Why Hong Kong Still Uses Bamboo to Build Buildings

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Think of construction, and you’ll probably imagine scaffolding made of steel or aluminum. But in Hong Kong, the material of choice is bamboo.
The densely populated city is one of the last places on earth that still uses bamboo in construction, even when building skyscrapers. The organic material is said to be stronger and more flexible than steel.
We spent a day up high with Hong Kong’s death-defying bamboo scaffolding workers and met one of the last bamboo theater artisans in town.
If you liked this video, we have more stories about Chinese artisans, including:
Carving Mahjong By Hand in Hong Kong
• Carving Mahjong By Han...
The 6-Foot-Tall Pottery Brotherhood
• Making Enormous Cerami...
Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes moments: / goldthread2
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Have story ideas? Send them to us at hello@goldthread2.com
#hongkong #bamboo #artisans
Producer: Clarissa Wei
Fixer: Cardin Chan
Editor and Videographer: Nicholas Ko
Camera B: Mario Chui
Animator: Annie Hall
Mastering: Victor Peña
Music: Audio Network

Опубликовано:

14 апр 2020

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Комментарии : 466

@MCFractal 3 года назад

My Father told me a story from when he was stationed in Hong Kong. There was a skyscraper under construction and it was too large at the time for one contractor, so there were two, a British and a local firm. The British side used steel and the local side bamboo. His fellow sailors laughed at the fact that the locals used bamboo. There was a major storm, and it destroyed the British steel scaffolding, and the local bamboo was just fine.

@thatweirdguywhostalkspeopl1908 3 года назад

I live in Hong Kong, and i literally thought that everyone uses bamboo scaffolding everywhere when i was little because of how often i see it

@CosmosProvider 3 года назад

What are your parents doing not teaching you bamboo only grows naturally in Asia. I mean i would understand if there were other bamboos growing naturally elswhere but there litteraly isn't. Of all the hundreds of varieties of bamboos they all come from Asia. Seems to me that this would be something significant to know since asian people use it for many many many different things and one would naturally wonder if people all over the world were doing the same. But how could they, there's no bamboo. But nop, you asked yourself no questions and wandered around thinking silly things for years. Pretty adorable but that's beyond me since even my 8yo daughter wouldn't be sure of something like that without asking questions first. She wouldn't even believe me if i tried to convince her that the only scaffolding she knows are the only type of scaffoldind existing in the world.

@extraemontamontes3618 3 года назад

Is also used around asia, and I have memory of seeing it used in europe, but i cant remember where

@legion4698 3 года назад

@@CosmosProvider it grows in north eastern america see it quite a lot

@mypdf 3 года назад

@@extraemontamontes3618 maybe in South Europe, but certainly not in northern Europe, as it would be impossible to grow here and very impractical due to the different climate.

@reannakwan8773 3 года назад

@Tsz Ching WOO same lol

@jodielee6253 4 года назад

damn, I'm from hong kong and for some reason I thought everyone uses bamboo

@kylin3197 3 года назад

is bamboo used for only temporary builds or both temporary and permanent?

@lillianna.0221 3 года назад

Its used for all builds coming from a hong konger

@xdxdsheep 3 года назад

@@kylin3197 They are for scaffolding not exactly part of the building itself.

@ahyarhartanto1802 3 года назад

well other people do, but not for that high building tho 😂

@_lattej_ 3 года назад

same

@joelroche141 4 года назад

Bamboo rising. Walking around HK these dudes wrapping skyscrapers in bamboo never cease to amaze.

@MikoYotsuya292 3 года назад

I remember that one quote from Rush Hour 2 by Jackie: "Don't worry chinese bamboo is very strong" 😂

@1393wsc 3 года назад

and it broke the next second🤣

@shindukess 3 года назад

@@1393wsc the bamboo was fine. The straps holding it broke.

@adamrodgers9175 3 года назад

Tucker arguing with the old master in the dojo 😆😆😆. I am you..

@xxmetioqurexx 3 года назад

LITERALLY ME !! the second I saw this video

@skeleton6244 3 года назад

It broke the next second XD

@Hamsters831 3 года назад

This skill is an art. Hong Kong should keep this tradition.

@PatheticTV 3 года назад

We’re keeping it! The building under construction next to mine is using bamboo scaffolding, and so is every other construction site I know of!

@CosmosProvider 3 года назад

@@PatheticTV it's the most common construction method used in all SE Asia. It is the most common and preferred method everywhere where bambo grows naturally actually. It's not a Honk Kong thing, it's all over the place

@trym2121 3 года назад

If you go rural area in SE Asia, you'll see many bamboo scaffoldings. But making the temporary theatre with that kind of complex bamboo structure is indeed Hongkong thing.

@gcwok 3 года назад

Hopefully they get to keep HongKong

@maxamps45 3 года назад

Not for long. CCP is going invade it.

@holliswong8519 3 года назад

That smile at the end. A very very proud dad! Love it.

@angelad.8944 4 года назад

Thank you for sharing this with us. I have such a deep respect for artisans and their craft. It is sooo important for societies to encourage and invest in not only preserving but encouraging careers in quality craftsmanship. It shouldn't always be about discarding what is old just because it is old. Sometimes old just works and has an immense value in the doing of it. Especially when it is sustainable. Don't get me wrong, of course there are things that we should not keep doing, I'm just thinking about the good things we should value to keep around.

@dearclarissa 4 года назад

I’m so happy you like the video!!

@ksec6631 3 года назад

It would have a chance if it was in Japan or other parts of Europe. Unfortunately very unlikely in China or Hong Kong.

@0ptimal 3 года назад

Yes and not only for the sake of heritage but many of the old techniques are fundamentally sound and reliable in the event humanity gets set back by nature.

@michaelolson571 3 года назад

"They call me fatty" haha. Guys around the world are all the same.

@Renwoxing13 3 года назад

Hong Kong people use nicknames most as much as real names.

@ezzz42 3 года назад

Fei jai

@heisenbergkierkegaard3982 3 года назад

Not really. Do that somewhere else and they will call you out for fat-shaming. Good thing we from Asia are not easily offended like people from the US.

@Renwoxing13 3 года назад

@@heisenbergkierkegaard3982 well let's be fair here. If your fat in China, then you deserve to be called fat & have it as your permanent nickname. I mean due to the classic diet being fat is much less common then in someplace else, like say America!!!‼️‼️‼️💯💯🤣

@noahfb1 3 года назад

If he’s called fatty in Hong Kong, then 3/4 of North Americans will have a fatty nickname

@juch3 3 года назад

Bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in south east asia, but I've never seen it used for building skyscrapers. Fascinating.

@lightspeedrescue 3 года назад

No they're not lmao, Bamboo Scaffolding is endemic only to Hong Kong and China. Please name me a country in SEA that uses this, I have not seen this in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma at least. They all use steel poles that are scaffolded in similar ways.

@juch3 3 года назад

@@lightspeedrescue bamboo is a plant endemic to the whole of south East asia, why would they not use it for scaffolding? Unfortunately your reply could easily be debunked with a simple google image search. Search "bangun rumah" which means "building house" in malay/indonesian in google image search.

@lightspeedrescue 3 года назад

@@juch3 they're all wood scaffolding so what were you trying to debunk again lmao, 99% of bamboo exports comes from China. SEA bamboos are natural and weren't cross breed specifically for scaffolding purposes. Do you think just any bamboos would work?

@juch3 3 года назад

@@lightspeedrescue didn't know i was talking to a blind person. Well I'll just let other users decide whether the keyword "bangun rumah" in google image search shows the majority of results being houses built with bamboo scaffolding or other materials, good day.

@thestrangerthattalks9516 3 года назад

@@lightspeedrescue uh, philippines? We still use it for making small buildings but I never seen it used for tall buildings.

@okikeure7422 3 года назад

It's not just in Hong Kong, in Nigeria most residential buildings have bamboo scaffolding

@DavidJohnson-dp4vv 3 года назад

@Jack Ophelott I dont even they think use bamboo in mainland china though.

@presidentjiang6762 3 года назад

But Hong Kong is considered as a developed city. So I think they meant comparing to developed countries such as Europe. Hong Kong is the only one

@derekzhang4364 3 года назад

@Ibibo Ibiene Why are you telling him to get informed when you are wrong? if you didn't know, China heavily funds Nigeria/African countries, and heavily supports its constructions and projects. Its quite obvious that China would have some involvement in Nigeria's bamboo scaffolding

@abzcabz9211 3 года назад

Ibibo Ibiene bambo only grows in china

@e.t9996 3 года назад

@@abzcabz9211 lol

@musicalangel1 3 года назад

8:43 You can see he's proud for his sons.

@s3kemo 3 года назад

I always stop and watch the bamboo scaffolding going up and down in my village, every single event, every single year. I could watch them all day

@retribution999 3 года назад

This is one of the most amazing things you will see in Hong Kong.

@morganmajurey5805 3 года назад

I came to HK in 1963 and first saw bamboo scaffolding whilst waiting to cross on the vehicular ferry at Yaumatei, the Ferry St complex was under construction. The big difference between now and then, was 60 years ago the binding was made up of the split skin of the bamboo, whereas now it is flat plastic 'string' with small horizontal ridges to prevent slippage. Princes Building in Central was 20 stories high, nearing completion when in the spring of 1964 a typhoon came through and the central crane collapsed taking down the whole bamboo structure on the Des Voeux Rd side ending up across the tram tracks and onto the front of the old Standard Chartered Building. No trams ran for a couple of days.

@panzwes5993 3 года назад

It amazes me to see the entire structure held together by tied bamboo, particularly the skyscrapers. I always see bamboo scaffolding in HK, in the city and also for the village opera theater, so they are special to me. So glad there are people keeping this craft alive.

@lurkingarachnid7475 3 года назад

Jackie Chan: Chinese bamboo is very strong - Rush hour 2

@craigren4109 3 года назад

panda：my lunch u mean？

@susanharper2881 4 года назад

when I was 16 I lived in Hong Kong for a short time and remembered the Bamboo scaffolding that was there and thought it was very clever and it was pretty to see as well. I am glad at my age of 59 that it is still been done, even tho it may be a dying art.

@theshriekinghominin1760 3 года назад

I've never thought of scaffolding as an art.

@the_grand_tourer 3 года назад

I saw this on a visit there, way back in 1996 - couldn't believe my eyes! 30+ story buildings! surrounded by bamboo ... to find they are still using it in 2021 is brilliant!

@eugene188 3 года назад

I remember visiting my Grandma in HK and they had one of these bamboo theaters go up in a park near he place. It was so cool!

@cuthomas4664 3 года назад

This video reminds me the beautiful days I walked my lady passing through narrow streets of Hongkong under those bamboo scaffolding 3 years ago. HK is forever my best days!

@hongisrecording 8 месяцев назад

This video should be consumed with an article by SCMP: Bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong and another documentary "Bamboo Theatre" together!

@kalamay 3 года назад

We also use bamboo as scaffoldings here in the Philippines, too

@edi9892 3 года назад

Bamboo would be definitely one of the plants I'd pick, if I had to go with 12 plants and survive without help...

@LucielStarz123 3 года назад

Look at how proud he is of his sons! It’s so weird to have so many “traditional” art forms fading because the work is “too tough”, yet so many younger people refused to take on the craft despite being unable to find job in the modern world. Just imagine how many people are miserable because they’re too proud to learn a craft that might eventually be their life profession despite the starting low pay.

@meferswift 3 года назад

Mismatch is the word. The sons of these craft look for other job, while sons with none of the craft dont know its open. Or, just generation change

@DickerWaal 3 года назад

For me I wonder how much joy his sons have doing it though. I definitely understand the importance of preserving traditions like this, but one generation should better not force it upon the next one without their free will

@LucielStarz123 3 года назад

@@DickerWaal they have a guaranteed, stable, decently paid job in fricking HongKong, the place where job is near-impossible to find. They’re fine and dandy for taking on their father’s businesses.

@DickerWaal 3 года назад

@@LucielStarz123 should life always be about money though? Maybe one of his sons dreams to go to the outskirts and start a simple life there. Imagine just about anything besides the busy always-on-the-go big city life routine, but he happens to be told by his ancestors to do what they want him to do

@LucielStarz123 3 года назад

@@DickerWaal there’s no such thing as “outskirts” in HK, lands are expensive. Not only that, his sons and their children are guaranteed a legacy profession, something that will no doubt be very protected in the future as less and less of the craftsmen pass on their profession.

@likub1432 4 года назад

These guys are amazing. I knew that bamboo was a widely used material in China, but I never imagined that they used it for buildings so big! Such a wonder! It'd be interesting to know about the acoustics in bamboo theatres and how it works, how sound propagates and if the hollows in bamboo change it. Thanks for sharing this amazing bit with us!

@idcashflow 4 года назад

search green school, the biggest and beautiful building 100% from bamboo

@johnjames8103 4 года назад

Dope never thought I'd be watching this. Thanks RU-vid Suggested!!

@GaryMaWingChun 4 года назад

You've answered a burning question I've had since last year! Thanks Goldthread crew!

@jmyers9853 3 года назад

i am glad they showed the knot tying. i watched for hours and missed the little knot after it is twisted. i watched a theater being built and the performance, the community really liked it. there is more bamboo structures on the buildings than the video suggest. all the bamboo workers have to be trained and licensed to do the work. just fascinating.

@GamalKevin 3 года назад

Looking at bamboo scaffoldings reminds me of the movies that I watched during my childhood... So nostalgic!

@whywho8887 4 года назад

Very cool subject to share .

@topixfromthetropix1674 3 года назад

Bamboo scaffolding is common in Thailand. Split bamboo is often used for tribal buildings and housing.

@cookbook800 4 года назад

This was absolutely fascinating, I didn't know they build structures like this out of bamboo!

@lambertazur1667 2 года назад

I've seen these master scaffolders in action working on a 20+ story building. I gotta say, it was really mesmerizing watching them do their thing. Very efficient and super fast. Real life Spider men.

@Kwijiboi 4 года назад

I love this! I see bamboo (and the plastic ties on every trip. I never knew they were just twisted into a bun! I've also seen what I thought was festive signage, that looked very similar to the theater. Was I looking at one end of a bamboo theater, or was it advertising for the same? I hope they dont get rid of the scaffolding or the structures, totally part of Hong Kongs heritage. Thank you so much for sharing this!

@ck5404 2 года назад

amazing still can see very tall bamboo scaffolding in HK. but sadly soon will be no more

@rgbaki6500 3 года назад

Really proud as a hongkonger

@thechosenone1533 3 года назад

I am watching this in India as a guy is conducting renovation work outside my window with bamboo scaffolding.

@snackgila 3 года назад

Bamboo hotel and resort are build in bali island. Its so chills and relaxing.

@sarajamal799 2 года назад

Great work ! The man at the ending seemed so proud introducing his sons 💪

@guytruth5598 3 года назад

Good man and family heritage ,keep going. Thank you for passing on your skill.

@kkkkkkkkkk955 3 года назад

wow love these videos about HK!!!

@evangeliakaratza-styliara4413 3 года назад

I have seen bamboo scaffolding widely used in India.... it was pretty amazing !

@shoobumu 3 года назад

Bamboo is one of the best environmentally friendly building material! Wish America would take note

@knockhello2604 3 года назад

Commodity steel

@ultimathule3691 3 года назад

Its nice to see the peoppe behind this art. I just to wander pass alot of these whem I visit HK

@lpjunction 3 года назад

Strength per weight of bamboo is comparable to steel. To set up the bamboo scaffolding, takes about 3 to 4 guys. To take it down, you need just one guy with a cleaver. There is formal engineering building code for bamboo scaffolding.

@harperwelch5147 3 года назад

I love this! It's a spectacular skill!

@fuwagami4460 3 года назад

I was so confused when I visited HK and saw bamboo scaffolding, now I know why.

@knockhello2604 3 года назад

Dangerous

@ShiYuet 2 года назад

i’m a hongkonger and right now i look outside of my room, it is 5 bamboo scaffolding in my view🤣🤣🤣

@radiospank 3 года назад

I remember I went to Hong Kong and seeing the bamboo and I was amazed considering how high their building are

@consciouseye7209 2 года назад

I work as a scaffolder, with tube and fitting. I've always found bamboo scaffolding interesting. Would like to try it some day.

@TheWeb946719 3 года назад

they even made a kung fu movie solely about a scaffolder. that's Hong Kong for ya

@6663000 3 года назад

I've seen lots of bamboo scaffolding in mainland China, Philippines, Cambodia... I don't remember if they had it in Vietnam and Thailand, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

@goshientertainments5097 3 года назад

Bamboo Scaffolding is also preferred and widely used in Pakistan

@Garychan726 3 года назад

thank you for putting subtitles in my language because I like to hear my language

@dli199214 3 года назад

it is not gone in mainland china....whenever I visit my family in Guang Dong and you still see it all the time.

@daphneho115 4 года назад

My hometown.... which I miss very much 😔

@shubhangsingh4321 3 года назад

In India 🇮🇳 bamboo is also used as a building material.

@n4morrrr 3 года назад

hahahahha

@tannen3339 3 года назад

of course, it’s india.

@newbielegend2842 3 года назад

Great preservation !

@Brick-Life 3 года назад

Mainland still uses bamboo scaffolding

@SoraCyn 3 года назад

This would be a really interesting and culturally relevant idea for a fashion walkway or art installation! Growing up in Fujian province (mainland, borders Guangdong province and HK) as a child, bamboo scaffolding was so common practice I thought it was the norm before I moved to the states. But like the narrators said, it’s a disappearing art - both in Hong Kong and in the mainland, because of safety concerns (pretty obvious how things could go wrong here).

@Nibboz 3 года назад

Beautiful artwork. As a scaffold erector, I give them so much respect.. But tube and clamp and a throw over is still the way to go.

@psychkick666 Год назад

do they reuse the same bamboo after job is done? or just throw it away?

@loritouma5899 3 года назад

Incredible bamboo climbers!!! Awesome

@ianhoward4246 Год назад

The main problem with bamboo.......you can't weigh it in for the Christmas drink 😂😂😂😂

@shaduck06 4 года назад

it is only a 2 or 3 story building, seems like all the construction workers were working on tying the bamboo scafolding Kennedy town

@22tsmp 2 года назад

Anynody knows the material of the tying tape, please?

@M3gart0443 3 года назад

Indonesia still use it

@karly3520 3 года назад

If I could afford to fly these guys over to build me a bamboo cottage, you bet your ass I would

@mistseeker388 3 года назад

Make more stuff from bamboo! Bamboo is super cool!

@gabrielyeong8777 3 года назад

If not, where else is Jackie gonna fight?

@smileypaper5589 3 года назад

Any fellow Hong Kong people?

@wijayatan7870 3 года назад

what is the bamboo genus/name that he use?

@supermanbatman2359 3 года назад

Here in philippines our house made in bamboo..home sweet home 😊😊

@tonyg4622 2 года назад

I salute these gentlemen

@jojotwice8918 3 года назад

narrator sounds like she's on the verge of choking on her drink

@0ptimal 3 года назад

I'm in Texas and once in a while I'll run into a job where there's bamboo in the way. It's really really strong, quite amazing actually.

@joeyrolfalliv1877 3 года назад

Finally...i have the answer to my long question when i visited HK and wonder why they still use bamboo in their scaffolding.

@sunchildtine 2 года назад

so glad Shang Chi included a bamboo fight scene in the film. y'all should watch Shang Chi in the cinema.

@bobh3394 4 года назад

Great job and home run once again! Interesting story I would never have known about without your putting this out there for everyone. Please keep up the good work. China is such an interesting country when you look at the people and what they can do. Thanks.

@earthstrong7855 4 года назад

it's Hong Kong, not China.

@joyjoyoo 4 года назад

अचलेंद्र HK is China dork

@kuchikopi4616 3 года назад

Stay away from Hong Kong CCP bots.

@clarelau7484 3 года назад

@@earthstrong7855 skills comes from China. Hong Kong is part of China. A city in China..so correct Hong Kong is China..most Hong Kongers are refugees from China after WWIi. Cannot denied DNA..

@ideapap1 3 года назад

It’s interesting it’s the same idea as tube and clip they tie the legers into the standard and use braces it’s amazing to see

@judahzebaoth4767 3 года назад

"The last" lol my neighbors building with bamboo as the scaffolding 🤣

@peterxyz3541 3 года назад

I love this technique 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

@heylilmamaletmewhisperinur1673 4 года назад

Hong Kong is not the last place to continue using bamboo. Many Southeast asian nations still use bamboo as scaffolding.

@mylifeisazn 4 года назад

They said "one of the last places" 0:42

@Rin-cj2de 3 года назад

@@mylifeisazn there's so many places using it that you can't even call it *last place*

@mylifeisazn 3 года назад

@@Rin-cj2de and I'm not saying they were calling it *last place.* I'm saying they said *one of* the last places.

@Rin-cj2de 3 года назад

@@mylifeisazn yes i agree with you. I'm trying to add on to your comment. Since bamboo scaffolding is still used in my hometown and many other Asian countries. It would be wrong to say one of the last places just because it's not popular in the west. And cos Asia a is much bigger continent than the west. (◍•ᴗ•◍)

@mylifeisazn 3 года назад

@@Rin-cj2de ah yes, okay I see what you mean now. That makes sense and I tend to see Goldthread do this kind of thing a lot. They exaggerate either out of sensationalism or just pure ignorance and end up portraying some aspect in China that isn’t entirely accurate or sometimes just plain wrong. I do think the producers do a lot of research, but I think due to some of the staff being Asian American of origin rather than purely Chinese can make some of their videos feel arrogant in the way they present their information. I’m looking at you, Clarissa Wei.

@dangshorty2029 3 года назад

Bamboo for life !

@return2earthvideochannel Год назад

Brilliant use of traditional skills.

@skeleton6244 3 года назад

I remember when i went to hongkong as a holiday trip,i saw a bamboo is used for scaffolding and building

@aldiooril7579 3 года назад

We also use bamboo here in Philippines but it's not as widely used as before

@BeastOrGod 3 года назад

They make everything, EXCEPT ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT.

@dmisk2010 3 года назад

Respect !

@umeramin6131 3 года назад

Amazing

@Moonlightrealgirl 4 года назад

Hey I;ve been wanting to know why this ws the case for like 10 years :D thank you!!

@zhubajie6940 4 года назад

I remember the days when Shanghai was covered in bamboo scaffolds until, I think it was 2010, an unlicensed welder started a fire and killed many in a tall building there. It is a shame the craft is dying but safety must be the first consideration.

@UsernameInvalidTHIS 3 года назад

Yeah, agree. A lot of old skills are lost for this reason, but it's how it has to be.

@tommywong3147 3 года назад

I thought they would regulate to have bamboo that is fire resistant instead...

@trueking8387 3 года назад

wish they showed the finished product

@neillhawel8520 3 года назад

Truly art masterpiece

@PsychLab_HK 3 года назад

I’m a hong konger. Simply using bamboo, we are building skyscrapers safer than China xdddd our skyscrapers can withstand several tropical typhoons each year!

@wpy4914 3 года назад

hope that we can preserve this culture ):

@karate4348 3 года назад

it will not fade for long.. if it is really fading at all.. humans love their skills and though some might prefer machines and unecessary processing to grow profit... the machines and profits don't reproduce.. only life grows itself! What beautiful artisanry and love of wonder and natural growth.