The annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival welcomed its highlight on the Buddha’s Birthday today (24th), with colorful parades and the Bun Scrambling Competition held late at night.
Outside the renowned bakery “Kwok Kam Kee,” there was already a long line of people in the morning. Second-generation successor Kwok Yu-din expects to sell around 60,000 lucky buns this year, a quantity similar to previous years. To cater to the younger market, the bakery has hired additional staff and launched “Stuffing Dolls” and online sales to meet the challenge brought by the trend of shopping in northern cities.
In an interview with the media, Kwok Yu-din stated that the crowd on Cheung Chau Island this year is similar to that during the May Day holiday last year, performing as expected. He estimates that the store can sell around 60,000 lucky buns in the approximately ten days before and after the festival.
To promote brand rejuvenation, Kwok Kam Kee has introduced several new initiatives this year. Kwok Yu-din pointed out that the store has developed lucky bun dolls and stuffing dolls so that customers can experience the fun of stuffing the “fillings” into buns after purchase, spreading joy in the process.
In terms of sales channels, in addition to selling related doll products at the Cheung Chau flagship store and online shop, Kwok Kam Kee has expanded its distribution network to all 18 districts of Hong Kong through cooperation with three major bookstore chains. Currently, the sales of lucky bun dolls are satisfactory, with the first batch of about 10,000 units launched. Additionally, the store has collaborated with HK Express to bring lucky buns to passengers at thousands of feet in the air.
Kwok Yu-din, who works in the financial industry, took over the family business about 7 to 8 years ago. During his tenure, he actively promoted products to major supermarkets and expanded business to locations like Macau and the UK. In recent years, he has established a new company to promote intangible cultural heritage, and opened the “San San Cultural Heritage Hall” at Hong Kong International Airport to sell fine cultural heritage products to travelers from around the world.
Regarding the business situation, Kwok Yu-din analyzed that although the current business performance is not as good as the peak before the epidemic, consumer confidence is slowly recovering. He recalled that during the epidemic, although the business at the Cheung Chau store was severely impacted, the introduction of frozen products and entry into different supermarkets boosted distribution due to increased home cooking, maintaining overall business then.
In light of the recent trend of shopping in northern cities and the enthusiasm for outbound tourism, Kwok Yu-din acknowledged that the three-day holiday attracts some residents to leave Hong Kong, but many loyal customers still visit Cheung Chau every year, with familiar faces seen and some customers buying dozens of lucky buns at once.
In terms of customer distribution, Kwok Yu-din pointed out that local tourists are currently the main consumers, while mainland Chinese tourists account for about 10% to 20%. Mainland Chinese tourists are still not well-versed in the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and lucky buns, but once they purchase and understand the culture behind it, many express their fondness. As for product flavors, Kwok Kam Kee has introduced a new black sesame flavor this year. Despite favorable market feedback, traditional lotus seed paste remains the highest selling flavor.
Mr. Wong, the person in charge of the nearly 70-year-old Cheung Chau Cheung Kee Fish Ball Noodle restaurant, stated that there were significantly fewer people this year compared to the previous year, at least a 30% decrease. While the atmosphere was present, the decrease in foot traffic was attributed to the upcoming public holiday, possibly prompting more people to travel out, thus reducing the crowd. He mentioned that the market was more lively yesterday compared to today, the first day of the official festival, with the streets not as crowded as in previous years when shops were filled with spectators for the parade.
Although tomorrow is a public holiday, and locals can take a break from work, it did not attract more local customers. Many people have traveled back to the mainland, leading to fewer visitors to Cheung Chau. In terms of tourists, there were not a lot of foreign visitors in previous years, with the majority being mainland Chinese tourists.
When asked about the ferry fare increase from Central to Cheung Chau on April 1, Mr. Wong believed it had a “significant impact.” Many Hong Kong residents or tourists from the mainland commented on the high ferry fares, expressing dissatisfaction with the steep increase of 12.5%, compared to a wage increase of only about 3%. While residents may only visit Cheung Chau occasionally, the higher fare can be burdensome for families when they plan to visit the island.
With nearly 70 years of history on Cheung Chau, Mr. Wong admitted to witnessing the development of the island, noting that every era has its peaks and troughs. He considered the period after the epidemic as a downturn and awaits its recovery. He also mentioned that in recent years, the willingness of residents to spend money has been relatively low.
A staff member of the Tim Lai Food Shop, which has been in business for over twenty years, mainly selling snacks such as fish balls, glutinous rice cakes, potato chips, shaved ice, and homemade herbal tea, expressed disappointment in the atmosphere of this year’s Bun Festival compared to previous years.
She described the decline in foot traffic – observing that last year was already quieter than usual, with at least a 50% decrease in visitors, and this year being even quieter, at least a 20% decrease. The crowd turnout was much lower than expected, especially when compared to the better business seen during the May Day holiday earlier.
Apart from the increase in visitors returning from travel, some people head north due to the three-day weekend. The staff member believed that the fare hike for the ferry, coupled with the higher prices during public holidays, led some individuals to consider mainland travel as a better option. Even on weekends, there were few visitors to Cheung Chau, leading to poor business. As a resident of Cheung Chau, she found the increased fees to be expensive. Many businesses on the island rely heavily on tourists, but the lack of visitors has affected their operations.
The Red Shop, a jewelry store that has been in operation for nearly 20 years, mainly sells lucky bun-themed accessories, dolls, and has introduced new products this year. The manager, Miss Lam, remarked that the Bun Festival is usually the busiest time each year. When asked about the comparison between actual sales and expectations, she replied that she maintains a neutral stance and does not have high expectations. However, comparing to last year, there was a slight increase of one or two percent, even though last year’s performance was not particularly strong.
Miss Lam believed that the purchasing inclination of residents this year is acceptable, as some products are only available on Cheung Chau. Despite the three-day holiday period, she felt that it would not impact much compared to a two-day or single-day holiday, as some people still travel north during this time.
Regarding whether the fare increase would deter visitors, Miss Lam expressed that it had little effect. She believed that visitors who genuinely want to visit Cheung Chau would not be deterred, especially since they may only visit once or twice a year.