See Hong Kong's
Mid-autumn Festival
This album is dedicated to the mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong that I had the unique pleasure of witnessing. I was in Hong Kong on exchange in Fall '24 and the festival took place on Septemeber 16th. My friends and I decided to go watch the drone show at the Exhibition Centre and then go to Tai Hang for the Dragon Dance show. Hong Kong came alive for this festival. There were people selling sweets and mooncakes, having outdoor picnics and enjoying time with family and friends. This night was one of the most magical nights I've experienced and this film roll captures a tiny slice of that.
中秋節快樂
"Happy mid autumn festival" in Cantonese
Sharing mooncakes
Mooncakes (月餅) are a special Cantonese delicacy that is made and eaten during the Mid-autumn festival. I was lucky enough to try quite a few of them (red bean, lotus seed, sesame, almond, etc.). These mooncakes sometimes contain yolks (the moon) or salted duck eggs. I'm still on the search for a good mooncake in North America.
Watching the drone show
Hong Kong had a special drone show at the Waterfront for the mid-autumn festival and we had the pleasure of watching it. I got a whole group of friends from CUHK and we made the expedition out to the Waterfront to catch this drone show. We found out there that half of Hong Kong had the same idea as well. It was pretty crowded but still a whole lot of fun.
Under the Hong Kong Skyline
One of the most mesmerizing experiences was being at the Hong Kong skyline at night. Tsim Sha Sui, Causeway Bay and Central are lit up gloriously. I can assure you that no city in the world compares to Hong Kong's skyline. Especially if you catch a glimpse at the Harbour, Victoria Peak or Kowloon Peak at night.
Magic in the film
I used Cinestill 800t pushed +1 stop (effective ISO 1600) for shooting the scenes here. But the real magic was serendipitous. Later that night, there was a massive downpour and my friends and I had no umbrella so we thugged it out in the rain. The camera and the film roll got wet cause it to have a greenish tint while developing. That's why all the pictures you see here have that dreamy, grainy aesthetic.
Dragon Dance
The Dragon Dance is a 67-metre long dragon made of incense sticks that takes place in Tai Hang every mid-autumn festival. According to legend, this 138-year-old tradition began when Tai Hang was struck with three consecutive disasters a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 19th century. The village elder declared that they must perform a fire dragon dance around the village for 3 days and 3 nights. Miraculously after that, the plague abated.
Singing in the Rain
After the drone show at Exhibition Centre, we went over to Tai Hang where they had a Dragon Dance show on. The show then moved to Victoria Park where we found it. Some of my most treasured memories came from spending that evening in the rain in Victoria Park with Devin, Julian and Shresta at Victoria Park. We didn't have any umbrellas when the rain started at Victoria Park and so we just frolicked around enjoying ourselves as best we could.
