TSANG Tsui Shan
This film follows the progress for the preparation of the Tai Ping Ching Chiu Festival over four seasons, through two members of the preparation committee members from different generations. The elder village head had left the village to live in the United Kingdom for many years, and so his national sentiments are different from the new generation who had grown up in Hong Kong. As more and more old villagers pass away, many are worried about whether traditions can be maintained. At the same time, with the global pandemic still raging, others are worried whether villagers scattered across the world can come back to attend this once-in-a-decade event. Nowadays, many people living in the village are not indigenous residents and they are stuck in Hong Kong because of travel restrictions. The camera wanders along the streets, capturing the construction work going on in the area, the villagers and children relaxing and playing in the square, as well as the situation of overseas villagers thinking of their faraway homeland. From local villagers to overseas Chinese, this film explores different perspectives of the local and the global, revealing the inter-connectedness of people.
In Buddhist belief, everything in the world is inter-connected, and small networks of relationships can extend to affect the entire universe. The once-in-a-decade Tai Ping Ching Chiu Festival is an important traditional event in Ho Chung Village. It represents the reunion and collective prayer of villagers, but will the fate of one small village affect that of the entire world? Due to overconsumption and the ravages of nature, a global pandemic is raging across the world. Many countries have closed their borders, severing the ties between people, and challenging familial and community relationships. As a villager and as a documentary filmmaker, through continuous recordings of my own home village, I hope to reexamine the meaning of home and reunion through my own home village. As an observer and participant, I can never ignore my identity as a family member. "Winter Chants" is an experiment, observing from an unknowing position, waiting for the gathering of energy and recording every moment within ever-changing people and nature.
TSANG Tsui Shan