Bauhinia blooms in December

We're not in Canada any more, Toto!  Trees bloom here in the winter!
The bauhinia (also called the Hong Kong orchid) is the national flower of Hong Kong, as well as the emblem on its flag, coins, and coat of arms.  The city is now covered in bright pinkish-purple flowers, and, along with the clear skies, the sight is breathtaking.  The smell of the flowers masks some of the stinkier scents of the city, too.  We've been told that these trees will bloom until March.  As northerners who only witnessed colourful trees and flowers from May until September, we certainly appreciate the vegetation of HK all year long.

Speaking of plants, our good friends, Joan and Ron, left HK two weeks ago.  Joan bequeathed me her plants, despite my protests that I am the kiss of death for anything green.  She insisted that African violets and anthurium require very little care - water once a week, and keep them out of direct sunlight.  I've been heeding her advice with excellent results so far.  (There are little red buds on the anthurium, which might even turn into flowers!)  I'm now encouraged to venture to the flower market in Kowloon to buy some orchids, although last winter's orchid adoption was a dismal failure (sorry to admit this to Susan, my Toronto buddy who is a card-carrying member of the Orchid Society).

Two of our passions in HK are discovering new neighbourhoods, and learning more about the history of this territory, in particular WWII and the Japanese occupation (1941-1945).  Recently, I've been on several historical walks and have attended some interesting lectures.  As often happens, the lectures and walks mesh into a more coherent understanding of a place and time.

Shau Kei Wan

I first glimpsed SKW while lazing about on a junk boat called the Aqua Luna.  After a dim sum lunch in Kowloon,  a group of Friends of the Museum, Chinese University of HK (herein referred to as "Friends" - no Quaker connection whatsoever) boarded the junk and cruised eastward towards the shipbuilding docks of SKW.  The Aqua Luna is a new ship, designed and built by the eighty-year-old man in the photo.  As we approached the row of old-fashioned docks, we noticed the Aldrich government housing estate, but couldn't imagine anything remotely interesting behind it.

SKW is a densely-populated neighbourhood in the north-east end of HK Island.  At first glance, it looks like a planned, ugly district of high-rise public housing apartments, akin to the "projects" in large North American cities.  Although these buildings are a blight on the skyline, there is still much vitality and heritage to be found here, especially in the older, central part of the neighbourhood.

At a recent lecture given by Professor Woo Pui Leng, I learned about the urban transformation of this neighbourhood.  SKW began as one of the original fishing villages of HK, since there was some flat land on which to build small houses.  Many of the fishermen lived on houseboats.  Over the past 150 years, land reclamation has filled in the entire bay, so the original village is now situated way inland.  It is hard to imagine the old Tin Hau Temple on Main Street in its original setting on the waterfront.  Tin Hau Temples honour the goddess of fishermen and sailors.  There are many of these temples in HK, and none of them seem to be within one kilometre of water any more!  In SKW, all of the reclaimed land is filled with housing estates (named after Major Aldrich, the British army engineer who first surveyed Hong Kong), elevated expressways, and transportation hubs.
The changes here, and elsewhere in the city, happened over several decades, and were due to the enormous growth in the population after 1949.  I was astounded to learn that the population of HK has grown by 1 million in each decade from 1950 to the present day, due to the influx of people from Mainland China.

The original two-story shop-houses of SKW were gradually dwarfed by dense housing.  In 1964, the famous tenement known as the Corner Building was built at the streetcar terminus.  Instead of having the balconies face the prominent tram roundabout, the small, cell-like windows of the kitchens and bathrooms are in the forefront of the rounded building.  The next stage of urban growth featured the Ming Wah housing estates.  This cluster of buildings contains numerous tiny apartments, however, there are floating corridors separating rows of flats, bringing light and air into the interior.  The buildings were designed to give residents a view of the green mountains behind, and the sea in front.  The mountains are still there, but the sea view has been replaced by the Aldrich buildings!
A few days after Professor Woo's talk, I joined an AWA historical walk with Jason Wordie in SKW.  We climbed way up into the hills and saw the remains of the British gun batteries that were no match for the Japanese attack on HK Island in 1941.  The walk also brought Professor Woo's information into perspective.

I discovered that there is still an old-fashioned village on Main Street, with a beautiful wet market one street away.  The local shops and enticing eateries have not changed despite the urban growth around them.  Culturally, locals still prefer to live the way they have for decades - buying fresh food daily at the local markets, eating dim sum at tiny restaurants, and shopping for household goods in small, specialized mom-and-pop stores.

Jason's walk ended on an amusing note.  AWA outings normally end with an optional lunch.  The convenor announced that she had made a reservation for us at Ruby Tuesday's in Tai Ku.  Vanessa, Angela, and I shouted "not me!!" and hightailed it to a Main Street cafe, where we ate delicious dim sum.  Our entire lunch cost the equivalent of $6.50CDN for three!  We splurged on fresh egg tarts for dessert - three for 5HKD ($0.65).  Sure beats an American hamburger!