The Blue Book of Nebo: a Teaching Primer

BBC: The Blue Book of Nebo: serialised narrative reworking

Spoiler alert. Contains plot references!

These are a few personal notes and, of course, not prescriptively how to do it, but things that could be worthwhile thinking about when approaching a text like The Blue Book of Nebo.

I think that because the work is slim, their attention is the key thing. Actually, with Y8, developing better focus and attention is a key thing. This slim text offers them the chance to do so. Contemplation. Reflection. Wonder. Creativity are the soft skills that are developed alongside critical textual analysis.

The themes of this book are things such as love, loss, reflections on community, growing older, growing apart. I’d really impress upon them that this novel is a tool for developing empathy, and that empathy and understanding the human condition is the most important thing about why we read books.

I’ve been insisting with my Y8s that they tune in better. This is because this book is a work of literature, and, as such it focuses on the human condition. If you aren’t paying attention, you won’t get it. The book can be considered like a slim volume of poetry.

Listening to Mannon Steffan Ros’ own folk music, as well as enjoying listening to songs about Wales and Welsh culture can be very enjoyable. And just get them to listen to one song really closely. The language might be Welsh/(Gaelic) but that shouldn’t matter too much. What’s the emotional resonance of the piece etc.?

Because this book is slim, you can use it as a catalyst for creative, artistic, meditative reflections. You might want to think that there are 26 or so “chapters”, but some of these are just a page or two long. Many are about 3 or 4 pages. Mona, Dylan’s sister dies. And that is really sad! If they aren’t listening this will be totally lost.

The lessons on Welsh culture are very good. Rees is a Welsh name, so I, of course, lean into this. And Swansea, where my great great grandparents are from is quite close to where Nebo, Anglesey and other geographical places named in the first chapters take place. They should find these on a map and take a walk in the landscape.

Welsh mythology: this is central to the Welsh identity (DRAGON on flag!!) More of this when you meet Dave. But the Welsh have been oppressed by the English through the ages so are fiercely independent, warrior spirited, (see the 6 Nations, although choose your Youtube clips wisely as they just got pumped by the French!)

A whole lesson can be done deconstructing the book jacket and blurbs. You can find some art materials and get them to make their own front covers, as per the guidance in the opening lessons. But if they are to do this really well, it could take the whole lesson. There are some amazing artists in that year group. Think pencil crayons, as well as water colours. See if you can get in the art room but there are English sets of materials around.

With a novel this size, I wouldn’t worry about doing it in a hurry, nor doing it to death. The Y8s really enjoy being read to. Only later in the novel, once you’ve established how to read character’s voices, intonation etc, should they have a go.

I’ll share a few resources I have used to prime them for listening closely. Some of these you will insist they write down, others will come out in conversation, others you want to be aware of and not share with them to try not to kill the text. It’s a case of reading the room and seeing what they might be up for, and insisting some things are done well, but giving opportunities where you can take your foot off the gas.

Music is a very good way of setting the mood. The book is a diary. They could keep a diary. 10 minutes at the start of each class to set the mood. They have all got memories of the Covid pandemic.

Here are a few activities that I have done to prime the idea of looking and listening really closely…

BRYNEGLWYS | Manon Steffan Ros

The author’s own folk song. Language does not matter. The film is its own language. It’s a given that the Welsh film producers speak Welsh, or communicated with the author of the meaning. But without, you could draw their attention to: hills, nature, journey, loneliness, sadness, tenderness, lost communities, mining, weather, (presumably she is walking along the Brecon Beacons), Welsh slate, rugged, rough, windswept. Musical cues: rhythm, tone, tempo, emotional range, pace, feeling.

Manon Steffan Ros – Empathy Walk 2022 (English)

Empathy Walk: this is a very easy to adapt creative writing resource. In this 5 minute walk around town, we can see a Welsh town that would look very much like the fictional (I am guessing) Nebo. We can get a sense of who the author is, and after hearing her lovely song, they might care more about what she has to say. She looks about the same age as Rowenna and that could be important. I wonder if she is a mother?

We can notice the author is very attentive. She zooms-in on key details like a broken seagull egg and reflects on the loss of life. She reflects on her own thoughts and feelings, and displays compassion for others. A walk to the temple to try and model this would be very useful and bring calm on a busy teaching day (each of their days are busy and they love a fresh walk..)

One thing to be aware of is that the Y8s all feel very strongly about their mothers. When they stop being a bit annoying and chatty, they are like babies to some degree, still! I would not make this explicit or talk about it. But where there are moments of conflict between the mother and son, when you are reading the text, and you can see they are engaged with the reading, sometimes just a pause is enough to let them think about that moment that they called their mum a name and regret it. When they read about the characters, they are reading about themselves, to some degree. They have been in similar situations, relationship arguments etc.

It would be worth checking with Nelly just in case any of your class have lost a sibling or close relative yet, as this book will cut raw for them.

The comprehension activities are all well worth it. Write in full sentences. Show your best handwriting. They can write about what they learned from the last lesson while a song is playing. You can model this. You will write more than they can, for the most part. For those with attention issues, they should then copy what you wrote on the board so they have something. You can play another song and go again. There is a lot revealed within the first couple of chapters and these first couple of chapters are where the most attention should be placed.

If this is the only novel they will read in Year 8, and I think given how often many of mine constantly circle back to just The Diary of a Wimpy kid, then, this novel is really important. The Blue Book of Nebo is what Dylan calls this book, and he is setting against other of the great Welsh mythological texts, so, you can try to impress upon them that this is a “sacred” text. You could think that for each lesson you might focus on just one thing, and maybe that is the life lesson that you want to teach them. It won’t be in a teaching guide- it will be what you think is important about life itself! Being kind to others, being at peace with yourself etc. etc.

They can produce art of any creative writing while songs are playing. There’s a great bank of Welsh folk songs out there to explore, but any music that is soft, “folksy” works.

Here are some songs that we have played and they have enjoyed.

SPINE-TINGLING! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Dafydd Iwan belts out Yma o Hyd before Wales vs Austria!

From the last World Cup. This guy absolutely belts it out! Doesn’t matter what the words are- but they can be looked up. Look at the joy. The singer is in tears at the end of it. Why is the old man crying when singing you might ask? Tears of joy, belonging to a community. Honour and pride. This is perhaps the greatest moment of his life. Fathers and sons are hugging and singing together.

Welsh National Anthem just before Wales beat England 30 – 3.Saturday 16th march 2013

Again, really powerful, stirring stuff. At least one of the Welsh players is in tears. This is what they/we all missed during Covid. Have they ever been to a live concert? A live match? The atmosphere here is electric. Youtube can’t really do it justice. Point this out to them, just how important human connections are in the smartphone age. But quiet private moments can be just as intense too, and meaningful. The novel is full of the latter.

SENSATIONAL Welsh Male Choir Has Judges In TEARS In Britain’s Got Talent Audition 2023

Modern, contemporary. The Y8s chose this as they like X Factor etc. One of the judges says she knew she would cry as soon as she heard Welsh choir. Why is that? How do they react to the performance? Why is it so powerful?

Male Voice Choir Flashmob – Wales vs England RBS 6 Nations 2015

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Think the Fleet Foxes are American, but anyway, folksy, soft, nature, harmony…

Is Full album

Chapter One: Dylan

I think that you can lean into their relationship with their mothers a bit. Just be aware of it, at least. When your Y8 reads, “Because (mum) can’t be bothered to teach me”, I wonder how many of them think about their mums. Those that did and what that meant. Those that didn’t and let the helper, or school, do it. There will probably be many like that. And I would keep all that to myself. But that’s a good way to start to think about how to read the book to them.

They often have younger brothers and sisters, or are one. You could talk about attention. They could write about their sibling or friend relationships later on.

“Sometimes I think it’s impossible for someone to be as beautiful and as ugly as my mother.”

They react to this line. They have all probably said something mean to their mum, or are ashamed to recognise that they have thought something like this. Just catch their eye. If they drop your gaze, you know the meaning has landed and they are listening to the story. They want to know more about how people like them feel about their mums…

Make sure they pick up on all the cues about the dystopian world. No biros? Hmmm. No people. Find where they are on a map. Draw the map out. The lost names. Their primary school.

Sunnydale: important later. Look through the windows. Why don’t they take stuff from their neighbours?

How Dylan is adaptive, resilient. Kills rabbit. This is important later.

Chapter Two: Rowenna

Details of “The End”. What happened? Rowenna’s struggle to write.

Here, I wonder if they ever empathise with the fact that their mother is/was before them an actual person? I think some of them will feel quite acutely the sense of loss or indifference, or not enough time, or really their relationship might not be that good.

I would avoid dwelling on their own relationship with their mothers. You don’t know what demons lurk there and it could be very dangerous to bring to the surface very painful and personal feelings. But the quiet chance for some of them to reflect about these ideas is kind of what this novel/novels are all about. When they are writing as Dylan about his mother, they are, kind of, writing about their own feelings about their own parental relationships…

Gaynor: a quiet character but I find her hugely affecting. There is the human decency or her protection of Rowenna, kindliness to Dylan, the role she plays as a central figure within the community.

P. 17: “You can come and live with us if you like.” What does that mean? It means that Rowenna, and Gaynor, who has let her leave early, realise that the world that they are living in is collapsing. It also reveals that Gaynor, herself, doesn’t have anyone. Gaynor realises the importance of the gesture and can’t reply as she would cry. She carries on cleaning and says nothing. They will miss this. There’s a bit later on when Rowenna talks about the ladies that visit her and it’s a place of ritual and community. She is essentially a counsellor within the community. There’s something that Mannon Steffan Ros has to say here about the quiet people, who are pillars of the community, that are working class, maybe not so empowered, but actually are pivotal to society. And those relationships and close-knit communities are becoming lost in the modern world.

The Black Book of Carmarthen, The Red Book of Hergest- Welsh tales and legends. The Legend of Brave Gelert is a really good short story about a brave dog!

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-legend-of-brave-Gelert/

Dylan Thomas has a beautiful Welsh voice. They could do worse than write out his poem in their books.

Interstellar – Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Scene 1080p HD

Great modern interpretation. In a similar kind of way, Interstellar is also about love and loss, a breakdown of human connection.

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Lesson Plan: Dylan Kills the Mutant Hare. Around p. 22.

Paying attention through drawing, listening and an empathy walk

Neil Young – Heart of Gold (Live)

Activity One: Come in and listen to Heart of Gold by Neil Young.

Reflection: what is it about a performance where a singer performs live with just an instrument and a spotlight that can be so powerful?

Activity Two: Read chapter. Dylan Kills the Mutant Hare. Around p. 22. Chapter is just a couple of pages. Read to the class and tell them that they will be drawing what Dylan kills.

Activity Three: 5-8 minute drawing activity. They depict the two-faced hare, and other mutant creatures in their books. There’s an appropriately unsettling soundtrack to accompany this:

Steve Roden – Airria (hanging garden) second version

Activity Four: Go for a walk to the Temple. They can chat a bit on the way down, but do point out the flowers coming into bloom. Silent walk when by water to the Temple (impossible, but a good target!)

Activity Five: Look at the mangy cats. Admire view.

Activity Six: Read another couple of chapters from Dylan’s perspective. Return to class, leaving 10 minutes at least to get back.

Teacher Sketch

Jon Rees

Teacher of English, Theory of Knowledge, Human Technologies and Sustainability Coordinator

Why did you want to become a teacher?

I had completed a post-graduate degree in journalism, yet faced with the prospect of covering the grind of daily news for a local paper, “Rabbit Escapes From Hutch” and all of that, I knew I wanted to live and travel overseas. So, off to the university job centre I went. I applied for a teaching assistant for a school in Uganda…and ended up working as Head of PE. I loved the challenge, the collegiality, the responsibility, so went back to get a formal qualification.

What is your first memory from school?

I wrote an adaptation of The Sleeping Giant, a beautiful, sad nursery story. Mrs. Wenbourne, a fantastic primary teacher, went to the trouble of having other students illustrate it then turn it into a real book! Which Tim Dean was sick on. But another was produced and my mum still has it.

What makes a ‘good day’ at school?

The student editors of Insight magazine amaze me with their time management, commitment and professionalism. It’s incredibly rewarding to have students create brilliant pieces of work for their formal assessments, it’s another feeling to have students working with a sense of purpose towards a creative end goal of their volition.

If I walked into your classroom on a typical afternoon, what would I see going on?

You’d see sofas, rugs and cushions scattered around, thanks to the creative re-design that Liam Greenall and Natalie Bailey worked on it. I would hope that you would see engaged students working collaboratively/individually with purpose. You would see a bit of a mess on my desk.

What’s the funniest thing a child has ever said to you?

Can’t narrow this down, but the funniest, most spontaneous, enthusiastic and engaging student I’ve travelled with was Kyle Chu on the Cambodia Service trip. He was a tour de force whose good nature broke down language barriers and got everyone laughing while working hard constructing bamboo houses.

What are your “trapped on a desert island” books or movies?

Wade Davis: The Wayfinders- Why Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World Matters (Hopefully I could use it to plan my exit!) I would gamble on some sort of collected Buddhist teachings as they seem to be the best belief system to focus your mind and are the foundation of the Mindfulness movement. I’m afraid I don’t know which though as I’m only getting into this! You would have plenty of time to mediate anyway.

Moby Dick: “The Great American Novel” and of enormous length with so much depth to read and re-read.

The Star Wars Trilogy(original!)

What is the hardest thing about being a teacher?

Regardless of the relative freedom that we are provided for innovation with Deep Learning, we are constrained to a timetable. It would be great to find a system that allowed more freedom and flexibility.

What inspires you?

Sport and travel. I am constantly thrilled, absorbed, and astounded by sporting documentaries or the theatre of a live match. Whether it’s understanding the context of social-political forces surrounding an event, or just trying to comprehend the level of dedication and focus of people like free soloist climber Alex Honnold, or historical figures in places I travel.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Probably my Masters in Educational Development as it has most profoundly changed my world view. I didn’t approach it in the right way at the beginning, but stuck with it and I completed it across living in three countries. That’s not ideal, but I learned about work-life balance, dedicating myself to a goal and conducted research in Spanish when investigating my action-research on the impact of an educational NGO in a poor district of Lima.

What would students be surprised to find out about you?

I’ve run 7 marathons.

In: Staff Sketch

When: 1 year ago

Racism in America and why Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter advocate, Jayne Jeje, came in to speak with Y12 students about the BLM movement in America, and her experiences as a member of an ethnic minority here in Hong Kong.

Jayne opened with this question: ”What three things do you all have in common from the day you were born?”

Initially perplexed, a number of responses started to come back from the Y12s… As explained though, whereas people’s culture, nation, race, economic circumstances, religious backgrounds, gender etc. are different, all of us are united in that, in being born, we all have parents, we might have a name already, and we were all born somewhere.

The thing is, what also unites us is all of these aspects are totally out of our control.

There’s a parallel here to the work of Eric Eriksson, and his notion of The Seven Stages of Psychosocial Development, which is a foundation stone of the 5 +1 learning model and Human Technologies curriculum at ICHK. As we begin life, our fates and futures are very much dictated to us by more powerful agents and social forces. It’s only as you start to develop a sense of identity, as a teenager, that you start to exercise some elements of control, although this Stage 5 period of development can often be fraught with confusion.

Yet, the experience of many black people living in America, or other places where they are a minority group, is that they are immediately judged according to the colour of their skin, and this can lead to verbal altercations, “microaggressions” in social situations, as well as physical, and all-too-often, deadly violence.

Jayne Jeje speaks with Y12 students about her experiences as a black woman in the States.

Jayne’s goal was to share some teachable moments based on her personal experiences growing up as a black woman in the United States. She is an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, whose message has gained very recent prominence with the case of George Floyd, whose desperate last words- “I can’t breathe”- resonated with people around the globe.

Statistically, black Americans make up about 13% of the United States population. Yet they still face major economic and social barriers. For example, Pew Research Centre states that, “Black households have only 10 cents in wealth for every dollar held by white households.” Alarmingly high percentages of America’s prison populations are comprised of black Americans and given these barriers it is far more difficult for a young black person to be able to have the opportunity to enrol at university.

In a previous Theory of Knowledge class, students looked at a range of readings prepared by a range of their teachers at ICHK, to examine this historical implications of racism in the United States, from when the first enslaved people were sold in America as far back as 1619, to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, that contains the paradoxical line that still divides Americans today:

“It is a truth we hold to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”

The Founding Fathers signed off on this document at-the-same-time as a significant number of them owned slaves.

While dates on a historical timeline: Emancipation Proclamation- Jim Crow-era of Segregation in the South- Harlem Renaissance- Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s/1960s- LA Riots- election of President Obama as first black American President of the United States, gives us a somewhat useful timeline and historical perspective, what Jayne was able to share was the personal insight and testimony of the cultural reality of living in a country where attitudes to race are still so deeply divided. Of course, it is a sad fact of life that racism is a facet of daily life almost everywhere in the world, including here in Hong Kong, where South East Asians and Domestic Helpers are two such groups that often face discrimination.

A key difference between Hong Kong and the U.S., as Jayne pointed out, though, is that people here in Hong Kong don’t own guns.

However, it is not just the overt acts of police brutality, increasingly caught on camera phones in the last decade or so, but what Jayne called the “weaponisation of stereotypes” that can lead to terrible consequences for a minority figure caught in an exchange. In one clip, Jayne showed us an encounter between a white woman walking her dog off the leash in Central Park, New York. The black gentleman, who was out bird watching, asked her to leash her dog and immediately the situation escalated with the woman threatening to call the police and tell them that he was attempting to kill her. She knew that the 911 operator receiving that call, or the officers dispatched to the incident would likely share her negative stereotype that all black males are dangerous.

“I’m going to (call the police) and tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.”

In her talk, Jayne played a series of other videos posted on social media that have since gone viral which show the varying outcomes that happen in very similar confrontations involving white, then, black Americans.

We got to see the nervous, law-abiding man pulled over by a traffic cop and issued a warning- without explanation- for obeying the law and driving 65mph in a 70mph zone. We also got to see a counter-example where the police had a vehicle surrounded and guns drawn as the suspect had attacked a shop owner (after being asked to put on a mask), then attempted to drive off, assaulting arresting officers with a hammer, and driving off with a policeman clinging onto his vehicle, and not one shot was fired. In this instance, he was a white man. Jayne speculated how differently that encounter would have gone had the driver been black.

Racism in America and why Black Lives Matter: Click for presentation link

Jayne pointed to the unconscious biases that fuel our behaviour. Either they are culturally formed across many years and affect our speech and general demeanour and attitudes. Yet in emotional encounters, these biases can have deadly consequences, such as the murder of 17-yr-old Travyon Martin, in 2012. His killer saw a young black man wearing a hooded top– racially profiled him as dangerous– and pulled the trigger. That event was the catalyst to the BLM movement that we see today.

“When I saw the Travyon Martin story on the news, I am back in America. And I am afraid. That could be my nephew. That could be my son.”

Nearly 10 years since the death of Trayvon Martin, there have been far too many examples of black Americans being killed when in police custody, or, in incidents where, simply because of their race, tensions quickly escalate. An example of how cultural prejudices are so deeply entrenched can be seen with the very recent prosecution of the white police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes. This was a rare anomaly and a landmark moment in American legal history. Many observers were not sure that a conviction of a white officer would arise, despite the utterly transparent evidence of the footage captured on phones by multiple bystanders.

Jayne told students that she also faced issues of prejudice/ignorance here in Hong Kong. She has been approached by people and asked, “Are you one of those starving African people? Where are you from? You look like you’re from Africa.”

She is quick to dispel these interpretations and reveal their implicit biases. In response, she might ask her interrogator the same question and reply: “You told me you’re from here, and I believe you. Why don’t you act the same way?”

Ultimately, though, Jayne is optimistic about the future ahead. She recognises that significant change has occurred and sees the prominence and progress of the BLM as evidence of a more mainstream engagement with marginalised groups. She uses a blend of passion and rationality to build relationships, and does not think the best way to operate is to castigate someone for their cultural ignorance, but to educate people on these topics. She says, “We can accomplish more if we work together.”

There are things that we can do to shape the cultural climate that we want to see here at school, and in the wider world. Be it in face-to-face relationships, or online communities, Jayne’s view is that students can make a difference if they choose to. She urges people to call people out. Let them know that– even if they believe they are just joking– they may be causing offence.

So, what can you do?

Check your facts. Talk to people. There are ways of getting to know more about those around you. Question the things you have heard/learnt and through personal experience in the world and a rational, inquiring mindset, be prepared to confront some of your own assumptions about the world, as well as those of others.

As the conversations advanced with the Y12 group, some of the students present were able to transfer the moral perspective from BLM to their own world: if your family has a domestic helper, what can you do to help make them feel more comfortable and connected? Recognise your own privilege and be prepared to listen to others to understand more about their world. Oftentimes, helpers here have left families behind in their quest to provide financial support and are thoroughly deserving of our sympathy and support.

As Jayne concluded her talk she stated that she hoped students were left with a number of takeaways of the challenges faced by both black people living in America, but also minority groups everywhere. She is proud of her heritage and proud to be a black woman.

“Racism…” she states, “…is learned behaviour.” And if it can be learned, it can be unlearned and we are all responsible for setting the cultural conditions in which we want to exist, and in which all students, regardless of race, can thrive.

Related Resources/Sources

BLM America: Groups & Readings

Racism in America and why Black Lives Matter

Watership Down: Language & Tacit Knowledge

Watership Down: Language & Tacit Knowledge

Dandelion, Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver & Friends contemplate their expanding World H.

The animated version of Watership Down was released in 1978. You might ask your parents about having watched Christmas reruns- it likely gave some of them nightmares when they were your age! Richard Adams wrote the full story in the 1950s at the insistence of his granddaughters who he read a variety of short invented tales to in car journeys as they were growing up.

It follows the tale of a group of rabbits, led by Hazel, with Bigwig, Fiver, Dandelion the storyteller, and their friends. The rabbits must overcome their present circumstances and venture out into the world, expanding their World h to ensure the foundation of a new warren at Watership Down. They seek a new home with plenty for all and where the group of young rabbits can fulfil their primary physiological needs of food, shelter, safety and family. A bunny bildungsroman, if you will.

And so, they leave their stifled existence in the comparative shelter of Sandleford Warren. In doing so, they find much more than they might have expected in a wider world that is full of promising possibilities, but also danger, with nature at her most cruelly unsentimental. What they achieve eventually are unshakeable social relationships in their new drove, warren, bevy.*

Our human hierarchy of needs (Maslow tells us) are more complex than actual rabbits, of course. But Adams is using the storytelling device of anthropomorphism to give the reader an allegory with deeper layers of meaning and significance.

Actually, an interesting note on Maslow, who gave us the instantly familiar hierarchy of physiological & psychological needs below: his initial hypothesis speculated that men needed to be dominated to feel that they were in an ordered, structured environment they could make sense of. It was only after spending two months with the Blackfoot First Nations people in the Montana/Calgary area of North America that he witnessed a people with a much more balanced and harmonious social order than the “western” model that was imposing itself across their lands. The grounds for people to feel accepted, loved, and self-actualised was possible within a community in harmony with nature, rather than a capitalist society whose goals were set towards perpetual economic growth. (The Blackfoot has Long, Epic History- TOK research notes)

All you need is love. And food, shelter, and the hope of self-actualisation

How does Adams convey his characters, themes and ideas? Through language of course. A gift not bestowed on the rabbits by the Almighty, or evolutionary design. They may have a code of signals: a thumping foot for danger, a mewing call to identify themselves to an individual or group, pheromones that announce their presence in the world.

Your average rabbit cannot express itself through a sophisticated symbolic code in such a way that they can coordinate plans and achieve goals beyond the sum of all their parts. They rely on their instincts to eat, dig burrows, fight, form alliances and, hopefully, reproduce.

But the rabbits of Watership Down can, of course. We suspend our disbelief and are transported into the rural idyll with Adams’ genius for storytelling**.

It would be worth me introducing the cast of main characters who will form the main thrust of the rest of this piece. And, so, please make the acquaintance of…

Hazel is the leader of the rabbits. He is not the smartest, but knows who is and leans on their wisdom and counsel when needed. He is not the strongest, but he is certainly brave and leads by example. His intelligent decision making skills, democratically canvassing opinion from his retinue of advisers, before synthesising their ideas into decisive action points wins him the respect and loyalty of all the warren. His instinctive knack for making the right calls when the pressure is on lead to unwavering support from the rest of the drove.

Fiver is a savant– a rabbit who sees visions and is very connected to nature, and the realm of myths. He is able to use a “sixth sense” to warn the rabbits of future dangers. But this comes at a great cost. He is emotionally fragile, and his ability to see a reality that is beyond the realm of his friends is an exhausting burden. His nerves are often on edge as his restless mind crackles and pops with ideas and interpreting signs and symbols. He needs time to himself, and Hazel and the others offer him this space unquestioningly.

Bigwig is the courageous fighter. He refuses to back down when the odds are stacked against him, and even relishes scraps with traditional enemies of rabbits such as cats and weasels. He isn’t the sharpest carrot in the vegetable patch, but he is unshakeably loyal and honest. At times, his impetuous nature must be kept in check by the other rabbits as he can be brave to the point of recklessness. But when the going gets tough, there’s no one else you’d want beside you, or, more likely, leading from the front, than brave Bigwig.

With all the characters mentioned above, I’ve included the hand-drawn frames, care of the animators that reimagined them from the pages of the novel. I think there’s an artistic craft in capturing the characters’ personalities and emotions with a pen and paintbrush that the new BBC animation rather lacks. But, in the interest of parity, and in the hope it keeps a few more readers engaged who have stayed with me to this point, you can be your own judge…

BBC Watership Down Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gQ117IKkM

So, how does this relate to language and HT?

In the exposition of the novel, the rabbits are confronted with a strange man-made wooden structure at the top of their field. Its sudden appearance disturbs their conception of the world they know. It is, patently to the reader, a sign from the forbidding world of men, who are a source of constant threat to the rabbits. We can use our reading for inference skills to work out from the rabbits’ discussions, and other clues such as the trackmarks of heavy machinery etc. that it is bringing news of a construction site that represents an existential threat to their warren.

Rabbits, of course, operate without the sophisticated prefrontal cortex with which we humans are equipped. We are able to use this unique-of-all species, super cognitive capacity to cooperate, plan, imagine futures, communicate, and expand our habitat…regardless of whether any bunnies dwell within.

The words on the sign are, to the rabbits, nothing but indecipherable squiggles. Richard Adams keeps the sense of their “rabbitness” very much to mind throughout. The rabbits rabbit. They lollop along on their back legs, dig holes, forget quite a lot of things, and perpetually nibble grass in the shade or sunshine.

The world of men represents nothing but threat to the rabbits. Hazel must encourage his troop to live their lives warily conscious of the voracious apex predators who live next door. The men’s guns, their loud voices, the germs of their chemical pesticides and steel machines are all signifiers of a dangerous and formidable enemy.

How to survive amidst this territorial aberration?

The rabbits have one significant advantage over the world of men. They have a sense of togetherness and comradery that is beyond language.

They have a tacit experience of the world and an intuitive sensory apparatus that keeps them utterly in tune with the seasons and each other. The move and operate within the rhythms of nature and the cycle of the seasons. For most of the rabbits, save the more intellectually-gifted of the afore-mentioned heroes, they don’t dwell in states of over-anxiety about the future, fretting over their own mortality.

Men blunder around and apart from the natural world of the rabbits. They clomp through muddy puddles in a state of ignorance of how the rabbits manage to evade their traps; the only impressions we have of the humans are the impressions we receive from the rabbits’ perspective. We feel the thump and splash of their heavy Wellington boots; we understand the terrible power of the strange metal contraptions carried under the arms of men; the white sticks of their cigarettes that the men leave littered around the landscape.

They are farmers, though. They do have some understanding of the land and the seasons. But, like our forebears descended from those first tribes that learnt to settle, to cultivate the land, to impose order on nature, they exploit it.

The psychologist and philosopher, Ian McGilchrist, would affirm the efficiency of their left hemisphere brains which conceive of the world in a logical, ordered way. It is that of the rigid, organised, bureaucratic, reductionist, materialist manner of thinking. And this definition extends to language too.

Just a rabbit?

Once we give something a name, we have given ourselves the chance to place it into a framework of understanding so that we can communicate our experience to ourselves and others. A rabbit is a rabbit, right? But also a rabbit is a four-legged mammal, it might be floppy or straight-eared, it might be a pet, and it might be lunch! And, that’s just a rabbit. How about concepts such as love? Trust? Friendship? Empathy? How are we to define those complex ideas? And how much must be left out?

Our language will always have limits in its capacity to describe precisely the scope of our lived experience.

This is opposed to the right hemisphere world of dreaming, myths, poetry, and wonder. McGilchrist actually states the brain is asymmetrical- our right-sided dream factory is larger than the logical left. It seems evolution has stacked this side, but we operate in a world of exams and economical goals, such that a scientifically minded rabbit might hypothesise that our left-sided rational side would be more pronounced.

Adams’ writing is an appeal to reject a reductionist world of pure order and rationality. The world went down this route to totalitarian order in the decade before Adams wrote Watership Down. The spectre of a brutal leader who rules by fear is symbolised in the novel by the fearsome General Woundwort who rules his warren with an iron fist.

Instead, Adams writes to preserve the sense of the sacred. Through evoking such a rich landscape of rabbits- complete with complex systems of spiritual beliefs- he has revered nature, and also allegorically given us humans the chance to see the best versions of ourselves when we spirit together, share stories, build friendships, develop the courage to commit to bold new futures…

This world of Watership Down in this age of AI can appear as a nostalgic postcard from another era. Yet, these values are not so far away from us now if we choose to engage with them. There are trace legacies of the contact and reverence of the natural world throughout Hong Kong, with the Tin Hau temples that dot the landscape. I am writing this at the foot of the Eight Immortals range at Pat Sin Leng. At one stage in our time, respect and reverence for nature were universally shared ideas, as Y12 TOK students found out in their exploration of Viking, Maori, Bajau, and Asmat cultures this week.

And if you choose to write a poem, sing a song, watch a concert, walk in nature, participate at a Lion Dance, you are exercising that right-side of your brain which is the wellspring of generosity, courage, empathy, compassion.

There is no better time to do this than across the forthcoming week of celebrations for Chinese New Year. So, get out there, and enjoy your time however you choose to celebrate.

Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone!

*Apparently, there are a wide range of collective nouns for rabbits. So, for variety, I will employ the range of terms including warren, colony, herd, drove and bevy https://thecollectivenouns.com/animals/collective-noun-for-rabbits/

** Richard Adams’ classic story from the 1950s is often listed in the Top 100 novels ever written. Modern readers in a revisionist approach would have questions about the role of female rabbits (there are some very brave ones later on such as Hyzenthlay & Thethuthinnang, but the plot hinges around a fact of life observed by a natural scientist friend and collaborator of Adams, who studied rabbits across the course of a lifetime and observed the phenomena in nature that groups of young bucks would schism from the main herd and seek their fortunes and reproductive rights away from their original warren). There are other (fortunately rare) moments where the colonial-era attitudes of the author arise. But, given the depths of humanism within the story, I am prepared to give R.A. the benefit of the doubt and feel, were he living today, he might be rather embarrassed about some of these moments.

Works Cited:

Adams, Richard. Watership Down. Macmillan Children’s Books, 2019.

“Our Divided Nature & Reasons for Hope: A Conversation with Dr Iain McGilchrist.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Nov. 2022, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgT6qbzYtw8. 

The Alliance of Sustainable Schools X ICHK

Eco Warriors Collaborations

You can watch the video here.

Work continues apace to encourage our students to lead more balanced, sustainable lives.

The Eco Warriors met with Dr Christine Yu from the Zero Plastic League this week.

In an online meeting, she shared details of a plastic eating enzyme research project undertaken with students at GT Ellen Yeung College, Sai Kung.

The two groups of students have now made contact and hope to collaborate in person soon.

The meeting was part of an ongoing drive by our students, who are showing full commitment to their work in promoting sustainability.

Also this week, Eco Warrior Kelvin Lee has committed to service as Air-Con Officer at school this year. An awareness raising initiative to turn down air conditioning units is underway.

The Eco Warriors have put together a video which is being shared with the ICHK community, containing valuable advice and tips on how to be more sustainable. At its heart is the message to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’.

You can watch the video here.

Podcast: HOW IMPORTANT ARE MATERIAL TOOLS IN THE PRODUCTION OR ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE?

A TOK podcast interview with Emily Osann on one of Exhibition IA prompts

https://www.toktalk.org/tok-talk-podcast/prompt-23-how-important-are-material-tools-in-the-production-or-acquisition-of-knowledge

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https://www.toktalk.org/tok-talk-podcast/prompt-23-how-important-are-material-tools-in-the-production-or-acquisition-of-knowledge

TOK Talk · How important are Material Tools?

I met with Jon Rees, another TOK Teacher (as well as teacher of Human Technologies and IB English) here in Hong Kong, and we discussed TOK Exhibition Prompt 23: How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge? It was a fascinating discussion! Students, you need to be careful in this question about the difference between producing knowledge and producing things. While there is a connection (knowledge is needed to produce things), it is not an obvious connection so an exploration of the knowledge being produced (not just the thing) is required here. I think it would be very hard to argue that material tools (and conceptual tools by extension?) are not essential – and yet there’s room for exploration as you can hear from our conversation. I hope to talk with Mr. Rees again soon, as it was a very interesting and thought provoking conversation.

Books & Resources that we referenced and discussed in relation to this talk:

‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari – this book is essentially an exploration of the role of material tools in the development of humankind, but is especially interesting when he talks about “fictional realities”. For a quicker insight, watch this: Why humans run the world TED talk with Yuval Noah Harari
‘Techno Feudalism’ by Yanis Varoufakis – he does a great job from a Marxist perspective explaining how his father taught him the concept of historical materialism, how technological development creates the tools/conditions for the advancement of the socio-cultural context. Then who controls the means of production, power/authority.
‘How to Understand E= MC2’ by Christophe Galfard
‘The Sane Society’ by Eric Fromm – criticism of our focus on consumption in a nuclear age where we can annihilate ourselves
‘Song of the Cell’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee – deep exploration of our understanding of biology – the first chapters are specifically focused on development of the microscope and its influence on the entire field of microbiology and beyond
‘Guns Germs Steel’ by Jared Diamond outlines the theory of geographic determinism, and thus the access to materials and the tools we can therefore make are everything in the development of humankind
‘Knowledge Illusion’ by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach – the illusion of explanatory depth, mistaking shared knowledge for our own
Justice with Michael Sandel
Little Museum of the World in Chai Wan – A time machine for building peace
‘The Vanishing Face of Gaia’, by James Lovelock – essential wake-up call for humankind
‘Donut Economics’ by Kate Raworth – a hopeful perspective! Nibbling away what we need (not beyond our planetary boundaries)

Guest: Jon Rees
Music from the ISF Student Brass Band playing outside the school gate one morning in December 2023

Thank you to Waffling Beans for letting us use your space to record!

Eco Warriors: Partnerships & Goals for Protecting Our Planet’s Future

Following ICHK’s recent participation at the CDNIS Sustainable Development Goals Summit, Sustainability Coordinator Jon Rees reflects on the power of partnerships in creating change

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

It seems that our planet faces a very precarious future.

But if we can work together, there is still a chance that we can mitigate the harm that we have caused to our environment and ecosystems in just the three hundred years since the advent of the Industrial Age.

What other choice do we have if we want to protect what the famous cosmologist, Carl Sagan, reflected: ”(is) the only home we’ve ever known?”

It would take enormous global-political-economic restructuring to wrestle not just our species’ fate back-from-the-brink, but that of an estimated 1 million plant and animal species that are threatened with extinction by 2050, according to a UN Biodiversity Report from 2019.

But at ICHK, the Eco Warriors have been finding out that in just one term’s work, significant changes can be implemented within our school and they are learning the social and cognitive technologies needed to make changes at a wider level in the future.

Damion Loh, Daisy Palmer, Marcus Lee and Sam Lee, representatives of ICHK’s School Media Team, School Representative Council and the Eco Warriors, attend the CDNIS SDG Goals Summit, March 2023.

Currently, it appears we are destined to fall hopelessly short of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations in 2015 in their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Meeting these goals was always going to be tough. Maybe they were too aspirational, but at least they exist and are something to aim towards based on a rigorous, realistic assessment of our planet’s health.

When we attended the Canadian School’s SDG Summit this month, I found myself agreeing with Chris Brown, organiser of ReThink- Hong Kong’s largest sustainability event- when he stated that SDG No.17: Partnerships & Goals should be number one as all the others were dependent on the capacity for individuals, society, governments, and businesses to get together and make change.

Covid, along with various economic and political turmoils, has slowed us down in our capacity for international collaboration and the sooner we can refocus on our planetary health, the better.

The CDNIS panel: Shalini Mahtani, founder of the Zubin Foundation which protects Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities; Dana Winograd, founder of Plastic Free Seas; Peggy Chan, founder of the Grassroots Initiatives Consultancy; Matt Friedman, the founder of Mekong Club which fights against modern slavery; ReThink organiser, Chris Brown

At the conference, we got to hear from many powerful voices who are leading actors in the sustainability sector here in Hong Kong. The keynote speaker, Olivia Cotes-James, is a leading menstrual equity educator and the founder of Luüna Naturals. “Her healthy, sustainable, and accessible period products” were introduced by our SRC to the girls’ bathrooms at ICHK some years back to help remove stigma and promote natural conversations about the natural bodily cycles experienced by 50% of our school population. Cotes-James raised the statistic that if a girl goes on her period as she becomes a teenager, spending 5 days approximately per month on her period, then across a typical ovulation life cycle of 30 years or so, women spend 5 years on their period.

But so often in Cotes-James’ experience she found that conversations around female bodily health were stigmatised, products were uncomfortable, and, also, produced from plastic-based materials which were non-biodegradable. She joined the dots between the SDG goals of Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Responsible Consumption and Production by explaining how her products help to improve the quality and dignity of life for females, as well as addressing the problem of plastic waste as it washed up on our shores.

Olivia Cotes-James’ speech to students and educators at the conference highlighted the innovation and dedication needed to systematically rethink our personal and social relationships, along with those of our planet.

Olivia Cotes-James illustrates the connectedness of the SDG Goals as she discusses her collaboration with Harry Chan, a diver dedicated to clearing up the “ghost nets” that plague Hong Kong’s coastal waters, (as well as the myriad other forms of plastic waste.)

Thinking about problems in complexity and connectedness has certainly been my experience in my first year as sustainability coordinator at ICHK. My role has been all about learning the many complex ways that schools operate themselves as microcosms of wider society and achieve their successes- and are limited to some extent- through the relationships between stakeholders such as pupils and teachers, within the framework of the senior leadership team, who themselves operate within the financial constraints of the budget, the building contracts with the Education Bureau, the board of governors, etc.

So, what can we do within this network of compromises?

We can identify the need to address issues in a practical, pragmatic fashion and collaborate together in research-based action. The project I’m most proud of is the emergence of a recognisable and growing Eco Warriors group across this last term. Students themselves have been brilliant in managing their own deadlines and their commitment to pushing towards some important tangible goals within our first term together.

Eco Warriors: Ewan Chan, Hana Bridgeford, Sam Lee, Jake Ransom, Marcus Lee, Lawrence Hylton, Rick Goto and Ayden Hoogendijk

We have worked closely with Ivan, who runs the canteen, and Alan Shieff, Ivan’s line manager at Compass, to try to ensure that we can implement our main goals of reducing food waste after finding out that as a community we conservatively throw away 25kg of waste per lunchtime per day.

Additionally, we’ve been campaigning to eliminate as many types of single-use plastic as we can from the canteen. After plastic bottles and sugary drinks were taken off the menus a few years back, now we’ve managed to get rid of plastic forks. But we’ve experienced a lot of metal cutlery going missing! After three years of Covid-related disposable culture for sanitation reasons, we urgently need to reprogramme ourselves to make sure we take care of the resources available to us, a point pithily driven home in this excellent video produced by Y10s, Yuffy Tam and Vanessa Tin, in a recent Human Technologies class.

Well done to Yuffy and Vanessa who produced this timely and very well-produced video about saving metal cutlery from the bin!

Yet, as we explored further into the issue of food waste, Michelle Rines, Head of Science, pointed to the research carried out by her previous Y13 Environment and Social Systems class who adopted a “systems thinking” approach to improving the flow system of waste disposal so it would be more efficient, as well as cleaner, thus improving the lunch experience of students and reducing our carbon footprint.

Work is underway to remodel the canteen based on this research and potential future composting goals which outdoor leader, Dave Addis, has been researching.

I’ll take the remaining moments to quickly reinforce the Eco Warriors other key message which we, again, need your partnership in if we want to achieve our goals!

Air-Conditioners: Please, as the hotter weather reappears, can we run these at a reasonable 23C rather than 18C. Research by George Woodman’s sustainability team at ISF, strongly indicates that this could help save 50% of emissions, as well as the money we could save as a school. Students in Y10 Human Tech classes created posters to address these issues.

Horace Lai, Ethan Wu, Herman Yeung Katherine Chan, Charlotte Ho, Abri Ng, Ai Senaratne

I look forward to continuing the work the Eco Warriors have started, as well as collaborating with the widely diverse range of curricular & extra-curricular clubs that we operate at ICHK to help students actively learn about what they can do to live a more sustainable future…

Human Technologies in Ladakh

Summer, 2024

Using an HT lens to examine how Ladakhis have survived and prospered across millenia, and the challenges faced by the arrival of the modern world

Two verdant valleys, one in Likir, the other on the road to Kargil. Both are overlooked by Buddhist monasteries, and the valley floors are cultivated by the local people who irrigate their fields with the glacial waters that come down off the mountains and bring life to the desert; female herders in Dras bring the young calves down from the pastures to shelter in the village pens at night.

In my summer holiday, I travelled for nearly 6 weeks to north west India. I had a brilliant time in the states of Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, but I wanted to focus on Ladakh as it was such a unique place and the food, the warmth of the people, and the awe-inspiring natural geography really captivated me.

I travelled there in the heat of summer, though I learnt that for over half the year, a long and severe winter strikes this vast system of arid desert mountains and valleys, keeping people living in tight farming communities bunkered down as huge snow piles cut off the arterial roads for months at a time. This is also a place that is home to the last remnants of nomadic communities who herd yaks and goats across the great plains that border Tibet.

The HT Lens/Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. Click to play documentary trailer.

But the modern world is arriving. And fast. And this is causing huge disruptions for the social fabric of these families, as well as alarming disruptions to the fragile ecosystems that have been impacted by the very recent flurry of carbon-based human activity brought to the region upon the military grade roads that connect their ancient world, for better or worse, to the modern, industrial world.

The Ladakhis are a complex mixture of religions: Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic are the main ones, though these faith systems often sit in companionship with the more ancient animist B’on religion. It’s a sign of how intimately tied these nomadic and farming people are with the changing seasons of nature.

I wanted to write about my experiences through the lens of HT to help new and older students and their families at ICHK know more about the subject, and, crucially how we can keep an active eye out when we are exploring the world around us to see how some of these insights can be applied to improving our own day-to-day lives.

Human Tech. invites us to look at the world through the HT lens: we can technologise not just material tools such as the wool and looms the Ladakhis use to make their tents, blankets and clothes, but we can utilise Social, Spiritual, and Cognitive technologies, too, within our lives. (We can also overuse, misuse and abuse technologies, so HT offers us a chance to reflect thoughtfully on making good choices in our pursuit of “The Good Life”.

The HT Venn Diagram, featuring the newly relabelled “Psychosomatic Technologies”

Yet, to paraphrase J.R.R Tolkien, whose work I was reminded of as I hiked amongst these fantastical peaks, Psychosomatic technologies is “the one ring to rule them all, and in our lifetimes bind them”, as when we consider, investigate, practice and question the four other HT areas in the Venn diagram, it must be through the lens of our psychosomatic selves. We can’t escape the bodies and minds we have grown up with- though we can technologise them.

With this in mind, then, starting next week, I will serialise my experiences of Ladakh (this seems to be the best way I can think of to translate the wide range of inspiring ideas from the trip) and use the Psychosomatic lens to kick start the travelogue; after all, setting out on a hiking trip in a new place in the world, one that allowed me to connect to nature, to get fitter, and seek experiences that were mentallly energising was the catalyst for the whole trip.

Follow the HT travel series next week where I turn my focus to Psychosomatic Technologies in Ladakh.

Photography and Walking

Year 7-9 Flexible Learning Projects, ICHK Secondary

Please can students take note that any outdoor activity requires the full permission of parents. We advise you to wear a facemask at any point where you might come into contact with others. Please exercise a cautious mindset in-line with those the current conditions require.

Timeframe1hr: Urban/Waterfront2hrs + Hiking/Nature, but hopefully a hobby/habit you can get into for much longer than that….	Groupings: Individual/Pairs/Group	MajorsArts, Digital Media Literacy Minors: Mindfulness
Blurb: Through indulging in some gentle or more rigorous exercise, you can get some fresh air, and, through using a keen eye, LOOK CLOSELY at your local area for photographic inspiration. The photographs used as examples in this unit are based on my experiences walking away from crowds down to local parks, waterfront walkways and hiking trails, well away from crowds. You can just enjoy being in contact with nature. You can also use the photos to “footnote” your journeys so that you can organise future trips more easily/share ideas with others. If you take any kind of smartphone or camera with you, you can turn this physical activity into a creative, artistic one by challenging yourself to compose a series of images which document your local landscape, and/or the beauty of Hong Kong’s amazing natural escapes…!
OutcomesA portfolio of 24 images which showcase your inventive use of camera shots: Rule of threeSymmetryZOOMING INZooming OUTContrast NB: I am only a very amateur photographer and have very little technical knowledge of photography. This is just a very basic introduction to the subject, which, if you enjoy, you can study much more intently down-the-line!
Getting HelpIf you are stuck, please email submissions@ichk.edu.hk for help, and a teacher will respond as soon as possible. If you need instant help, please call the school reception (2655 9018) and ask to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team.Optionally, email jrees@ichk.edu.hk for help

Content

Prepare for your walk:

Make sure you have what you need. Be mindful and think about taking care of yourself.

Here are a few ideas to use as a checklist:

Water bottle, clothes in case it rains, sun screen, bug spray, money, octopus card, phone, camera, anything you need for the activity itself.

Be safe- tell someone where you are going and have a plan in case you get lost or something goes wrong.

Safety Plan:

Stop, Breathe, Think.
Work out where you think you are- look at landmarks, shop names, signposts, MTR stops, footpath signs.
Work out how to get in touch with your emergency contact.
Use a different contact if that does not work- friend, police officer, transport worker, shop worker.

Activity

“I want to encourage you to think back to the days when people had to get by on the 24 or 36 roll of film in their cameras…

They couldn’t constantly click thousands of photos. Nor do you want to have the hassle of sifting through a load of junk for the Instagram photos you eventually choose to upload.

There’s no hurry here, either. For this activity, you’re walking in parks, down near the harbour, or in the national parks. Basically, unless an interesting creature jumps out- you won’t need to hustle to capture it!

When I walk, I like to look around my surroundings. Sometimes I walk slowly to take in the scene. I love to “people watch” too and see all walks of life heading out to work, enjoying a leisurely stroll themselves, parents or helpers playing with children, the care and attention a flower seller takes to arrange their shop front, older folk engaged in tai-chi…

You can tap into the spirit of a place by observing people going about their days far better than visiting a museum.

Sometimes I walk fast for exercise. Being fit allows you the ability to walk further…to see and experience more vistas. When I hiked the 50km Hong Kong Trail, I took about 30 pictures in total. That’s quite a lot, I guess, but over 9hrs, and all those kilometres, maybe not so much. That gives you a sense of the frequency anyway- just try to take pictures of the scenes that you know are special.

But walking slowly has its merits too. And now I have injured my hamstring, that is what I am having to do..! Even if it means for some precious minutes escaping the bright lights of your computer screen, you can get outside and go for a walk. It’s nice to do this by yourself sometimes, but it’s also really nice to do it with a group on occasion. Why don’t you see if a friend/friends wants to join you?

Slow. Things. Down.

Your mind will respond to the calmness of the rhythm of your slower stride. And by taking things that much slower, you are likely to be able to admire things you might have missed, even if you had been walking down those streets a thousand times before.

By exercising discretion, and pausing to think about the shot, before you even take the camera out of your pocket, you will definitely take better pictures. But, also, by thinking along these lines, you can allow yourself to be more present in the moment…

As you enjoy the experience of walking and observing your area first and foremost- suddenly, a particularly arresting moment will present itself- then, SNAP!- you can capture that image and return to your peaceful state of mind, with your camera back in your pocket.

I will divide the next part of this tutorial into three sections: Nature/Hiking; Waterfront; Urban. All photos were taken with my Samsung phone and there are those that might say- “that shows!” I’m not saying they’re great, but I do think some are pretty interesting, and they are ones that I might enjoy looking at in years to come.

Finally, by taking photos and publishing to a real audience- which is what you are doing when you choose to write, post anything to Facebook/Instagram/Insight magazine etc.-, you are taking the first very important steps for communicating something about yourself to the world. It is the start of a process of self-discovery and self-confidence, and fomenting these dispositions of mind-set will help you so much down-the-line in fields far removed from photography…!

Nature/Hiking

Cows: Was there ever a subject so docile and placid than a Hong Kong feral cow? I did take about four photos of this chap, on the approach to the Macelhose Trail 1/2 at the Eastern dam- just had to wait for him to look up! But those volcanic islands in the background are like nothing I see back in the UK, and the presence of this little fella adds a bit of personality to a regular landscape shot.

Images of pathways are pretty easy go-to literary tropes. Photos of your hikes can be stories that you share with others. I have gotten into the habit of “footnoting” hikes with special views but also to jog my memory for when I undertake similar hikes in the future. This is a view of the striking mountain range ahead with the path angling off into the distance, while I have tried to use the plants to provide some sort of frame to the shot and to give a sense of depth.

In Hong Kong, sometimes the light just does magical things. I’ve no idea really how/why (maybe it is the sun that breaks out from behind the cloud, or the angle of the sun at certain times of day- this was towards dusk- but pretty much the same flora/fauna acquire a beautiful sheen and the varieties of greens can add a lot of contrast to the photos. I try to follow the rules of thirds by placing the paths diagonally rather than square on which could be discomforting and reduce the calm atmosphere.

Long-distance landscapes: This is from the top of the ascent from the very start of Maclehose 3- it’s a very steep 400m rise up from the road! Again, Hong Kong’s natural landscapes are just magnificent. The volcanoes extend into the distance and you can see Sai Kung there just on the right.

Hiking gets you out to explore a wide range of new areas in the city. This is a view of Kowloon and Hong Kong from the Wilson Trail 2/3. It’s a little hazy, and I regret that the ugly, rusty, metal rail is there- should have stepped forward- but it’s the “biggest” view of the city I’ve seen. Those closer-up views of HK skyscrapers from the Peak are amazing, but I love the sense of sprawl, despite the hazy day.

Colour/texture contrast: I think this is my favourite photo of a landscape I’ve taken, and, as usual, Hong Kong has done all the work. You simply have to get out there on the trails. We live in a uniquely beautiful place and the more you can get out and enjoy it, the better! The late afternoon light just before dusk seems to have a wonderful, soft golden glow to it. It adds a depth of colour to the spectrum of plant life from the golden bullrushes which bend with the breeze towards the green mountains beyond. Man, where he does intrude, even looks quite pretty with Stanley seen from a distance on the Dragon’s Back Trail.

Another one of those weird times of day/angles of the sun where the light does the work for you and there are all these interesting contrasts in textures, colours and perspectives between the types of vegetation such as the bullrush grass, hardy evergreens, the granite boulders, and the sea and mountains in the distance. This is from the ascent to Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak at 957m, from the Macelhose Trail Section 7 to 8.

Framing: A view back to the city. We almost missed this amazing view of HK Island , had not Mr. McDermott turned back and alerted us. I’ve tried to use the windswept tree branches as some sort of jungly framing device, and the contrast of the jungle and nature in the foreground, which dominates, and reduces the IFC- the sum of all man’s arrogant conceits!- to a tiny focal point in the centre, lower third.

Using natural elements to frame the photo. Early morning and after 3pm till dusk seem to be the best time to take photos of natural landscapes here in Hong Kong. This is the Hong Kong trail section 8, I think, winding down towards Shek O before you double back and up onto the Dragon’s Back Trail, ending in Big Wave Bay.

Urban:

The same subject from a different perspective. New Year 2020: this photo was taken from the way back down from High West, Hong Kong Island. It would definitely look much nicer with a better camera, but, luckily, coming to my aid that night was the massive “Wolf Moon” that occurred during early January. The ICC is proclaiming the new year and the IFC seems to be beaming its light up directly at the moon, but the moon was so bright that night that it really resonated even against the competition of all that man-made neon light below.

The view from High West on the same hike earlier that evening.

This is one of those days, such as right now, when the factories in Mainland China have shut down (then it was for Chinese New Year, now it is due to the coronavirus) and the views go on for miles. Lantau is visible in the background to this shot from Macelhose 6 walking north through the Kowloon Reservoir system. The powerlines act to dissect the shot horizontally into thirds. Hong Kong looked like a little toytown the way the buildings were so neatly stacked and the air was so crisp and clear.

Trying to find the old Hong Kong might be increasingly difficult as the glass and steel skyscrapers dominate, but there are pockets of ancient ways all around. This is the Tin Hau Temple, at, well Tin Hau. My phone camera definitely doesn’t do justice to the temple as a whole, but you can then Zoom-in to key features which give the sense of the place. In the first picture, I made sure I left in the column to frame, as well as the Cantones script, while the main focus is the beautiful paper lantern with tiger design, while the ceremonial doors and wooden awning frame the rest of the photo at an angle. You could do a whole photo series of those miniature shrines that appear in the foot of residential/shop doorways all over the city…!

Waterfront:

A fisherman at dusk. I like the balance between the natural sea and the man-made aspects of the buildings and the jetty. The wooden planks they have used for the materials of the waterfront park are very soft and naturalistic too. The planks form “vanishing point” to the sun in the distance. I didn’t notice this at the time, but I was trying to use the fishing rods to provide symmetry. Of course the light at sundown on a clear day is beautiful, so, it’s always worth keeping an eye on https://aqicn.org/city/hongkong/. If it’s green then GO!; if it’s yellow, then, well, maybe. To be honest, with photography, you can probably get some pretty cool effects if it’s pretty hazy too..!

In recent months, the Hong Kong Government have opened up huge waterfront spaces that allow you to access nature easily from your home. This is wonderful. You can avoid crowds and enjoy some fresh air the whole way down from Wan Chai Convention Centre to Kennedy Town now. This route takes you part of the way through a working industrial shipyard,which is fascinating; Hong Kongers have have cottoned on to the very Instagram-able nature of these tough, rough angular backdrops.

The rusty, old coal barge in this photo is meant to be providing both a frame for the view in the background, as well as the contrast between the rough, red, ionised metal and the softer blue sky in the background. If you were to Zoom in, there’s someone walking with an umbrella on the pier in the distance- It doesn’t quite work given perspective , but I do think that if you spend time thinking critically about your compositions while working with just your phone, you can think about whether it is worth buying a proper camera down-the-line.

Not a particularly beautiful photo, but I do love the reclaimed industrial space for pedestrians to enjoy. I’m all for any move the Hong Kong Gov’t makes to make the city more sustainable and the greening of formerly industrial spaces, and installation of exercise equipment for the older folk to enjoy is lovely. I think if you are photographing people then you really need to be polite and ask their permission, but I hope I’m far enough away here not to intrude in their personal space, plus, it’s anonymous as they are faced looking away and the main focus of this photo is Victoria Harbour, as well as the crane which has been incorporated into part of the urban park and play area for children. The “vanishing lines” of the shadow also appear to point towards the ICC on the other side of the harbour, but that is totally coincidental.

Even the mundane can become interesting if you are able to compose the frame to pick out some interesting angles and colour combinations. This is a photo of two coal barges at anchor together in the harbour with the multi-coloured barrels making it look like some kind of playground and the distinctive Hong Kong English and Cantonese scripts “anchoring” this photo distinctly in Hong Kong.

Same subject, different angle: The final thought to leave you with is a sequence of images I took of a ship coming into harbour. I didn’t know it was coming into harbour, but I saw it moving against the backdrop of the descending sun. Even a smoke-belching, rust-riddled old ship- with tons of character and tales from all the oceans it has traversed- has its own beaten-up beauty! As the ship came in closer-and-closer, there was a flurry of activity from photographers looking out to the bay. As I changed my angle the colour of the sea, changed from shimmering golden reflections of the sun, to ultramarine, and a dark, deep steel blue. The ship moving in meant I could look at it from different angles and let it dominate the frame from a low-angle, close-up shot. Then, as I walked along further, i just happened to notice these lovely hand-knitted puppets that some artist/artists had installed to help beautify the spot. They provided the audience for the final couple of shots as the ship pulled out of harbour and out, once more, to the vastness of the South China Sea…!