Tin Hau Festival — Dancing Dragons

On our second morning, thanks to my wonderful cousins and the luck of it being a bank holiday - we popped over to Yau Ma Tei to see the local Tin Hau Festival.

The annual festival is held to honour Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sea and the street festival was brilliant. I was so pleased to be able to showcase that part of my heritage to Moon in all it's lion and dragon dancing glory. My cousin's husband, Boris, being the photography enthusiast he is, threw us right in with the displays as though we were 'official photographers' for the event, it was pretty amazing to get so up close.

Each clan from the area offered up their own dancing style, decoration and costume.



Starting the day with matching mosquito bracelets - I can confirm that they were ineffective.















Baby lion. ♥



There are Tin Hau temples dotted all around Hong Kong, being an island, making sure the sea is on your side is kind of important, the temple sizes range from the huge and ornate to a simple statue and incense holder.

Being the amazing guides that they are, after taking in the local festivities and catching up over some dim sum, my cousins took us to the China border to some of Boris' favourite photography haunts before a tasty Korean hotpot in the evening - probably one of the best meals of our whole holiday! We did briefly get stranded in Castle Peak Bay during a quick typhoon but it was in the Hong Kong McDonald's with the best view so you can't really complain.





China is definitely on my bucket-list, it's strange how it feels so completely foreign to me yet Hong Kong feels part of home.








View from McDonald's.

Wedding overload.

My cousin got married today, it was totally different to the wedding I worked at on Friday. It was basically just a great excuse to spend the whole afternoon eating, which is the best thing about weddings, particularly Chinese ones.

I didn't attend the actual ceremony, but it was a really nice reception, and very well thought out. The venue was also great, and made a change from where our family events usually take place. Afternoon well spent.

http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com/tea-ceremony.html

Kind of annoyed that this is my last shot, it's pigeon, and I don't like pigeon very much (at all, in fact). In Chinese culture apparently eating the head of chickens and other birds helps to keep you awake/wake you up in the mornings, I think I'd rather have a lie-in.

I don't actually know what's happening to me, I'm becoming such a girl. Although the two weddings I attended were completely different, I came very close to crying at both - the first one I wasn't even emotionally connected to! I used to be so tough and now I'm welling up all over the shop, particularly over things that are happy or nice, and I'm definitely there if they're both. Ridiculous.
I've spent most of this weekend obsessing over which movie I've heard this song from, I kind of love it, they don't really make them like this anymore do they?

I'm quite upset that Craig from X Factor sung it because it's just odd when that kind of thing happens. Get out of my life, TV!

Only a week and a half left to go at Ink before I finish, here's hoping I can make the most of it.

Vice Style: China Gyal shoot.

I didn't even cotton on the the fact that this was shot in Wing Yip when I was reading the physical magazine. I love this shoot though, it's so bright and energetic, I really like the notions of culture clash too. A full gallery can be found on the Vice Style website.

Photo credit: James Pearson-Howes
(via Vice.com)

Ship Shape.

So I'm six subjects down the line so far and have 3 lined up this weekend so should have 10 by November. I'm so pleased with what an eclectic group of people I've put together.

So this is James Cen Bonsor, who I shot today, he is 29 and so far the oldest of all my subjects. James is half-Chinese on his mother's side and his father is British. He has quite an interesting view on being half-Chinese and I don't think he feels that it singles him out that much, despite the fact that he lives and works in China - luckily for me his family live in Portsmouth which is why he was able to stop by.

I think he likes being a point of interest or mystery, he even thinks he's more intelligent due to coming from an Oriental background. James brought his girlfriend along to the shoot, she was Chinese and he was speaking fluent Chinese to her, he's probably the most 'Chinese' of my subjects so far. I wish I'd asked him whether he had just always spoken it as he seems to be the only one who does on a regular basis.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

James was the first of my 'strangers', we have no mutual friends, it was a bit awkward, because I'm not sure he knew quite what to expect from me. At least with Jamie and Marcus they knew I was around their age and 'just a photography student'.
I think Gareth, who is coming on Saturday might have a better idea of what I'm about so here's hoping I don't get flustered and forget to ask him questions too. I also have Rishi to shoot before then on Friday, he's half-Chinese, half-Indian, so it will be really interesting to hear what he has to say.