So long ago now but I am a very slow blogger…the moon festival is a magical occasion in Hong Kong with so many excited children staying up late to eat moon cakes, parade lanterns and glow sticks, picnic in the park or on the beach and watch the moon. Coincides with the harvest festival that I can remember from my own childhood. Seeing small girls and boys delighted by small cheap shiny toys creates such nostalgia for a time when life was this simple.
Fruit Chan [Made in Hong Kong] and Ann Hui [The Postmodern Life of My Aunt] are two Hong Kong directors who refer to this festival and what it symbolises by focussing on the way that family celebrations can bring more pain than pleasure to those who are disenfranchised by poverty or loss.
Beijing Design week was definitely worth a visit, friends [and Matt] taking part seemed tired but satisfied although as anyone working in the arts and related industries knows there is rarely much monetary gain after all expenses are counted and always so much more to do…passion for the field is essential in order to survive. The biggest revelation for me was the factory in 798, absolutely amazing, to me it is breathtakingly beautiful! Another director that comes to mind is China’s Jia Zhangke whose Still Life has a scene featuring a similarly fabulous industrial relic although for the film’s subjects aesthetics are of secondary concern.
Further info see http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/oct/02/beijing-design-week-china-hutongs-preservation
