[“Multicultural Hong Kong in Celebration” Series] Africans and Football in Hong Kong

"Just as how football is a means of celebrating a pan-African identity and brotherhood, it can bridge cultural divide in Hong Kong. As a global sport, it transcends language barriers, skin colour, and cultural background. Football helps people to become “one”, in Johnny’s words, however transiently."

—Sealing Cheng

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Extract from the article:

Johnny arrived in Hong Kong in 2003 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Having been in Hong Kong for 12 years as an asylum-seeker and therefore without an HKID, Johnny has been prohibited from work, study, and volunteering. He has devoted himself to church, football, and his family (who joined him recently in Hong Kong). Approaching 40, Johnny has given up the dream of becoming a professional footballer in Hong Kong. Instead, he has led teams of African asylum-seekers and refugees to play and sometimes win in local charity games. “You must be ONE when you play football.” This is the spirit he looks for in football. 

“Why is football so important in your lives in Hong Kong?” I asked.

“It’s fun. It’s part of our life. It takes the stress away. Our community here is affected by constant mobility - people come and go all the time, We also live with a lot of uncertainty. Football takes our minds off these things. It is also good for our health!”

(Cheng 2015:56)

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Want to know more about the role that football plays in the lives of African asylum-seekers and refugees in Hong Kong? Click here to read the full text article (first published in Hong Kong Discovery Vol. 90 in Sep 2015). 

[“Multicultural Hong Kong in Celebration” Series] Songkran: A Sprinkle of Thai Fiesta in Hong Kong

"Although the district [Kowloon City] is known as “Mini Bangkok”, most of the Thais here are working and leading their lives unnoticed; while on the day of Songkran, they engage in a flagrant jollification, having fun with locals attracted to the event and refreshing their national pride."

 —Rick Leung

Extract from the article:

"Sa-nuk is a common Thai word that means “joy” and “playfulness”. Thais really love fun, and they know how to make fun in their insipid life. To these larky people who often wear big smiles on their faces, the Songkran Festival - commonly known as the Water Festival - is recognized as their happiest time of the year. Songkran is the New Year’s Day to communities on the Southeast Asian peninsula (including Cambodians, Laos, Burmese and the Dai people of Yunnan). The festival was meant to be lasting from New Year’s Eve to the 2nd day of New Year for blessings of a start over. One of the customs is to splash water at one another to “cleanse bad luck” and bring good wishes. The modern Water Festival has become a street party to cool off the summer heat. As a major ethnic minority in Hong Kong, there are more than 10,000 Thais who live and work here. Every year they gather at Kowloon City to celebrate Songkran. You may get to know more about Thai cultures and the Thailand-Hong Kong relationship through this water fiesta in Hong Kong." (Leung 2015:52)

Want to know more about Songkran and how the Thai in Hong Kong celebrate it? Click here to read the full text article (first published in Hong Kong Discovery Vol. 89 in July 2015).

[“Multicultural Hong Kong in Celebration” Series] Matinee on Sundays: Cultural Festivals and Beauty pageants of Overseas Filipino Workers in Hong Kong

"The domestic helpers who actively participated in these events are certainly not just passively waiting to refresh their energy for another week’s domestic work. They are migrants aspiring to, first, find changes to build more promising careers and change their lives; and, secondly, foster a respectable identity and trustable community for themselves in Hong Kong."

—Ju-chen Chen 

Extract of the article:

"In these years of studying pageants of OFWs in Hong Kong, I constantly encountered doubts from non-foreign-domestic-helper friends: “Who? Helpers as beauty queens?” It is safe to argue that, by large, these vibrant fiestas and pageants are not known to the majority of Hong Kong society, even though they are held frequently and in public. The invisibility is resulted from the “segregation” of the foreign helper community from the mainstream society. Each of the 300,000 foreign domestic helpers is an intimate co-resident of a Hong Kong family. She nourishes kid(s), takes care of elders, cooks, washes and irons clothes, cleans up flats and runs errands. While some families are close to their gongren Jiejie (worker-big sister, a term widely used to refer to helpers in Hong Kong) and others don’t, outside each individual household, these women became strangers to the society. The most stereotypical image of Hong Kong maids on Sundays - sea of women sitting on “cardboard cubic” on footbridges or public areas - marginalized, anonymized and homogenized these migrant women. The spirited Filipino community and their vibrant activities are hidden from the public awareness by nothing other than the naive, if not biased, assumption that every single foreign domestic helper simply idles all day long on Sundays; chatting, lying and playing cards on road sides." (Chen 2015:64)

Want to know more about the lives of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong? Click here and read the full text article (published in Hong Kong Discovery Vol. 88 on 19 May 2015).

[“Multicultural Hong Kong in Celebration” Series] Durga Puja: an Indian festival in Hong Kong

"Durga Puja has become a multi-purpose occasion during which the Bengalis in Hong Kong bond as a community - through familiar smells, tastes and sounds, as well as through working together on marking a spiritual and social identity that is special to them and their next generation."

—Siumi Maria Tam and Winsome Lee

Extract of the article:

"Durga Puja, or the worship of Durga, is one of the most important festivals in India, and the biggest religious occasion for the Bengalis. It is the time to commemorate the Hindu goddess Durga’s victory over the demon buffalo, and hence a celebration of victory of good over evil. In Sanskrit Durga means invincible or inaccessible, representing the power of the Supreme Being, and is worshipped as the divine mother who preserves moral order and righteousness. Durga Puja is celebrated differently in various regions of India, and the length of the festival may vary from four to ten days. The festival includes daily worship, chanting and fasting, with the last four days celebrated in grandeur and feasting. Everywhere in India, Durga devotees build an outdoor pandal, or altar, specifically for this important occasion. Inside the pandal sits a huge sculpture of the goddess - Durga is depicted as a warrior wearing red, riding a lion or tiger, and with her ten arms each carrying different weapons she overpowers the demon buffalo." (Tam and Lee 2015:62)

Want to know more about the Indian festival Durga Puja? Click here and read the full text article (published in Hong Kong Discovery Vol. 86 on 13 Jan 2015).

[IOFC Activity] Fieldtrip to Wolong (臥龍), Sichuan (24–28 September, 2015)

FIELDTRIP TO WOLONG (臥龍), SICHUAN

Flyer of the event

The Institute of Future Cities (IOFC), in collaboration with Hong Kong Discovery, is organizing a fieldtrip to Wolong (臥龍) Sichuan. If you’re interested in post-disaster management, tourism and international development, this is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the recent changes in Wolong since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

During this trip, participants will visit the Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre to learn more about environmental conservation and natural resources management. They will explore local farms, villages and temples to understand Wolong’s community, history and culture. More importantly, they will study and discuss more about the 5.12 Earthquake Rehabilitation Project and other development projects. Participants will also see museums, exhibitions, heritage sites and etc.

All students enrolled in the BA Anthropology or BA Cultural Management programmes are welcomed to apply, but preference will be given to senior students. Participants are required to write a post-fieldtrip report, which will be a great chance for them to exchange and learn from each other’s different disciplinary backgrounds and expertise.

Dates: 24th–28th September, 2015 (5-day trip)
Cost: The cost of airfare, local transportation, lodging and food are covered by Hong Kong Discovery. However, participants are required to pay for their own travel insurance package of approx. HK$110.
Eligibility: BA Anthropology or BA Cultural Management students. Priority
will be given to senior applicants.
Deadline: 10th July, 2015 (Fri)

To apply, please visit http://goo.gl/forms/NirOJvNyGx and fill in your personal details, degree name, year, etc. Successful applicants will be notified via email by July 17, 2015 (Fri). 

For enquiries, please email Ms. Leanne Fung at leannefung@cuhk.edu.hk.

Anthropologists on the Road Series:Yearning for a Complete Home: Migrant Workers on the Road

“To the migrant workers, the old home is what they strive hard for in a distant city, hoping to refurbish and to live in with their children after retirement. What an irony that this home, to their children, had crumbled right after their parents migrated.”

―Ju-chen Chen

 

Since the mid-1980s, more and more rural Chinese leave their home villages to look for jobs in the city, leaving behind their family as well as their mother tongues and identities. They sacrifice and endeavour for the dream of a better world―a world of material abundance.

Nevertheless, the increasingly commercialized and commoditized society of China and the ever growing needs for money have made the efforts of these workers insignificant. While trying hard to meet the living standard of the better-off China, these workers remain as the “marginalized” dwellers of the city.

The rural migrant workers leave their family and strive in the cities to pursue a complete home and better living conditions, but the irony is that their children, instead of having strong attachment to their home, wish to be recognized in new grounds when they grow up.

Want to have a more comprehensive picture on the lives of rural migrant workers in China? Click here and read the full text of Dr. Chen's article published in the Anthropologists on the Road Series of Hong Kong Discovery (Vol.81). 

Anthropologists on the Road Series: Work More, Pay Less? An Experience on Setting Up a Shrimp Farming "Cooperative" in China

“Yet, the robust statistics of the industry conceals the shrimp farmers’ dilemma: despite their continual efforts in improving technology and enhancing yields, they get no fair reward. Their living standard over the toiling years has not raised much. Why is it so? As an anthropologist, apart from doing investigations and analyses, how may I help them?”

—Huang Yu

When suppliers of shrimp post larvae and pharmaceuticals are used to maximize their profits by cutting corners and deceiving farmers, and middlemen who collect shrimp always collude with each other to suppress shrimp prices, farmers with little bargaining power are left to struggle alone.

When good harvest does not necessarily bring profit to the farmers, what can they do to survive in the wave of market economy? Huang Yu, Assistant Professor of our Department, switched her role as a researcher to an actor during her visit to Bailingdong Village in Dongli Town, Leizhou.

Want to know how Professor Huang helped the shrimp farmers in restoring the value of their labour? Click here and check out the full text. 

Anthropologists on the Road Series: Traveling Through Ethnicity, Forests and Fields in Sichuan

“While language and style of dress is rarely as diverse in such a small section of the planet as it is in this part of Sichuan, what is unique about agriculture is that producing crops can define boundaries between cultures but it also is an activity shared and understood by farmers around the world.”

—Edwin Schmitt

Cultural identity of a community can be manifested in various forms and ways—agricultural practice is one among them. The variety of crops grown and the planting and harvesting methods used are some of the hints giving us insights into the culture of a community. Edwin Schmitt, a PhD Candidate of our Department, had went to Sichuan earlier and talked to the ethnic groups there to discover more about their rituals, agricultural practices and perceptions towards forest and ecology in relation to the construction of their cultural identity.

Want to know more about what he had encountered and discovered? Click here and read Schmitt's full article on "Traveling Through Ethnicity, Forests and Fields in Sichuan" published in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol. 78), Anthropologists on the Road Series.

Free Music Guide - Pong Cheung's environmental protection project in Hong Kong Discovery vol.85

Photo Credit: Free Music Guide

Pong Cheung (B.A. '14) and his fellow teammates have formed an instrumental band to join the The Antarctica, Arctic, Mighty Rovers 2014-2015. The "Free Music Guide" project is combining the concept of "environmental protection" and "street performance". To promote and encourage recycling, the band expects the audience to show appreciation by giving them trash instead of paying cash.

Photo Credit: Free Music Guide

If you would like to know more about the project or how Pong, as an anthropology graduate, thinks about environmental protection, full article is available in the Hong Kong Discovery vol.85 ($28, details).

For Pong's "Free Music Guide" project, please visit their facebook page.

For the details of "The Antarctica, Arctic, Mighty Rovers 2014-2015", please visit the event homepage.

Cover Story: The Legend of Tai O Shrimp Paste

Cover of the Hong Kong Discovery Vol.84
Photo Credit: Hong Kong Discovery

Our department has worked with the Hong Kong Discovery for over a year, many articles written by our teachers and students are published in the magazine of the same name, including the "Sandal wood", "Anthropologists on the road" and "Walking through Sheung Wan" series. 

The cover story of the latest issue, "The Legend of Tai O Shrimp Paste", is based on our alumni Leung Ming Hon's (B.A. '14) research.  Leung's final year project on Tai O shrimp paste was conducted last year.  If you are interested in Leung's project/ Hong Kong local food culture, you may consider to get the latest Hong Kong Discovery (Vol. 84) at the major bookstores or Circle K stores (Promotion price: HKD 28).  

Leung had also assisted in Professor Cheung's “Wetland Tourism in Four Seasons: Perspectives from landscape, foodways and community lifestyles” project.

The article is in both traditional Chinese and English.
For details, please click here to visit the Hong Kong Discovery's website. (Chinese only)

Anthropologists on the Road Series(5): Liyuan Houses-- And a Diminishing Neighbourhood in the Chinese Coastal Metropolis of Qingdao

"...Qingdao is famous for its beer, its beaches, its beautiful scenery, its romantic European architecture: "Dwell in Qingdao, experience the world" reads the slogan of a local urban developer.  Quite contrart to this picturesque image and rarely mentioned in promotional material about Qingdao is the type of housing that I live in, the so-called Liyuan..."

- Philip Demgenski 

Philipp Demgenski, the PhD candidate in our department, was conducting his PhD fieldwork at Qingdao about Liyuan last year.  Liyuan is a housing type which "generally resemble the traditional northern Chinese Siheyuan", both Liyuan and Siheyuan "are relatively secluded from the outside but offer a large communal space within".  

The stakeholders have different comments on Liyuan.  Some considered Liyuan is "dirty and messy",  a place "where the lowest people live" and "incompatible with today's modern city life", while other suggested that Liyuan is "unique to Qingdao" and the "truly local heritage".  It brings out a "very fundamental" question, which also applies to Hong Kong nowadays, "What is good urban development and who should benefit from it?"

To discover the full story, please click here and read Phillip Demgenski's article "Liyuan Houses-- And a Diminishing Neighbourhood in the Chinese Coastal Metropolis of Qingdao'" published in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol 80), Anthropologists on the Road Series.

To read the related Qingdao Daily report covered by our blog, please click here.

Anthropologists on the Road Series(4): Living with Differences-- Lessons from a "Primitive Paradise"

As the world we live in has become increasingly globalized, it seems that more conflicts are reported due to ethnic and religious differences between people. At the meanwhile, when people constantly and consciously essentialize their differences, and draw boundaries between "us" and "them" accordingly, conflicts seem to have occurred because of the boundaries they have drawn. And thus a deepen awareness of these differences. 

However, this is apparently not the case in Bingzhongluo, a small township at North Western Yunnan Province. Our former assistant professor Wu Keping discovered through her anthropological fieldwork that, at this "primitive paradise", which is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place, "there have been minimal ethnic conflicts and very few religious conflicts". How do the local people live with differences peacefully? And what could we "modern" people learn from these "primitive" peoples living in Bingzhongluo? 

To discover the full story, please click here and read Dr. Wu Keping's article "Living with Differences: Lessons from a 'Primitive Paradise'" published in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol 76), Anthropologists on the Road Series.   

Walking through Sheung Wan Series(1): The Alchemy of Winter Worm & Summer Grass

What is "winter worm & summer grass"? How could anything in the world be a "worm in winter and grass in summer"? Well, first of all, it is actually a parasitic fungus inside a caterpillar. But then what has caused its bloom in the market? Is it purely due to its "medical values"? What roles did political economy and culture played in this process? How did the fungi rose from a total disfavor to such a golden value in just a few decades? What role did Hong Kong played in this metamorphosis? And how has the "All-Tibetan Gold Rush" for fungi in recent years affect the local ecology and society in Tibet?

In her article "The Alchemy of Winter Worm & Summer Grass", our former MPhil student Zelda Liang discussed the above issues based on her research. Click the picture below to see the full article in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol 72), Walking through Sheung Wan Series.

Anthropologists on the Road Series(3): Tea House Cantonese Opera-- A Vanishing Life-style in Guangzhou

The chàhjoh culture refers to the setting in tea houses with Cantonese opera performances. Since Cantonese opera was inscribed in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list in 2010, the Guangzhou government has adopted the cultural policy to develop Cantonese opera intensively. And therefore many youngsters has entered the music industry learning Cantonese opera. However, with its music performance being nationalized and started taking place in new forms, traditional chàhjoh culture has started to vanish. The aging audience in chàhjoh proved that the declaration of Cantonese opera as intangible cultural heritage did not benefit the chàhjoh business, but just led to a influx of desperate graduate students from the Cantonese opera schools who get lost while trying to figure out their future in the music industry. How to sustain the vanishing life-style and keep the local culture has become a question.

In her article "Tea House Cantonese Opera-- A Vanishing Life-style in Guangzhou", our former MPhil student Cheung Ah Li talked about the above issues, based on her research in Guangzhou. Click the picture below to see her full article in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol 77), Anthropologists on the Road series.

Anthropologists on the Road Series(2): Yak and the Tibetans

Yaks are iconic on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. They have occupied a special position in the herders' life and in local society. After the old yaks run out of milk, the herders would keep them in the drove instead of selling them in the market, which was often blamed by the environmentalists for exhausting the grasslands. 

In our former MPhil student Zhou Tao's article "Yak and the Tibetans", through a general description of local culture, he explains the dynamic between yaks and the herders from an anthropologist's view. Click the picture below to see the whole article in Hong Kong Discovery (Vol 74), Anthropologists on the Road series.   

Anthropologists on the Road Series(1): A Story of Hakka Coiling Dragon House

Anthropologists always have their particular insights and stories to tell about their fields. For that matter, students and teachers of our Department have been writing down their observations and reflections of the fields of contemporary China on Hong Kong Discovery. From now on, we will start posting their articles on our blog to let more people hear about their stories. 

[Anthropologists on the Road] series:

Forward by Professor Sidney Cheung

This week we will start with our former MPhil student Luo Jiting's article "A Story of Hakka Coiling Dragon House."（天方还是地方？）from the Anthropologists On The Road series on Hong Kong Discovery Vol.75. Luo Jiting took her fieldtrip in Meizhou, Guangdong province in 2010. In her article, she shared with us her academic insights on the famous Hakka-styled "coiling dragon house(圍龍屋)". Click the picture below to see her whole article.