There was something incredibly charming about Kowloon’s most glittering skyscraper being tended to by dangling sifus (craftsmen) in a construction method easily dating back a thousand years. It was a sight that encapsulated everything there is to love about Hong Kong – a city that sometimes chooses to defy all sense.
We know Hong Kong is one of the last places on the planet where bamboo scaffolding still remains a practised craft and not a relic of history. And yet, with the Development Bureau’s recent promotion of metal scaffolding in public works projects, bamboo scaffolding is now at risk of being phased out here – amid concerns over safety and inadequate training.
Like many moments in history when tradition and modernity collide, it’s rarely a valiant fight to the death and is more of a petty misalignment of interests. In the eyes of governing bodies that oversee bamboo scaffolding, safety means standardisation – standard structures, designs and regulations. If metal scaffolding does a better job of delivering against those requirements, it must be the superior method.
