Latest news with #CheungChauBunFestival
HKFP
16-06-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong visitor arrivals up 20% in May, thanks to China's Golden Week holiday, large-scale events
Hong Kong logged 4.08 million visitor arrivals in May, a 20 per cent year-on-year increase, thanks to China's Golden Week holiday and large-scale events that attracted regional tourists, the city's tourism board has said. Citing provisional data, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said on Monday that more than 20 million tourists from around the world visited the city in the first five months of this year – a 12 per cent increase from the same period last year. Visitors from mainland China continued to account for the largest number of arrivals in May, totalling 3.12 million – a 19 per cent year-on-year increase. Non-mainland Chinese visitors rose by 24 per cent in May to over 955,000 people. In the first five months of this year, over 15 million mainland Chinese visitors came to Hong Kong, a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year. Meanwhile, visitors from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines surged by more than 25 per cent year on year over the same period, while Australian visitors increased by over 35 per cent, according to the HKTB. Hong Kong held major cultural events in May, such as the iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival, the French May Arts Festival, and a special Picasso art exhibition at the M+ museum, as well as meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) events, the HKTB said. The Picasso exhibition, the opening programme of the French May festival, will run until July 13. During the Golden Week holiday, which ran from May 1 to 5, Hong Kong welcomed about 1.1 million visitors – a 22 per cent increase from last year, said Chief Executive John Lee. Hong Kong faces an uphill battle to lure tourists to the city after the city lifted all anti-pandemic travel curbs in early 2023. The provisional arrival figure for May this year still lagged behind that of May 2019, when nearly six million people travelled to the city. During his budget speech in February, financial chief Paul Chan said that the government would allocate over HK$1.23 billion to the HKTB to attract 'high-end visitors' from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
South China Morning Post
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Rich city traditions help attract tourists
Hong Kong is playing host to numerous new events as it seeks to broaden its appeal and adapt to the tastes of today's tourists. But traditional cultural attractions retain their value and must be preserved as tourism evolves. The iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival, dating back to the 18th or 19th century, remains one of the most colourful and creative. More than 22,000 people recently headed to the outlying island for the culmination of the four-day event. Advertisement An enthusiastic reception was given to the children featured in the 'floating parade'. This year, some were dressed as government ministers, famous athletes and a character from the popular mainland film Ne Zha 2. Meanwhile, the traditional 'ping on' steamed buns were very much in demand. People queued for hours for tickets to see the climax of the festival, the breathtaking bun scramble, which resulted in third-time winner Janet Kung Tsz-shan being crowned 'queen of bun queens'. Hong Kong is gearing up for a month of activities showcasing and celebrating intangible cultural heritage in June. The campaign, the first of its kind, will coincide with and support China's Cultural and National Heritage Day. Many events are planned across six districts with the aim of attracting tourists and increasing awareness of the city's traditions. There will be carnivals and fun days, with cultural highlights ranging from a Hakka unicorn dance to Cantonese opera, puppetry, Chinese brush making and dragon boats. Performances, exhibitions, workshops and conferences will be held at plazas, town halls, museums, libraries and schools. There will also be interactive booths. Food is an important element, because Hong Kong is hoping the United Nations will recognise the city's culinary heritage. Techniques for making shrimp paste and rice dumplings are among the activities included. Advertisement It is good to see efforts being made to maintain the city's traditions and present them to a wider audience. They are a vital and distinctive part of the city's history and culture and continue to appeal to visitors. As Hong Kong embraces everything from 'mega-events' to 'selfie tourism', maintaining its rich traditions must be a priority.
West Australian
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Bun scrambling sets off festival season
Hong Kong has this week been thanking its lucky buns. A local delicacy, the buns are called 'ping on bao' and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival to celebrate them is inscribed on the Chinese territory's National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The festival includes a 'bun-scrambling competition', a spokesperson for Hong Kong Tourism Board explaining: 'At midnight, the legendary Bun-Scrambling Competition begins. Twelve climbers race up a roughly 14m tower covered in lucky buns (ping on bao), grabbing as many as they can. 'Higher buns earn more points, and the top scorer wins. Meanwhile, the competitor with the most buns earns the playful title of 'Full Pockets of Lucky Buns'.' Held in the fishing village on outlying island Cheung Chau, the festival was recognised as part of China's national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. It honours sea god Pak Tai who, it is said, saved the island from a plague in the 18th century. SPRING FESTIVALS There are lots of festivals in spring in Hong Kong, with the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, from May 5 to 6, marking the start of this season of arts, culture and sporting events. + Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, June 7 to 8. Big, colourful boats and well-trained teams compete off the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade in Hong Kong. There are thousands of dragon boat paddlers, with teams coming from around the world. + Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, May 22 to 25. Tradition and modernity meet, with artworks from 98 leading galleries coming together at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. + Chinese Culture Festival, June to September. There are dance performances, opera, film screenings, talks and art exhibitions throughout the festival.
RTHK
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTHK
Firefighter, ice climber win bun-scrambling contest
Firefighter, ice climber win bun-scrambling contest Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King" and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen". Photo: RTHK Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Photo: RTHK The Cheung Chau bun festival has wrapped up with its main event on Tuesday - the midnight bun-scrambling competition. Ten-time champion Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King", and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen". Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Those climbers who filled their bags with the most buns in three minutes won the most points. Kung, 31, also claimed the title "Queen of Bun Queens" after her third victory. "Earning this title is a milestone for me, after participating in this game for nine years," she said. "I will continue joining the bun-scrambling competition. It's a sports event that I have to join every year. It is just like a report card of my fitness and attitude every year, and see whether I've improved. So far I've been improving." Firefighter Kwok said he didn't expect to win as a Bun King again this year. "My opponents are tough. I was worried that they would take the win. At my age, it's the taking part that counts. I'm just happy to be here," he said. He said his winning strategy was to climb fast to the top and snag those nine-point buns before others. Over 100 people queued early to get free tickets for the event. One attendee surnamed Cheung said he arrived at 5 am on Monday. "I want a good spot. I've been watching the contests for more than a decade," he said. "I'm not a Cheung Chau resident, but after all these years, it's just second nature. If I skip watching it, I get this itch. It's like catching up with old friends every year. No matter how long it takes to stand in line to watch the event, I don't care. I can tough it out." The Cheung Chau Bun Festival traces its roots to a ritual for people to pray for safety from a plague.
South China Morning Post
05-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
12,300 revellers brave heat for buns, fish balls, Ne Zha at Hong Kong Cheung Chau festival
More than 12,000 Hongkongers and tourists have flocked to Cheung Chau for the island's annual bun festival, and a parade featuring popular film characters and hot topics such as scams, with businesses expecting sales growth and overseas market expansions. Advertisement Revellers set out on their journeys early on Monday. Shortly before 9am, the Central pier announced that the fast ferry was fully boarded, as dozens of tourists waited there. Cheung Chau Bun Festival, also known as Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival , falls each year on Buddha's Birthday. This year, the date coincided with the last day of the Labour Day 'golden week' holiday. Sun Ferry said that about 12,300 passengers boarded its ferries from Central to Cheung Chau between 8am and 12pm, noting a 9 per cent decrease compared with the same period last year. Advertisement 'Sun Ferry has deployed all available standby vessels to provide additional sailings, and the maximum hourly carrying capacity is over 200 per cent more than usual,' the operator said. Crowds lined the streets of the island to catch a glimpse of Piu Sik Parade, which kicked off at 1.30pm. Themes of this year's parade included Ne Zha, Southeast Asian scam compound 'KK Park' and the National Games.
