Walter's Blog |
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Reflections on recent events, plus the occasional fact free rant unfiltered by rational argument.
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"If you want to read a blog to get a sense of what is going on in Hong Kong these days or a blog that would tell you what life was like living in colonial Hong Kong, this blog, WALTER'S BLOG, fits the bill." Hong Kong Blog Review
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17/8/2024 0 Comments Hungry Ghosts Are With Us "The Hungry Ghost Festival has strong roots in both Taoist and Buddhist beliefs." Tonight, across a rain-swept Hong Kong, offerings are made to the hungry ghosts among us. Incense is burnt, and food laid out, as citizens ward off bad luck by appeasing the phantoms wandering in the living realm.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is a prominent East Asian celebration that takes place annually, typically in the 7th lunar month. While the specifics of the festival vary across different cultures, the core theme revolves around honouring and appeasing the spirits of one's ancestors and other wandering ghosts. The origins of this intriguing tradition can be traced back thousands of years. Taoist and Buddhist Influences The Hungry Ghost Festival has strong roots in both Taoist and Buddhist beliefs. In Taoism, the 7th lunar month is seen as a time when the boundaries between the mortal and spirit worlds become blurred. During this "Ghost Month", restless souls are believed to be released from the afterlife to roam the earth. Offerings and rituals are performed to pacify these wandering ghosts and ensure they do not bring misfortune. Similarly, in Buddhist teachings, the 7th lunar month is associated with the Yulanpen or "Ullambana" festival. This commemorates the story of Maudgalyayana, a Buddha disciple who used his supernatural powers to locate and rescue his mother's spirit from the realm of hungry ghosts. Buddhist practitioners make offerings and perform rituals to aid the suffering souls of their ancestors and other restless spirits during this time. Historical Origins The origins of the Hungry Ghost Festival can be traced back to ancient Chinese traditions dating as far back as the Han Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD). During this period, the “Fang Zhongjie” ritual emerged, in which people made offerings to their ancestors and deities on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. Over the centuries, as Buddhism and Taoism gained prominence in China, these ancestral rites became intertwined with the beliefs and practices of these religious traditions. The festival gradually became a more elaborate celebration involving elaborate offerings, street performances, and communal feasting. A Time of Remembrance and Respect Today, the Hungry Ghost Festival is widely celebrated across East Asia, particularly in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. While the specific customs may vary, the core purpose remains the same—to honour the memory of one's ancestors and ensure the peace and well-being of wandering spirits. Through this festival, people can connect with their cultural heritage, express gratitude for their ancestors, and maintain a sense of community and continuity across generations. It is a time of remembrance, respect, and recognition of the profound bonds that tie us to those who have come before.
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7/8/2024 1 Comment Anarchy in the UK! "Just 31% of Britons say that Keir Starmer handles the riots well, while almost half (49%) think he is mishandling them" The awful, unforgivable rioting that has gripped England and Northern Ireland for over a week now shows no sign of abating. Significantly, Scotland is not involved.
Moreover, there are signs that Prime Minister Kier Starmer has inflamed sentiment by labelling anyone on the streets as 'far-right'. At the same time, he ignores genuine concerns over unchecked mass migration and social deprivation. None of this should be a surprise because the Labour elites have long despised the working class. Who can forget Peter Mandelson, the darling of the Labour Party, asserting, "Your preoccupation with the working class is wrong. They've got nowhere else to go.". Likewise, Gordon Brown's gaffe in dismissing a Labour supporter as a "bigoted woman" because she raised the issue of uncontrolled migration. In 2016, during the EU referendum, working-class people smelled a rat when Labour vilified them as misled thickos and xenophobes for supporting Brexit. Labour intellectuals rejected working people's concerns in patronising and hectoring tones. Party figure Emily Thornberry sneered at a working-class household for flying the English flag. Thornberry is well known for her hypocrisy, having sent her kids to an elite private school despite her party opposing such schools. George Orwell's position decades ago was that socialists don't support the working class; instead, they hate the rich. Of course, none of this is an excuse for the violence we've seen, the racial attacks and the looting, but it is an insight into why Starmer speaks as he does. The media has largely followed the official narrative and is not questioning it. When one reporter dared to question the Metropolitan Commissioner of Police about alleged 'two-tear' policing, the commissioner snatched the microphone and threw it to the ground. The question hit home. In truth, all public order policing, indeed all policing, is a tiered process. No two situations are the same, and officers must react based on what they see, their experience and their training. But I suppose when the native population goes to jail for posts on Facebook, or, in the case of Sam Melia, goes to jail for anti-immigration stickers while a foreign man gets community service for repeatedly raping a twelve-year-old girl, it is difficult to refute the suggestion of preference given to a particular group. And therein lies the issue. Here in Hong Kong, we are familiar with the false narratives promulgated by media outlets as they follow an agenda. During the 2019 social unrest, the Western press portrayed events as solely 'pro-democracy' and largely peaceful while side-stepping the xenophobic mobs who attacked Mainlanders and their businesses. Likewise, their video clips focused on police actions and failed to show the build-up of petrol bombs and violence that led to the volleys of tear gas. The firebombing of police homes and assaults on off-duty officers was notably absent from the coverage. So, it is too easy to poke fun at the hypocrisy and double standards of British politicians now that they are struggling to contain serious unrest. But that would be churlish as I feel for the police officers deployed with inadequate training, poor tactics, and a lack of options to disperse violent crowds. The impact of the unrest on the police, who are facing fatigue and logistical challenges, is a matter of concern and should evoke empathy. At least Hong Kong has a well-structured and practiced public order response, with layers of contingencies and depth. Still, dealing with riots was never easy, and the optics are always terrible. In Northern Ireland, we've already seen rubber bullets fired at protesters, and I suspect it is only a matter of time before tear gas is used in England if the riots persist. The Northern Ireland Police Service displayed better resolve and coordinated tactics. Given their vast experience, this is not surprising. A YouGov poll suggests that one in three Britons support peaceful protests against migration, with an overwhelming 85% opposing the unrest. Just 31% of Britons say that Keir Starmer handles the riots well, while almost half (49%) think he is mishandling them. The poll also reveals a significant lack of confidence in the police's ability to protect people and property from further unrest, a concerning trend that adds to society's unease. For decades now, the very same politicians who are lining up to denounce much of the rest of the country as 'far right' have been pushing soft-on-crime policies while subjecting the British people to porous borders and mass migration from third-world countries. The post-industrial cities in the north have received most of the asylum seekers. These cities have substantial unemployment, stagnant social mobility, and poverty. Liverpool has the highest number of asylum seekers, while the north/south divide in sharing the burden is substantial. The North East houses a larger proportion of asylum seekers than any other region of the UK, with a rate ten times higher than the South East and South West. So, is it any wonder that the British social fabric is now fraying? Is it any wonder that mass immigration and the elite obsession with diversity are now producing a low-trust society with spiralling crime, social alienation, and growing division? 3/8/2024 0 Comments Boris the baboon "Amongst our new neighbours is a loitering male baboon with attitude and overdeveloped testicles." I moved flat recently. A retired wife's demand for a larger kitchen and no longer needing Central's proximity opened many options. Thus, we began the dreary tour around 15 properties before we settled on a hillside development above Tolo Harbour and the Science Park in the New Territories.
Despite our move to a new location, we are still well-connected to the city. Even without a car, we can reach Admiralty Station by the East Rail in under 25 minutes. Buses run every 15 minutes, and our estate bus takes us to Tai Po within 10 minutes. The airport is now a 25-minute drive away, and Shatin has an abundance of shopping malls that offer everything Central has. Plus, we have an excellent old-style wet market nearby, adding to the convenience of our new home. Still, there are a few things to consider. Amongst our new neighbours is a loitering male baboon with attitude and overdeveloped testicles. He proudly hangs his gear out on the railing near the clubhouse. Keep your distance, and he's unperturbed. Get too close, he bears his teeth, leaning forward to lock eyes. Maids guiding kids into the clubhouse take the opposite pavement. Occasionally, a guard chases Boris the Baboon away. But he's back with his family jewels proudly displayed in no time. Boris lacks an evident troop to follow or lead, like a simian derivative of his namesake—a delinquent at a loose end. It's essential to be cautious around wild monkeys. Last year, the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department reminded the public to avoid direct eye contact, which can trigger aggression. This warning is necessary, as Hong Kong experienced its first monkey-to-human transmission of herpesvirus simiae or the B virus. A 37-year-old man was attacked by wild monkeys and contracted the virus. For a while, his condition was critical. The United States, China, and Japan have all reported cases in the past, with only around 50 instances recorded worldwide since 1932. These days, wild monkeys are predominantly found in the Kam Shan Country Park, which has earned the name "Monkey Mountain." They are common in Lion Rock, Shing Mun Country Park, and Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve. I've also seen them as far east as Sai Kung and in the urban areas of Shatin and Kowloon. There are records of monkeys living in the Tai Tam Valley on Hong Kong Island and on the Peak as far back as 1819. This is no longer the case. As the district commander in Tsuen Wan, I received reports of monkeys entering domestic premises searching for food. These intrusions prompted long discussions at the district council. It was necessary to make clear to the council that the law did not allow the arrest and charging of monkeys for burglary. I did enjoy those sessions. It may surprise you that the presence of monkeys in Kam Shan Country Park is unnatural. Indeed, the park is man-made and designed to protect the reservoir that serves the city. These days, about 80% of the trees are native species, although this is a relatively recent phenomenon. In earlier times, many trees were imported for slope stabilisation. Indeed, the current dominant monkey species is not indigenous to Hong Kong. These monkeys are descendants of imported pets released in the 1910s. In 1910, after the completion of the Kowloon Reservoir, the colonial government discovered that a poisonous plant known as strychnos grew on the hillsides next to the reservoir. The plant's fruit contains alkaloids that are lethal when ingested by humans. Yet, monkeys can eat the fruit. The authorities feared the reservoir's drinking water would be contaminated. Hence, they released monkeys into the area, hoping that they would eat the fruit and remove the threat. The macaques, released to control a poisonous plant near the Kowloon Reservoir in 1910, thrived on the fruit diet, leading to a population explosion. Over the years, other species of macaques arrived, including those brought in by sailors as pets. This history has shaped the current population, a mix of rhesus macaques, long-tailed macaques, and hybrids. Hence, the current cohort is a mix of rhesus macaques, long-tailed macaques, and hybrids. As the monkey population grew and their activities proved a nuisance, the AFCD introduced a contraception programme in 2007. This initiative reduced the population to around 1,800 monkeys, organised into 30 troops. Accustomed to receiving food from humans, the monkeys have become reliant on handouts and lost their ability to find food independently. This unnatural dependency has led to aggression. Boris is a product of that history. I wonder if he knows. |
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December 2025
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