honorable mention
Daniel Ceng hong kong
title
Triennial King-Boat Burning Festival in Taiwan
The tremendous wooden King Boat, which costs millions of dollars to build, is taken to a local beach at midnight and set on fire early in the morning, to symbolise the "casting out" of plagues and the celestial lord returning to heaven.
Other ceremonies, conventions and religious protocols including paying worships to local gods and goddesses and burning ghost money would also observed before the entire festival culminates. Every year, it attracts tens of thousands of Taiwanese people and global visitors to participate in it.
He has been working with several international news agencies, including EPA Images, The Guardian, AFP, AP, ZUMA Press, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Initium. In particular, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded in February 2022, Daniel, in his 22, took the initiative to enter the war-torn country in the first week of March.
During his six month stay in Ukraine, he traveled to different war-torn cities, towns, villages as well as front lines in Donbass, reporting on the aftermath of Moscow's brutal invasion and its prolonged impacts on the most vulnerable groups. Pieces of his work have been published for headlines by international agencies such as the BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal and some other European news media.
Daniel has received education in the city of Hong Kong and lived in different places like Taiwan, Mainland China and more, giving him the ability to use English, Cantonese in a fluent manner and Chinese in a practical way, while having the understanding of cultures of both the West and the East. His on the ground photo coverage of international hot issues has led him to more than 30 awards in renowned competitions such as French IPX, Budapest International Foto Awards, Tokyo International Foto Awards, New York Feature (Emerging Photographer) Awards, Hong Kong's FOCUS AT FRONTLINE, Taiwan Press Photo Contest and more.
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entry description
The King (Wang-ye) Boat Festival is a triennial religious festival. It has been held traditionally to prevent the spread of plagues, in the port town of Donggang, Pingtung County, Southern Taiwan, with a history of 300 Years.
The tremendous wooden King Boat, which costs millions of dollars to build, is taken to a local beach at midnight and set on fire early in the morning, to symbolise the "casting out" of plagues and the celestial lord returning to heaven.
Other ceremonies, conventions and religious protocols including paying worships to local gods and goddesses and burning ghost money would also observed before the entire festival culminates. Every year, it attracts tens of thousands of Taiwanese people and global visitors to participate in it.
about the photographer
23-year-old Daniel Ceng is an award-winning Asian photojournalist covering politics, social issues, war and more across the world, including Europe, Middle-East, Asia, and Southeast Asia.He has been working with several international news agencies, including EPA Images, The Guardian, AFP, AP, ZUMA Press, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Initium. In particular, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded in February 2022, Daniel, in his 22, took the initiative to enter the war-torn country in the first week of March.
During his six month stay in Ukraine, he traveled to different war-torn cities, towns, villages as well as front lines in Donbass, reporting on the aftermath of Moscow's brutal invasion and its prolonged impacts on the most vulnerable groups. Pieces of his work have been published for headlines by international agencies such as the BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal and some other European news media.
Daniel has received education in the city of Hong Kong and lived in different places like Taiwan, Mainland China and more, giving him the ability to use English, Cantonese in a fluent manner and Chinese in a practical way, while having the understanding of cultures of both the West and the East. His on the ground photo coverage of international hot issues has led him to more than 30 awards in renowned competitions such as French IPX, Budapest International Foto Awards, Tokyo International Foto Awards, New York Feature (Emerging Photographer) Awards, Hong Kong's FOCUS AT FRONTLINE, Taiwan Press Photo Contest and more.
back to gallery