From My Hong Kong Scrapbook

With the season of the Chinese Moon Festival this year, I found myself feeling nostalgic about my days in Hong Kong when I was teaching English at Hong Kong Baptist College from 1981 to 1983. I decided to re-post a couple of former entries along with some added photos to create a kind of scrapbook entry for today's feature.

Here I am in Hong Kong in 1982, on a walkway overlooking the harbor.
(The photo was taken by Sharon Caulfield who was visiting from South Korea)

A view of Hong Kong Baptist College 

(now Hong Kong Baptist University)

(Photo from the Hong Kong?Macau Baptist Mission)

Hong Kong Memories

The name "Hong Kong," translated from the Cantonese, Heung Gong, means "fragrant harbor." We expatriates who lived there found that to be a bit amusing. There were definitely many aromas, especially in Kowloon City where I lived, but that combination of automobile exhaust, yesterday's garbage, restaurant cooking, and open markets was not what we typically referred to as "fragrant." I am assuming that in the old days before it was so populated, local vegetation along with natural beauty gave rise to the name.

Hong Kong was indeed a fascinating and diverse place to live. It had a long history of taking in refugees. Many had flooded in from mainland China in the wake of political turmoil. In the 1980s, there was a large refugee camp in Kowloon for Vietnamese refugees awaiting resettlement in various countries. In addition to the majority Cantonese (southern China) population, there were also other Chinese groups such as Hakka, Swatow, and Szechuan as well as a large community of "boat people" whose homes were in boats on the harbor, and whose families had traditionally earned a living by fishing. 

At the time I was there, Hong Kong was still a British Crown Colony, so there were many British expatriates there as well as other European business people. Being such a vital place for business, there were also Japanese, Koreans, Indonesians, people from India as well as Americans there involved in various business ventures. There were also significant Filipino and Southeast Asian populations living there. I saw an amazing hodge podge of old tradition and new industry; Asian culture with European and American influences.

One of the less affluent neighborhoods on Hong Kong Island










Various street scenes in Hong Kong in the Kowloon region:

Immanuel Baptist Church

On Sundays, I led and English language Sunday School class for young adult members who wanted to practice their English (speaking English was a skill that many Chinese wanted to improve). I was the only westerner in the congregation. The pastor had been raised in mainland China and spoke Mandarin, so he would use a  Cantonese interpreter when he preached. There was always one Sunday a month when he would deliver his sermon in Cantonese (some of the members told me that they understood his Mandarin better than his Cantonese).

This section of photos is from pictures taken by church members.

The English Language Sunday School class 

 The Sunday School class at our church picnic

Here's the group shot of the whole Immanuel Baptist congregation (that is, those who came to the picnic) I'm in the back - the one wearing a cap

 

A Trip to the Guangdong Province

Early in my sojourn in Hong Kong, I was fortunate to take a trip into China to the Guandong Province (formerly known in the West as Canton Province). It was in the early days of China's opening up to tourist travel, and the trip was organized by my Cantonese language instructor, Dr. Jachin Chan.


The following pictures were taken on an old farming commune in the Guangdong Province. I don't know if anything like this exists anymore.

Men walking with water buffaloes, common beasts of burden on farms throughout Asia. They are fairly docile creatures and well-suited for working the wet rice patties.

A man with a water buffalo working the rice fields

A large flock of Peking Ducks on the farm commune

 

Old Canton

Guangdong, known to westerners in the past as Canton, is the major city in the Guangdong Province. As we crossed the river into the city, we saw many traditional boats on the water, with newer modern buildings in the background, some of them still under construction in 1982.

There were many two-wheeled carts, and many,many bicycles in those days. The woman in traditional garb pulling her cart is one of my favorites.

There were were open air markets out in the streets, including a vendor selling fresh meat.

We saw many old brick buildings. There was a plaza in the middle of town that was more open and spacious while most of the streets were quite narrow.

In the New Territories

When I lived in Hong Kong, I was in Kowloon, which is actually on the mainland across from Hong Kong Island, but part of what was then known as the Crown Colony of Hong Kong. North of Kowloon, was the New Territories (so named in the treaty in 1898 with China that leased the New Territories to The United Kingdom for 99 years in an extension of the Hong Kong Territory). In 1997, the entire colony, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories, was ceded back to China.

Lion Rock (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

The New Territories were less populated that Hong Kong Island or the Kowloon Peninsula. There was farmland and countryside that was a refreshing sight to those of us living in the crowded city.

Whether traveling to the New Territories by highway or by railway, Lion Rock was a natural landmark that one noted on the way

Rice patties in the New Territories

At the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas)

Tao Fong Shan’s Lutheran chapel 

(photo by David Van Tassel)

The Temple of 10,000 Buddhas is a fascinating place to visit in the New Territories.













One of my favorite spots to visit was in the Sha Tin region of the New Territories was Tao Fong Shan. It is a Christian Center that was founded by a Lutheran missionary who adopted Chinese customs and established the center along the line of a traditional Chinese temple. In the days before the border was closed by the communist regime, Buddhist monks would make pilgrimages to the center for time of prayer, meditation, and interfaith dialogue.

The center is known for its making of fine china depicting scenes from the life of Christ in Chinese style paintings.

*    *    * 

Crossing the Harbor

The Star Ferry chugs across the harbor

One of my favorite things to do while living in Hong Kong (from 1981 to 1983) was to ride the Star Ferry. For the equivalent of about 20 cents I could take the ferry from the Kowloon Peninsula where I lived over to Hong Kong island. The subway train which ran through a tunnel under the harbor was much faster (and cleaner), but I loved taking the time to ride the waters and watch the crowds coming and going, trying to get a flavor of the culture.

Crossing the Harbor

When crossing the harbor at night,

Or on a cloudy, windy day,

My thoughts are carried swiftly away

To a realm potent with yesterdays and tomorrows.

As I ride the waters

My spirit soars;

Exchanging thought for dream,

And dream for destiny.

I think of how it would be

If you were on the other side –

A warm heart and receptive ear

Taking joy in sharing both the petty and the profound.

Knowing that you will not be there,

I realize that I've yet other harbors to cross.

My spirit shall continue its flight,

And I shall continue my wanderings.

           CLK                                                       10/81

Leaving Hong Kong

Before I left Hong Kong, I wrote a poem for one of my Chinese friends who was a school teacher. She herself was about to embark upon a journey to England for further study. In the poem, I tried to express my sentiments about the place I was leaving behind.

  

Fragrant Harbor

A fragrance to heaven goes up each day

            as incense burns in temples.

A fragrance to world endures in time

with the gathering of spirited and lively people.

A fragrance to business and trade is sure,

            and it disperses throughout the land.

A fragrance to the East,

A fragrance to the West;

A fragrance to all who have come.

How many have sensed the sweetness of this place,

For whatever reason they journey –

To escape, to be caught;

To be lost, to be found.

The motives are many, the result is one.

I number among those

Who have caught the scent

Of this busy, crowded, unique place.

And something in me shall hope to smell again

The fragrance of these shores.

Charles Kinnaird                               6/83         

(Photo by Sharon Caulfield)

          

_____________________

*All Photos by Charles Kinnaird except where otherwise noted.



-

The Best Cup of Coffee

A view of Lantau Island, Hong Kong

The Best Cup of Coffee I Ever Had

It might have been due

To the light drizzle we faced

As we disembarked from the ferry

Onto Lantau Island.

It could have been the camaraderie

Of good friends

Coming together for a weekend

Of hiking and camping.

We set out with our backpacks and folded tents

On the gradual incline of a path

That would wind its way

Above the bay

And up the gentle mountainside.

Cool air prevailed

As the light rain fell.

That coolness settled

Into our hands and feet

When the sun dropped down below

The crest of the low-lying hills.

I have had so many cups of coffee

In the courses of my days.

Coffee at home

At friends’ tables

In fine restaurants

At roadside diners.

I have sipped coffee from steaming mugs

On winter days,

From fine china

On summer evenings

And from the basic white cup

Of a sidewalk café in Paris.

My taste in coffee

Has covered many brands

And many roasts.

Sometimes it had to be a robust French roast,

Sometimes a mellow “house roast” blend.

There were seasons when I expected

That sharp edge of a dark roast

To pierce through the cloaking of cream

That I stirred in.

Other seasons required the light and buoyant taste

Of a “breakfast blend.”

There have been days upon days

When I endured the tepid results

Of a new brand of coffee with a great ad campaign,

Looking forward to the last scoop in the bag

When I could return to

The tried and true

Of the hardy favored brand

That I should have never departed from in the first place.

Many have been my days of coffee,

But it was on that first night

While camping on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island

That all past and future cups

Came into focus.

All coffee would henceforth be

At best, a valiant attempt to compare.

Just before the night began to step in

We decided that we had found our campsite.

There was a small creek for water,

And a level area to pitch our tents.

Our first task was to start a fire.

Wood was gathered and the fire was started.

“Now we need to get us some coffee,”

Our friend and hiking guide said.

He had some tablets

That would purify spring water.

Just to be safe

We boiled the water sufficiently

In addition to adding the tablets.

With water ready

My only cup was a plastic cereal bowl

And my coffee was instant powder stored in my bag.

Yet with the cold of night settling in,

Feet wet from hiking in the rain,

And good friends gathered,

That cup of instant coffee

Make from purified creek water

Drunk from a plastic bowl

Remains in my memory

The best cup of coffee

I have ever had.

                                                        ~ CK

______________________

Photo: "Beaches on Lantau Island, Hong Kong," from Peanuts or Pretzels travel site:
http://www.peanutsorpretzels.com/things-to-do-in-hong-kong-lantau-island/



-

Something Like the Peace Corps

Hong Kong Baptist College

I once heard news commentator Chris Matthews talk briefly about his service with the Peace Corps in Africa as a young college graduate. He said that serving in another country, offering humanitarian assistance, living in another culture affected everything he did subsequently in his life. He encouraged young people to get involved in some service like the Peace Corps, and to do it before age thirty for an experience to set the course of their life for the better.

I knew exactly what Chris Matthews was talking about.  When I was in my late twenties, I took part in a mission program with the Southern Baptists called the Journeyman Program. The purpose of this program was to allow college graduates the opportunity to serve for two years in various missions across the globe. There were over 80 of us in our group that went out in 1981. Within our group there were teachers, nurses, youth workers, agricultural workers, and a variety of other jobs that gave aid and supported church missions. I was an English teacher at Hong Kong Baptist College (now Hong Kong Baptist University).

Becoming a World Citizen

A moment relaxing after some
intense Journeyman training sessions

The director of the Journeyman Program at the time was Dr. Stan Nelson. Stan really made that program into the quality endeavor that it was.  He told us during training that after our experiences overseas, we would become world citizens. How right Stan was!  My time in Hong Kong definitely shaped how I view the world. Sometimes I tell people that my two years as a Journeyman in Hong Kong were like ten years of experience.

The Journeyman Program was my “Peace Corps.” You cannot view your place in the world or the plight of others throughout the world in the same way once you have lived, served and worked alongside people in another culture. I have found that in all of my subsequent roles and occupations since then, I have had a sense of mission that others around me often do not seem to grasp. My values, my hopes, and my endeavors have all been shaped and borne by my life as a missionary Journeyman.  What’s more, my path has not been at all what I had planned, but it has all been good.  I recently found a quote that resonated with me, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.”

Renewing Old Friendships

Recently members of our Journeyman mission group have re-connected by way of the internet after thirty years. We have gone in many different directions as we have pursued careers, started families, and lived in various parts of the country and the world. It was amazing and invigorating to discover that immediate camaraderie that still existed after all these years.  I was excited to see the pictures that people shared commemorating their time overseas – it brought back such memories! I was equally invigorated to hear where my colleagues are now.  It was thrilling to hear one another’s stories of where life has taken them in the intervening years.

The bond that was formed as we prepared to go out into the world so many years ago was immediately renewed.  I tried to explain that camaraderie to my daughter, but my words probably fell short. It’s an experience that you can really only know by being there.

The Rewards of Service

I am extremely grateful for having been part of such an awesome group of people. We were young, inspired, and on a mission. We were setting out to parts unknown and we subsequently met with many wondrous encounters. There were joys as well as struggles and sorrows that occurred within our various experiences, but most seem to agree that those were transformative years for us – those two years of service.

I would like to echo the sentiments of Chris Matthews that I mentioned at the outset.  I would encourage all young people to consider giving a year or two of service overseas before you start your career. It could be with the Peace Corps or it could be with your church or religious organization. It will be challenging yet rewarding and you will not be the same thereafter.

Many Possibilities

I should add that if you are not in that youthful category, it is not too late. Did you know that Lillian Carter, President Jimmy Carter’s mother, joined the Peace Corps and went to India when she was 68 years old? My brother spent his vacation time for four or five summers providing assistance to a village in Brazil in a church-sponsored mission. There are nurses I know who have assisted with medical clinics in Central and South America for one to two weeks at a time.

Furthermore, there are many avenues of service available. Some that I know of are Doctors without Borders, SIFAT, and Oxfam. Other organizations that I have recently heard about are Give a Year Partnerships for college students, Proworld, and the Global Volunteer Network. The Quakers also have a number of service opportunities available.  By giving a gift to others somewhere else in the world, you will also be giving a priceless gift to yourself!

Some students from one of my English classes at HKBC

Members of the English language Sunday School class

I taught at Emmanuel Baptist Church

(in Cantonese, that would be pronounced 
Yee-mah-loi-lay Tsum-wui Lai-bai Tong)

Sunday School class at picnic outing in the park

Group shot at church picnic, Emmanuel Baptist Church  

*    *    *    *    *

Previous Posts about my Hong Kong Experience:

Hong Kong Memories

Crossing the Harbor
To a Local Goddess
Memories from China

Old Canton

Farming in China

Hong Kong Memories

The name "Hong Kong," translated from the Cantonese, Heung Gong, means "fragrant harbor." We expatriates who lived there found that to be a bit amusing. There were definitely many aromas, especially in Kowloon City where I lived, but that combination of automobile exhaust, yesterday's garbage, restaurant cooking, and open markets was not what we typically referred to as "fragrant." I am assuming that in the old days before it was so populated, local vegetation along with natural beauty gave rise to the name.

Hong Kong was indeed a fascinating and diverse place to live. It had a long history of taking in refugees. Many had flooded in from mainland China in the wake of political turmoil. In the 1980s, there was a large refugee camp in Kowloon for Vietnamese refugees awaiting resettlement in various countries. In addition to the majority Cantonese (southern China) population, there were also other Chinese groups such as Hakka, Swatow, and Szechuan as well as a large community of "boat people" whose homes were in boats on the harbor, and whose families had traditionally earned a living by fishing. 

At the time I was there, Hong Kong was still a British Crown Colony, so there were many British expatriates there as well as other European business people. Being such a vital place for business, there were also Japanese, Koreans, Indonesians, people from India as well as Americans there involved in various business ventures. There were also significant Filipino and Southeast Asian populations living there. I saw an amazing hodge podge of old tradition and new industry; Asian culture with European and American influences.

Before I left Hong Kong, I wrote a poem for one of my Chinese friends who was a school teacher. She herself was about to embark upon a journey to England for further study. In the poem, I tried to express my sentiments about the place I was leaving behind.

  

Fragrant Harbor

A fragrance to heaven goes up each day

            as incense burns in temples.

A fragrance to world endures in time

with the gathering of spirited and lively people.

A fragrance to business and trade is sure,

            and it disperses throughout the land.

A fragrance to the East,

A fragrance to the West;

A fragrance to all who have come.

How many have sensed the sweetness of this place,

For whatever reason they journey –

To escape, to be caught;

To be lost, to be found.

The motives are many, the result is one.

I number among those

Who have caught the scent

Of this busy, crowded, unique place.

And something in me shall hope to smell again

The fragrance of these shores.

Charles Kinnaird                               6/83         

*                            

Crossing the Harbor

One of my favorite things to do while living in Hong Kong (from 1981 to 1983) was to ride the Star Ferry. For the equivalent of about 20 cents I could take the ferry from the Kowloon Peninsula where I lived over to Hong Kong island. The subway train which ran through a tunnel under the harbor was much faster (and cleaner), but I loved taking the time to ride the waters and watch the crowds coming and going, trying to get a flavor of the culture.


Crossing the Harbor

When crossing the harbor at night,

Or on a cloudy, windy day,

My thoughts are carried swiftly away

To a realm potent with yesterdays and tomorrows.

As I ride the waters

My spirit soars;

Exchanging thought for dream,

And dream for destiny.

I think of how it would be

If you were on the other side –

A warm heart and receptive ear

Taking joy in sharing both the petty and the profound.

Knowing that you will not be there,

I realize that I've yet other harbors to cross.

My spirit shall continue its flight,

And I shall continue my wanderings.

           CLK                                                       10/81