From 1 to 5 June this year, the pitch and grass in Hong Kong's Victoria Park will be transformed into a large-scale carnival of hometown markets.
Not only is it a great place to relax, but it's also a great place to explore Chinese cuisine and culture.
The carnival was jointly organized by 28 provincial-level associations, including the Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organizations and the Hong Kong Federation of Fujian Associations, with the aim of showcasing the special cuisine and intangible cultural heritage of various places.
Last year, the first hometown market achieved unprecedented success and was highly praised by all walks of life, and was known as "the master of hometown flavor".
As a result, this year's market has expanded in size and content, from three days to five days, and the addition of a "deli street" has attracted the attention of many diners.
The number of food stalls in the market has increased from a few last year to 18, covering a wide range of local specialties, from Zibo barbecue to Tsingtao beer.
In particular, the number of local associations in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions has been added to this year's market, bringing the total number of participating provincial-level associations to 28.
This not only enriches the cultural level of the market, but also allows citizens to taste more local specialties and culture in one place.
In addition to the food, the market also features 25 stalls showcasing China's intangible cultural heritage, allowing visitors to experience the charm of traditional Chinese handicrafts by watching live performances by artisans up close.
In order to allow more citizens to participate in this cultural feast, the ticket price of the market is very affordable, only 5 yuan.
Admission is free for the elderly, people with disabilities and children under 1.2 metres in height.
This arrangement has undoubtedly greatly lowered the threshold for citizens to participate, so that more families can bring their children here to experience the atmosphere of their hometown.
Chairman Gong Junlong said at the press conference that this year's market is not only a good place to taste food, but also a platform for cultural exchange.
He hopes that through this format, more citizens can understand and fall in love with the traditional culture of various parts of China, and also emphasized the importance of this event to enhance citizens' sense of identity with their hometown.
In addition, this year's market also responds to the SAR government's "event economy" policy, especially in the nighttime event arrangement, the opening hours of the market have been extended to 9.30pm to attract more citizens to participate in the evening.
This kind of "colorful day and night" activity arrangement allows busy citizens to enjoy this cultural feast after work.
Eventually, through such activities, we can not only taste the delicious taste of our hometown, but also feel the temperature of our hometown.
As Legislative Council Member Chan Chung-ni said, such activities can enable citizens to better understand and cherish the essence of Chinese culture, and at the same time inspire national pride.
It is undoubtedly a rare happiness for Hong Kong's "Hong Kong drifters" to be able to feel the taste and culture of their hometown so closely in a foreign country.
So, whether you're interested in food or curious about traditional Chinese culture, you might as well come to Victoria Park's hometown club hometown market carnival this June to find a memory of your hometown.
Here, every taste has a story, and every performance has an emotion, let us experience a feast of culture and food together in Victoria Park this summer.