Cultural Industry Fund presents renovated teahouse

The Cultural Industry Fund (FIC) hosted a tea gathering for the media yesterday at an antique Chinese teahouse near Rua de Cinco de Outubro. The location was renovated as part of their subsidized regeneration scheme.

Casa de Cha Tai Long Fong, or the Dragon and Phoenix Teahouse, is one of several FIC-approved projects for subsidized regeneration. Once a popular place for Cantonese yum-cha, the teahouse’s glamor had faded significantly in recent decades. It has became popular among Cantonese opera enthusiasts because of daily “concerts” held there by amateur singers, and later started to attract locals and tourists searching for the antique teahouse.

The teahouse is now brighter and cleaner, following the recent renovations subsidized by the FIC. The majority of the broken facility was repaired, and the wall under the staircase was revamped with the addition of four golden-colored boards featuring carpentry in the style of Chinese paintings. The stage for the daily “concerts” has also been added, with lighting that resembles Chinese lanterns.

DUMPLINGS, TEAS, BISCUITS

Three brands are undergoing regeneration: an eatery selling dumplings, a Chinese herbal tea shop and a Chinese biscuit shop.

Of particular note among these brands is the Chinese biscuit shop, the Pan Fong Bakery, which opened in 1936.

Traditionally, only reputable Chinese businesses could get a special type of signboard, known in Cantonese as “The Gold-plated Signboard.” It may not really have been gold-plated, but Chinese people honored it as it symbolized the reputation of a business. The Pan Fong Bakery still has one of these signboards hanging in their shop.

The bakery sells around two dozen types of Chinese baked delicacies, including the “Wife Pastry,” egg cookies and others.

The design house commissioned to work on this project made the signboard the centerpiece of the new food packaging, which will still be made of paper. It is presented in a modern manner, with the addition of flowers auspicious to the Chinese such as chrysanthemums and orchids. The new packaging comes in at least four different colors.

Traditional Chinese art has been used in several of the new corporate images. For example, Chinese calligraphy, originally written by a Chinese medical practitioner, has been printed on paper cups used by the herbal tea shop.

FIC SUBSIDY TO COME AGAIN

FIC subsidy campaigns have somehow become a recurrent job for the fund. The FIC reported that in the first four months of this year, MOP41 million worth of subsidies were approved, 70% of which were interest- free loans.

The FIC is also supporting local fashion and design with dedicated subsidy platforms for each industry. The fund is also helping local creative industry workers expand into the Greater Bay Area.

A new round of subsidy campaigns is now inviting proposals. Applications close on June 25. Staff reporter