Yuen Po Bird Garden

The Yuen Po Street Bird Garden isn't doing so well.

The hangover from the bird flu combined with government restrictions is putting traders under heavy financial pressure.

Losing the garden would be a shame. It was built in 1997 to replace the old Bird Market, a cluster of ramshackle shops smashed together along a narrow lane known as Hong Lok Street. The market had operated there for more than 50 years.

When I first visited Hong Kong, I got a kick out of the many elderly men who took their birds out for a walk. Housed in beautiful, ornate bamboo cages, tiny and colourful songbirds trilled as they hopped about and either fed or drank from painted porcelain cups. The old men strolled with dignity, pride and an obvious love for their pets.

From the Hong Kong Tourism Board:

Chinese people, particularly old men, take their birds very seriously as they are considered an elegant and refined pet.

To some, birds are a harbinger of good fortune and some punters even take their birds to the horse races. Birds are prized as much for their beautiful plumage as for their singing abilities. In fact the quality of a bird's warble can increase its value dramatically.

Owners like to show off their pets and it is quite common for some old folks to take their feathered friends with them when they go for morning yum cha. (There are a number of cafes in town where you can see all manner of birds in cages hanging from the rafters while their owners drink tea and read the morning papers.)

I'd hate to see this tradition fall by the wayside.

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