Hong Kong: The Ancient Village That Became A Trade Metropolis | Curious Traveler | Absolute History

I'm Alice Loxton and I present documentaries over on History Hit TV. If you're passionate about all things history, sign up to History Hit TV. It's like Netflix but just for history. We've got hours of ad-free documentaries about all aspects of the past. You can get a huge discount from History Hit TV. Make sure you check out the details below and use the code ABSOLUTEHISTORY. All one word when you sign up. Now on with the show. World-renowned city is known for its rich Chinese and Western traditions, its trend-setting cuisine, its bustling city, and its awe-inspiring natural beauty. This is Hong Kong. Hong Kong lies off the southern coast of mainland China and is made up of more than 200 beautiful islands, a wonderfully chaotic urban district, and is permeated by both Eastern and Western culture and traditions. Hong Kong's history begins with its harbor. This major world center for trade and finance started out as a humble fishing village. The trade happened through this port where trees used for incense grew, giving the area its name of Hong Kong, which means fragrant harbor. But it was another type of plant that shaped Hong Kong's history, the lucrative opium poppy. While it was grown in India, it was traded through Hong Kong. The opium wars of the 1800s resulted in China leasing Hong Kong to the British. So in 1898, Hong Kong becomes a British colony. That lease ended in 1997, and now Hong Kong is what is called an SAR, or Special Administrative Region of China. But those 99 years of British influence can still be felt today in Hong Kong's official languages of Chinese and English. There are also still English street signs everywhere, and guess what the name for Hong Kong's all-important harbor is? Victoria Harbor, of course named for Queen Victoria. But even with its recent Western influence, Hong Kong has maintained many of its eastern traditions, culture, and customs. So here's what I'm curious about in Hong Kong. Who permanently sits peacefully atop his hill with a little grin? What is still made the same way for centuries and is great with a little sugar on top? Where can you find the goddess of the sea, and why is it so smoky in here? Why are these giant wooden monuments here? When was this traditional Chinese sailing ship invented, and what is so junky about it? How is a centuries-old tradition being kept alive in this tiny little shop? Who, what, where, why, when, and how? So much to be curious about in Hong Kong. We begin our exploration into Hong Kong's culture with a really, really big symbol of one of the most important traditions, who is permanently perched on one of Hong Kong's beautiful islands. To get to this lofty symbol, we go up, up, up to the top of Lantau Island. The views of the islands, the city, and the coastline below are incredible. Beautiful and natural, Lantau Island is one of Hong Kong's larger islands, and almost immediately when you arrive, you will see a giant figure off in the mist. But this giant is a very peaceful one. Sitting 110 feet high above Mok Yu Hill is the Tiantan Buddha, more informally known as the Big Buddha for obvious reasons. Now, the Big Buddha has some very interesting features about him. He is facing north towards China. His left palm is out like this as a gesture of generosity, and his right hand is up like this as a symbol of removal of affliction to all peoples below. The Tiantan Buddha was built here on Lantau Island in the 1990s, and is said to be one of the largest seated bronze Buddhas in the entire world. And to experience just how big the Big Buddha is, we will climb to get a closer look. But first, there are some earthly and heavenly altars to cross. Where we're standing is very important and also has something to do with the name Tiantan. What are we standing on and what does Tiantan mean? Tiantan means heavenly altar, and properly speaking, the circle underneath the Buddha statue is the heavenly altar, and this is the earthly altar. Oh, okay. So is this the exact same style or maybe the same scale? Same style, but not the same scale, of course. Not the same scale. Sort of a scaled-down model of the heavenly altar outside Beijing, where traditionally the empress would go every spring and autumn to pray to the heaven to report what's happening. Report, I like that. Buddhism has long been a major religion here in Hong Kong. It originated in India, then expanded into China along the Silk Road when Buddhist monks traveled far to spread the word of the Enlightened One. Back here at the Tiantan Buddha, you'll do a little traveling yourself to reach the Enlightened One. Well, not quite so many miles, but a few hundred steps to get from the earthly altar to the heavenly altar. As you begin your climb, you will see mythological figures, the 12 divine generals, each one symbolizing a different animal of the Chinese zodiac. Well, I'm going to need all the help I can get, so I hope my horoscope is a good one today. 256, 257, almost there, 258. 268 steps to the top. I think the idea is to suffer a little on your upward path to enlightenment, but the trip is worth it. The views from up here are incredible. And once you make it to the top, you can see how big the big Buddha actually is. He's 110 feet high. His face alone is 14 feet high. But what I found really curious are his earlobes. Those are kind of big too. So why the long ears? Well, there are a couple of curious theories. One is that since the Buddha was born as a wealthy prince, he naturally wore heavy earrings that stretched out his earlobes. The second theory is more spiritual, that the Buddha's ears are large so that he can hear all the suffering of the world and respond with compassion. And there are more curious symbols to explore up here, including these giant statues of women who are forever kneeling in a circle. Surrounding the Buddha are the six divas, and each one is holding one of the six traditional offerings. These particular divas are forever making offerings to the Buddha, specific offerings of flowers, music, or fruit that symbolize the specific virtues of generosity, meditation, or wisdom. All virtues that are necessary for enlightenment. Now, you may start to feel a little enlightened yourself gazing out over all this natural beauty from your lofty post. But you may also wonder why this specific location was chosen for Big Buddha's comfy seat. Well, it wasn't just because it was such a nice hilltop with great views. This peak was chosen because of its proximity to a tranquil and colorful monastery below. So for that, we go back down our 268 steps and get curious about the Po Lin Monastery. In 1906, three Buddhist monks traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles from the Guangzhou province of China here to Lantau Island. They believed this was the perfect spot for their new monastery, which was a humble one, and they named it the Big Thatched Hut. As you can see, over the decades, that Big Thatched Hut grew to the beautiful and ornate Po Lin Monastery, meaning precious lotus. That's why you will see the lotus flower here, there, and everywhere. You will also see two other curiosities, oranges and incense. Incense, incense, incense. The oranges are an offering to the gods to ask for good fortune. And that ubiquitous incense? Well, that is a form of sending one's prayers and wishes to the heavens. Out of respect, we don't film inside the monastery, but the outside is full of traditional Chinese architecture with beautiful symbols, statues, colorful gardens, curiosities, and ancient stories like this section. There are so many wonderful details all over the monastery. It's hard to believe that this area is just one of them. But I find this one fascinating. Who are we looking at here? And tell me a little bit about it. This is one of the four main, what we call, Buddhist savas in Buddhism. And his name is Manjushri, and he represents intelligence. And I suppose for children, for education, most of you want your children to be smart and intelligent. So he's the one that you pray to. Oh, that's good. That's good. And help with homework, maybe. Help with homework, exactly, yes. And he's sitting, I believe, on the representation of a lion. Of a lion. And we do see the lion a lot in here. And the lion is wearing something very ornate and pretty. We have tassels here, a bell, I think. And what I think is interesting is the tapestry or the blanket that's over. We get to see, I would say, sort of looks like, now I'm joking, like the Emerald City in Oz, but maybe. Close, actually. It's close. Sort of a vision of heaven. Vision of heaven, yes. I love that. And then who do we have down here? Ten ladies offering fruit. And so it is fruit, like we're seeing here. It alters, and that's a real tradition. Before we leave Lantau Island, there's one more bit of serenity to wander through here, the lovely Wisdom Path. Built up the side of a hill, the Wisdom Path leads you through a figure eight or infinity symbol path. As you stroll, you are meant to slow down and relax your mind. Along the path are 38 tall wooden monuments called steels, each with a verse from the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra is one of the world's best known Buddhist prayers. Next, we leave the tranquility of Lantau Island, go back down the mountain, and explore temples of a different sort in the bustling urban center of Hong Kong, which could use some tranquility. Throughout Hong Kong, there are hundreds of temples, some big, some small, some old, and some new. Some are Buddhist, some are Taoist, and some are dedicated to specific gods and goddesses. Often, locals will come every day to one of these temples. This is Man Mo Temple in the Sheung Wan neighborhood, one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong, built in 1847. The interior is lavish, to say the least. Knowing that Hong Kong means fragrant harbor doesn't quite prepare you for the overwhelming aroma of the dozens and dozens of incense coils in here. The temple layout is traditional, with the hip and gable roof outside and an open courtyard inside. The deities are in the back, elevated from the rest of the temple, which brings us to the name Man Mo Temple. Man is the god of literature, and Mo is the god of war. But there is another deity who has many temples dedicated to her, especially along the seaside. This is a Tin Hau Temple. Tin Hau is the goddess of the sea and protector of fishermen and sailors. So Tin Hau temples were put up along the waterfront in China, including here in Hong Kong. But this particular Tin Hau Temple is most definitely landlocked. So why is there a temple here? So what I find interesting is that she's the goddess of the sea, and yet we're not along the water. But there's a little twist to that. Whenever you see Tin Hau Temple, especially in Hong Kong, you can imagine the front door of the Tin Hau Temple used to be the waterfront. That's right there. That's the waterfront. And now it's three kilometers away from the waterfront already. It's all from the reclamation. But she's still facing the water. Yes, no matter what, it's always facing the water direction. Oh yes, the acres and acres of reclaimed land that Hong Kong is built on is a story for another episode. So back to the temple. Believers come here bearing those ever-present orange offerings to ask Tin Hau to get rid of evil spirits and to grant wishes. And exactly how they ask for those wishes is beautiful. So these right here, these again, these are prayers? Yes, they're prayers, wishes. Like this one is for company. Okay. This is for village. Yeah. This is one single person. These spiral incense coils are believed to send the wishes to the heavens through the smoke. Each coil burns for about 10 days. But most people make a donation and ask for their incense coils to burn for three months. Now multiply that by the hundreds of slow burning coils you see in here and you'll know that it can get quite fragrant around here. The other form of prayers or wishes are not quite as odiferous. These darling little gold and red tasseled trinkets are simply called lucky charms. Next, from a fragrant tradition to a flavorful one. We now travel into the heart of Hong Kong to explore its wonderfully chaotic food markets where you can find all manner of tasty treats. From dried squid and fish with the head still on to beautiful and wonky shaped fruits and vegetables you may not have heard of. To cold cases stocked with little animal-shaped treats that could be made from anything from sugar to meats. But there is one particular Hong Kong treat that is not to be missed. And it is centuries old. Tucked away in the Sham Shui Po street market you will find a tasty food factory. No, not Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory but the Kung Wo Tofu Factory where for four generations one family has made tofu the traditional way. Here you will find the most popular dish. The silky smooth wiggly jiggly sweet tofu pudding sprinkled with coarse orange colored sugar. And another local favorite, pan-fried tofu. These two are actually mom's recipe. Oh. Yeah, created by my mom. Oh, that's nice. So I help her to develop the recipe because 10 years ago we didn't sell so many pieces but now we are selling like thousands and thousands of pieces every day. Oh good. Yeah, so. Is it a secret recipe of what? You need to ask my mom. Okay, okay. Well, mom wasn't here this day but we did go back into the kitchen to find out how the tofu is made. It all starts with those soybeans. What stage are the soybeans in here? These are the soybeans salted in the water for more than eight hours. Oh, so that happens first. Yes. How many? How many pounds and pounds? I think we use about 500 kilo or 800 kilos of soybeans every day. Wow, wow. Then the soybeans are poured into the traditional stone grinder, the same type of millstone grinder that has been used to make tofu for centuries. The taste of tofu made by the stone grinder is much better. I bet. Can I try it once? Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. So obviously you just fill it up. This is so... Now, is this a basket specifically for making tofu or could it be used for anything? Oh, it is, it is. Oh, okay. Because it lets some of the water out first maybe before. Okay. Oh, I didn't lose too many. Then the grinder spins the liquid out and all that grinding and spinning separates the liquid from the fiber. The fiber is then removed and the liquid gets poured into these giant vats where it spins and spins and spins and looks like a giant pool of ice cream you could just dive on into. Then that liquid is poured into yet another container, a wooden barrel this time, to finally form the tofu. And then the fun part begins. I won't spill any, I won't spill any. Huge scoops are scooped out and put into these wooden forms to create the square-shaped tofu that we're used to seeing. The forms are flipped every so often to help the liquid drain off and check out the almost elegant spin that this guy does as he spins the forms over his head. Eventually, after all this hard work, the tasty tofu makes its way to the front counter ready to be sold. Certain regulars come in every single day, first thing in the morning, bringing their own containers for their daily taste of tofu history. Next, from silky tofu to silky garments, we visit another wonderful Hong Kong tradition, the qipao or cheongsam dress. This is the Miwa Fashion Dress Shop and this is the owner, master tailor, Ken Hong Wing. Thank you for having us here. How long have you been a tailor? I understood Hong Kong. He's the oldest in Hong Kong. He has been here many, many years. And his shop specializes in one particular type of dress. The qipao or cheongsam is this beautiful, sleek, traditional Chinese dress. It is usually worn only on special occasions. There's a long history of silk production in China, going back to ancient times, and this traditional dress is still often made with silk. Then this form-fitting design became popular in the early 20th century. At first, only upper-class women wore this expensive dress. This traditional dress is still made by hand, including the delicate embroidery. How long does it take you to create a dress? You come in for a dress? Yeah. It takes about a few days, like three to four days, because a lot of, you know, when you make a cheongsam, they use to do it by hand. They can see the color. So delicate. Even the buttons, you know, the patterns, all that by hand. You see the pattern of the buttons? And that's just probably knotted by hand? You have to tie it by hand. You cannot do it with a machine. Amazing. And of course, this beautiful, delicate flower has meaning. Is this pattern anything significant? Is that a flower of some, or just a pretty pattern? Okay, well, it has meaning, because you see the different pattern, there are different signs of flowers, and also the meaning, which like, bring fortune or something like that, always good things, like good luck. Oh, that's wonderful. Different occasions call for different designs, weddings, graduations, birthdays, or anniversaries. Which brings us to this lovely woman. She doesn't work here. She was just a customer who happened to walk in to buy a dress for her granddaughter's wedding, and was kind enough to help us out with a little interpreting. She doesn't even live here in Hong Kong. She lives in New Jersey. What color or pattern are you thinking? Well, I don't know yet. You don't know yet? It just came in, and then, I mean. Thank you. Tell me how to say thank you one more time. I'm sorry. Mkoy is like, do me a favor. Mkoy. So it's mkoy. Mkoy. For our final Hong Kong curiosity, we visit a beautiful piece of Chinese engineering that for some reason is referred to as junk. For that, we go back to where we began, Hong Kong's all-important Victoria Harbor. A junk boat is a traditional Chinese sailing ship that dates back to at least the Middle Ages. While this one may be a bit more modern, it still has those signature square sails that could be folded up and down like Venetian blinds. And here's a curious tidbit for you. These junk boats proved to be far superior to Western ships back in the Middle Ages. For thousands of years, junk boats sailed from China across thousands of miles to Indonesia and India. These signature square sails of a junk boat are part of what makes these ships so effective. The sails could actually redirect the wind into the other sails and made it possible to sail directly into the wind. And those traditional square sails are traditionally red. Why? Well, legend says red pleased the dragons that lived up in the clouds, of course. So red would bring good luck. These blue ones may not be the cloud dragon's favorite color, but they do have the traditional Chinese imperial dragon symbol on them. So maybe that will work. The construction of a junk boat is definitely traditional, made from only wood and bamboo and not a single nail. So why is something this amazing called junk? Well, because junk simply translates to ship. While the traditional junk boat was used to transport goods in and out of these harbors or used in battle, today it is the perfect way to take in all of Hong Kong's beauty and curiosities from one very scenic spot. Victoria Harbor, that fragrant harbor that gave us the name of Hong Kong. So from a long-eared leader of one of the world's great religions who peacefully sits high upon his lotus with a permanent gesture of peace to all below to a colorful and curious home for monks and a winding path of wisdom, to hundreds of temples sprinkled throughout the city full of oh-so-fragrant incense, hopes, dreams, and a couple of oranges, to a vibrant and joyful master artist whose creations carry on a beautiful tradition of Chinese beauty, to another tradition, but this one is a tasty, wiggly, jiggly one inside a local factory that still makes this traditional treat by hand as it's been done for centuries. And finally, to a sailing vessel thousands of years in the making with incredible engineering innovations and a dose of dragon lore that today sails that fragrant harbor that gave this region its name. Hong Kong has so much to be curious about. Thank you for joining us on our educational journey and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when, and hows of Curious Hong Kong. As the Hong Kongers say, Soi Kin!