Seasonal Almanac

Since 1986 the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) has issued special Chinese New Year commemorative tickets which entitle passengers unlimited travel on the rail network on new year’s day. The company’s 2007 amalgamation with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (the first rail service in Hong Kong built in 1910) means that these special tickets now enable the holder to travel anywhere on the underground, the former Kowloon-Canton line, the East Rail, the West Rail, and the Light Rail.

My seventh aunt (my dad’s younger sister, the seventh of nine children) is a keen collector and a fan of anything commemorative. She and her friend have been collecting these commemorative tickets for a number of years. And as in the past few years, we joined them and my eighth aunt on the ‘walk of big fortune’ – ‘circling’ the city on rail.

First we made our way to the south-east direction where the god of wealth and prosperity is rumoured to reside. The MTR island line took us to the Chai Wan terminus where we had a dim sum lunch. Then the decision was made to go north-west to walk off the meal. The train took us to Admiralty where we changed to the Tsuen wan line; after a number of stations at Mei Foo we changed for the West Rail. We hurtled along the new rail and soon arrived at Tin Shui Wai where we took the 706 TSW Circular light rail and circled around the town.

Throughout the journey, I was told news of cousins and relatives, old cat stories, and the terrifying episodes of a herpetophob (namely my eighth aunt, who has a chronic fear of reptiles). This ‘walk of big fortune’ provided us with a chance to look around the changing city, to catch up, and to reminisce about old times – all on the hurtling train.