival, the Hung Shing Festival attracts crowds no less than pre-pandemic levels year after year without fail despite a stark lack of publicity. After all, in Ah Sai’s words: “what’s there not to love?”