DC Activities

To further enrich the cultural landscape of the “Southern District Literary Trail”, strengthen the publicity on the completion of the three landmarks (Eileen Chang, Hu Shih and Cai Yuanpei) as well as encouraging local literature education and creative writing, a “Summer Breeze at Repulse Bay - Literature Gala” co-organised by the Southern District Council and Southern District Office was held on 18 July 2015 at The Pulse, Repulse Bay and the open space of Repulse Bay beach. The event included a Public Arts Project organised by Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, a thematic exhibition and performances by art groups, with a view to dedicating an avant-garde experience of arts and literature to the public in summer and providing new perspectives on literary appreciation.

The Aberdeen Dragon Boat Races, having its long-established tradition in the history of dragon boat competitions in Hong Kong, has shown the highest participation of large dragon boats in the territory and attracted thousands of visitors and tourists every year.

To inspire creativity of the local community, a unique Lunar New Year Fair will be held at the Aberdeen Promenade for the Southern District every year. In the fiesta, there are stalls for selling creative handicrafts of original local designs and lovely novelties with traditional Chinese features.

To promote the “Southern District Literary Trail” and enhance the arts and cultural ambience in the Southern District, the Southern District Council has invited the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation to organise the “Southern District Literature Day – All About Poetry”. Being held at Aberdeen Promenade on 13 December 2014, the event had converted the waterfront promenade into an art gallery with an aura of literary beauty. A group of renowned local artists joined hands to create various art installations based on the masterpieces of various literati. Amidst the unique scenery of the fishing harbour, people were able to learn and appreciate the life and work of these literary figures from various perspectives of “visual”, “audio” and “tactile” senses. Besides, the Organiser arranged calligraphy demonstration, poetry games for children and performances by arts and cultural groups (including modern environmental dance, drama and poetry reading) for the public to enjoy a weekend infused with literary ambience.

The “Fine Music - Kite-flying Fun Day in Celebration of the National Day” was held at the Ocean View Court of Cyberport Arcade and Waterfront Park on 27 September 2014, programmed with a large-scale kite exhibition and kite-flying demonstration, a music appreciation cum kite painting workshop, as well as the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Concert in an effort to enhance residents’ appreciation of the Chinese culture and welcome the advent of the National Day.

Today, lion dance has developed as a combination of traditional art and sports which comprises a variety of different schools and categories. The International Lion Dance Competition was initiated by local lion dance organisations in the Southern District, and its qualifying and final competitions were held in late November 2013. The champion then joined overseas teams in staging a demonstration competition, which was hosted outdoor for the first time, in early December 2013. World-class lion dancers from all over the world gathered at the promenade of Aberdeen to present the charm and dexterity of lion dance performances with their skilful manoeuvres in the battlefield.

Guided tours were provided on competition days. Docents explained to the audience the history, craftsmanship, skills and the original ideas of lion dances. They also guided the audience on how to appreciate the differences of various kinds of lions, from the outlook to the movements, with an introduction of the rules and etiquette as well as the appreciation technique for lion dance. English guided tours were also provided to facilitate participation of the foreigners.

Kite making and flying is a traditional pursuit in many Asian cultures and is great fun for people of all ages to participate in. Traditionally, kite-flying is intended to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Yet, we never had any large scale kite-flying event due to venue constraints. The Southern District Council collaborated with Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation to organise the first kite-flying festival in Hong Kong on 13 and 14 October 2013 at the outdoor lawn area of Cyberport which was ideal for this event in light of its harbour view. Renowned international kite experts, artists and kite-flying masters from other Asian countries were invited to fly their gorgeous and interesting kites in a diversity of traditional and innovative styles under the beautiful blue sky. Workshops were also introduced for kids and youth to learn the making of their own kites. Meanwhile, free kite borrowing service was also provided to the public so that all participants could enjoy the great fun of kite-flying on the spot.

Every year, there are various activities to celebrate Oktoberfest in Hong Kong. In October 2013, an international beer festival was staged on the Bar Street at Stanley for both locals and tourists to experience the beer culture of different countries. To tie in with the event, local designers/artists were invited to lead secondary and primary school students in the district to design unique and commemorative “Southern District Tourism and Culture Festival Beer Mugs”, which were distributed for free to the first 50 participants (other participants had to buy their own mugs) on each of the four weekends for tasting different beers. To boost the carnival atmosphere, there were different fun activities at Stanley Plaza, Murray House and the Bar Street during the four weekends, including waiter sprint and relay, beer drinking contest as well as special performances.

Cantonese opera, a kind of traditional Chinese operas, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The Cantonese opera in Hong Kong has a distinctive local heritage as it has mingled the unique lifestyle and arts of Hong Kong.

Majestic bamboo theatre was erected at Ap Lei Chau from 17 to 19 March 2017 for the performances of fantastic opera excerpts by renowned Cantonese opera artists showcasing traditional Chinese culture. To deepen foreign visitors and the young audience’s understanding of the culture of Cantonese opera and traditional Chinese stories and to enhance their interest in this traditional form of drama, bilingual programme booklets will be provided. This activity will no doubt be equally attractive to opera fans and non-opera fans and this precious heritage will hopefully be preserved and passed on to the next generation.

To promote the “Southern District Literary Trail” and commemorate two renowned female Chinese writers, Eileen Chang and Xiao Hong, a multi-media literature gala was organised at Repulse Bay beach and along the Seaview Promenade in an evening of Spring on 23 March 2013, featuring love poetry by Chinese and Western masters as well as the work of the two female writers. The literary work was presented in different art forms, comprising poem recital, open-air movie, modern dance, public arts exhibition and live jazz performance, adding a glimpse of romance to the enchanting seafront. The public arts exhibition was held for 30 days from 23 March to 22 April 2013 at the Seaview Pavilion of Repulse Bay to promote literature by means of artistic production. Display of the artwork was also extended along the Seaview Promenade leading to Deep Water Bay. It allowed the public to browse the beautiful verses of love poems when they strolled along the magnificent landscape of the Southern District, giving a touch of poetic elegance to the Repulse Bay’s springtime.

To promote the “Southern District Literary Trail” and encourage local literary creation, the Southern District Council organised the “Southern District Literary Trail - Creative Writing and Flower Plaque Making Programme” on 22 April 2012. The programme covered a variety of interesting cultural activities, such as spectacular performances, game booths and local artwork to blend with different literary stories, which helped familiarise people with the appreciation of literature in a relaxed and comprehensible way. During the event, there were also flower plaque making and exhibition in a bid to promote local literary writing by retracing the footprints of the literary figures.