Focus of the Week: Cheung Chau

The bow of a boat is sacred. Don't step on it or prepared to be cursed.

Cheung Chau is one of Hong Kong's several hundreds of islands. As its name suggested, literally "Long Island", it comprises of two vegetated headland connected by a long strip of sandy beaches and land. Most of its activities are conducted on that long strip.

It is a marine cultivators' community made up by a handsome amount of the remaining fishermen in Hong Kong. So when the ferry approaches it through the opening of the bluestone breakwater, the first things heaving into sight are the fishing boats of different sizes and sorts dotting the bay.

Playing mahjong during the leisure hours.

I took the NX10 to Cheung Chau to spend a few days there. If I am to recommend one island for a photographic trip to Hong Kong, this island is certainly the answer.
A walla-walla

Despite the island is far from big, it has quite a number of attractions which are accessible by walking, bikes or, I will prefer, a walla-walla. Walla-wallas are taxis on the waters. The onomatopoetic nickname was given by the European passengers as the engine of the vessel was noisy. Probably the outlook of these walla-wallas has not changed much for decades.

Apart from the attractions, simply wandering around the narrow lanes on the island will also have you immersed in an exotic kind of moods. There are just too many novel things for photography. This week I will write more about the island and post more photos too, of course.

And this week is very special for Cheung Chau because the yearly traditional Cheung Chau Bun Festival will be on this Friday. There will be lots to see. If you're here in Hong Kong, you don't want to miss it:

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