352
BOOK REVIEWS
descriptions of most of the more important local festivals and rituals, arranged on a month-by-month basis. Each festival is introduced by a "where to go" section (which includes "how to get there") and includes brief, but clear and concise descriptions of the ceremony, of the god in question, of any unusual or striking rituals, and of the significance of the festival within traditional local society. At the end are notes on the Ta Chiu and On Lung ceremonies, neither of which is held on any fixed day.
Intermingled with the written descriptions are 85 colour plates, most of which are of the most superb quality, and many of which are of rituals either almost completely unrecorded or else never recorded so vividly and well (e.g. the photographs of the On Lung ceremony, or of the village ladies making cakes for the New Year). It should be noted that the plates are not designed strictly as illustrations of the text. Several rituals not separately described in the text, such as funerals, weddings, and Tun Fu ceremonies, are given plates and short marginal comment. Other rituals dealt with somewhat sketchily in the text such as the Ta Chiu and On Lung rituals - are profusely illustrated in the plates. This is obviously designed, and is to be welcomed: each part of the book is of independent value in itself and the book must be treated as a whole to get the best from it. It is clear from this volume that Hong Kong has in Joan Law a photographer with a real natural genius in the photography of ceremonial. It is to be hoped that this volume is the first of many that will be illustrated by her.
The book, while describing village rituals adequately, also pays attention to urban rituals such as the Chiu Chow Hungry Ghost (Yue Laan) Festival, the Sau Mau Ping Monkey God Festival, the T'am Kung Festival and the Lu Pan Festival. Of course, in a book such as this it is not possible to cover all festivals or rituals, but it will be found that very few of any real significance in Hong Kong are omitted.
The photographs are so good, and their reproduction so excellent, and the text is so readable and alluring that it is difficult to conceive of anyone previously unacquainted with Chinese festivals looking at the book and not wishing to go straight out
352
BOOK REVIEWS
descriptions of most of the more important local festivals and rituals, arranged on a month-by-month basis. Each festival is introduced by a "where to go" section (which includes "how to get there") and includes brief, but clear and concise descriptions of the ceremony, of the god in question, of any unusual or striking rituals, and of the significance of the festival within traditional local society. At the end are notes on the Ta Chiu and On Lung ceremonies, neither of which is held on any fixed day.
Intermingled with the written descriptions are 85 colour plates, most of which are of the most superb quality, and many of which are of rituals either almost completely unrecorded or else never recorded so vividly and well (e.g. the photographs of the On Lung ceremony, or of the village ladies making cakes for the New Year). It should be noted that the plates are not designed strictly as illustrations of the text. Several rituals not separately described in the text, such as funerals, weddings, and Tun Fu ceremonies, are given plates and short marginal comment. Other rituals dealt with somewhat sketchily in the text such as the Ta Chiu and On Lung rituals - are profusely illustrated in the plates. This is obviously designed, and is to be welcomed: each part of the book is of independent value in itself and the book must be treated as a whole to get the best from it. It is clear from this volume that Hong Kong has in Joan Law a photographer with a real natural genius in the photography of ceremonial. It is to be hoped that this volume is the first of many that will be illustrated by her.
The book, while describing village rituals adequately, also pays attention to urban rituals such as the Chiu Chow Hungry Ghost (Yue Laan) Festival, the Sau Mau Ping Monkey God Festival, the T'am Kung Festival and the Lu Pan Festival. Of course, in a book such as this it is not possible to cover all festivals or rituals, but it will be found that very few of any real significance in Hong Kong are omitted.
The photographs are so good, and their reproduction so excellent, and the text is so readable and alluring that it is difficult to conceive of anyone previously unacquainted with Chinese festivals looking at the book and not wishing to go straight out
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