- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Time running out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolders preserve ancient technique
Mo Jia Yu wraps his legs around a pole to balance high above the ground and secure a joint, a skill he must master to become a bamboo scaffolder in Hong Kong.
The metropolis is one of the world's last remaining cities to use bamboo scaffolding in modern construction and building repair.
Scaffolders perched on bamboo frames several storeys high are a common sight, and are nicknamed "spiders" by Hong Kongers for their agility over the web-like latticework.
Mo is among dozens of students who enrol each year at the city's Construction Industry Council (CIC) to learn the traditionalmethod.
"You have to have a daring heart," said Mo, who has been at the school for nearly three months.
"You have to be aware of safety because you are working high up in the air."
Students learn how to firmly saddle the bamboo frame so that they can free up their hands to work on the scaffolds, which are held together with simple knots tied using nylon strips.
"This basic knot is something we learn first... we practise for an entire week to get it right," said another student, Ho Cheuk Wai.
"Then, the instructors will teach us how to put on the safety harness, and step-by-step we learn how to build all the way to the top."
Scaffolding using bamboo dates back centuries and was once a widespread practice across China and elsewhere in Asia.
Most cities in the region have phased it out to favour materials such as steel and aluminium.
In Hong Kong, intricate bamboo webs are still part of the cityscape, latticed around both old residential flats and glitzy skyscrapers.
- 'Courage and skill' -
Scaffolding is regulated by strict safety guidelines but is still viewed as a dangerous profession since the work is often done at dizzying heights.
"You need courage as well as skill to survive," said Wallace Chang, a professor at Hong Kong University's architecture department.
"This deters people from going into the industry."
Despite the perils involved in the craft, Chang hopes Hong Kong will preserve it as part of its cultural heritage.
Its popularity in the city is due to both price and efficiency.
Bamboo is readily available across the border in southern Chinese provinces. A pole costs around HK$15 (US$2) compared with HK$280 (US$35) for one made of metal.
Lightweight bamboo is also easier to transport through a cramped urban centre.
It is flexible, allowing builders to cut poles to desired lengths for different construction sites.
"Bamboo scaffolds are very suited to the odd and tight spaces in Hong Kong," explained instructor Kin Kee Wo, who has worked in the construction industry for nearly 30 years.
"It can be built in the most unthinkable places, in the most beautiful ways."
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN