HONG KONG - Yip Kin-man and Kung Tsz-shan became the men's and women's champions respectively in the bun scrambling competition held early on Thursday in Hong Kong's Cheung Chau island.

In the men's event, Chung Yuk-chuen emerged the first runner-up while Leung Wan-chung the second runner-up.

Nine-time champion Kwok Ka-ming became the winner of "full pockets of lucky buns", despite failing to clinch his 10th title. 

The grand finale of the 2024 Bun Carnival attracted more than 1,600 spectators to the city's southern island. Total 12 finalists scrambled up the bun tower to gather as many buns as they could in three minutes.

Apart from the individual race, there was also an invitation relay, where three teams from Shenzhen, Zhuhai and the Macao Special Administrative Region competed against seven local teams from Cheung Chau.

Running from May 12-16 this year, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, one of the city's most colorful cultural celebration events, has been on the national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2011. For residents of Cheung Chau, this is an important annual event.

At 1:30 pm on Wednesday, the Piu Sik parade, one of the highlights of the Bun Festival, with children dressed up as deities and celebrities on stilts, set off from the island's Pak Tai Temple.

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Accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums, the young actors waved and handed out sweets to the crowd, attracting many to take pictures.

"My father used to take part in the parade and I played a role in it when I was a kid," said a resident from Hong Kong Island who identified himself only as Cheung.

This year, Cheung took his wife and children to watch the parade, hoping that they could experience the charm of the traditional culture.

A string of exciting activities - including watching Piu Sik parade and bun scrambling competition, tasting the festival's signature buns, and more - took place during the festival, attracting a large number of people to Cheung Chau and bringing business opportunities to the small island.

According to Sun Ferry, which operated the route between Hong Kong Island and Cheung Chau, as of 5 pm local time, the number of passengers increased by 12.5 percent compared with the same period last year.

"I hope Hong Kong can organize more activities to promote traditional culture," said a Hong Kong resident surnamed Ho who watched the parade every year.

Another Hong Kong resident who preferred to be named as Kwok,  owner of a bakery selling buns symbolizing peace and well-being, started bun-making workshops last September to promote the Bun Festival and has attracted around 20,000 people to join.

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Kwok said that there were more visitors to Cheung Chau than expected this year. His shop opened at about 6 am local time and all buns were sold out within two hours.