The find: Chinese New Year ornament
Original asking price: $28
Where found: Wan Chai market
Some people like the fireworks, others like the food, and kids certainly look forward to their lai see (red pocket), but what I like most about Chinese New Year is the lion dance. I love the loud music with its heavy drumbeats, gongs and cymbals, the crowd shouting and cheering, and sometimes, if we are lucky, firecrackers as well. The idea is that the lion will bring good luck and scare evil away. But the lion dance is a big project and we don’t see it as often during Chinese New Year as in the past. So I bought this lion ornament with a spring, which actually dances itself without humans at its head and tail. I put it on my desk to remind me of the days my uncle lived in the New Territories and people dared to light illegal fireworks during the lion dance as I jumped up and down because I was too short to see. But you superstitious folks must not put the lion near the door in your home. Feng shui masters believe that if you do, it will eat instead of protect you. So watch out! |
Personally, I’d call Tsuen Wan the border between the city and the countryside. Here red taxis become green taxis. Tsuen Wan was the first ‘new town’ in Hong Kong and the government made some effort to preserve the area’s historical heritage. A visit to the 200-year-old Sam Tung Uk Museum is a must to recapture the days when Hong Kong was still a village based society. This 2,000 sq metre compound enclosed by the original wall has a symmetrical design with a traditional assembly hall and an ancestral hall at the centre – yes, people in the past did worship their ancestors at home. An exhibition about the history of the district is on display as well. After expanding your historical knowledge make a wish at one of the local temples, Yuen Yuen Institute or Chuk Lam Sim Yuen, while marvelling at their architecture. And of course, Tsuen Wan still offers everything a city does. Try the yummy snacks from the many food stalls at Nan Fung centre, and wander the shopping centres nearby, though be wary of the DVDs and video games around there – they’re mostly pirated. 
