Are you rested and restored after welcoming in
the Year of the Snake? I’ve always felt lucky to live in a part of the world where we get to celebrate two (very different) New Years so close together.
On January 1, it’s “what intentions am I setting for the next calendar year? How can I better myself? What do I want to achieve?” It’s all very much about “me”, so very Western. Then there’s Lunar New Year, with distinctly different traditions – coming together with family, recognising and appreciating your community through customs such as giving lai see. Together, excuse the cliché, the best of both worlds.
In this week’s print issue, I enjoyed discovering the Hmong ethnic group’s
own New Year celebration in northern Laos through the eyes of Nicholas Bosoni. Also tied to the moon cycle, the Hmong New Year is
a time for community – and finding your match. In his photo essay, Bosoni turns his lens on the younger Hmong generation as they navigate keeping up traditions in a modern world.
Cultural preservation runs through these pages. For our cover feature, Douglas Parkes spoke to
the inimitable Tilda Swinton in an exclusive interview while she was in Hong Kong for a talk with director Tang Shu-shuen at M+. Infectiously passionate about the power of cinema and the role of film conservation, Swinton had me convinced by the end that we may not be relegated to a future of staring at tiny, handheld screens all alone. Her “snobbery is the very death of good art and a healthy culture” is now one of my favourite quotes.
In Sheung Wan, the neighbourhood at the intersection of Staunton and Shing Wong streets has been restored in what architect Jo Lo Ting-chuen tells Christopher DeWolf is “a community re-engagement project” rather than conservation. It took a decade of fighting to save this collection of post-war buildings that were on the chopping block, but it’s a bright spot in the often-grim landscape of redevelopment.
Another destination full of heritage, but farther afield, is Saudi Arabia’s Hegra. Peter Neville-Hadley travels to the Middle Eastern kingdom, which
opened to visitors only five years ago, discovering natural beauty that rivals the striking geography of nearby Jordan. It’s a destination that hadn’t been on my radar but in some kind of synchronicity, a friend was visiting AlUla – thank you Instagram stories for the intel – just as I was reading Peter’s account. A sign from the universe to plan a trip? Sure, I’ll take it as that.
