Bamboo Craft Festival Architectural Narrative Illustration

I have always appreciated traditional craftsmanship, and I have become aware that many of these skills and cultural practices are gradually disappearing. Rather than simply documenting them, I want to explore innovative, sustainable, and environmentally friendly ways to preserve and revitalise Hong Kong’s cultural heritage.Bamboo Craft Festival was inspired by my fascination with the craftsmanship, knowledge, and collective effort involved in bamboo crafts and construction. In Hong Kong, bamboo has been widely used in traditional festival structures, temporary theatres, bamboo scaffolding and craftsmanship. Through research, observation, site visits, and conversations with craftspeople, as well as insightful discussions with my professor, Peter Hasdell. I explored how these traditional techniques could be reinterpreted through contemporary illustration and architectural drawing. His guidance encouraged me to think critically about the relationship between cultural heritage, architecture, and urban storytelling, which helped shape the development of the project.

When I began developing the project, I researched cultural heritage, traditional materials, and craft practices connected to everyday life in Hong Kong. I was particularly drawn to bamboo because it is not only connected to traditional craftsmanship such as lion and dragon dance head making and bamboo steamer weaving, but is also widely used in temporary structures and festivals. Examples include Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding and the bamboo towers and sheds constructed for the Cheung Chau Bun Festival.I realised that bamboo represents more than a material, it embodies a living tradition that connects craftsmanship, community, and everyday urban life. These structures and craft practices have become part of our collective cultural identity, shaping how people experience and interact with the city.This inspired me to think at an urban scale. I imagined a festival space built from elevated bamboo platforms that could preserve and celebrate street culture, traditional craftsmanship, and community gathering. By using bamboo as both a structural and symbolic element, the project highlights the importance of these cultural practices while envisioning a space where heritage can continue to be experienced, shared, and passed on to future generations.

Drawing 50 street-life activities and speaking with local craftsmen helped me understand how people interact with the city and adapt urban spaces throughout the day. I observed how the same place could serve different purposes over time: people exercised on staircases in the morning, while office workers used them for lunch and circulation later in the day.These observations informed my vision of transforming Hong Kong, Central into a temporary Bamboo Craft Festival. By drawing street stalls, bamboo scaffolding, high-rise buildings, and everyday urban activities, I explored how temporary bamboo structures could be integrated into the city. This research shaped both the composition and narrative of the festival place and cultural practices of everyday Hong Kong life.