It’s no secret that Hong Kong is smoggy and polluted. One look out my window every morning and I can tell how bad the air is for the day. Never mind the 14 stations that are part of the air quality monitoring network set up by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. More often than not, it’s grey out there and that’s my clue to keep the windows shut and to bring a scarf with me when I head out.

So, as I establish new routines here in this city, I’ve decided hiking on weekends will be a weekly exercise. There must be clear skies and fresh air to be found along Hong Kong’s coastlines and on the surrounding islands south and southwest of Central Hong Kong.

This past weekend, I visited the small island of Cheung Chau – 长洲 – just 12 km (40 minute ferry ride) from Hong Kong. The name literally means “Long Island.”

The Cheung Chau village is sandwiched in between coastal hills at both the northern and southern ends of the island. In 2007, according to government documents, there were over 23,000 people living there.

But like many of the outlying islands, Cheung Chau wasn’t always so populous. It was once a small, sleepy fishing village and a pirate’s cove – a place with renegades of the South China Sea could stash their booty. In the late 1800s, the fishing industry boomed. Trade and commerce picked up, and there was much to fish for. More recently, the island has become an attraction for tourists and Hong Kongers looking for some fresh air.

Stepping off the ferry dock on a Saturday afternoon, I was a bit surprised. First, by the modern conveniences available to visitors just steps from the boat: A Park and Shop grocery store and an HSBC ATM machine. !!!

And then, by the funeral procession that began.

I turned around, startled by the sound of a wailing oboe. And then, family members of the deceased came off the ferry all dressed in white. White, as opposed to black, is the colour of mourning in Chinese culture.

Apparently, a traditional Chinese funeral requires that immediate members of the family wear cheap, un-dyed white clothes; white shirts and pants for the men and white skirts for the women. Over the clothes, family must an outer garment made of thin, hemp sack cloth. The women must wear one corner of the sack like a hood. Men usually put on white headbands.

The clothing is the manifestation of poverty to symbolize that the family has sold everything to pay for an elaborate funeral.

Whether it was because the deceased was originally from Cheung Chau, or not, I’m not sure. But the island definitely has good feng shui 风水. It’s really important to the Chinese that their dead are buried in a comfortable place. On the hike, we noticed a small grave on the hillside facing the ocean. Indeed a nice place to be at rest.

* * *

After observing the procession for a few minutes, we entered the village square, where I noticed a long line up for the island’s famous fish ball. Of course, we had to have some.

Juicy, flavorful and cheap!!! Just about $1 USD for a skewer.

Further into the village, there was plenty of food for sampling. We headed toward the beach and ended up eating our way over there.

The beachfront was small, but clean and sandy.

We passed by this ancient stone carving that’s said to be over 3,000 years old. Its not known who made these drawings. Archaeologists believe the images might be sea monsters.

The fishermen in Cheung Chau and Hong Kong’s surrounding islands were and have continued to be superstitious about the sea’s powerful waves.

There are temples scattered around Cheung Chau paying tribute to various deities.

This was all fascinating, but we wanted to see those powerful waves that those fishermen so feared. From the beach, it was a 20 minute uphill climb through a forest of green trees.

The air smelled of flowers and grass and the sea.

Finally, we stood on a plateau of red granite to see this:

We spent much time staring out into the sea, listening to the mantra of crashing waves along the coastline, and even sat down for some meditation. A few months ago, back in my New York apartment, I was able to feel vibrations coming from what I believe to be my third eye. I have not been able to duplicate the experience, until Saturday, when I sat down on a Cheung Chau cliff side overlooking the green waters.

All that meditation made us hungry.

So, we made our way back down and ended up in a labyrinth of alleyways where the locals of Cheung Chau live. It was dinner time and we could smell stir fried vegetables and the pungent aroma of shrimp paste – an island specialty – being added to the flaming woks.

We peeked through windows to see flat screen televisions, modern tiled kitchens, people lazing on sofas and outrageously spoiled pets – something I’ve noticed to the extreme in Hong Kong…ah, a subject for an upcoming post for sure!

And then, before we knew it, the labyrinth ended and we were out by the docks again. This time, we followed the sounds of clanging dishes. It was dinner time and fresh seafood was screaming “Eat Me!”

So we did.

At the end of May, Cheung Chau’s famous “bun festival” begins. It’s a religious festival, marked by ceremonious prayers and processions that are supposed to bring health, wealth and happiness to the island. What’s great about living in a city like Hong Kong is that such religious festivals survived under British rule, whereas many such practices were banned and lost during the Cultural Revolution in mainland China.

The part of the festival involving the buns is one of the most popular and secular activity, however. The Bun contest not only involves the eating of white, fluffy sweet buns, but also a great physical demonstration in which contestants scramble up towers to grab the topmost bun.

Why do they do this? Well, like many Chinese traditions, this is supposed to bring good luck. The winner is especially blessed with good fortune for the year.

Not so in 1978. Apparently, the bun contest got a little out of hand more than 30 years ago when a tower collapsed  injuring over 100 people. The Hong Kong Government banned the contest after that, but after much lobbying by the festival organizers, the festival got a reboot in 2005 provided the towers were supported by metal scaffolds and that participants used safety harnesses.

I’ll have return to Cheung Chau to witness this myself in a month’s time.

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