As workers erect heavy timber posts and bamboo sticks for a theatre that hosts traditional Cantonese opera performances for both worshippers and deities, veteran builder Lai Chi-ming worries about the future of a Hong Kong tradition dating back more than a century.
Facing demanding working conditions, the number of bamboo theatre builders has dwindled from around 130 across the city in the 1980s to just 30 to 40 today, Lai says. Lessening demand for bamboo theatres to host traditional festivals, he adds, has also contributed to the industry's decline.
Still, the 53-year-old says he will keep building for as long as he can, while training younger workers to carry on the craft.
Video: Bono Leung/AFP.
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Source: Hong Kong Free Press
