Cheung Chau Island, a community of 22,000, faces significant socio-economic pressures, with population decline and an ageing demographic putting strain on its cultural resilience. Yet, the island’s identity is strongly intertwined with its annual Tai Ping Ching Jiu (Bun Festival), which, along with other religious festivals, revitalizes routes, spaces, and temples year-round. This thesis reframes the festival’s enchantment, not as the climactic events themselves, but as the communal preparation process: the collective rituals of hoisting the bun towers, constructing temporary bamboo theatres, and crafting Piu Sik floats. These acts of preparation, which blend tradition with community labour, emerge as a hidden spectacle, reinforcing Cheung Chau’s cultural essence and supporting its socio-economic sustainability.

Through ethnographic documentation, spatial mapping, and the analytical lens of Jane Bennett’s “enchanted materialism,” this work examines how these temporary structures invite year-round wonder and attachment, connecting ritual space with economic adaptation. The thesis considers how these ephemeral architectures can drive community cohesion and engage inhabitants of all ages. Additionally, it maps challenges such as structural vulnerabilities, overcrowding, and waste management, addressing critical infrastructure needs for both the festival and off season.

Future proposals aim to leverage the island’s preparatory rituals for broader socioeconomic revival. Suggested interventions include creating permanent bamboo workshops, volunteer bakeries, and adaptable festival infrastructure that supports tourism and community engagement. By reframing the Tai Ping Ching Jiu’s preparations as a culturally enriching process, this thesis envisions a model where festival labour fosters both economic resilience and a reinvigorated sense of place for Cheung Chau, cultivating an enduring connection between heritage and contemporary life.