Tai Ping Ching Jiu: The Bun Festival of Hong Kong

Have you ever wondered how people dealt with the pandemic over 100 years ago?

Have you ever wondered how people dealt with the pandemic over 100 years ago? In 1894, a plague broke out in Hong Kong and its outlying islands, resulting in many deaths. Everyone on Cheung Chau Island panicked. In an effort to calm the islanders, the village head Chu Fook invited a group of Taoist priests to perform rituals and seek guidance from Pak Tai, a deity of Taoism. After the ceremony, Pak Tai "instructed" the priests to perform three tasks: a parade around the island to cleanse the streets, buns offered as food sacrifices memorialising the dead, and lastly, an altar set up for worship.

Over time, these traditions grew into a three-day event called Tai Ping Ching Jiu, also known as the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. The first day was kicked off by a parade. Children dressed up as ancient characters or deities and paraded around on floats while giving blessings. On the second day, monks performed rituals to appease the dead and the ghosts before sending them away. The main event was on the third day. In front of the Pak Tai Temple, bamboo towers covered in thousands of steamed buns were erected for a worship ceremony. When the worship was over, a bun-snatching competition was held, in which islanders climbed the towers to grab the highest buns. They believed it would protect them from the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the bun festival was cancelled in 2022 — ironically, due to COVID. Curator Cat is deeply moved by this Cheung Chau tradition and its display of pride, community and solidarity. So much so that I made an AR game for everyone to experience this wonderful event!

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