During a rainstorm in July 2015, an old, 20-metre tall banyan tree grown on the stonewall collapsed on Bonham Road in Hong Kong. The government, ignoring the opinions from tree experts and without public consultation, axed four other neighbouring old stonewall trees in haste, resulting in only the roots remaining.

 

These banyan trees grown on the masonry, with the crisscrossing roots gripping the wall, were heritage in Hong Kong for over a century. These trees were part of the composer’s nostalgic memory of numerous journeys along that road.

 

Remembrance of the Stonewall Trees is a piece expressing the memory, and the anger for the loss, of these beautiful banyan. This piece was commissioned by, and dedicated to, sheng performer Loo Sze Wang, and was written specially for his performance at the Canberra International Music Festival in May 2017.

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