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The Immigrant Dragons of Bendigo Part II: The Dragon Maker

Written by Billy Potts

For 126 years, the small Australian city of Bendigo has embraced Chinese dragons. This year their dragon, Sun Loong, is retiring and the city is hunting for a new craftsman who can build their third dragon, Dai Gum Loong. A long search has brought Anita Jack, general manager of the Golden Dragon Museum and Dan Beck, vice president of the museum, to Hong Kong. Their quest has finally yielded a suitable candidate: Master Hui Ka-hung of the Hung C Lau (雄獅摟) workshop. Continue reading “The Immigrant Dragons of Bendigo Part II: The Dragon Maker”

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The Immigrant Dragons of Bendigo Part I

Written by Billy Potts and Edited by Justina Chong

This is the fourth in a series of articles in which I explore the cryptozoology of Hong Kong. This article was published in a shorter form in Zolima City Mag.

It’s a cool January afternoon and I’m waiting in a bus terminal at Yuen Long station. A blue minivan pulls up and I’m beckoned to jump in. Crammed in the back are Anita Jack, Managing Director of the Golden Dragon Museum, Daniel Beck, Vice President of the museum, and Ben Devanny, from the Bendigo City Council, along with their translator, Heidi Yeung. They have travelled from their homes in Australia and Taipei to the hamlet of Pak Sha Tsuen in search of a dragon maker. Continue reading “The Immigrant Dragons of Bendigo Part I”

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The Mystery of the Art Deco Lions

The missing lions.

Written by Billy Potts and Justina Chong

Standing to attention behind a thicket of foliage, two lions wait, their geometric shoulders bunched powerfully, haunches tensed like clock springs. They share a grinning, mischievous countenance, their large lolling tongues framed by cubic teeth. The lions’ clean Art Deco lines cut striking figures, best appreciated from the safari vehicle of a tram negotiating the gentle curve on Des Voeux Road that skirts the grand Bank of China Building. Continue reading “The Mystery of the Art Deco Lions”

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The Sheung Shui Tiger

Written by Billy Potts and edited by Justina Chong

This is the third in a series of articles in which I explore the cryptozoology of Hong Kong. This animal falls into category 3 of George M. Eberhart’s classification of cryptids, ‘Survivals of recently extinct species’. We had planned for this to be the last in our series but we’ve decided to publish now because of a newly reported tiger sighting near a walking trail in Ma On Shan Country Park today. To mark the occasion we are revisiting one of Hong Kong’s most infamous tiger encounters, one that has passed into the city’s lore. Continue reading “The Sheung Shui Tiger”

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Riding to the Edge of Night

It’s a Wednesday night in the dog days of summer. Ah Wai’s taxi, a standard 4-seater Toyota Crown Comfort YXS10, pulls up outside the Canny Man pub on Lockhart Road. The cab’s livery and dashboard ‘for hire’ sign are ablaze with red and its roof light glows a soft yellow amidst the gaudy neon signs of Wanchai. We are taking a road trip into the world of the night shift.

Continue reading “Riding to the Edge of Night”

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任偉生 — 傳統活版印刷師傅

【譯：Candy Tso】

去年十月下旬的一個早上，整個城市都因為颱風海馬而癱瘓；唯獨迄立在上環西街的光華印務公司，風雨不改地繼續營業，如常在寧靜的普慶坊一帶服務。光華印務的第二代傳人任偉生，一直無懼風暴啟動著他的活版印刷機至深夜。拉一拉控制杆、扭一扭手掣、用調色刀塗抹一下墨水，任先生快速微調並校準那漆黑色、體型龐大的海德堡印刷機。它自動噴墨打印及彈出印刷品，能處理大量印刷之餘，亦同時擁有日耳曼民族的精準特質，而且更懂自動氣壓吸紙打印，就像短跑冠軍調節呼吸一樣，不費吹灰之力。

Continue reading “任偉生 — 傳統活版印刷師傅”

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區渭 — 香港土炮造船匠（下）

Chinese translation courtesy of the Stand News

（編按：上回提到 87 歲的區渭（亞神）近年仍有在香港製造木船，並回到他的出生地澳門尋找木船的足跡。）

【譯：Candy Tso】

尋找「真正」中式帆船

一些澳門船匠認為典型的南方中式帆船是在這前葡萄牙殖民地發明。於是我們前往香港大學進行調查。香港大學儀禮堂高聳在大學本部之上，沉浸在低雲薄霧中。戴偉思博士 (Dr. Stephen Davies) 在他的辦公室迎接我們。這位海事歷史學家一開始便單刀直入：「在 16 世紀的澳門和 1840 年代的香港，混種帆船的數量一直有增無減，它們採用了傳統中國方法及西方系統建造出帆船及其結構」戴偉思博士在 2005 年成立香港海事博物館並營運多年。出身於軍事家族的他曾經加入英國皇家海軍接受訓練，其後成為軍官及皇家海軍陸戰隊的一分子。最後在香港大學任教了政治理論一段時間之後開始厭倦陸上生活，就與妻子 Elaine 乘著單桅小帆船開展了長達 15 年、共 50,000 哩的海上長征，其間到訪 27 個國家。 Continue reading “區渭 — 香港土炮造船匠（下）”

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區渭 — 香港土炮造船匠（上）

Chinese translation courtesy of the Stand News

【譯：Candy Tso】

1970 年代的香港，傳統帆船在海港上定期往返。（相片由 Karsten Petersen 提供）www.global-mariner.com

我們沿筲箕灣譚公廟道行了一小段路，到達荒廢的光明船廠時，區渭（亞神）睡得正酣。他的狗懷疑地注視著我們，以響亮的吠叫聲喚醒那位睡眼惺忪的船匠。嗜睡對於 87 歲半退休的亞神來說可是相當合理 ，尤其建造木船在香港已嚴重式微。六十多年來，亞神一直以造船維生。雖然風光不再，但其實近在 90 年代，大部分本地製造的木船均出自他的船廠。 Continue reading “區渭 — 香港土炮造船匠（上）”