The Yu Lan Festival tradition of the Chiu Chow people is steeped in folk culture and religious customs. At the same time, it carries in it the histories of the Chinese diaspora and the development of Hong Kong. The Yu Lan alms-giving practice was brought to Hong Kong by the Chiu Chow people more than a hundred years’ ago when they left their native home. Since then, it has taken root in Hong Kong. It has not only preserved its own indigenous customs but also some of the local features and character of Hong Kong, a highly urbanised city that has been consistently evolving. The Yu Lan tradition is still being upheld by the Chiu Chow community in neighbourhoods all over Hong Kong, and has become a major folk activity with territory-wide participation.

The Yu Lan Ghost Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow community was inscribed onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011.