At the stroke of midnight on Thursday (May 16), 12 courageous participants scrambled up a 14-meter-high tower covered in 9,000 plastic buns, marking the climax of the Bun Festival on the outlying island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong.
Nine male and three female climbers vied to fill their bags with buns, aiming to accumulate the most points within a 3-minute time limit to claim the coveted titles. The individual who successfully retrieved the bun from the top of the tower would bring luck to their family.
Janet Kung, an ice climbing athlete, and fireman Yip Kin-man were crowned the “bun queen and king” of the competition. Kung, the women’s group champion, expressed surprise at scoring more points than the male winner.
Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents and tourists gathered on the tiny island of Cheung Chau to savour the lucky buns, lining up outside local cake shops, and to witness a vibrant /”floating colours/” parade. The parade showcased children dressed as gods and goddesses, carried on steel frames throughout the island, accompanied by traditional music and a lion dancing, drawing warm responses from spectators along the streets.
For over a century, Cheung Chau residents have organised the festival to dispel disaster and pray for peace and safety. The festival returned to full scale in 2023 after being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with the local celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. -Report from Reuters

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