QI Hong Kong Celebrates Lantern Festival Day with the Elderly - RYTHM Foundation

Last Saturday, 11 February, marked the 15^th day or first full moon after the Chinese New Year. It is known as the Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival in Hong Kong—a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar Chinese calendar, marking the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.

To celebrate this auspicious day, QI staff excitedly packed some blessing bags, carried along musical instruments, and had an awesome afternoon of games and singing songs with around 30 elderly people in Po Leung Kuk Elderly Services, an organisation that offers quality services to the rapidly ageing population of Hong Kong. In 2016, 12.6% of the population was estimated to be over the age of 65, making quality health care and wellness an important priority to the organisation.

The sing-along activity was fun! We also got entertained by a hundred-year-old lady who sang “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin” (The Moon Represents My Heart) melodiously, accompanied by a guitar.

QI staff also had the opportunity to serve the elderly by preparing new plant beds for their roof top gardening activity by removing grass or other existing vegetation and adding new soil to old soil in plant boxes.

QI Group Managing Director Mr Richard Zinkiewicz shared the importance of sharing our love, hugs, and time to the elderly who are integral parts of our society who helped to shape the world we are all in now.

Another thing that made this visit very meaningful is that our staff were able to share the QI culture and gift of giving with their families and young ones. It is like planting seeds especially in the little ones’ hearts!

This is QI Hong Kong’s 4^th consecutive year of spending meaningful and fun activities in the centre and we intend to do more!