The Cheung Chau Bun Carnival is one of Hong Kong’s major cultural events and this year took place between 23rd April and 11th May with the main events taking place on 10th May. The festival, also known as the Jiao Festival has, in June 2011, subsequently become one of four cultural events in Hong Kong which have been placed on the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Culture national list of intangible cultural heritage. The festival is held in honour of Pak Tai, the Daoist deity and god of the north and is intended to purify the community and pacify the spirits of islanders who died in the plague of 1894. The plague was finally wiped out after Pak Tai’s image had been paraded through the streets of the island.
The 2011 Bun Carnival was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department with the support of the Cheung Chau Wai Chiu County Association Limited, the Cheung Chau Rural Committee, the Islands District Office and the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union, and is sponsored by Lukfook Jewellery, Watsons Water and the Islands District Council.
"Floating" children are a highlight of the spectacular Piu Sik Parade
Until 1964 the festival was celebrated at Tung Wan (East Bay) Beach but since 1965 the focal point has been the Pak Tai Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples, built in 1783. The event has become a major attraction for thousands of visitors from Hong Kong and overseas and last year 60,000 visitors were estimated to have joined the island’s 30,000 population during the festival. A makeshift theatre is erected opposite the temple for Chinese opera performances and other events throughout the festival include lion and dragon dances, martial arts performances and variety shows. Tradition dictates that for three days of the festival only vegetarian food is eaten with meat and seafood only becoming available after all the buns have been removed from the tower. However whilst visitors will find that restaurants take meat off the menu and McDonalds offers veggie burgers, the vegetarian tradition is nowadays mainly observed by indigenous islanders with many shops and food vendors cashing in on the tourist market.
The main events were the Piu Sik (Floating Colours) Parade and the Bun Scrambling Competition which traditionally take place on the 8th day of the fourth moon in the lunar calendar (10th May in 2011) which is also the Buddha’s Birthday and a public holiday in Hong Kong. The colourful street parade from 2pm to 4pm attracts huge crowds and features “floating” children, each representing a historical figure, and who are carried shoulder high, appearing to be unsupported in mid-air. The parade is accompanied by decorated floats, musicians, flag-bearers, gongs. At the front of the procession red sedan chairs carry deities from all the temples on Cheung Chau, led by Pak Tai.
Colourful characters in a previous year's parade passing along the harbourside San Hing Praya Street
On the stroke of midnight the twelve participants (nine male and three female) for the Bun Scrambling Competition race up the 14-metre tall conical bun tower to grab as many buns as they can collect within the three minute time limit. Until 1978 the Bun Scrambling Competition had been a “free for all” but during that year’s competition one of the three bamboo towers collapsed resulting in injuries to over 100 people and the competition was suspended for 27 years and the buns handed out instead. In 2005 the competition was reintroduced but under strict safety conditions. The three bamboo towers have been replaced by a single steel tower and the number of climbers is limited to twelve who undergo training from Hong Kong Mountaineering Union and who are selected from about 150 original entrants
The real buns on the tower have been replaced by 8,000 plastic replica “buns” for reasons of hygiene. Redemption coupons are issued to spectators and these can be used to claim one of the replica buns as a souvenir with the remaining “buns” being cleaned and saved to be re-used the following year. The following day about 20,000 real white buns with different fillings, made by local bakeries, each stamped in red with the Chinese character for peace, are handed out. In a further concession to public health precautions, prior to the 2011 carnival, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department banned the practice of the local bakeries stamping the buns outside their premises. Lack of space inside the bakeries resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of buns baked. The Bun Scrambling Competition on 10th May was the culmination of the Bun Carnival which took place on dates from 23rd April. Prior to the individual final of the competition there are relay bun scrambling races;
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/bun2011/en/index.php
Admission to the Bun Scrambling Competition on 10th May was by ticket only. The venue, the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground will be divided into five zones with one zone designated for invited guests and four zones for public viewing. The venue has a capacity of 1,650, excluding invited guests, and free tickets are distributed from 10pm from Pak She First Street, next to Cheung Chau Fire Station, close to the Pak Tai Soccer Pitch where the competition takes place. Spectators who have got their tickets should keep on queuing to wait for instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers. Admission was expected to start from 10-30pm with spectators entering Zone 1 to Zone 4 in sequence. The opening ceremony of the Bun Scrambling Competition was at 11-30pm and the competition finished at 12-30am on May 11th.
THE WINNERS OF THE 2011 BUN SCRAMBLING COMPETITION;
After a nail biting contest, the championship of the men's team went to Mr Cheung Man-cheung (contestant no. 3), who scored 919 marks. The first runner-up, Mr Zenon Chan Ka-shing (contestant no. 1), scored 786 marks, while the second runner-up went to Mr Yip Kin-man (contestant no. 10), who scored 772 marks. The winner of the women's team was Miss Lisa Cheng Lai-sho (contestant no. 8), scoring 687 marks.
Divided into three zones, the bun tower was studded with buns from top to bottom, with each bun carrying a score of nine, three and one respectively in each zone. Words in different colours were printed on the bottom of the buns for identification. The contestant who has obtained the highest total scores from all the buns grabbed was the champion. Results of the men's team and the women's team were ranked separately.
Teams from Macau and Shenzhen competed against the teams from Cheung Chau in the invitation relay. Two members of each team had to get specified buns at the top of the bun tower in relay in the shortest time. The Spirit Sports Association won the championship in 2 minutes and 4.43 seconds while Shenzhen Mountaineering & Outdoor Sport Association was the first runner-up in a time of 2 minutes and 12.35 seconds. The second runner-up, the Petrel Athletic Association, took 2 minutes and 14.50 seconds to finish the race.
OPEN CLIMBING CARNIVAL - SUNDAY 1st MAY 2011
On Sunday 1st May 2011 members of the public experienced climbing of the bun tower frame and participated in various other activities at the Climbing Carnival of the 2011 Bun Carnival. The event ran frun from noon to 6pm on the soccer pitch at Pak Tai Temple Playground, Cheung Chau. Simply by making on-site applications for the Climbing Play-in, participants were able to experience local tradition and climb the 14-metre-tall bun tower frame set up for the Bun Scrambling Competition.
The Climbing Play-in was divided into three groups - the master group (aged 35 or above), adult group (aged 18 to 34) and youth group (aged below 18 and at least one metre tall). There were four sessions, each lasting an hour. Participants in the three groups in each session who reached the designated height on the bun tower frame in the shortest time became the winners and were awarded with souvenirs.
Members of the public were able to make wishes on the "wishing bun tower" and also join lots of festive programmes. There were games stalls featuring the bun festival, climbing as a sport and the third Hong Kong Games, handicrafts and variety shows, etc. Winning works of the Student Colouring and Drawing Competitions were on display. People joining the carnival could also obtain souvenirs featuring the buns.
In addition, festival-goers were able to get to know more about the technical and safety aspects of bun tower climbing from demonstrations by the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union on bun tower climbing and relevant safety measures.
GETTING THERE
Cheung Chau is served by the First Ferry service from Central Pier 5 on Hong Kong Island and also by the First Ferry Inter-Island ferry service which connects Cheung Chau with Chi Ma Wan and Mui Wo on Lantau Island and Peng Chau.
TIMETABLES AND FARES;
CENTRAL TO CHEUNG CHAU
http://www.nwff.com.hk/eng/fare_table/central-cheung_chau/
Visitors intending to take the “Fast Ferry” service should arrive at the pier well before departure time. Passengers are counted on board and standing is not allowed. The “Fast Ferry” may leave before scheduled departure time if full. Demand is likely to be high on 10th May.
SPECIAL TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS FOR VISITORS RETURNING FROM CHEUNG CHAU AFTER THE BUN SCRAMBLING COMPETITION;
First Ferry will operate an additional “Ordinary Ferry” service from Cheung Chau to Central at 1-15am on 11th May.
From 1-10am to 2-30am on 11th May, a special cross-harbour bus service 104R will operate from Central Pier 5 to Mongkok.
From midnight to 2-30am, night bus services N8X (to Siu Sai Wan), N90 (to South Horizons), N182 (to Sha Tin) and N619 (to Shun Lee, Kwun Tong), which all originate from Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, will be diverted to call at Central Pier 5.
INTER-ISLAND SERVICE
http://www.nwff.com.hk/eng/fare_table/island_hopping/
For more information on Outlying Island Ferry Services see FERRIES-OUTLYING ISLANDS
ACCOMMODATION ON CHEUNG CHAU
Accommodation on Cheung Chau during the Bun Festival is likely to be difficult to find unless booked well in advance. Cheung Chau has one hotel, the 66-room three-star WARWICK HOTEL on Tung Wan Beach;
http://www.warwickhotel.com.hk/en_index.htm
Warwick Hotel overlooks Tung Wan (East Bay)
B&B CHEUNG CHAU is an excellent and popular modern guest house It has 14 rooms and 4 suites located on Tung Wan Road just two minutes walk from the ferry pier and one minute from Tung Wan Beach and a 4 rooms and one family room at Pak She Street near Pak Tai Temple;
http://www.bbcheungchau.com.hk/
Since opening in 2006 B&B Cheung Chau has rapidly become a popular choice for visitors looking for good quality budget accommodation on the island
SEAVIEW HOLIDAY FLATS have 10 flats in various locations. This is mainly basic budget accommodation although one de-luxe flat is available;
http://hkseaview.tripod.com/
PRAYA STREET ACCOMMODATION BOOTHS. Located outside the ferry pier entrance are several kiosks which are usually manned from mid-morning and often until about midnight. These are operated by various owners including Seaview Holiday Flats (see above) offering flats ands room with budget accommodation. Visitors can view photographs of the accommodation in display albums at the stands.
TOURS
Gray Line Tours of Hong Kong Limited are operating a Bun Festival Tour on 10th May 2011 which includes private boat to Cheung Chau, vegetarian meal and reserved seats for the official grandstand for the afternoon parade. Details;
http://www.grayline.com.hk/415BUN.html