Hong Kong performers revive magical past

John Chung Lai-ho wielded a pair of kitchen tongs in the air, and suddenly a fish ball appeared to materialize out of nowhere. He brandished the tongs once again, and the fish ball seemed to vanish into thin air.

The art of making objects appear and disappear is a classic magic trick, but the 24-year-old Hong Kong magician chose a curry fish ball — a beloved street food in his hometown — as the object for his sleight of hand.

It was just one of the Hong Kong cultural elements that Chung integrated into his performance at the inaugural Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Championship, held in Hong Kong in January.

During his seven-minute show, the stage was designed to mirror a street view of the city, featuring neon signs against a backdrop. The act's soundtrack reverberated with spoken Cantonese, interspersed with the familiar ticking sound of Hong Kong's traffic lights.

Chung took center stage in front of a mobile food stall, which doubled as his magic table. Wearing an apron, he looked like a real curry fish ball vendor. Chung first made a bottle of condiments appear from a towel, then transformed the fish into a fish ball. He then multiplied a single fish ball into dozens of them. Using a series of magic effects, he replicated the process of making a curry fish ball.

As the performance neared the end, mock sirens blared through the venue, accompanied by a commanding voice shouting, "Stop, don't move!" Pretending to be scared, Chung rushed from the stage leaving his stall behind.

The audience clapped. They understood the story Chung told through his magic, even though they might not have heard of the Cantonese phrase jau gwei. The term refers to the sudden abandonment of stalls by illegal street vendors when law enforcement officers approach. For over a century, such scenes have been part of the city's street-hawker culture.

Chung took third place in the competition. However, what pleased him most was showcasing Hong Kong-themed magic to an audience, demonstrating the art form can not only entertain, but also promote culture.

"Magic has a marginalized position in the city," Chung said. "I want to change that situation."