Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Once at the cemetery it's worth dropping down to Pak Tso Wan (known by local Westerners
as 'Italian Beach'), a sandy, isolated spot that is good for swimming.
CHEUNG CHAU'S BUN FESTIVAL
and is one of Asia's most unique celebrations. It takes place over four days in late April
or early May, traditionally starting on the sixth day of the fourth moon. During the
festival, the island is packed with tourists and locals cramming buns into their
mouths, listening to drummers and offering incense at the temples.
The festival is best known for its bun towers: bamboo scaffolding up to 20m high
covered with sacred rolls. If you visit Cheung Chau a week or so before the festival,
you'll see the towers being built in front of Pak Tai Temple.
At midnight on the designated day, hundreds of people clamber up the towers to
snatch the buns for good luck. The higher the bun, the greater the luck, so everyone
tries to reach the top. In 1978 a tower collapsed under the weight of the climbers, in-
juring two dozen people. The race didn't take place again for over two decades until it
was revived - with strict safety controls - in 2005.
The third day of the festival features a procession of floats, stilt walkers and people
dressed as characters from Chinese legends and opera. Most interesting are the col-
ourfully dressed 'floating children' who are carried through the streets on long poles,
cleverly wired to metal supports hidden under their clothing. The supports include
footrests and a padded seat.
Offerings are made to the spirits of all the fish and livestock killed and consumed
over the previous year. During the four-day festival, the whole island goes vegetarian.
EATING
There are seafood restaurants galore on Pak She Praya Rd. Alternatively, around the south
of the pier and at the start of Tai Hing Tai Rd, you can pick your fish or other seafood from
the food stalls with fish tanks, and then pay the stallholders to cook them the way you like.
To get off the well-trodden waterfront, we recommend the following places.
CHINESE
KAM WING TAI FISH BALL SHOP
Chau)
