The history of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak, unearthed in new exhibition
Tai Mo Shan’s hidden tea terraces are examined in ‘Bones of Our Land’, an exhibition blending ecology and art to explore history and restoration
On a steep slope humming with wind and quiet birdsong, a group of hikers gaze at a place where the past and present converge.
Usually, the terraces are entirely concealed by thick vegetation, but they reappear each time deforestation or fires strip the mountain bare – most recently, after a hill fire in 2004.
No one knows their precise history, though many believe that tea was first planted in the area during the 17th century.
For ecologist Coskun Guclu and artist Pun Tsz-wai, the terraces’ reappearance is a powerful metaphor – and one they highlight in a new exhibition at the non-profit cultural platform WMA. They describe the terraces as “silent witnesses” to the many timelines coexisting upon this land, human and non-human alike.