On November 30, 2009, I visited the Hong Kong Museum of History.
This will be a quick photo post, with details to follow.In the natural history section, they created dioramas of the main ecosystems in Hong Kong, like forest,
mangrove,
dry, rocky shoreline,
bamboo.
I think I enjoyed the ethnography section the most. Different groups living in Hong Kong could lead very different lives. For example, the Boat Dwellers lived their lives almost entirely on the water, going on land only when necessary to transact business. They would live on their fishing boats, much like this one.
Dried fish was an important source of food and income for the Boat Dwellers.
I believe this is from the Hakka tradition. There was no description of the grid on the kitchen table. Would anyone have an idea of what it could be?
These lamps are from the Hoklo tradition.
The following photos are from a recreation of the Taiping Qingjiao ceremony held annually in Cheung Chau. It is a festival of thanksgiving for deliverance from plague and pirates that were devastating the village in the 18th century. 
Detail from a temporary paper shrine
Papier maché representations of protective village deities.
Chinese opera.
Bun mountains, with parade dragons in the foreground. The original bun mountains were built on bamboo frames. Young men would climb them and compete to see who could snatch the highest bun. The higher the bun, the greater the good fortune it was supposed to bring.
Taoist altar.
In another section of the museum describing the Opium Wars (1839 to 1942, and 1856 to 1860), I found this statue that I liked. Sorry I don't have more information on it.
On Sunday, November 22, 2009 I visited the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, popularly known as the Vandalur Zoo, in the suburb of Vandalur, south of Chennai.
The zoo covers close to 1300 acres. Although many animals are in cages, several of the larger ones are kept in more expansive natural settings, separated from the people by deep wide moats rather than chain link fences.
For visitors, this approach has a couple of implications. First, be prepared to do a lot of walking. Bicycles are available for rent inside the entrance, and they present a convenient alternative, although the gear shift and brakes on my bike left something to be desired. The choo choo train is another alternative, but it started to fill up later in the day with tired parents and children. Another implication is that animals often love to lie down in the tall grass as far away from visitors as they can get. Binoculars and a camera with a good zoom lens are useful. I used 10x zoom to get a shot of this tiger. Double click on the image to enlarge it.
The zoo has several species of primates
Many different birds form part of the zoo collection.
I have entitled this video Frustration.The zoo includes a rare white tigress and her two cubs.I saw one young elephant at the zoo, but I couldn't get a good photo of it before it sat down in the tall grass. India just passed a law preventing zoos from keeping elephants, requiring them to be resettled in parks or preserves where they will have more space to roam.
On November 8, 2009 I attended a Sunday service at the Madras/Chennai Unitarian Christian Church, in the Puraswalkam district of the city.
I learned of the Chennai Unitarians earlier this year. Six Canadian Unitarians had visited the Madras church and other congregations in India in 2008, and later gave a presentation of their visit to my congregation in Toronto. I contacted Harrison Kingsley, the minister of the congregation in Chennai, and he extended an enthusiastic invitation to attend. I am thankful to Reverend Kingsley and the members of the congregation for the very warm welcome I received in their church.The Chennai congregation was founded in 1795 by Thiruvenkatam Vellala, who was born in the South Indian village of Mahkarai, Chingleput in 1768. After his parents died in the Mysore Wars of 1780-82, he moved to Madras for work in 1784. While there, his employer sold him as an indentured seaman aboard the East India Company ship Hastings. In the tumultuous years that followed, he eventually gained his freedom, worked in the service of different Englishmen and their families in England, France, Madras and at sea, and eventually settled permanently in Madras in 1794.His religious journey was no less wide-ranging. He had been raised Hindu, then converted to Islam while at sea. He subsequently converted to Anglicanism in 1789, taking the baptismal name of William Roberts. He came in contact with the Unitarian writings of Joseph Priestly and Theophilus Lindsey in 1793 and by 1795 he was instructing others in Unitarianism. By 1813, the Madras congregation had erected a chapel. The cross atop the current church is from the original chapel.
The Madras church developed fairly independently of other Unitarian congregations, especially in the early years. Roberts did not make contact with any Unitarian organization until 1806, and then only for one brief meeting. In 1816, he wrote to the London Unitarian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Practice of Virtue by the Distribution of Books, requesting missionary assistance and other support. They sent him a parcel of books and a note mentioning that they did not have missionaries, but recommended that he train some himself. Ties of communication and support were eventually established between Madras and British Unitarians, and church work proceeded, including the creation of materials in Tamil, the language of the Madras congregation. This inscription found above the entrance is from the former church building and reads, in Tamil: "We believe in one God. Unitarian Christian Church."
Currently, the congregation has over 200 adult members. Services are conducted in Tamil and include readings, prayers, a sermon and hymns. Their hymnal is divided into Tamil and English sections. The congregation sang Tamil versions of What a Friend We Have in Jesus and We Shall Overcome, while I sang along in English.At the end of the service, several members of the congregation approached the minister for a blessing, or to talk with him.
Madras Unitarians recently renovated their church, to repair damage caused by previous heavy monsoon rains, and to create additional space. They have put much care into their renovations, preserving some elements from before, and integrating them with new work.This is the entrance to the main sanctuary, on the ground floor.
The congregation very recently completed renovations of the next level up, creating a multi-purpose hall that can be used for weddings or other gatherings.
Future plans include building a guest house on the level above the hall. Reverend Kingsley explained to me that some Indian functions can last a whole day, and a guest house will add to the comfort and convenience of those who make use of the hall. Foundation pillars have been installed
Outdoors, they have preserved the bell and belfry from 1933.
The main wooden doors depict the modern Unitarian symbol of the flaming chalice. The doors were carved by an artist from Mahabalipuram, a nearby town with a centuries-long tradition of sculpting. Reverend Kingsley appears on the left, with me on the right, in the photo below.
The congregation is active in its community. For students, it provides evening coaching classes and scholarships to continue studies. It provides bedding and clothing to the poor, and teaches young women sewing skills to help them find employment. About 50 km outside of Chennai, in the village of Ammanabakkum, it supports a late afternoon/early evening school program for children who cannot attend school during the day, because they must work in the fields to help support their families. The congregation also supports sewing classes for women in the village, helping them find work in a local textile factory.The congregation maintains official ties with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Unitarian congregations through the denomination's partner church program. This is a short post. I look forward to learning much more about this congregation.
