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Published on January 12, 2008

 As Thailand doesn't really recognise Christmas, and Hong Kong is noted for keeping celebrations to British traditions, I set off for the island a few weeks ago to capture some of that old festive spirit.

Hong Kong people send each other Christmas cards, church services are held in English as well as Chinese, nativities and decorations adorn homes and public places and the season is declared an official holiday. What's more, Santa Claus extends a vacant knee for kids to sit on, but out there he's better known as Lan Khoong or Dun Che Lao Ren.

However, this air in an Eastern environment served as a watery reminder of the typical English scene, and the true meaning of Christmas was all but drowned in waves of unabashed commercialism. Hong Kong's perpetual rush hour continued unabated and it was business as usual in the shopping malls throughout the holiday period.

On recommendation, I headed over to Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon Peninsula on Christmas Eve and joined a steady flow of people pouring in and out of department stores and markets. But by early evening one or two small choirs had taken to the streets singing Christmas carols under streams of coloured fairy lights.

Inside the malls and plazas, piped music wished us merry Christmas, and the artificial Christmas trees, golden reindeers and plastic Santas were punctuated by lavish displays of brand-name clothes, jewellery and leather goods.

After dinner, I opened the restaurant door to a solid mass of humanity slowly shuffling its way towards the public pier and a view of the Hong Kong skyline. Traffic had been effectively cut off and Kowloon turned into a gigantic walking area. And the police conducted crowd management with extreme efficiency.

I like Hong Kong people. Behind their rather serious exterior they are very polite and helpful, and once they had donned their Santa hats and taken a few bevvies they also became warm and friendly.

As I chatted with locals and looked at Hong Kong, I realised this get-together was simply that, as little else in the way of amusement was going on. There were the lights, of course, small games for children and the excitement of taking photographs.

And as a climax to my stroll, the throng led me into the New World Centre shopping mall - still open.

Cultures apart

I was told that Christmas Day in the city would be much the same as the day before, so for something different I took the subway out to Tung Chung and then a bus to the ancient fishing village of Tai O.

The feeling of crowds rushing about soon dissolved as the No 11 wound its way through grass-covered mountains - around crook and cranny - before dropping down to a sandy coastline.

Also known as "the Venice of Hong Kong", Tai O comprises a ramshackle cluster of stilted wooden structures, stretching along the banks of the Pearl River and out to sea, while tiny inland dwellings are curiously coated with silver sheets of tin.

There was no hint of Christmas as I meandered past buildings barely big enough to hold their inhabitants, along narrow lanes and between market stalls selling fish, snacks and knickknacks, and up to the small but highly decorative Kwan Tai Temple.

It was immediately evident that the relaxed people of tranquil Tai O are a culture apart from the folk who live down the road in the city.

Some two hundred years ago, Tai O was the hub of maritime transportation routes connecting Hong Kong, Macau, Wanshan Island and the Pearl River Delta. It became a major fishing port and its shallow coastal waters were ideal for salt production.

As agriculture thrived in the area, Tai O expanded into a market town and its economy flourished. Throughout this period, the people of Tai O developed their own culture, society and identity.

But sadly, Tai O's agriculture and salt markets collapsed during the 1960s and its fishing industry is in steady decline.

Young people of working age now abandon the village for jobs in the city, leaving older folk to fend for themselves, and the village is in danger of deterioration.

In a bid to survive, Tai O has declared itself a heritage conservation area and haven from the hustle and bustle of modern life. It has turned its attention to tourism, and visitors from far and near are now pouring in.

Meanwhile, the Tai O Cultural Workshop is fighting to maintain and promote local traditions through arranging research and cultural exchanges in the hope of fostering appropriate development and progress in the community.

Unfortunately, main roads to the village are being widened and there is talk of theme parks in the area. So it may not be long before Santa turns up in the streets of Tai O.