A Graveside feast: Poon Choi

During the grave-sweeping festivals, the Tang’s families from Ping Shan village will bring Poon Choi (Big Bowl Feast) to the gravesite to share the meat with their ancestors. This ritual takes place twice a year which is fixed five days before Ching Ming Festival in the spring and five days before Chung Yeung Festival in the autumn.



In early morning, people will transport the food, paper offerings, basins, cooking utensils, and other ingredients across long distances, and a fire will be built at a yard near the gravesite. During the worship, they will clean the graves of dust and debris, burn joysticks and paper offerings, and present wine and a variety of food as well as a whole pig to their ancestors and that does not go to waste. After the rites are held, the pig will be chopped and cooked, and a delicious refreshment of Poon Choi will be served at about 12:00pm. Nowadays, this custom is seldom practiced, and people in the New Territories usually have Poon Choi at their ancestor hall during religious rituals, festivals, special occasions and wedding banquets. Poon Choi can also be enjoyed at many restaurants throughout the year.



This spring, the Tang’s families visit their ancestral graves on 31 March 2009. The culinary custom is also called “Chi Shan Tou” which means to eat Poon Choi at the hillside. Unlike the regular Poon Choi, the one prepared for this grave-sweeping festival is only composed of 4 layers of ingredients such as bamboo shoot, bean curd, squid, and braised pork in soy-sauce paste. Through stir frying, braising, and stewing, the cooks prepare each ingredient separately with a big wok heated with firewood. After cooking, the ingredients are put into the buckets for later use. People start gathering in the yard at noon and watch the cooks placing each ingredient in basins which are now made of metal instead of wood. More than 40 basins of Poon Choi are served. However, because of large amount of food provided in one portion, people can hardly finish the whole basin, and usually bring the remaining food home.

The Tang’s families from Pang Shan follow this traditional custom and culture for generations. It forms a bond between families, and the younger people learn their origins and to respect their ancestors. People carry out the memorial ceremony in a picnic-like atmosphere which shows a time for happy communion with ancestors rather than a somber occasion.

Poon Choi: Big Bowl Banquet (South China Morning Post) - http://blip.tv/file/715209


It is said that firewood will add a unique flavor and allow better control over the cooking temperature.

A) Poon Choi Cooking:

1 & 2. Pork; 3 & 4. Rice;

5 & 6. Bamboo shoot; 7 & 8. Bean curd;

9 & 10. Secret recipe; 11 & 12. Squid;

13 & 14. Buckets and basins;

15. Fire goes out; 16. Cleaning.

B) 17 - 20. The preparation for food distribution.

C) The art of Poon Choi:

21 & 22. 1st layer: bamboo shoot.

23. 2nd layer: bean curd.

24. 3rd layer: squid.

25. 4th layer: braised pork.

D) Poon Choi Feast:

26. The guest list.
26. Rice is a good complement to Poon Choi.
27 & 28. Please take your basin.
29 & 30. Happy gathering.

Revitalization and Conservation: Architecture as Culture

Date: 14 March 2009
Time: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Venue: The Commercial Press,
Tsim Sha Tsui Book Centre
Speaker: Professor Hui Cheuk Kuen, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, CUHK


The city’s demolition-driven and large-redevelopment policies are always people’s concerns. The recent issues about the redevelopment of Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate (Blocks 8 -14), the urban renewal of Wanchai District as well as Central and Western District, and the six selected Historic building revitalization projects have aroused more people’s attention on the topic of heritage conservation in Hong Kong. It is mentioned that the distinctive urban conditions together with the community architecture design are significant elements to shape the settings of people’s daily life and city culture. With reference to the types of buildings in old and new, people can illustrate the transformation of a city from the past through to the present and future. However, the specific urban fabric of a city will be threatened with disintegration if people do not care much for the conservation of community heritage.

In the talk, Professor Hui explains the relationship between architecture and culture by using examples from both western and Chinese and eastern architecture and culture. Further, he elaborates on the land-use considerations, the property rights, the concept and types of conservation, the importance of heritage conservation, the Urban Renewal Authority’s 4 Rs (Redevelopment, Rehabilitation, Revitalization, and pReservation), and the principles of conservation. Besides, Professor Hui emphasizes that before making decisions on conservation, it is important to understand the cultural significance of a place first, then develop the policy and finally manage the place in accordance with the policy. Relocation, change, restoration, or reconstruction is also not appropriate unless this is the only method for preserving the heritage. More importantly, the participation of people for whom the place has special associations and meanings, or who have social, spiritual, or other cultural responsibilities for the place should be allowed during conservation, interpretation, and management of a place.

The City of K

Outdoor Dance Gala by Helen Lai; 7-8 March 2009; 2:30pm & 4:30pm; Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza; Free Admission

In the 37th Hong Kong Arts Festival, the City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) presents an outdoor dance performance showcasing excerpts of choreographer most memorable works which include “Plaza X,” “La Vie en Rose,” “The Comedy of K,” and “It’s So Easy to Fall in Love.”

I knew CCDC when I was studying in the secondary school. The Company is used to promoting dance education through school tour. Once I could afford to pay the ticket, I always enjoyed going to the theatre for their performance. After the light is dim, the audiences concentrate their attention on the stage. Following the movement of the dancer(s), my mind leads me to fly and dance in the air.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Company, CCDC offers her 2nd large-scale outdoor performance for free at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza since ten years ago. Unlike theatrical performance, the performers are closely associated with a changing environment. With Victoria Harbour as the background, the dancers perform their dances on the ground, not on the stage. Besides the classical music and favourite love songs, horns from boats supplement the background music. While some people are sitting on the stairs outside of the Cultural Centre, others are standing aside or just passing by the piazza. It forms an interesting scene that when the dancers are concentrating on their performance in the front, some new couples in wedding dress are taking photos happily along the promenade at the back. We have no surprise to hear the Wedding Match at the same time.

It is never easy to give an outdoor performance. Although the setting tends to be simple, the preparation work must be done seriously such as a good sweeping before each show to avoid sharp obstacles leaving on the ground. Hope no one to get hurt when dancing barefoot. The dancers should also possess professional skills in dealing with different / unexpected circumstances, in-and-out audiences of unknown background, and continuously photo-shooting during the show. The performance is further contingent on the weather. Although there is no rain during the show, hope those dancers who wear thin clothing not to get sick in these windy spring days.

Both dancing and dance appreciation afford us pleasure. Thank you CCDC for stepping into the crowd actively and letting more people share the joy of dancing.