Hong Kong, famous for its impressive number of skyscrapers, is one of the last cities to use bamboo scaffolding, an ancestral construction technique, where “spider” workers move through the air.
“You have to have a strong heart,” says Mo Jia Yu, an apprentice at the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in Hong Kong.
Balancing two floors above the void, the apprentice clasps a rod with his legs while fixing a joint, a skill he will need to master if he is to ever work on Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding.
In the sky of the Chinese metropolis, where more than a thousand vertiginous towers point, it is not uncommon to come across workers perched on these temporary structures, even on the sixtieth floor.
And because they move with such agility on these web-like structures, Hong Kongers have given them the nickname “spiders”.
Like dozens of others each year, Mr. Mo enrolled at the CIC to train in this age-old technique, once widespread in mainland China.
“You have to be attentive to safety because you work very high in the air”, insists the apprentice, in training for three months.
His teachers show him the methods of securely tying the bamboo frames. Once attached, these frames allow workers to have their hands free to work on the scaffolding, held together by simple nylon knots.
“This basic knot is something we learn first…we train for a whole week to master it,” says Ho Cheuk Wai, another student.
“Then, the instructors teach us how to put on the safety harness, and, little by little, we learn to climb to the top,” he adds.
Bamboo scaffolding has existed for centuries in Hong Kong, which has more than 1,600 skyscrapers, including some 550 over 150 meters high, according to the latest Skyscraper Center database.
Most cities in the region have abandoned them, preferring to turn to other materials, such as steel and aluminum.
Hong Kong is today the last bastion of these complex bamboo interlacings, inseparable from its urban landscape, erected as much on the traditional buildings called “tong lau” as on the flashy skyscrapers.
The regulations for erecting these scaffoldings are very strict but due to their sometimes dizzying height, the profession is considered dangerous.
“It takes courage and know-how to survive,” said Wallace Chang, professor in the architecture department of the University of Hong Kong.
“It deters some people from getting into this business.”
After seeing this age-old tradition disappear in mainland China, Chang hopes it will be preserved in Hong Kong as a “cultural heritage”.
He believes that the high number of students enrolled in the training offered by the CIC bodes well for the future.
In Hong Kong, the success of this technique is due to its cost and its adaptability to the constraints of the metropolis.
The bamboo stalks come from the southern provinces of China, located across the border. A rod costs about 15 Hong Kong dollars (1.75 euros), against 280 Hong Kong dollars (32.30 euros) for a metal tube.
Light, bamboo is also easier to transport in an urban center with sometimes cramped streets and it can be easily cut to the desired length, which allows them to be adapted to different construction sites.
“Bamboo scaffolding is perfect for Hong Kong’s bizarre and cramped spaces,” says instructor Kin Kee Wo, who has worked in the construction industry for nearly 30 years.
“It can be erected in the most inconceivable places, in the most beautiful ways.”
08/05/2023 08:51:38 – Hong Kong (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
