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Hong Kong today (February 16 Singapore time) unveiled a small-size replica of a Cheung Chau Bun Tower complete with bun-pickers and some 2,000 replica buns as its entry in the Annual Chingay Festival in Singapore.
The Kowloon Club, a community organisation of Hong Kong immigrants in Singapore, was invited to take part for the first time in this 90-minute parade staged to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
With the sponsorship and support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Singapore, an eye-catching bun tower was built on a human-powered structure carried by Hong Kong immigrants along the 1.5km parade route from City Hall to Raffles Avenue in Singapore・s central business district. More than 100 Hong Kong immigrants took part in the parade.
The two-day parade attracted about 100,000 locals and tourists. Yesterday・s preview was also open to the public.
The Bun Tower festival in Hong Kong began as a ceremony to placate the spirits of people killed by plague on Cheung Chau Island in the late 19th century. A procession is carried out on the Buddha's birthday so that everybody can enjoy the festival. Bun towers with real buns are erected for worship of deities during the festival.
The Singapore bun tower was modelled on the Cheung Chau original and was a seven-metre high structure erected on a 10-metre long float.
Three acrobats were trained to master the art of ：scrambling； up the towers while picking off buns and packing them into sacks slung over their shoulder. Spectators were amazed by their performance.
Director of the HKETO Mr K K Lam, said: "The show demonstrates Hong Kong people・s resilience and can-do spirit. I am glad to see so many Hong Kong immigrants and their families come together at the beginning of the Chinese New Year to showcase the uniqueness of our culture. Their team spirit is impressive. We invite people from every corner of the world to visit, work and live in Hong Kong and enjoy the vibrancy of this Asia・s city."
The Brand Hong Kong Dragon was prominently featured on the top of the bun tower and on the body of the specially designed human-powered structure. The stylised dragon represents Hong Kong・s core values of stability, freedom, progressiveness, high quality and opportunity.
To step up promotion of Hong Kong as a co-host city for the Beijing Olympics, frisbees printed with the schedule of 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events were also widely given out to Singapore residents and international tourists watching the parade.
Ends/Saturday, February 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:27
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