Tai Hang’s maze of narrow streets, century-old Fire Dragon tradition and mix of old village houses and contemporary shops will become the backdrop for a new season of art and community encounters this autumn.
Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Arts in the City: Revisit Tai Hang will run from September 19 to October 31, inviting visitors to explore the neighborhood through art installations, handicraft workshops, heritage walks and self-guided experiences.
The program follows the inaugural small valley TAI HANG art walk in 2023, bringing several participating artists back to the neighborhood to respond to its changing character through new work.
Rather than treating Tai Hang simply as a setting, the project draws on details of everyday life — from cha chaan teng milk tea and neighborhood cafes to folk beliefs, architecture and the Fire Dragon Dance — turning familiar sights, scents and stories into creative experiences.
Weaving artist Zoe Siu continues her exploration of Hakka culture with Weaving the Future, a new installation inspired by the traditional fa dai blessing motif known as “Lum Chai,” an olive-shaped diamond pattern.
Zoe Siu.
Reimagined as unconventional kites placed around the community, the work links historical memory with a more contemporary vision of Tai Hang, allowing traditional craft language to take on a new presence in the streets.
Hands-on workshops extend that approach by inviting visitors to experience the neighborhood through different senses.
Mixed-media artist Max Cheng will lead the Tai Hang Flavours Handmade Incense Workshop, transforming used Hong Kong-style milk tea leaves from cha chaan tengs and coffee grounds from local cafes into handmade incense. The result captures something less visible but equally familiar: the scents that form part of the neighborhood’s daily rhythm.
Paper-mache art collective Hira Hira will draw on local tales for the Tai Hang Mythical Creature Paper Mache Workshop, where participants can create their own guardian creature inspired by stories of the district.
The Fire Dragon tradition, meanwhile, is revisited on a smaller scale. Artist Felix Yiu will guide participants in making miniature fire dragons using traditional techniques alongside contemporary craft materials, offering another way into one of Tai Hang’s best-known cultural traditions.
For those interested in the neighborhood beyond its creative workshops, two guided tours will look more closely at how Tai Hang has evolved.
Architectural researcher Charles Lai will lead an architecture and heritage walk tracing the area’s development from an early Hakka settlement to the dense urban neighborhood of today, examining how historic buildings continue to coexist with newer additions.
Seasoned broadcaster Audrey Yip will take a more community-focused route, visiting landmarks including Lin Fa Temple, old village houses and distinctive local businesses and eateries while recounting stories of Tai Hang’s residents, traditions and changing social fabric.
Visitors who prefer to wander without a fixed itinerary can opt for a self-guided experience. A specially designed goodie bag includes an illustrated map, artist-created cultural products and redemption vouchers from neighborhood businesses, encouraging participants to move through Tai Hang at their own pace.
Self-guided Tour Goodie Bag.
The approach feels particularly suited to a district where some of its most appealing details are easily missed: a temple tucked between buildings, an old shopfront, a quiet side street or traces of village history beneath the cityscape.
Art workshops, guided tours and self-guided packages are now open for registration through Klook, with places offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 60 participants using the promotional code EARLYTAIHANG for eligible workshops and guided tours will receive a 12 percent discount.
More than a conventional art walk, Revisit Tai Hang offers an invitation to look again at a familiar Hong Kong neighborhood — not only at its celebrated traditions, but at the small details and everyday connections that continue to give it character.
marco.lam@singtaonewscorp.com
