The HK$300,000 Donald Tsang Yam-kuen paid to have a koi pond built at Government House after taking office as chief executive two years ago raised some eyebrows. But that outlay merely elicits smiles from members of the Hong Kong Koi Club; HK$300,000 is a mere drop in the bucket for serious fish fanciers.
Keeping koi can be a costly undertaking. Enthusiasts easily pay tens of thousands of dollars for one fish. And then there's the cost of maintaining a pond.
Textiles manufacturer Eddie Law She-guan started out with a simple fish tank in his flat, but eventually built a seven-tonne pond on the roof. As his interest grew, the koi fancier learned of a group of enthusiasts who were maintaining their own ponds in the New Territories. 'I was told the Koi Club is like a secret organisation,' says Law, who joined 11 years ago and is now a co-director. 'Not many people know about it.'
The club lists some prominent members, including City Chain owner C.K. Wong and legislator Frederick Fung Kin-kee. Tsang has also attended some club events, although he isn't a member.
All koi - short for nishikigoi, or ornamental carp - are the same species of carp, but fanciers group them into distinct varieties, the most popular being the kohaku, taisho and showa. A popular saying among koi keepers is that the hobby begins and ends with kohaku, a white-scaled variety with a deep red pattern running from head to tail. They can live up to 100 years if kept in natural ponds and grow to a metre long.
Anyone can buy tosai or pond-quality koi at their local fish store. However, fanciers such as Law often make trips to Japan, where koi breeding is a billion-dollar industry, to get the most beautiful varieties. The club plans another visit this autumn to tour koi farms certified by Zen Nippon Airinkai (ZNA), the world authority on koi. With members hoping to visit five farms each day, it's hardly a leisure outing.