We have just celebrated the Chinese New Year. Since the traditional Chinese calendar is lunar, this does not coincide with the western one, but is usually in February, and is a spring festival. Cherry blossom is the favorite flower, though the local flower markets are full of an amazingly colourful variety. Hong Kongers have it both ways, celebrating both the western New Year’s Eve with fireworks at Victoria Harbour and their traditional one later on. However, the firework display at Victoria Harbour is at 8pm on New Year’s Day, as most Chinese spend the Eve with family. In the period leading up to New Year it is a real hassle doing the daily shopping as all the stores are chock a block with mainlanders blocking up the aisles with their suitcases as they stock up. There is no doubt about it, this is the major festival of the year, a kind of Christmas, New year and Easter rolled into one; not that the Hong Kongers do not celebrate them, too. It is definitely the planet’s biggest human annual migration, as the Chinese book rail and air tickets well in advance in order to travel back home to visit their families. Not only are there 1.3 billion Chinese in China, there are many of them spread around the globe.
While for all practical purposes the Chinese use the western calendar, the traditional one has its hold on their feelings. In similar fashion the South China Morning Post prints two horoscopes, the western one we are familiar with and the Chinese one, based on what year you are born: there is a cycle of 12 years with each year having an animal as its sign. Since I am born in 1943 my sign is the goat, as is that of my youngest daughter born in 1979. Ingrid is a pig, while my two youngest grandsons born last year are both snakes. We have just ended the Year of the Horse and entered the Year of the Goat. Or have we? There has been eager media discussion of this: sheep, ram and goat vie with each other. Some stores have opted for one, others one of its rivals. The fact is the Chinese character is the same for all three; you have to stick another character in front to distinguish. Traditionalists insist goat is correct, but goats are perceived as rather naughty; hence some prefer sheep or ram. Various more or less credible versions of these three decorate mall forecourts and banners. A blue sheep? A pink goat?
LTS
At the seminary we now enjoy a much needed break. Those of my one-on-one students who should hand in their theses are decidedly under pressure. One has finished, the other is well behind schedule and a third, who still has a year to go, had a laptop crash that set her back by a month. The news that she had won a place on an archeology dig in Jerusalem went some way to compensate for this. The remaining two are not writing theses and need help with papers or pronunciation or whatever. My two classes are fun but require a lot of preparation, so it is not just my students who will appreciate a few days off.
On the last day before the Spring Break there was a lower dorm feast. Staff and their families were invited. Since Ingrid and I had our youngest daughter and her family visiting, they got to attend too. There was an enormous spread, the place was decorated and the students laid on some entertainment.
Politics
I wrote last time about the end of Occupy and the arrest and release of its leaders pending trial. I also mentioned some sporadic minor protests that had been peaceful but led to some more arrests. Otherwise matters appear to have reached a stalemate with the Pan-Democrats boycotting bills and government business, as we near the second phase of consultations on the membership of the nomination committee. Here corporate interests representing various sectors play a major role. In the meantime the authorities have an on-going television public announcement campaign presenting the Beijing framework as progress towards universal suffrage. One columnist warned that the belief that democracy would solve the issues of a very unequal society was naive. Looking at most western so-called democracies, one cannot but agree.
Otherwise the debate has been on the educational front: articles in a student journal have aroused the wrath of regime-loyal parties, who claim the articles favor Hong Kong’s independence, something the student editors refute. Warning noises from the mainland have said the curriculum in Hong Kong has to be in accordance with national interests.
Amusingly enough, in his New Year speech Chief Executive Leung admonished citizens to take the sheep as their model.
Talks
In the early days of our stay here we were asked what we thought we might contribute. I told Adalyn, head of the art department that, if she imagined it might be of any interest, I could do a talk on Art and Coventry Cathedral. Naturally enough, she was initially skeptical. How could such a remote topic touch Hong Kongers? However, after preparing an outline with photographs from the cathedral’s website, I sent it off to her for her consideration. We met and went through the material together. My slant was that today Hong Kong is going through a difficult period with its future in the balance and opinion polarized. The decision to rebuild the bombed St. Michael’s had been taken in Coventry’ darkest hour as a sign of hope of peace and reconciliation. I told her the story of the Cross of Nails and how it grew into a worldwide movement. Adalyn found a venue downtown. Ingrid helped with the presentation and as sound technician. I had bought in CDs of music associated with the cathedral, of its choir, Benjamin Britten’ War requiem, commissioned for its consecration and of Duke Ellington’ Sacred Concert since its English debut was held there. It was a small but very attentive group that evening, who asked many questions afterwards.
Captions
1. Dean Nicholas Tai cuts the suckling pig.
2.Lower dorm close decorated for New Year.
3. The flower market
4. Adalyn iinterprets John's talk.
5. The proud organizers pose after the event.
While for all practical purposes the Chinese use the western calendar, the traditional one has its hold on their feelings. In similar fashion the South China Morning Post prints two horoscopes, the western one we are familiar with and the Chinese one, based on what year you are born: there is a cycle of 12 years with each year having an animal as its sign. Since I am born in 1943 my sign is the goat, as is that of my youngest daughter born in 1979. Ingrid is a pig, while my two youngest grandsons born last year are both snakes. We have just ended the Year of the Horse and entered the Year of the Goat. Or have we? There has been eager media discussion of this: sheep, ram and goat vie with each other. Some stores have opted for one, others one of its rivals. The fact is the Chinese character is the same for all three; you have to stick another character in front to distinguish. Traditionalists insist goat is correct, but goats are perceived as rather naughty; hence some prefer sheep or ram. Various more or less credible versions of these three decorate mall forecourts and banners. A blue sheep? A pink goat?
LTS
At the seminary we now enjoy a much needed break. Those of my one-on-one students who should hand in their theses are decidedly under pressure. One has finished, the other is well behind schedule and a third, who still has a year to go, had a laptop crash that set her back by a month. The news that she had won a place on an archeology dig in Jerusalem went some way to compensate for this. The remaining two are not writing theses and need help with papers or pronunciation or whatever. My two classes are fun but require a lot of preparation, so it is not just my students who will appreciate a few days off.
On the last day before the Spring Break there was a lower dorm feast. Staff and their families were invited. Since Ingrid and I had our youngest daughter and her family visiting, they got to attend too. There was an enormous spread, the place was decorated and the students laid on some entertainment.
Politics
I wrote last time about the end of Occupy and the arrest and release of its leaders pending trial. I also mentioned some sporadic minor protests that had been peaceful but led to some more arrests. Otherwise matters appear to have reached a stalemate with the Pan-Democrats boycotting bills and government business, as we near the second phase of consultations on the membership of the nomination committee. Here corporate interests representing various sectors play a major role. In the meantime the authorities have an on-going television public announcement campaign presenting the Beijing framework as progress towards universal suffrage. One columnist warned that the belief that democracy would solve the issues of a very unequal society was naive. Looking at most western so-called democracies, one cannot but agree.
Otherwise the debate has been on the educational front: articles in a student journal have aroused the wrath of regime-loyal parties, who claim the articles favor Hong Kong’s independence, something the student editors refute. Warning noises from the mainland have said the curriculum in Hong Kong has to be in accordance with national interests.
Amusingly enough, in his New Year speech Chief Executive Leung admonished citizens to take the sheep as their model.
Talks
In the early days of our stay here we were asked what we thought we might contribute. I told Adalyn, head of the art department that, if she imagined it might be of any interest, I could do a talk on Art and Coventry Cathedral. Naturally enough, she was initially skeptical. How could such a remote topic touch Hong Kongers? However, after preparing an outline with photographs from the cathedral’s website, I sent it off to her for her consideration. We met and went through the material together. My slant was that today Hong Kong is going through a difficult period with its future in the balance and opinion polarized. The decision to rebuild the bombed St. Michael’s had been taken in Coventry’ darkest hour as a sign of hope of peace and reconciliation. I told her the story of the Cross of Nails and how it grew into a worldwide movement. Adalyn found a venue downtown. Ingrid helped with the presentation and as sound technician. I had bought in CDs of music associated with the cathedral, of its choir, Benjamin Britten’ War requiem, commissioned for its consecration and of Duke Ellington’ Sacred Concert since its English debut was held there. It was a small but very attentive group that evening, who asked many questions afterwards.
Captions
1. Dean Nicholas Tai cuts the suckling pig.
2.Lower dorm close decorated for New Year.
3. The flower market
4. Adalyn iinterprets John's talk.
5. The proud organizers pose after the event.