April 29, 2009

‘We can see both the light and the shadow from the water. From there, we are led into two worlds – one is [the real] the world of water, the other one leads us enter the realm of imagination,’ said renowned poet, Professor Cheng Chou-you, at the opening ceremony of the Fourth City Literary Festival at the CityU last week.

Such a dual notions of water seemed to echo the very theme ‘Rhapsodies of Time’ that has been chosen for this year’s literary festival. So much imagination can be aroused from this very theme and so many memories have stemmed from it, though probably many of hte stories have left unspoken in our lifetime.

With the imaginery power of the water reigning in our ears, Professor Cheng  reminded us that Hong Kong – a city located at the seaside, is an ideal place to develop the city liteature of the Sea. Do you agree?

Written by: hiuylee

April 15, 2009

Since the launch of the Pulse in December, there has been quite a number of friends from Russian who posted their observations and remarks on this blog, so I would like to write a message of thanks to friends from another shore! I’ve to admit that I do not read Russian, so I’ve to rely on on-line translation services or friends to translate them for me, and thus occasionally for the readers. Yet despite this language differences, it’s no barrier for any exchange of views and ideas.

While this is a short message to say hi to all of you, it’s also meant to say that we from Hong Kong also would like to hear from you all your views and observations on Chinese culture, history or any aspect of which you’re interested in. And we look forward to hearing from you!

Written by: hiuylee

April 7, 2009

As the 2nd Huqin Festival of Hong Kong will soon be kicked-off, so just wanna drop a note here to alert everybody who would like to take a glimpse at the various kinds of Huqin (Chinese stringed instrument) to attend the concerts and activities held by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to mark the occasion. Details can go to: http://www.hkco.org/eng/concert_32nd_info_c13_eng.asp?caller=2009huqin

If anybody still has some memory ofthe first Huqin Festival, which was held in Hong Kong in 2001, then probably the spectacular opening ceremony - Music from a Thousand Strings – which featured a thousand participants from the community playing huqin together alongside with huqin virtuosi and a full-sized orchestra on the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, had left a deep impression on you.

Of course size is not all that matters, yet for those joining in the experience it’s surely a special one that’s well remembered. This year the HKCO made another attempt to promote huqin - Global Huqin Relay. The idea is that players from Hong Kong, China, Canada, Japan, and Singapore will play Huqin at their respective time zones to keep the live music going round the world until it comes back to Hong Kong. If you wanna join, you can register with the HKCO between now and May 1, 2009.

For those who want to get a taste of what huqin music’s about, then there’s a free concert held at 3-5pm on April 18, 2009 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Foyer. Guided appreciation for the performances by HKCO huqin musicians will be provided too!

Written by: hiuylee

April 3, 2009

Each year before and during the Ching Ming Festival, there are often throngs of people walking along the long, winding path leading up to the mountain where their beloved ones were buried. A unique Chinese festival, Ching Ming is an occasion when we have to pay respect to our ancestors to fulfill our filial piety as well as remember our loved ones.  A commonly used English translation for this festival is Tomb Sweeping Day – one which depicts what people normally do during this day, for, sweeping the tomb, offering food, and burning incense at the grave sites are common activities during this time of the year.

The Ching Ming Festival this year officially falls on April 4 (Saturday), though as is always the case, people started to go tomb-sweeping a few weeks leading up to this day. Somehow I guess even though one may not always go into the roots of why a particular ritual or tradition was formed, it’s still a good time to remember those who cared for us in their life-time, and hopefully, they can also feel our sense of lost in their afterlife…

Just read on the paper today regarding the opening of the Beichuan (one of the hardest-hit quake zone in Sichuan) to the former residents to allow them to pay respect to their lost relatives and family members for a four-day period ahead of the Ching Ming Festival. If you still remember the heavy death toll (estimated 15,000) of the county seat when the mountains buried many people alive and over 80 per cent of the buildings there were collapsed, then you would know how heart-breaking this year’s Ching Ming Festival is for the former Beichuan residents.

Written by: hiuylee