Jerk chicken spits on a smoking beach barbecue as dozens of children dance in the sand to the sounds of Bob Marley and their parents tap along on an assortment of drums.

The Saturday afternoon "reggae workshops" on Lamma, a small mountainous islet off Hong Kong's main island, are a family affair.

"It's about introducing people to the spirit of Jamaica, mon," said Simo Chau, a reggae enthusiast so taken by the music that she has affected a Caribbean patois to complement her Chinese English.

Hong Kong is well known for pulsing at a more frenetic pace than the easy beat of reggae, but on leafy Lamma, where life proceeds at a snail's pace, lover's rock is more than just music. "It's good for disstressed out city, mon," slurs Chau.

Fads are big in Hong Kong and the current one is reggae. DJs who had been playing high-energy dance and techno music for years have begun switching to the mellow sounds of Kingston, and dreadlocks are now a common sight on the heads of young Chinese.

Bars have been stocking their juke boxes with everything from Marley, the undisputed king of reggae, to modern proponents like Sean Paul as well as the old pioneers including Prince Jammy.

Steeped in Rastafarian culture, reggae emerged in 1960s Jamaica fusing a multitude of Caribbean musical styles, including calypso and samba, with mainstream black American rhythm and blues.

Its upbeat rhythms often belie lyrics that deal with weighty issues such as slavery, black consciousness and, of course, Rastafarianism, the religion founded around the late Ethiopian king Haile Selassie.

While Hong Kong shares little with the cultures of the Caribbean, Chau says there is a lot it can learn from the reggae ethos.

"It's about love for one another and peace," says Hong Kong-born Chau, who co-opted reggae culture during 10 years of study in Jamaica.

Her workshops are growing in popularity. For HK$100 (US$12.83) participants can dine on traditional Jamaican dishes, learn to play reggae and learn some of the basic dance moves.

"Lamma is a great place for this because it is close to nature," says Chau, a professional dancer by trade. "It's a great place to learn the folklore."

As if to usher in the new scene, Hong Kong's premier grass-roots arts centre, The Fringe, has launched a regular reggae night, Roots, featuring DJs, showing old Jamaican films and showcasing local bands.

"I think people are just getting a bit fed up with the usual dance music," said Mikey Dread, a long-term British expatriate whose weekly reggae night in the Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district has just celebrated its third anniversary.

"It really is a way of life for those of us who are big fans," said Dread, whose parents hail from Jamaica.

With reggae spreading across borders to cross-fertilize with the traditional musics of countries like Algeria, France and India, Dread believes it will only be a matter of time before China will have its own form of reggae.

"Reggae can be part of every culture, any culture" said Dread, 38.

(China Daily April 17, 2004)