The Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild (HKPAG) sent a contingent of members to Guangxi Province in China on 22-26 February to visit some of the victims of the snowstorm disaster that hit regions in the central, eastern and southern regions of the country earlier this year. The team was led by HKPAG president Alan Tam (譚詠麟) and participants in the various trips included Cheung Kwok Keung (KK) (張國強), Anthony Chan (陳友), Tony Leung (梁家輝), Jo Koo (谷祖琳), Patrick Tam (譚耀文), Don Li (李逸朗), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Ada Choi (蔡少芬), Sandra Ng (吳君如), Charlie Yeung (楊采妮), Ray Lui (呂良偉), Miriam Yeung (楊千嬅) and Ivana Wong (王菀之). A press conference was held on Friday, where Alan was joined by Jo, KK, Anthony, David Lo (盧大衛) and Phoenix TV Deputy Controller Wan Kong Shing (溫港成). Originally, Tony had also agreed to take part, but he was suffering from gastroenteritis, so he was absent. Alan laughed that he could not even put his trousers on. However, Tony's presence was conveyed through some of the footage that was shot during the trip, showing his visit to a family where a single mother had to look after her child, who was suffering from cancer, but their home had been smashed into two by a fallen lamppost. In the film, Alan and KK also helped with the rebuilding of some of the homes that had been damaged by the snowstorms and then the subsequent fires. They told of how each trip up the hill to return with the materials took about half an hour and it was treacherous negotiating the slippery paths. However, Alan said that the people there were extremely co-operative and did not complain about their hardship, eager to help each other whenever they were needed. Alan said that he was quite fortunate because the rains would stop as soon as he went out. He revealed that they had to take advantage of any dry weather, so everyone chipped in the repair the rooftops whenever the sun appeared. He said that the feeling of giving is very fulfilling and he enjoyed what he described as wearing a halo. Asked if he would be taking his son to see the victims, Alan replied that he hoped to in the future, but will be showing the pictures to his son first. During the interview, KK seemed a little tearful and he said that the hardest thing was bringing together so many people from the city to help those in need. The act of selfless giving really touched his heart. He also admired the generosity of the people he met as he told the story about the little boy that he presented with a football, but the boy then chose to donate it to the local school instead. Jo spoke about how she found that the people in the villages were much happier in life than she was, even with fewer material possessions. This taught her that happiness comes from within and when you have too much, you do not cherish it as much. She added that on the trip, she found it hard to adapt to sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor and not having washing facilities at first, but after a couple of nights, she was able to adapt to the simple environment. The filming for the trip was sponsored and provided free of charge by Anthony's company Pop TV and Phoenix TV. Credits:Batgwa
