By Vir B. Lumicao
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| The beautiful Tai Tam Reservoir and Country Park is a sanctuary to the weary |
Nature seems to be a refuge for mankind during a crisis, no
matter whether it is today’s novel coronavirus pandemic, a political conflict
or a personal predicament.
Artists retreat into the woods to absorb new elements. Lovers
go on long, solitary wilderness walks to harness their emotions and return with
a trove of poems. Rebels get lost in the jungles and emerge with a cutting
edge.
Although the idea of the woods as a refuge is universal, Confucianism
has enshrined it as a basic principle, Ren.
Kongzi or Confucius (551-479 BC), the great philosopher of
the Late Spring and Autumn period, considered that all things
in nature were the material foundation on which humans lived, so,
people should be friendly towards them.
This perhaps explains why Hong Kong
has incorporated nature in every aspect of city life.
Vast nature gardens are
found in the middle of business districts purposely to provide nearby space for
relaxation to players in the city’s highly stressful financial boardrooms or
share market.
Finely built nature retreats like Hong
Kong Park, Tamar
Park, Hong Kong Botanical
Garden, Chater
Garden and even tiny
Cheung Kong Park are just a few steps away from the city’s giant financial
houses and are open to everyone, from corporates to migrant domestic workers.
Yet, if one is looking for a real wilderness setting to
commune with nature, a walk up Old Peak Road and around Lugard Road fills that
need with plenty of green canopies and a magnificent city view to offer.
The jungle, in fact, is literally just in the backyard, no
matter where in the city you live.
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| There's a real jungle beyond Hong Kong's concrete jungles |
One of the most popular and accessible jungle treks on Hong Kong Island is the Mt Butler-Mt Parker-Tai
Tam complex where a nature lover can design his own hiking route.
For a beginner, one can start at Quarry Bay MTR Exit A for
the 8-kilometer Mr Parker-Tai Tam Reservoir walk, an easy concrete jungle road
up to the ridge then winds downhill to the upper reservoir dam.
On weekdays, wild boars and their litter wander out of the
brush to scavenge for food. But on Apr 10, when the Saturday crowd swelled on a
bright day after weeks of bleak and wet weather, the boars that we used to watch
on the steep slope below were nowhere in sight.
The paved road splits left towards the peak of Mt Parker or
downhill to Tai Tam reservoir and country park. Or one can climb about 600
steps uphill behind the pavilion to the summit of Tai Fung Au and follow the
trail on Mt Butler and Jardine’s Lookout to Wong Nai Chung Gap.
From there, one can add another 5km to his hike up Violet
Hill and the Sisters Twin Peaks for a breathtaking view of Stanley Peninsula
and wait for the sunset on a view deck
near the peak.
Whichever route a hiker chooses, all trails cut through
thick vegetation and sedimentary rock formations on lower reaches of the
mountains. Be warned that sections on the upper slopes are covered only with
rhododendron, cassia or camella shrubs and no canopies, making a summer hike
really tough.
In mid-spring though, one is rewarded with a variety of
colors of buds, blooms and sprouts and well as brilliant contrasts of old and
new leaves. The varied hues offer hope in depressing times such as this.
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| Beautiful spring blooms offer hope amid the pandemic |
One can get so much of nature from the easy walk with lots
of picnic and barbecue grounds along the way. Whether one is an artist seeking
new ideas, a lover deep in thought or a warrior contemplating strategy and
tactics, the route has everything to offer.
But a basic Confucian tenet is: “show love and care for
nature in all our dealings with it.”
As Confucius follower Xunzi (Sun Tzu) said: “Respond to it
with peace and order, and good fortune will result. Respond to it with
disorder, and disaster will follow.
“If the foundations of living are strengthened and are
economically used, then Nature cannot bring impoverishment. But if the
foundations of living are neglected and used extravagantly, then Nature cannot
make the country rich.”
