Tradition of grand bamboo theatres may disappear, architect warns
The skills of the craftsmen who assemble the structures must be preserved, an architect says
The art of building a grand bamboo theatre will be forgotten unless action is taken to preserve the knowledge of the master craftsmen, an architect says.
William Lim Ooi-lee, who conceptualised the design for this year's West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre at the hub, said bamboo architecture was an integral part of Hong Kong's architecture.
"Bamboo theatres from the 1950s and '60s looked like what we are building. They weren't only stages for performances but also venues for banquets. They were part of Hong Kong people's lives. However, the use of bamboo might one day disappear and be replaced with steel," Lim said.
Bamboo theatres are temporary structures usually erected without the aid of a detailed floor plan. Workers learn the art over many years and pass the techniques to the next generation
Fifty-six-year-old Sunny Im Shun-lee started learning the trade at age 15. Construction involved a great deal of improvising, Im said, and the process was much more complicated than putting up bamboo scaffolding for building construction.