China 2001: Butler University/Freeman Foundation Student-Faculty Fieldwork Trip
Modified 14 June 2001
Reopening Ceremony, Hau Kui Shek Ancestral Hall, Sheung Shui
Today we visited a special dedication ceremony in a small village in the Hong Kong New Territories (close to the border with China), courtesy of Prof. Sidney Cheung of the CUHK Anthropology Department and the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office. The original hall here was built 200 years ago, and has recently been restored. Despite the heat and humidity, everyone enjoyed watching the ceremony -- especially the dramatic lion-dances -- and seeing the ancestral temple after it was open for the general public. After the ceremony, we joined other guests in a traditional meal of "pun choi" -- this is a collection of meat, vegetables, and other dishes all thrown into one large pot on the table for everyone to eat. (The title above is from an article written by Prof. James Watson, Harvard University, about "pun choi" and ancestor veneration rituals). This ceremony was a wonderful chance for us to see life in parts of Hong Kong other than downtown urban living.