bc magazine

Dragon Boats & Dumplings

Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Tuen Ng Festival is, in the minds of many, associated with the annual dragon boat races. However, zongzi (steamed glutinous rice ‘dumplings’ with various fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves) are also an important Tuen Ng tradition. bc magazine takes a look at two of the Tuen Ng traditions that are now enjoyed by people around the world.

When the Chu poet and statesman Qu Yuan (340 – 277 BC) threw himself into the Miluo river (in what is now Hunan province), in protest of the Qin army’s capture of the Chu capital, the villagers raced out on their boats to try and save the poet, but were unable to even retrieve his body from the river. In an effort to prevent the fish from devouring the dead poet’s corpse, people threw rice dumplings to feed the fish and also beat the water’s surface with their paddles in order to frighten the fish away from Qu Yuan’s body. These actions led to two of the most enduring traditions associated with Tuen Ng Festival: dumplings (zongzi) and dragon boat racing.

Zongzi
For many Chinese, zongzi is a far more memorable part of Tuen Ng festival than dragon boat racing. Not everyone takes part in dragon boat races, but almost all Chinese families eat dumplings every year at this time of year. Traditionally, zongzi were made at home, but nowadays most people buy them instead. Although zongzi are easy to make, the preparation is extremely time-consuming. Because of the extensive preparation involved, the whole family took part in making the zongzi. The glutinous rice must first be soaked overnight in water and the bamboo leaves also have to be washed and soaked, while the fillings must also be prepared. Zongzi (steamed rice dumplings) consist of glutinous rice stuffed with a sweet or savory filling, wrapped in bamboo leaves into a roughly pyramidal shape and tied with string. They are then boiled for about 2 hours.

Zongzi were at first eaten only once a year on the day of the festival, but nowadays, due to the popularity of the dumplings, convenient ready-made zongzi are available year-round at supermarkets and restaurants. Variants such as pearl chicken (glutinous rice stuffed with chicken and wrapped in lotus leaves) are also a popular staple on the dim sum menu.

There are myriad varieties of filling available: in northern China, dates are popular; in Shanghai, dumplings are stuffed with soy sauce marinated fatty pork and salted egg. Here in southern China, zongzi are stuffed with pork as well as mung beans and other fattening fillings. In Hong Kong, “deluxe” zongzi with abalone, conpoy and other expensive delicacies are also available. Not only do the fillings differ from region to region, the way people enjoy zongzi is also different. In Shanghainese households, savory dumplings are dipped in sugar before eating, while in the south, zongzi are dipped in soy sauce. “Never, ever, dip your zongzi in soy sauce. We’re from Shanghai and we dip our zongzi in sugar” was an oft-repeated admonishment from my childhood. Each region of China makes zongzi differently and each is convinced that their own zongzi are better than the others. There are also sweet zongzi, stuffed with items like red beans and lotus seed paste.

Sweet & sour chicken isn’t the only culinary gift that Chinese cooking has given the world: zongzi are also eaten in Japan, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and even Mexico. From their humble origins as fish food, zongzi have become part of a global culinary tradition.

Dragon Boats
Like zongzi, dragon boat races were once only held at Tuen Ng festival but are now held year-round. Just as with zongzi, dragon boat races have developed and evolved into global sporting events. The International Dragon Boat Federation estimates that nearly 50 million people take part in dragon boat races annually. Even with the increased commercialisation of the events, the dragon boat races still embody values of teamwork, solidarity and tradition that pay fitting tribute to the patriot Qu Yuan.

Dragon boat racing has become so much more than a group of villagers honouring a dead patriot. At Stanley Main Beach, the celebration of Tuen Ng festival is firmly based in the 21st century, having evolved into an important sporting and social event. The internationally famous event attracts thousands of spectators through the day looking to enjoy the spectacle. Although technically an amateur event many teams have commercial sponsors, compete in the various competitions across the city and start practicing months in advance as paddlers from across the globe hone their skills.

Dragon boat racing is very much a team sport. It’s easy for beginners to learn how to paddle, but it takes time to synchronise a whole team’s rhythm. Even though it’s supposedly a fun event at the beach it’s also fiercely competitive – which fosters a sense of camaraderie within and across teams.

Despite its having become a major international sport, dragon boat racing has an uniquely Asian cultural heritage and it’s sad that some participants are unaware of the details of the story of Qu Yuan. However, it isn’t necessary to know the background of the Tuen Ng festival to enjoy the festive spirit that eating zongzi and taking part or watching dragon boat races bring – and that is what’s important about Tuen Ng: that sense of community.

Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships
Date: 10:30am, 9 June, 2016
Venue: Stanley Main Beach
Tickets: Free

Dragon Boat Carnival
Date:10-12 June, 2016
Venue: Central Harbourfront
Tickets: Free
More info:
10 June – 12pm to 5:30pm
11-12 June – 8:30am to 5:30pm

This article was published in the print edition of bc magazine

Megabites: Mr Greek

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Amongst the plethora of eateries in Mongkok is the recently opened Mr Greek. The Bute Street outlet is the first Asian restaurant (operated as a franchise) of the popular Canadian chain and offers a wide range of popular Greek and Canadian dishes.

Simple sides and snacks include souvlaki, spanakopita ($35) grilled vegetables ($15), roasted potatoes ($15) and fresh made pita with delicious fresh dips ($15/$19).

The mains are generously sized and include six different variations on the classic Canadian poutine: ‘Bacon Lovers’, ‘Hot Dogging’, Tzatziki, Guacamole and Spicy Feta are all $40. The signature Oh My Gravy ($40) is a piled high plate of chips, of the big fat variety-cooked fluffy in the middle, covered in delicious home-made gravy, mozzarella, cheese curds and feta cheese. It’s a lovely filling plate of carb to enjoy alone or with a friend and perfect washed down with a cold beer (liquor licence coming soon).

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The selection of stuffed pita includes roast chicken ($45), pulled pork ($45) and the signature Apollo Wrap ($75) which is a pita full of 8oz of fresh beef, salad, fresh Tzatziki dressing and a side of chips. It’s a big fresh mouthful!

For seafood lovers there’s calamari and soft shell crab offered as mains ($100) or taster sizes. And for the salad aficionados there are grilled chicken ($55), grilled salmon ($78) and tangy chickpea ($35).

All the ingredients are freshly prepared on the premises or imported from Greece and portions are large enough that you really can share with your friends. Currently there are no desserts, but these should be coming soon.

It’s not fancy, but it’s tasty, filling and good size portions, what’s not to like! So if you’re in the neighbourhood and looking for a snack or a filling meal then check out Mr Greek.

Mr Greek: 64 Bute Street, Mongkok. Tel: 2866 9308
Opening Hours: Noon-Midnight everyday
www.facebook.com/Mr-Greek-Asia

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2016/Mr-Greek-Mong-Kok-3-June-2016/n-4Pmznh/i-NcRtQzz

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: 10-12 June 2016

A fantastic musical adventure about an out-of-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas. Face Productions’ summer show Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the musical, based on the 1968 film version of Ian Fleming’s children’s book, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins) is one adventure that audiences will find Truly Scrumptious.

An eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts finds an old race car on a scrap heap and sets about restoring it with the help of his children Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover the car has magical properties including the ability to float and fly. Trouble occurs when the evil Baron Bomburst desires the magic car for himself. The family joins forces with Truly Scrumptious and Grandpa Potts to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness and their villainous henchman, the Child Catcher in the mysterious land of Vulgaria.

Filled with unforgettable songs, including the Academy Award nominated title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a high-flying fun-filled adventure that first opened in London’s West End in 2002 and was the longest-ever running show at the London Palladium. The Face Productions show is directed by Candice Caalsen, who headed last year’s award-winning Legally Blonde.

In addition to the full version, Face Academy offers an abridged interpretation to showcase younger performing arts talents in Hong Kong.

Cast
Caractacus Pott – Samuel J Craig
Jenny Potts – Charlotte Blyth
Jemima Potts – Jorja Townson
Grandpa Potts – Terry Hart
Truly Scrumptious – Michelle Edwards
Lord Scrumptious /Baron Bomburst – Angus Scott
Baroness Bomburst – Moe Moss
Toymaker /Ensemble – Kirill Voloshin
The Childcatcher /Ensemble – Barry O’Rouke
Boris – Conor O’Grady
Goran – Jade Elizabeth du Toit

Production Team
Director: Candice Caalsen
Assistant Director: Conor O’Grady
Choreographer: Claire Johnson
Musical Director: Enrico Narvaez
Vocal Director:Jessica Peralta
Producer: Kenix Ho

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Date: 10-12 June, 2016
Venue: HKAPA, Drama Theatre
Tickets: $395 from HKTicketing
More info:
10-12 June – 7:30pm
12 June – 3pm

By Face Academy
11-12 June – 11am
11 June 3pm
$275

Summer Jazz Festival – 21-23 June, 2016

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Now in its 6th year Hong Kong Summer Jazz is the brainchild of local the Big Band leader Taka Hirohama, founder of the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra. The Summer Jazz festival aims to share and introduce the joy of jazz music through high quality performances featuring both local professionals and guest artists, and provide a unique experience for Hong Kong music lovers.

The guest artist at this year’s three concert festival, organised by the Hong Kong Big Band Jazz Federation, is international jazz giant Richard Sussman. The festival is slightly different from previous years as the three concerts aim to showcase the history and evolution of jazz. As in previous years the festival includes a free two day Jazz Academy with the HKU Big Band to promotes jazz within the community and offers expert tuition by leading local jazz artists.

21 June: Hot Jazz with Aya Takazawa
The summer jazz concert series starts off with a tale of a hundred years ago, and a story to be told. From explaining the origin of the word “Jazz”, to the rising in popularity of this unique style of music through the early years, different pioneers of Jazz music will be introduced. Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Glenn Miller are only be a few of the names whose music would be considered as Jazz classics, and will be presented to all in the first day of the concert.

22 June: Pops in Big Band with Richard Sussman
The Pops in Pig Band concert has two halves, the first features the sounds of contemporary jazz composer Richard Sussman and showcases how jazz music has evolved in the twenty-first century. The second half is all time Japanese Classic Pops performed in a retro style by young singers from Japan and Hong Kong joining together to bring back the melodies of the good old days.

23 June: All That Jazz with Alan Chan
A grand finale of all time great jazz tunes and beats including masterpieces once sang by Frank Sinatra, such as Fly me to the Moon, and more recent popular songs such as Michael Buble’s Feeling Good. The evening is curated and arranged by composer Alan Chan.

The Performers
Aya Takazawa started playing the piano at five and the trumpet at ten years old. She graduated from Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, and studied under Hitoshi Kumagai principle trumpeter of Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. After graduation she was part of an all female brass ensemble the Tokyo Brass Unit which had a big hit in the Japanese jazz music charts. In 2009 Aya performed at the commemoration ceremony of the United Nations Population Fund in New York.

She is currently leading her own jazz band the Takazawa Aya Quintet and released her first album Patterns in 2012. She’s established a reputation as a talented and versatile musician and appeared at “Summer Jazz” held in Hibiya-Kokaido and played with Manhattan Jazz Quintet at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Richard Sussman is a jazz pianist, composer, music technologist, educator, and author. He has performed with many jazz & pop greats including Lionel Hampton, Lee Konitz, Houston Person, Randy Brecker, Donna Summer, Blood Sweat & Tears, and many others. Richard has recorded four critically acclaimed albums of original music.

Known for his large ensemble arrangements and compositions, his music has been performed by, amongst others, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra of Holland, featuring legendary jazz pianist Hank Jones and the American Composers Orchestra in New York.

Alan Chan is a multi-faceted composer, with a goal to create original and innovative music that incorporates elements from across artistic disciplines, cultures and styles, to bring refreshing experience to audiences. He has received commissions and recognitions from ArtEZ (Netherlands), ASCAP, American Composers Forum (ACF), twice from Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and Los Angeles County Arts Commissions, among others.

He is a member of the prestigious BMI Jazz Compositions Workshop under legendary Jim McNeely in 2008-2011. His songs have been performed by the Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge band, Millennium Jazz Orchestra (Netherlands) and by college big bands in Los Angeles, Miami and Redlands. Holding a doctorate from the University of Southern California, he is the Artistic Director of the Gateway Performance Series in West LosAngeles.

Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) established by Taka Hirohama in 1990, the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra is one of the hottest jazz groups in Asia today and comprises some of Hong Kong’s top professional jazz musicians. The SNJO is highly active and has appeared in many events such as the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival, Hong Kong Big Band Festival, also the ‘Swing For All’ at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the “Hong Kong Week 2012” at the historic Zhongshan Hall Guangfu Auditorium, Taipei. The SNJO is always keen to foster and support new talent via the Summer Jazz “Big Band Workshop and Concert”, where they provide a platform for young musicians to learn about big-band jazz.

Yoko Wende born and raised in Japan. Yoko moved to New York to study acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. She now sings regularly in Hong Kong and will host the three Summer Jazz concerts.

HKU Big Band is the first big band ever set up among the universities in Hong Kong. Established in 2014, HKU Big Band strives to create a platform for jazz lovers in the University of Hong Kong to share their passion towards the genre and to promote jazz music among the HKU community.

The Band made its debut performance at the Hong Kong Summer Jazz Festival 2014 with the support of University’s General Education Unit and the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra. The HKU Big Band regularly give in-campus performances at Student Halls, academic buildings, and the University’s High-Table Dinner events. The group aims to promote and spread out jazz culture to other academic institutions in Hong Kong so as to cultivate a group of young audience and musicians to enter the local jazz scene.

Co-hosting the Big Band Jazz Academy Series, the HKU Big Band will act as a bridge linking students and public alike interested in knowing more about jazz and continue to spread the joy of making music in a Big Band.

Jazz Summer 2016
Hong Kong Big Band Jazz Federation
Date: 21-23 June 2016
Venue: HK City Hall, Theatre
Tickets: $300, $250, $150 from Urbtix

Farcical Miscarriage of Justice

Ng Lai-ying the woman in this video has just been found guilty of assaulting a Police Officer after being held down by a male officer with both of his legs on her chest/waist. I can’t help feeling this kind of decision does little to create trust in our police and courts.

Chief Inspector Chan Ka-po claimed Ng used her breasts to bump against his right arm of during the chaotic protest in Yuen Long on 1 March. He also claimed that her breasts caused an injury to his chest – a medical examination revealed no injuries to Chan.

Although the Magistrate said there are doubtful points in the statement the police witness gave (e.g. it was very difficult for the defendant to assault an officer given the limited space where the incident took place), these doubtful points are insignificant, hence the defendant was found guilty and is remanded in custody until 10 July.

As this video, which captures the whole incident, shows the only person assaulted was Ng during her arrest. She was thrown to the ground and jumped on by several policemen leaving her with a bloody nose and other injuries

Translation: Real Hong Kong News

Register to Vote before 2 July 2015

Your vote matters!

Incompetent and self-interested politicians have flourished in Hong Kong due to voter apathy – HongKongers this is our home take an interest in who and how it’s being run.

All Permanent Residents over 18 are eligible to vote.

Lai Yuen, Echoes of a Bygone Era

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18 years after it closed, and 66 years after it originally opened Lai Yuen is ‘re-imagined’ on the Central Harbourfront this summer. The result is simple uncomplicated fun. The contrast to last winter’s Great European Carnival couldn’t be more profound, that was noise, flashing lights, scream inducing rides… Lai Yuen by contrast is a throw back to a simpler less complicated time where fun and enjoyment was shared and involved participation rather than staring at a screen which provides the entertainment.

There’s a wide range of games, flick your flip flop, parachute man, toss the magnet, feed the elephant and my favourite throw the feather duster. A half dozen rides aimed strictly, apart from the dodgems, at young children and ice-skating.

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The ‘balloon’ zoo is fun and a lovely place to escape the summer heat.

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If there’s a criticism it’s that the food quality is very average and the prices – $15 for a small bottle of water – a bit expensive. There’s also a lack of seating near the food court. Last winters GEC had its food prices and quality just right. But there’s nothing stopping you bring your own beverages, and even with mist sprays on many of the games the Lai Yuen midway is hot when the sun’s beating down.

Games and rides are paid for with tokens, each token is $10. For food and beverage, you need to purchase a (top-upable) stored value card which is valid for the duration of the fair and unused credit up to $300 can be refunded.

Is it any good? Yes, go with a group of friends take a step back in time and enjoy the simple fun of playing, sharing, relaxing and having fun. Does it have the repeat visit attraction of the Great European Carnival maybe not. But it’s different, and enjoyable and a reminder of days gone bye.

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Lai Yuen Summer Special 2015
Date: 11am – 11pm, 26 June – September 2015
Venue: Central Harbourfront
Tickets: Free Entry

Tallis Vocalis: Victoria’s Requiem @ All Saints’ Church – 28 June, 2015

Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Requiem is widely regarded as the greatest masterpiece of Renaissance polyphony. Tallis Vocalis will perform this great work in their second concert entitled ‘In Memoriam’, on 28 June 2015 at All Saints’ Cathedral, Hong Kong.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the concert brings together music written in the Renaissance period and the present day on the theme of remembering those we have lost. Victoria’s Requiem was written for his patron the Holy Roman Empress Maria. This Spanish work sets itself apart from its English and Italian Renaissance contemporaries by its mystical intensity of expression achieved through the simplest musical means.

The Requiem will be interspersed with four contemporary works: Arvo Pärt’s Da pacem Domine (a tribute to those who died in the 2004 Madrid bombings) and The Woman With the Alabaster Box (which references Jesus’ burial); James MacMillan’s A Child’s Prayer (written after the Dunblane massacre in 1996) and John Tavener’s Song for Athene (a tribute to his friend Athene Hariades).

Christopher Watson, of The Tallis Scholars and Theatre of Voices will conduct the concert.

In Memoriam
Tallis Vocalis
Date: 8pm, 28 June, 2015
Venue: All Saints’ Cathedral, 11 Pak Po Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong
Tickets: $250, online reservation commences 1 June 2015
More info:
Programme
Victoria: Requiem (Officium Defunctorum 1605)
Pärt: Da pacem Domine
Pärt: The Woman With the Alabaster Box
MacMillan: A Child’s Prayer
Tavener: Song for Athene