Chinese New Year

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island
February 18th 2008

Published: March 1st 2008

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Dancing after dinner

Simone and Georgia waltzing around the lounge in the daily burping ritual.

Macau is not far from Hong Kong, just a one hour ferry trip, but its decadent focus on gambling and historically corrupt Portuguese history give it a more relaxed and distinctly holiday feel. We spent a long weekend there, and although the weather was cold, it was a fun place to be.

We arrived back in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year, and Simone's mother, Joan came to visit for a few weeks. Chinese New Year is a great time to be in Hong Kong. There are great traditions. The lion dance is there to scare away the evil spirits of last year, and the fire works herald in the new lunar year. There's also the giving the lucky money in brightly coloured envelopes. The giving of lucky money is a chance to show your appreciation for the many doormen and others who give Hong Kong a more human face.

The fireworks are stunning, and we love the view of the city skyline from our place. But it is clear there is a less well known side of Hong Kong where people do it tough everyday. After meeting the head of the Anglican social welfare program in Hong Kong,

Slightly curious

Simone, Mike and I visited one of the Anglican projects in Tung Chung, an outer suburf of 80,000 people, where the average income for a family in the housing estates is HK $7,500 per month, around $1,000 Ausie. The kids at the daycare centre were gorgeous like all kids, and it is sad to think their circumstances are so difficult. Later in the week we visited Chung King Mansions, an inappropriately named condemned building in Kowloon, the top floors of which are occupied by overstretched workers helping the homeless and would-be refugees who have made it to Hong Kong. It was more than enough to prompt Simone to start raising money to sponsor kids through a program for HK$500 per month (around $80 Ausie), and she has already enlisted some of the help of some of the good people from the consulate. I expect this may be something of a focus for the next three years.

These places and people throw into stark contrast the comfortable life we lead (and that most of us take for granted). Hong Kong has great restaurants, and we discover new ones all the time. We've also been checking out the beaches, planning for