The letter, headlined, 'Kitschy Tiger Balm Gardens are worth preserving' (South China Morning Post, September 28), has an important thrust. Yes, I appreciate the gardens, which include such scenes as The 10 Torture Courts Of Hell and The Marriage Of The Pig And The Rabbit, are a bit tacky. Yes, I know they are rather kitschy. But the original idea was splendid. Why has Hong Kong got to ape the West with figures like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Snoopy when there is so much splendid home-grown material? Now we are talking about a Disneyland which many expect to be the golden goose for the tourist industry. Hong Kong should be doing things which others want to copy. Chinese history is rich in folklore and mythology. One of my favourites is the Monkey God who made an all too brief appearance at Sau Mau Ping, in Kowloon, at the Mid-Autumn Festival. Then there is Fa Muk Laan, a woman who dressed as a man and fought to defend her country, and the Chinese Romeo and Juliet, Leung Shan Baak and Juk Ying Toi. There are many more. Have you been to Macau to see the Drunken Dragon Festival? Both locals and tourists thoroughly enjoy it. Local colour includes parades with people dressed up as mythical characters, like the Eight Immortals. Macau does such things rather well. It is sad to see so many Chinese mythical figures, rooted in legend and tradition, pass into oblivion. This is especially so when, with a little more imagination and marketing skills - which are partly science and partly art coupled with an understanding of culture - such figures could be a wonderful boost to tourism and the economy. DAN WATERS Mid-Levels
