We spent the day on an island learning about permaculture! (Video by Antonio ... see below for blogging by Raquel!)
Saturday, the group spent the majority our fourth of July exploring the wonders of two islands off the west coast of Hong Kong island joined by a large sand bank collectively named Cheung chau. For most of us, Cheung chau served to be a foreign taste and humid get away from the urban, relatable island of Hong Kong. Blindfolded by a ferry ride. We were thrown into a marvelous, decorative, and humble, delicious way of life that our tour guide, Wanda, describes as "an island cloaked with mythology". She led the way on a walking tour of the island scattered with bicycles mentioning that the only cars in existence on Cheung Chau are emergency vehicles and the locals get around on bikes, or on foot. Through the narrow alleyways and passed the steaming fishball venders, avoiding speeding bicyclists, we witnessed the traces of tradition through family temples and shrines indicating the front of small villages. Although religions on the island include Christianity and Daoism, Buddhism also has an impact on the locals as far as cultural practice. An annual bun festival celebrating Buddha's birthday and the sacredness of the island in May brings Cheung Chau to life and attracts the many tourists and HongKong residents, still registered as island dwellers to secure a burial spot; more honorable than cremation in Chinese culture. Another noteworthy aspect of the architecture of the temples is the colorful, three-demesional tile artwork that tells many stories of ancient Chinese myths ad incorporates Confucianism, a highly respected ideology in Cheung Chau.
Upon finishing the walking tour and scrumptious round tables of seafood, the group made our way to the Lam's permaculture farm. There, besides being overwhelmed by the tropical and natural beauty of Cheung Chau, we gained hands-on practice and a taste of the community forest farming. Permaculture can be defined as mimicking the system of nature that allows flora to thrive in a forest or natural area without external maintenance. One volunteer farmer and educator for the day, Marnic, mentioned permaculture is sometimes called "lazy farming" by conventional monoculture farmers, but it is quite the opposite. It's requires intense observation of natural growing processes and an extensive knowledge of the ecosystem's natural resources. Wanda's Aunt and Uncle have owned the land for many years and are creating a self-sustained farm complete with a well and cnnections to a compost machine. The group was able to learn about the composition of topsoil and clear natural planting beds for crop rotation. We had the opportunity to taste the produce of the farm in a delicious papaya salad and wtness first hand the involvement of the community with the farm. Those who volunteer to maintain the farm on Saturdays can receive produce and heirloom seeds that reproduce unlike store-bought, patented seeds. The group learned that this sustainable farming method mainly focuses on creating low-maintenence crops that support each other in the forest farm. Overall, the experience was an enlightening, educational cultural getaway.
Additional photos by Nate Ivy: