Broken (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Less than three decades ago, the 31,000 square meter (330,000 square foot for those still not in tune with the metric system!) area that has been home to the Kowloon Walled City Park since 1995 was estimated to be home to around 33,000 people. The Kowloon Walled City arose out of -- and was -- a historical anomaly; and was an infamously lawless, densely-populated makeshift city right in the heart of urban Hong Kong controlled more by Triads than either the British colonial or Chinese governments for much of the 20th century.

Little, if anything, remains from that era of the site's history though -- for the area that was Kowloon Walled City was cleared and an early Qing Dynasty-style Kowloon Walled City Park erected in its place during the late 20th century. Surprisingly, however, some relics from an earlier part of its history are to be found within the park's walls.

One of these is an actual building -- the 19th century Yamen (headquarters) of Qing officials (in front of which stand a couple of trees and also a detailed, metal scale model sculpture of the 20th century Kowloon Walled City (See this Photo Hunt entry's upper photo.) Additionally, close by, towards the southeast, lies the ruins of the Old South Gate that include a couple of broken granite plaques with Chinese characters for "South Gate" and "Kowloon (Nine Dragon) Walled City" (the latter interestingly meant to be read from right to left -- as was the case in the olden days -- rather than left to right -- as it is now).

And yes, they may be visually modest but if those walls -- and plaques -- could talk, the tales these particular ones could tell...

Tai Tam hike sights (Photo-essay)

Although I am but a novice hiker compared to some people I know here in Hong Kong (including two friends who I think of -- and have described to others -- as the demon and mad hiker respectively!), I nonetheless think it's fair to state that I've been on my share of hikes in the Big Lychee since moving here -- and, in the process, covered quite a bit of country in the territory.

As it so happens, the Hong Kong country park I feel I know best is Tai Tam Country Park. And several hikes on in the area, including the one that is the focus of this photo-essay and the previous one, I think I will have to conclude that it's also that which I love most... and would be most readily inclined to take visitors into to give them a taste of "wild" Hong Kong.

Should you wish to have an advance taste of what you'd be seeing if you were to go on a hike in the area with me, go ahead and scroll down... ;b

A caveat: Alas, I can't guarantee blooming flowers
at all times of the year

I also was surprised to see tiny turtles, koi
and other fish happily swimming
in the waters of the Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir

Alternatively, enough water and a clear blue sky is
about all it takes to guarantee this beautiful area sight

To the south of that reservoir is a building whose
entry ways have been strangely bricked up -- leaving
my hiking companion and I to wonder what it was
previously used for (a park warden's residence, maybe?)
and why it doesn't serve a practical purpose any more

A stone bridge standing amidst lots of greenery

A smaller, more natural body of water than the
reservoirs with which Tai Tam Country Park shares its
name (one which translates into English as "Big Pond")

A place along the trail that's so idyllic
I think it's worth a second photo --
albeit from a slightly different angle :)

To conclude: spider in the sky! (And yes,
this was a hike where we saw our share of spiders!!) ;o

What I had for lunch this weekend... ;b

Polo char siu pau = a combination of two famous
Hong Kong food items = a really special kind of bun

Tofu that's spiced and crusty on the outside
and creamily soft inside

The climate in Hong Kong is classified as sub-tropical. Generally speaking, this seems to translate into the Big Lychee having months that are cool and dry or hot and humid -- with not much of what would be considered a transitional autumn or spring in between. And while it's not unheard of for there to be several days that are superhot and humid but not truly wet, it's not all that usual for cool winter days to also be stormy.

Unfortunately for my hiking plans this weekend, however, this Sunday (the day I usually go hiking) has been one that's seen a lot of rain. So rather than have one foodie lunch this weekend (as is usually the case), I ended up having two!

More specifically, for lunch yesterday, I went and tried out Ten Jaku, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Causeway Bay that is considered a good middle-range bet for sushi in Hong Kong, with a major foodie friend. Then, although our stomachs were quite satisfactorily satiated (and I was personally pretty pleased with the quality toro (fatty tuna) and ikura (salmon roe) that had been included in my sushi set), she insisted on taking me to her favorite durian dessert place nearby -- whereby we proceeded to happily polish off a ice cream concoction that strongly smelt as well as tasted of that which Malaysians think of as the king of fruits!

But although Saturday's lunch may sound like a feast, it pales in comparison to what I had today with an uncle and aunt visiting from Penang: dim sum at Victoria City Seafood Restaurant that included the two dishes in the photos at the top of this entry -- the top most of which is has an exterior that's like the sweet po lo pau (pineapple bun -- so called because its crunchy top has patterns that look like a pineapple's to Hong Kongers) in taste and texture but has the bonus of having chunks of char siew (roast pork) inside it.

Sadly, however, the Shanghai crabs season looks to be over. So unlike the last time I had dim sum there, I couldn't have one of the restaurant's pieces de resistance: xiao long bao with Shanghai crab roe inside. Instead, I had to "settle" for just the regular xiao long bao along with six other dishes -- a major benefit to not dining alone or just with one other person but, instead, two people. And being fellow Penangites to boot, of course they love their food too and thus were happy to partake of a real variety of dim sum delights... ;b

Average (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

In 2009, Hong Kong, a territory with a total population of slightly over 7 million and land mass of 989 square kilometers (382 square miles), played host to some 29.6 million tourists. The vast majority of these visitors will have taken the ride across Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry and/or gazed across the harbour and looked at the northern Hong Kong Island skyline from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade (sometime during the day and/or night). They also will have bunched around certain parts of the territory even while largely leaving other areas to the locals.

To be sure, there are large, often incredibly scenic, swathes of Hong Kong that are accessible only to hikers and their ilk. But for one reason or other, some fairly easily accessible (albeit not by MTR train) areas of Hong Kong -- including the two areas where this Photo Hunt entry's photos were taken -- have been deemed unworthy of a visit.

Granted that what they offer may seem on the average side in that it can seem not all the spectacular, exciting or particularly exotic. But I like Siu Sai Wan's long and clean harbor-side promenade and the different, less built-up and calmer views of Victoria Harbour from those featured in tourist literature that it offers up; and that Kennedy Town's view of the same body of water emphasizes that it really still is used as a commercial waterway by some.

Additionally, for those who like to get beyond the tourist veneer and get a sense of what average life is like in Hong Kong, I figure that a quiet stroll around these opposite ends of northern Hong Kong Island would be a pretty good and rather pleasant way to start; and, at the very least, take one temporarily away from the madding -- and sometimes potentially maddening -- crowd!

My top ten 2009 Hong Kong movies list

The subject and star of my favorite Hong Kong movie of 2009

The year that I moved to Hong Kong, I watched 30 Hong Kong movies released that year. The previous year, I had watched 27 Hong Kong movies released in 2006; last year (2008), I watched 37 of that year's Hong Kong releases! So the 26 local releases I watched last year in the year that they were released really is the fewest I've viewed in four years.

It thus seems to me that it might seem a bit rich to make a top ten list that would consequently include a little less than 20% of the eligible movies (and more than one month after 2009 ended). Still, I figure I might as well continue a "best of" list-making tradition that I began close to a decade ago now on Brian's Hong Kong Cinema: View from the Brooklyn Bridge and also has served as a Hong Kong cinema companion to the overall top ten movie lists for each year that I've assembled for the Mobius Home Video Forum's annual poll.

So here -- better late than never -- are the 2009 Hong Kong movies that get my top ten vote (albeit with succinct comments this time around for numbers 6 to 10 on the list):-

1) KJ
In a city where it's considered a success for a local film to last two weeks in cinemas and any film to have a theatrical run of three weeks or more, this Chueng King-wai documentary about a music prodigy named Wong Ka-Jeng has been screening for several months. Granted that it has largely been shown in just one cinema (the Broadway Cinematheque) throughout. Nonetheless, the length of the triple Golden Horse awards-winner's theatrical run gives but a hint of how special is this absorbing work whose subject and main personality is shown to be an interestingly precocious human being as well as a talented musician whose personal and professional future promises much and good.

2) Bodyguards and Assassins
The sneak trailer for this Teddy Chen directed (and Peter Chan Ho Sun produced) film that is equal parts period drama and kick-ass actioner got me all pumped up to see it; its regular length trailer even more so. A rare much hyped, big budget (by Asian standards!), star-studded movie that doesn't disappoint, this film about an honorable Chinese man and the motley crew he assembled to protect an important political figure (Sun Yat Sen, the man who history has come to know as the father of modern China) when he visited Hong Kong against imperial Qing Dynasty assassins benefits greatly from having an excellent cast, quality production values and that quintessential Hong Kong cinema willingness to kill characters played by big name stars early in -- as well as late into -- a movie! ;b

3) Red Cliff 2
Is John Woo a has been? Not in my opinion after having viewed this historical epic that was preceded by a lesser first part in 2008 but one that I do feel is necessary to view to help one better appreciate this cinematic rendering of certain historical events that have been written about the Chinese literary masterpiece that is The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. And although top-billed Tony Leung Chiu Wai is on the disappointing side, Zhang Fengyi is extremely watchable as the arch-villain, Takeshi Kaneshiro is winningly charismatic in a non-action role and Vicki Zhao Wei's warrior princess is by far the best as well as most spunky female character in a John Woo movie that I've seen to date!

4) Night and Fog
Ann Hui's second film about the "City of Sadness" that is Tin Shui Wai bears an unfortunate title -- one that also belongs to Alain Resnais' 1955 documentary about the Holocaust. Knowing how knowledgable is its director, however, one can't think but the title is meant to be a reference to the horror and inhumanity that humans are capable of. As dark and depressing as the previous year's The Way We Are is full of humanity, kindness and goodness, this drama that puts the spotlight on domestic abuse (specifically a case involving an older Hong Kong man and the younger Mainland Chinese female whose mother thinks that wife-beating is a common and normal practice) is sad and chilling... yet rings all too true -- thanks in no small part to the very convincing performances of Simon Yam (who serves a reminder of how scary he can be as a menacing male) and Zhang Jingchu (adding to her reputation as one of the top Mainland Chinese actresses of her generation) as the movie's main couple.

5) Poker King
Those who hated La Lingerie and my decision to put it in my top ten 2008 Hong Kong movies list had better look away now because Poker King is yet another movie co-helmed by Chan Hing-Kar and Janet Chun that I happen to have enjoyed watching. The kind of unpretentious Hong Kong film that I have long liked (only it's set in Macau), this gambling movie re-unites Lau Ching Wan and Louis Koo as a lead pair and throws in au courant local entertainment flavors like Stephy Tang along with a lot more actresses than one usually sees populating a single Hong Kong movie these days is full of silliness but also comedy and "heart". And although his is a small, arguably throwaway part, I'd wager that few people will be able to watch Lam Suet's appearance in this work and not laugh! lb

And rounding up the top ten are:-

6) Rebellion - old style crime drama with a welcome mix of new and old faces - Herman Yau, director

7) Claustrophobia - art house drama that contains more to admire than outright like - Ivy Ho, director

8) All's Well Ends Well 2009 - Chinese New Year comedy with guffaw-inducing sight gags - Vincent Kok, director

9) Permanent Residence - gay romantic drama cum loose auto-biography that is involving when not too indulgent - Scud, director

10) Overheard - thriller-crime/cop drama that shows the bad that can happen when fundamentally decent men bow to temptation - Alan Mak and Felix Chong, co-directors

(And for those who are wondering: if it counted, Ashes of Time Redux would definitely top this list but not only did the original film come up in 1994 but the Redux version actually was first released -- albeit in Cannes, rather than Hong Kong -- back in 2008... :S)

Addendum: The Mobius "Best of 2009..." poll results are out. Interested others can go there to the relevant page via the embedded link to check out my overall Top Ten Films of 2009 list over there (and should feel free to comment on it over here!).

From Quarry Bay heading towards Tai Tam (Photo-essay)

As I write this blog entry, the temperature outside is a balmy 20-21 degrees Celsius -- quite a bit warmer than your average Hong Kong winter temperature but still considerably cooler than the day back in early July that I went on a Hong Kong Island hike with a friend; one that began with us meeting at Quarry Bay MTR station and walking eastwards along King's Road, then up Mount Parker Road to Quarry Gap and along Stage 6 of the Hong Kong Trail down to the Tai Tam Reservoirs and Tai Tam Road.

Many serious Hong Kong hikers -- who can be identified by their being the kind of folks who don't carry cameras and aren't all that inclined to stop to do such as take photos and admire the scenery while out in the wilds of the Big Lychee! -- stop hiking during the summer months because its hot and humid weather really can drain as well as get one sweating buckets. For my part, I am disinclined to do this -- not least because the summer skies are often clearer and more beautifully blue than is usual for Hong Kong. Instead, I try to find easier hikes and/or ones that have quite a bit of tree cover and then go out and enjoy sights such as the following:-

A view of cloud-filled but blue skies
over Quarry Bay as one ascends
Mount Parker Road from its northern end

High density urban and natural areas
super close to each other

Beautiful butterfly atop a bright yellow flower

A flower that blossoms in summer --
the Glorybower (AKA Ghost Lantern!)

As can be expected of someone whose blog name has
the word "webs" in it, I am fascinated by the sight
of webs -- and the spiders that weave them... ;b

Deep inside Tai Tam Country Park
looking southwards towards Red Hill,
Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir and beyond

Sunlight reflected on the gently rippling water...

...of Tai Tam Upper Reservoir --a place where
I like to pause and take time to drink in the scenery
each time I pass through and/or by!

(To be continued... of course! ;b)

"Before you leave..." list

The kind of view of Hong Kong
you can't see -- even in the movies -- unless
you go out hiking in the territory (#3)

Scene from a free outdoor concert
held one evening last December
at Tai Po Waterfront Park (#5)

It's after midnight -- which means that for the first time in ages, I didn't put up an entry on this blog on a Sunday. My excuse is that I have just spent a few hours writing up a list of 10 Best Films of 2009 for this year's edition of the Unofficial Mobius Poll.

Earlier, I had thought of writing up an entry of 10 Best Hong Kong Films of 2009 -- and do mean to do it some time in the near future (i.e.,before the end of February!). But for now, however, I reckon it'd be more timely to think up and supply some answers to Gweipo's recent query over on her blog of "If you were to give someone a list of thing you "need" to have done / been to / eaten / be able to do while you've been in H[ong] K[ong], what would they be? Just say 10 things?"

1) Attend the Hong Kong International Film Festival (Something I did a few times even before I moved to Movie Mecca!)

2) Visit the Hong Kong Film Archive and take in screenings of old Hong Kong movies -- particularly those not available on home video -- there at its theater.

3) Hike Hong Kong -- specifically and minimally, the Dragon's Back on a beautiful clear day; but, if time and opportunity allows, others on Hong Kong Island and elsewhere (Sai Kung! Other parts of the New Territories! Lantau!) as well.

4) Visit one of the territory's fine museums -- e.g., the Hong Kong Museum of History (with its superb The Hong Kong Story permanent exhibition), the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (which also has cool permanent exhibitions that one can easily spend hours checking out), the Hong Kong Museum of Art (which pretty regularly mounts interesting special exhibitions) or one of the smaller, interesting specialist themed institutions like the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence).

5) Take in a performing arts event -- be it Western or Chinese classical music, local or visiting theatre, Chinese or Western opera, Chinese, contemporary or some other kind of dance, etc. -- much of which are regularly to be had in Asia's World City.

6) Have dim sum brunch which includes the classics (e.g., char siew pau (barbecued pork buns)) but also more daring delectables like chicken's feet or duck's tongue.

7) Have hot pot on a cold (by Hong Kong standards!) winter evening.

8) Try all the different forms of public transportation in the territory, including MTR, bus, tram, ferry, green mini-bus, red mini-bus and cable car!

9) Visit some parts of Hong Kong which are not served by the MTR (be it some place urban like atmospheric Kowloon City (and the nearby Kowloon Walled City Park) or rural like an outer island).

10) Attend a local community festival (e.g., Tai Hang's Fire Dragon Dance or Shau Kei Wan's Tam Kung Birthday Parade).