????ABOUT 1,650 spectators are expected to come to Cheung Chau, a small island south of Hong Kong, to watch the Bun Scrambling Competition at midnight Friday, into Saturday morning. ????The competition is part of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, which was placed on China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. The four-day celebration includes parades, opera performances, children dressed in colorful costumes and the Bun Scrambling Competition, which traditionally takes place on the eighth day of the fourth moon in the lunar calendar — May 17 this year — which is also Buddha’s birthday and a public holiday in Hong Kong. ????The bun tower will be covered with 9,000 plastic buns. Nine men and three women have been selected to enter the final competition, after qualifying from a group of 76 climbers. ????On the stroke of midnight the 12 participants will race up the 14-meter-tall, 3-meter-wide conical bun tower to grab as many buns as they can within the three-minute time limit. The contestants who obtain the highest total score in three minutes are the champions. ????The buns, which have been blessed, are handed out to the people on the final day of the festival. In 1978, one of the towers collapsed, injuring several people. The accident forced authorities to cancel the competition. However, organizers revived the competition in 2005. ????To ensure the safety of participants and spectators, the towers are now made of steel and covered with bamboo scaffolding. Prospective bun-climbers must take a training course to learn basic climbing skills. ????Tickets for the bun-scrambling contest will be available on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 10 p.m. on Pak She First Lane near the fire station. Spectator entry to the competition venue, at Pak Tai Temple Playground’s soccer field, starts at 10:30 p.m. Friday. The competition starts at 11:30 p.m. ????Another highlight of the festival — the children’s parade — begins at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Tin Hau Fung Shui Lane off Chung Hing Street. ????The event has become a major attraction to thousands of attendees from Hong Kong and overseas. In 2012, some 70,000 visitors joined the island’s 30,000 population during the festival. ????(SD-Agencies) ??? Getting there: ????Cheung Chau is served by the First Ferry service from Central Pier 5 on Hong Kong Island and also by the First Ferry Inter-Island service, which connects Cheung Chau with Chi Ma Wan and Mui Wo on Lantau Island and Peng Chau. ????For timetables and fares, visit www.nwff.com.hk/eng/fare_table/central-cheung_chau/. | 