Yung Shue Wan - Hippy Haven or Yuppie Ghetto?

© South China Morning Post Magazine, March 17, 2002
Words: Tom Hilditch, Illustration: Dougie Ward

Web page with clickable image map: Lamma-Gung
Lamma-Gung's personal comments in green

Shangri-La or Fraggle Rock? Grass or pot-pourri?

Tree-huggers are in the minority these days, but just enough yin-yang face painting, humourless energy-channelling and daft bongo-bashing ensures Lamma remains worthy of a giggle. The HKTA's "quaint fishing village" isn't off the hook yet.

(Click on the numbers in the illustration below for descriptions):

31: Restaurant's fat cat. 29: Junk party with no idea where they are. 6: Sha Tin family, proud in matching 16: Long-haired man in pyjamas who has forgotten what he is shopping for. 19: Mongkok Karaoke babe takes St. Valentine's Day present (a cute white dog) into hills ... so she can dump it. 1: Flatmates from hell perform Jack-hammer Djembe Jam For World Peace. 10: Natural sea shells: the perfect souvenir, only $1 each. 8: Wealthiest man in this picture. 37: What's going on there? (expired reader contest. Make up your own!) 20: Village bike. 30: Crab (freed by 2.) makes run for it. 32: Source of all those sea shells. 24: Uncomfortable resident and over-friendly visiting parents. 25: Another resident charms visiting parents, giving uncomfortable resident, whom he actually doesn't much like, lots of face on quid pro quo basis. 9: Earth mother ( 15: Buffed mountain biker dude. Miffed his brand-new, web-purchased mountain bike doesn't match his brand-new, web-purchased Oakley shades. 35: United by cheap beer. 17: Heavily pierced woman. 34: Kept up all night by yelping new arrival, lonely man consoles himself. 33: Inside holiday flat: waking in a strange bed, new arrival pieces together events of beach party and realises: 28: Bounding off to pitch teepee. 11: Doomed businessman races for ferry. 26: 18: Inter-related cats. 12: Miserable shopkeeper of 30 years, yet to make eye-contact with a customer. 5: Second animal lover buys Trixie dog food. 36: 7: World traveller dips into trust fund. 27: Scowling old-Lamma-hand expats prepare for quiz night. 22: Very ugly Regional Council structure. 13: Dodgy odd-job geezer. 2: Thirty-kilogram fruitarian. 21: Having moved 600 tie-dye T-shirts, 300 crystal necklaces and assorted coral trinkets, Mrs Chan finally understands peace and love. 3: Man walks Trixie, the mutt that came with his (same as all the others) 700-sq-ft flat. 4: Canine bigamist Trixie spots second animal lover she has conned into thinking she is faithful to one master. 23: Muesli in bulk. 14: Christians.

  1. Flatmates from hell perform Jack-hammer Djembe Jam For World Peace.

  2. Thirty-kilogram fruitarian.
    (There are two great vegetarian restaurants along Main Street alone.)

  3. Man walks Trixie, the mutt that came with his (same as all the others) 700-sq-ft flat.

  4. Canine bigamist Trixie spots second animal lover she has conned into thinking she is faithful to one master.

  5. Second animal lover buys Trixie dog food.

  6. Sha Tin family, proud in matching "Legalise it!" T-shirts.

  7. World traveller dips into trust fund.
    (HongkongBank ETC: one of our most frequent stops on the way to the ferry.)

  8. Wealthiest man in this picture.
    (Only motorised transport available, for goods only.)

  9. Earth mother ("Mama Lamma").

  10. Natural sea shells: the perfect souvenir, only $1 each.

  11. Doomed businessman races for ferry.

  12. Miserable shopkeeper of 30 years, yet to make eye-contact with a customer.

  13. Dodgy odd-job geezer.
    (Lamma-Gung?)

  14. Christians.

  15. Buffed mountain biker dude. Miffed his brand-new, web-purchased mountain bike doesn't match his brand-new, web-purchased Oakley shades.

  16. Long-haired man in pyjamas who has forgotten what he is shopping for.
    (Lamma-Gung as well?)

  17. Heavily pierced woman.

  18. Inter-related cats.

  19. Mongkok Karaoke babe takes St. Valentine's Day present (a cute white dog) into hills ...
    so she can dump it.

  20. Village bike.

  21. Having moved 600 tie-dye T-shirts, 300 crystal necklaces and assorted coral trinkets,
    Mrs Chan finally understands peace and love.

  22. Very ugly Regional Council structure.

  23. Muesli in bulk.
    (I love it!)

  24. Uncomfortable resident and over-friendly visiting parents.

  25. Another resident charms visiting parents, giving uncomfortable resident, whom he actually doesn't much like, lots of face on quid pro quo basis.

  26. "Special" Lamma sea shells: polished, painted with a Smiley face, just $10 each.

  27. Scowling old-Lamma-hand expats prepare for quiz night.
    (We've never joined in yet, but we plan to, soon.)

  28. Bounding off to pitch teepee.

  29. Junk party with no idea where they are.
    (That's how I saw Lamma Island for the very first time, over 10 years ago.)

  30. Crab (freed by 2.) makes run for it.

  31. Restaurant's fat cat.

  32. Source of all those sea shells.

  33. Inside holiday flat: waking in a strange bed, new arrival pieces together events of beach party and realises: "Oh my God! I'm just another notch on his BBQ spear."
    (Yes, we did that as well, on my very first visit to Hong Kong, with my future wife.)

  34. Kept up all night by yelping new arrival, lonely man consoles himself.

  35. United by cheap beer.

  36. "For rent: seaview flat furnished with yoga mat, drum and Trixie."

  37. What's going on there? (expired reader contest. Make up your own!)"