Field Trips (22 June 2016 14:00–18:00)

You have three choices

Trip to museums
Stop 1: Hong Kong Museum of History, Tsim Sha Tsui
Stop 2: Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui

Brief introduction of the tour
Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Story (permanent exhibition); Mare Nostrum: Roman Navy and Pompeii (special exhibition)

Right after lunch you will board buses and head to the Hong Kong Museum of History to see the permanent galleries of The Hong Kong Story or the very exciting exhibition on Pompeii and the Ancient Roman Navy.

Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
Explore Our Heritage (permanent exhibition)

The tour leaders will then lead you to the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park. With collections of rich artifacts and interactive multi-media programs, the permanent exhibition Exploring Our Heritage presents the features and the development of Hong Kong’s archaeology and cultural heritage preservation.

This trip is particularly recommended for those adversely affected by Hong Kong’s hot weather in July, since it will mostly be conducted indoors.

Admission Fee
The Hong Kong Museum of History HKD 10 per visitor The Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center Free

OR

Trip to the Big Buddha

Stop one: Big Buddha
Stop two: Po Lin Monastery/ Ngong Ping Piazza

*This trip will end at 19:00 due to longer transportation time.

Brief introduction of the tour
Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery
(Description given by Hong Kong Tourism Board, original text can be found here: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/culture-heritage/chinese-temples/big-
buddha-and-po-lin-monastery.jsp)

"The remote Po Lin Monastery, hidden away by lush mountains, became a popular attraction when the Tian Tan Buddha statue (informally known as the Big Buddha) was erected in 1993. Sitting 34 metres high and facing north to look over the Chinese people, this majestic bronze Buddha draws pilgrims from all over Asia. Climb the 268 steps for a closer look at this remarkable statue, and to enjoy the sweeping mountain and sea views that can be seen from its base.

Opposite the statue, the Po Lin Monastery is one of Hong Kong's most important Buddhist sanctums and has been dubbed 'the Buddhist World in the South'. Home to many a devout monk, this monastery is rich with colourful manifestations of Buddhist iconography and its pleasant garden is alive with birdsong and flowery scents."

Ngong Ping Piazza
(Description given by Hong Kong Tourism Board, original text can be found here: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/culture-heritage/chinese-temples/big-buddha-and-po-lin-monastery.jsp)

"Covering an area of 1.5 hectares, this piazza harmonises the Buddhist themes of Ngong Ping on Lantau Island and links the area’s spiritual and scenic attractions, including the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping 360 and Wisdom Path. The piazza has four components:

New Pai Lau

A pai lau is an ornamental archway. Set at the entrance of the piazza, the new pai lau is built in the northern architectural style of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), consistent with that of the Po Lin Monastery.

Bodhi Path

The Bodhi Path is a central walkway leading from the new pai lau to Di Tan. Lined on both sides of the path are statues of the Twelve Divine Generals, as well as 40 lotus-shaped lanterns. The Twelve Divine Generals are regarded as protectors in Buddhism, and each is responsible for guarding a two-hour section of the day. In addition, they represent the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, as denoted by the different zodiac signs on their crowns.

Di Tan

Di Tan (Earth Temple) is the open space facing the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha, where religious ceremonies are occasionally held.

Chinese Landscaped Garden

The architectural design of the Chinese landscaped garden complements that of the Po Lin Monastery, and this serene garden provides a perfect foil for the majestic Big Buddha."

Transportation Fee
Bus fare (Tung Chung to Ngong Ping): ~HKD36 per person (for a round trip)

OR

Trip to Sham Shui Po and Shek Kip Mei
Stop one: Sham Shui Po
Stop two: Mei Ho House
Stop three:
*Unlike the first two tours, this tour is more like an "informed stroll", introducing to participants the urban high density dynamics, housing and residential landscapes in Hong Kong. Participants will need to walk in the streets for a considerable period of time under hot weather conditions, therefore a good level of stamina is required.

Brief introduction of the tour
Sham Shui Po

The first stop is the Boundary Street, a historical border that marked off British and Chinese territoriality over Hong Kong until 1898 (although at the time not an actual road yet), where you will start walking with attention paid to the texture of urban renewal and some scattered tong lau and corner houses that remain.

Tour leaders will then lead participants to the southeastern side of Sham Shui Po through Ki Lung and Yu Chau streets, where fabric and buttons markets are located. You will pass through the Maple Street ground as well, a place where many minorities mingle with locals through sports. There will be some time for a walk in the Apliu street day market.

You will also have a quick look at the "new" Pei Ho street market, inside the government building. Nearby, there are many warehouses used and sometimes managed by Southeast Asians and African migrants. The next stop will be Yen Chow Street hawker bazaar, a very unique place with 40 years of history, which is now under the threat of government relocation.

After that, you will be led to the northwestern part of Sham Shui Po, tasting some street snacks or just having a look at the Fuk Wa and Fuk Wing streets, where many shops and computer arcades are located.

Mei Ho House
The next stop is Mei Ho House, formerly a part of the Shek Kip Mei Housing Estate, Hong Kong's oldest public housing complex. The government’s project "Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme", launched in 2008, has transformed it to a Youth Hostel and Museum (free entry). The museum gives a detailed account of the Shek Kip Mei fire in the squatter area in 1953 and the subsequent reconstruction that had transformed the area. You will have time for a visit and take a rest at the bar downstairs.

Shek Kip Mei and Kowloon Tong
The tour leaders will then lead participants to walk up the hill (depending on the time
and the number of participants) for a better picture of the dynamics of urban renewal for the locals, the development of both public and private estates, and the changing landscape. You will pass by Pak Tin Estate, Shek Kip Mei (new) Estate, Tai Hang Sai Estate, and Nam Shan Estate, and walk up to the Kowloon Tong MTR station, nearby City University of the Hong Kong and Festival Walk, that will provide you a final view on the more and more gentrifying urban landscape as we proceed.

For who wishes, the tour leader can walk you back to Sham Shui Po, where you can wait until 8/9pm when the night flea market starts (one of the most interesting characteristic of the neighborhood).