Tourism and Culture Festival closes with “Big Bowl Feast” @Stanley Plaza

The Link was the exclusive partner of the Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival 2013. KT Poon (10th from left, front row), Director of Government & Community Engagement at The Link, attended the closing ceremony together with The Hon John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM (Middle, front row), Financial Secretary, Chu Ching-hong, JP (11th from right, front row), Chairman of the Southern District Council, as well as other officiating guests, bringing this annual great event to its finale.

At the closing ceremony of the Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival 2013, a “Pun Choy for Families” was hosted at Stanley Plaza to encourage family members of all ages to enjoy the banquet together.

Stanley Plaza was transformed into a Chinese and Western arts venue.

The Link has always been committed to organising a wide range of activities at Stanley Plaza. With its favourable waterfront location, it attracts foreign and local tourists to the Southern District for leisure and sightseeing. The Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival 2013, a great annual event organised by the Southern District with full support from The Link, came to a successful close yesterday (29 December) with the staging of a closing ceremony at The Link’s Stanley Plaza. The “Stanley Art Fun Day x Gourmet Family Banquet”, which was attended by thousands of people and officiated by Financial Secretary The Hon John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM, brought the event to its finale.

Stanley Plaza transformed into a Chinese and Western arts venue

On the day of the closing ceremony, Stanley Plaza was transformed into an arts venue where a number of activity booths were set up, including kite painting and decorating, DIY glass bottles and literary printmaking workshops. There was also a series of exciting street performances, including impromptu calligraphy by Hong Kong Chinese one-stroke hollow-character calligrapher Tse Kin-leung, specialty street dances, sideshows and bronze man performances, which are popular on the streets in Europe, making visitors feel as though they were in a European-style square. In addition, there were skilful mimes, unicycle performances and bubble games played by street performer Andrew So and friends.

Visitors were also treated to an array of food and beer from around the world along Stanley Main Street where different global delicacies were featured, including special seafood snacks made by local fishermen. To celebrate Christmas and New Year, there were decorative light displays in Stanley, including a huge display in the form of a traditional Chinese flower plaque.

Savour “Big Bowl Feast” facing intoxicating beautiful views

From its enviable location on Hong Kong’s southern shore, Stanley Plaza commands beautiful views and has long been one of the most popular tourist sites in Hong Kong. At the closing ceremony of the Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival 2013, a “Pun Choy for Families” (“pun choy” or “big bowl feast” is an intangible cultural heritage project in Hong Kong) was hosted to encourage family members of all ages to enjoy the banquet together. To provide a truly memorable family gathering and promote intergenerational harmony, professional photographers provided free photo-taking services for participating families.

The Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival 2013 kicked off in February with a series of district-specific and local traditional cultural activities. Over a period of 10 months, the Festival enabled Hong Kong residents and visitors to gain a deeper understanding of this unique place with a mix of leisure, fun and traditional culture. As the Festival’s exclusive partner, The Link hosted a number of events this year to promote Stanley as a place of culture and arts, including the 2nd Annual Hong Kong – San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, the Stanley International Beer Festival and yesterday’s “Stanley Art Fun Day x Gourmet Family Banquet”. By taking advantage of the waterfront locations of Stanley Plaza and Murray House, The Link will continue to organise and host events that showcase to visitors and local residents the rich cultural and dining experiences available there.