Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2000

Old Customs and Traditions In the New Territories and other remote parts of Hong Kong, one still finds many old customs and traditions related to ancestral worship, religious ceremonies , and wedding ceremonies. Seen here is Sha Tin'sdragon boat ritual. Each family would pack up their garbage and put it in the paper boat with a red packet. This signifies riddance to all things unlucky. Seen here is the lantern lighting ceremony of Tai Wai Village. Usually held in the first month of the lunar year, villagers hang lanterns in the Hau Wong Temple. To each lantern is attached a piece of red paper with the names of male newborns in the village. Fruits and vegetables signifying good luck are also hung up. Hong Kong's Quarrying Industry Ma On Shan in Sha Tin wasa lively quarry in the 50s. Later quarrying activities stopped. Both the original Ma On Shan old village and the new village where qurrymen had settled became dilapidated. Through interviews, researchers recorded in detail the development of Hong Kong's quarrying industry, fights over territory among the quarrymen, their occupational diseases, and their lifestyle. Seen here is MaOn Shan new village. T u n g C h u ng Tung Chung's old areas had to be pulled down to make way for the building o f thenew airport a t Chek Lap Kok and the development of a new town. Before demolition work began, th egovernment commissioned the University to photograph the old areas, including the fortress, old buildings, schools, and villages. Researchers from the University also conducted extensive interviews wit h the local inhabitants to gain a better understanding of the Tung Chung community. Results of this study have become the only historical reference material about Tung Chung that is available in Hong Kong. CHINES E UNIVERSIT Y BULLETI I Autumn • Winter 2000 8