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Welcome to the city made by bamboo
Hong Kong has a habit of overlooking what has always been there.
Bamboo is everywhere. It climbs skyscrapers, shelters opera singers, steams dim sum, becomes lion heads and lanterns, frames rituals and inspires artists and architects.
It is one of Hong Kong’s defining materials — and one of its least understood.
Today, bamboo scaffolding is facing increasing pressure. Traditional crafts are losing apprentices. Knowledge that has shaped Hong Kong for generations is becoming more fragile.
Yet this isn’t a story about disappearance or nostalgia.
At the very moment many people assume bamboo belongs to the past, it is being rediscovered in unexpected ways. Architects are testing it as a sustainable building material. Artists are using it to explore memory, identity and place. Designers are uncovering new possibilities in one of Hong Kong’s oldest materials. Younger Hongkongers are beginning to see what has always been in front of them.
That is why we created this book: to look closely at bamboo before it is reduced to nostalgia and to ask how it can continue to grow.
Why this book matters
The Bamboo Metropolis is not a lament. It’s an argument for attention.
Bamboo is not simply a relic of old Hong Kong; nor is it only a symbol of tradition. It is a practical, beautiful, renewable and deeply intelligent material that still has something to teach us.
This book explores the skills, stories and people behind bamboo while they continue to shape Hong Kong today. It gives space to master scaffolders, theatre builders, ligation artists, steamer makers, chefs, architects, researchers and contemporary artists. It explains how bamboo works, why it matters and what could be lost if Hong Kong allows this knowledge to fade.
What’s inside?
From bamboo scaffolding and bamboo theatres to lion dances, food, architecture and contemporary art, The Bamboo Metropolis reveals the people, practices and ideas behind one of Hong Kong’s most remarkable materials.
Across more than 330 pages and richly illustrated with original photography and specially commissioned illustrations, the book combines long-form storytelling with visual essays to offer a fresh perspective on a material that most of us see every day — but rarely stop to understand.
The people behind the book
The Bamboo Metropolis brings together a multidisciplinary team of writers, architects, designers, artists, researchers and photographers who have spent years exploring Hong Kong’s culture, architecture, heritage and creative life.
Led by Christopher DeWolf and the editorial team behind the Zolima Culture Guide, the book features contributions from Cardin Chan, Sue Ng, Raffaella Endrizzi, Daniel Szehin Ho, Molly Grogan, Billy Potts and Christine Wong, alongside original photography by Kevin Mak and illustrations and design by Adrienne Lin.
Together, they offer a richly researched and beautifully illustrated exploration of one of Hong Kong’s most remarkable — and least understood — materials.
Why Kickstarter?
Like the previous volumes of the Zolima Culture Guide, The Bamboo Metropolis will be launched through Kickstarter.
Independent publishing depends on readers. By supporting this book, you’ll help us bring The Bamboo Metropolis to life, produce it to the highest editorial and production standards, and enable us to continue creating thoughtful, original publications that explore the people, practices and ideas shaping Hong Kong’s cultural identity.
Our Kickstarter campaign launches on 17 August
Be among the first to know
You can already follow our Kickstarter pre-launch page and be notified the moment the campaign goes live.
By signing up now, you’ll:
- be among the first to pledge
- unlock exclusive Early Bird rewards
- secure your copy once the campaign reaches its funding goal.
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Follow our Kickstarter pre-launch page today and be ready to pledge from 17 August.
Sign up now and Follow the Kickstarter Pre-launch Campaign
We can’t wait to share The Bamboo Metropolis with you — and to welcome you among its very first readers!
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Why your support matters
Publishing an independent book like this takes time, care and resources. It means commissioning writers, editors, photographers, illustrators and designers. It means visiting workshops, interviewing specialists, checking details, translating terminology, making complex crafts understandable and producing a physical object that does justice to the subject.
It also helps sustain the broader mission of the Zolima Culture Guide collection: to tell Hong Kong stories that are beautiful, surprising, rigorous and rooted in place. Each volume dives deep into one aspect of the city’s culture and history. This time, we are following bamboo, from the street to the stage, from the kitchen to the gallery, from the past into the future.
Thank you for supporting independent publishing. And thank you for helping us continue our exploration of the stories that shape Hong Kong.
《Zolima Culture Guide》第三冊《竹藝之都》即將推出。
我們的 Kickstarter 眾籌活動將於 8 月 17 日正式啟動。立即關注本項目，即可第一時間獲知活動上線訊息，並解鎖專屬早鳥優惠！
歡迎來到這座由竹築起的城市
香港總是習慣忽略那些一直存在於我們身邊的事物。
竹子無處不在。它攀附於摩天大樓之上，為戲曲演員搭建舞台，蒸製點心，化作為獅頭與燈籠，建構儀式場所，並激發著藝術家和建築師的靈感。
它是香港最具代表性的材料之一，也是最不為人所知的材料之一。
如今，搭棚技藝正面臨越來越大的挑戰。傳統工藝難以尋覓接班人，這項世代以來塑造香港城市面貌的知識與技術，正逐漸消逝。
然而，這並非一個關於消失或懷舊的故事。
就在許多人認為竹子屬於過去的時候，它卻以意想不到的方式被重新發現。建築師正在探索它作為可持續建築材料的可能性；藝術家正用它來探索記憶、身分和場所；設計師則在這項香港最古老的材料之一中，發掘嶄新的可能；而年輕的香港人也開始留意到那些一直就在他們眼前的事物。
這正是我們創作這本書的原因：在竹子被簡化為懷舊符號之前，重新凝視它，並思考它如何繼續生長、延續未來。
為什麼這本書值得支持？
《竹藝之都》並不是一首哀歌，而是一場重新審視竹子的邀請。
竹子不只是舊香港的遺物，也不只是傳統的象徵。它是一種實用、美麗、可再生，並蘊含深厚智慧的材料，至今仍能教會我們許多事情。
本書探索竹子背後的技藝、故事與人物，以及它們如何持續塑造今日的香港。我們將目光投向搭棚師傅、戲棚師傅、紮作師傅、竹蒸籠製作者、廚師、建築師、研究者及當代藝術家，呈現他們如何與竹子共同創造這座城市。
書中將解釋竹子如何運作、為何重要，以及如果香港讓這些知識逐漸消失，我們可能失去什麼。
本書內容
從竹棚與戲棚，到舞龍舞獅、飲食、建築與當代藝術，《竹藝之都》探索香港其中一種最具代表性的材料，呈現其背後的人物、技藝與思想。
全書逾 330 頁，配以大量原創攝影及特別委託插畫，結合深入報導與視覺敘事，為這種我們每天都看見、卻鮮少停下來理解的材料，提供全新的視角。
創作團隊
《竹藝之都》匯聚了一支跨領域團隊，由作家、建築師、設計師、藝術家、研究者及攝影師組成。他們多年來一直探索香港的文化、建築、傳統與創意生活。
本書由 Christopher DeWolf 及 《Zolima Culture Guide》編輯團隊主導，收錄何思衍、吳麗瑩、陳倩雯、博之俊、黃美榆、Raffaella Endrizzi 及 HoMolly Grogan的文章，並由 Kevin Mak 負責攝影，
他們共同帶來一場深入研究、精心呈現的探索，重新理解香港其中一種最具代表性、卻最不為人所了解的材料。
為什麼選擇 Kickstarter？
與我們之前的《Zolima Culture Guide》系列作品一樣，《竹藝之都》亦將透過 Kickstarter眾籌出版。
獨立出版離不開讀者的支持。你的支持不僅能幫助我們實現《竹藝之都》的出版，確保其達到最高的編輯和製作標準，也讓我們能繼續在完全自主的編輯方針下，探索和創作香港文化的原創故事、攝影與插畫作品。
我們的 Kickstarter 眾籌活動將於 8 月 17 日正式啟動。
搶先獲得最新消息
你現在已經可以關注我們的 Kickstarter 預告頁面，在活動正式開始時收到通知。
立即登記，你將可以：
- 成為首批支持者之一
- 解鎖獨家早鳥優惠
- 在達成集資目標後優先獲得你的書本
立即追蹤 Kickstarter 預告頁面，準備好在 8 月 17 日 開始支持我們。
我們非常期待與你分享《竹藝之都》，並歡迎你成為這本書的第一批讀者。
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為什麼你的支持如此重要？
出版一本這樣的獨立書籍，需要投入大量時間、心力與資源。從與作家、編輯、攝影師、插畫師及設計師合作，到走訪工坊、訪問專業人士、核實資料、梳理專業術語，我們致力將複雜的工藝轉化為容易理解的故事，並最終製作出一本真正呈現這個主題精神的實體書。
你的支持，也將延續 《Zolima Culture Guide》系列的使命：以美麗、獨特、嚴謹並扎根於香港的方式，講述這座城市的故事。這一次，我們追隨竹子的足跡——從街道到舞台，從廚房到藝廊，從過去走向未來。
感謝你支持獨立出版，以及與我們一起繼續探索那些塑造香港的故事。