Taste authentic traditional delicacies prepared by two-Michelin-starred chef Cheng Kam-fu Meet characters from movie classics, try traditional street handicrafts and games for a trip of nostalgia to the good old days of Hong Kong
This May and June, Ocean Park brings back nostalgic Hong Kong delicacies and traditional childhood games from the 50s to 70s to evoke Hong Kong people’s memories of the good old days through the presentation of “The Old Hong Kong Weekend Escape” event. Held every weekend and public holiday from 16 May to 21 June 2015 at the renowned attraction “Old Hong Kong” presented by Kee Wah Bakery, the event will feature an array of activities to celebrate the collective memory of old Hong Kong. Classic Hong Kong-styled snacks and dishes, pop-up street interactive performances featuring popular icons from the old times, a vintage-photo gallery, as well as traditional handicrafts and childhood street games will be featured.
Mr. Matthias Li, Deputy Chief Executive of Ocean Park, kicked off the event at a launch ceremony today at the Park, together with other guests including Mr. Cheng Kam-fu, Two-Michelin-starred Chef, who did a cooking demonstration of traditional dishes. Also attending the event were Mr. Louis Chan, Chief Editor of The Taste of Old Hong Kong and Founding President of The International Association of Gourmet Master Chefs & Hospitality Executives; Mr. Cheng Po-hung, Consultant of Hong Kong University Museum & Art Gallery; and Mr. Chow Chung, One-Michelin-starred Chef, who shared their recollections of Hong Kong from the old times and celebrated Ocean Park’s efforts in propagating the Hong Kong spirit.
Vintage Cuisine to Recall the Tastes of the Past
Mr. Matthias Li said, “Riding on Hong Kong’s unique historical and cultural background, our iconic attraction ‘Old Hong Kong’ has been extremely popular amongst both local and overseas guests as it brings back precious memories of Hong Kong’s golden ages. Offering more than 70 types of classic street foods at one location, as well as Hong Kong’s first Kee Wah Bakery’s nostalgic gift shop allowing guests to take home the tastes of old Hong Kong, the attraction also saves guests from the hassle of crisscrossing the city searching for delicacy and souvenirs. With numerous long-established home-grown restaurants closing down in the city in recent years, we have seen an increasing interest in the community to search for traditional local eateries. Being Hong Kong People’s Park, Ocean Park answers to this call by launching the ‘Old Hong Kong Weekend Escape’ event to allow our guests to revisit the unique, appealing heritage of old Hong Kong.”
At today’s ceremony, Ocean Park invited Two-Michelin-starred Chef Mr. Cheng Kam-fu to prepare three classic dishes, including crunchy Lotus Root Cakes with Minced Pork and Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Fish with Dough and Pineapple Skewer, and Deep-fried Shrimp Cake with Ham. Mr. Cheng said, “These are all-time-favourite dishes of Hong Kong people in the old days, and will surely bring back many memories from the past as our guests taste them.” In addition to the three dishes, other popular old-time snacks will be sold at the street stalls in Old Hong Kong, such as “silver-needle” noodles with minced pork, spicy boiled peanuts, preserved fruits, sweet agar-agar, dragon beard candies, sting candies, tradition Guangdong snack, piglet treats and phoenix cookies, from Kee Wah Bakery, and so on. Along with the event starting on 16 May, Ocean Park will also launch Hong Kong’s first ever curry/satay fish balls made of sustainable fish - Hake, so that guests can contribute to conservation while enjoying traditional Hong Kong style delights.
Fascinating Interactive Performances Featuring Iconic Characters Who Interact with Visitors
In addition to traditional delicacies, “The Old Hong Kong Weekend Escape” will feature pop-up street interactive performances including Vintage Hong Kong through the Lens and The Life of 72 Tenants. Based on several popular old movies, the interactive performances bring alive a number of iconic movie characters, such as Plain Jane, Detective Lee and The Chopsticks. Guests can even take part in the play. Many familiar scenes from the ordinary lives in the past will also be relived in the Old Hong Kong area, such as the landlady tearing at an unlucky neighbor, a gangster flirting with the rich girl next door, and “flying olive” hawkers hurling their way to a small fortune.
To add to the fun, iconic film characters, including Kung Fu Master, Rickshaw Runner and Pretty Amah, will wander around the area playing games with guests. Visitors can have a blast playing childhood games like jumpsies, kendama, paper fortune teller, bean bag tossing, Chinese abacus and the string game.
Vintage Handicrafts and Stage Setting Take Guests Back to the Past
Various handicraft masters stationed at the Old Hong Kong area will demonstrate their intricate skills in making vintage handicrafts – sugar painting, grasshopper weaving and flour doll making. A gallery in the Heritage Tram will display a selection of photos of old Hong Kong, including pictures of the booming tea house business on Queen's Road Central in the 50s, a large group of kitchen staff making dim-sums in the 60s, etc. With all these special activities, guests are sure to enjoy a wonderful weekend of nostalgia at Old Hong Kong.
Separately, from 23 May to 21 June 2015, guests can enjoy an 18% discount on SmartFun Family Packages and a 15% off on SmartFun Annual Passes. While enjoying the “The Old Hong Kong Weekend Escape” event, guests can also meet the iconic species from South Australia in our newly launched attraction “Adventures in Australia” presented by ANZ, which is located in the Grand Cinema in Old Hong Kong.
