Latest from Jason Wordie
A complete ban on fireworks was lifted in 1975 to allow government-organised displays but, in complete disregard of the law, colourful firecrackers have been lighting up the New Territories skies every Lunar New Year, as authorities look the other way
A complete ban on fireworks was lifted in 1975 to allow government-organised displays but, in complete disregard of the law, colourful firecrackers have been lighting up the New Territories skies every Lunar New Year, as authorities look the other way
Recent viral video of school assault puts spotlight back onto the perennial problem; failure to address the issue is down to city’s culture of condoning, encouraging and cultivating passive-aggressive behaviour.
Recent viral video of school assault puts spotlight back onto the perennial problem; failure to address the issue is down to city’s culture of condoning, encouraging and cultivating passive-aggressive behaviour.
Discernible by their language and dress, Southeast Asian-born and Californian expatriate Chinese ‘uncles’ were often the butt of jokes
Discernible by their language and dress, Southeast Asian-born and Californian expatriate Chinese ‘uncles’ were often the butt of jokes
Much of our foundational understanding of local and regional customs and connections has come from enthusiasts, rather than those who occupy scholarly positions of authority
Much of our foundational understanding of local and regional customs and connections has come from enthusiasts, rather than those who occupy scholarly positions of authority
As history has shown again and again and again – from Russia and Iran to the Philippines and Japan – a national downturn is just a matter of time.
As history has shown again and again and again – from Russia and Iran to the Philippines and Japan – a national downturn is just a matter of time.
Missionaries introduced embroidery to the Chiu Chow, helping a poverty-stricken region and endowing the diaspora with a distinct profession
Missionaries introduced embroidery to the Chiu Chow, helping a poverty-stricken region and endowing the diaspora with a distinct profession
The city’s education chief says China never lost sovereignty over Hong Kong. English essayist George Orwell wrote of sinking ‘to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men’. Hong Kong has reached that point.
The city’s education chief says China never lost sovereignty over Hong Kong. English essayist George Orwell wrote of sinking ‘to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men’. Hong Kong has reached that point.
Like Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, who pretended to be a milkmaid on her fake farm on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, the affluent in Hong Kong are sheltered from the harsh realities of life
Like Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, who pretended to be a milkmaid on her fake farm on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, the affluent in Hong Kong are sheltered from the harsh realities of life
Wartime relics reclaimed from Hong Kong’s long-ago battlefields could hold vital evidence that would allow those whose remains were never accounted for to be given proper burial.
Wartime relics reclaimed from Hong Kong’s long-ago battlefields could hold vital evidence that would allow those whose remains were never accounted for to be given proper burial.
Fuel-gathering villagers stripped the countryside of trees before planting programmes and the proliferation of immigrant species transformed the land
Fuel-gathering villagers stripped the countryside of trees before planting programmes and the proliferation of immigrant species transformed the land
Long before Crazy Rich Asians there was sex symbol Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese actor in the silent movie era who had hordes of women — mainly white – swooning over him.
Long before Crazy Rich Asians there was sex symbol Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese actor in the silent movie era who had hordes of women — mainly white – swooning over him.
Best known for his biography of Queen Mary, the 20th-century Anglo-Irish writer didn’t mince his words after a brief stay in the city
Best known for his biography of Queen Mary, the 20th-century Anglo-Irish writer didn’t mince his words after a brief stay in the city
From the humble copywriter to brand managers, advertisers have mastered the art of the meaningless marketing cliché
From the humble copywriter to brand managers, advertisers have mastered the art of the meaningless marketing cliché
The renaming of the ‘Canton Delta’ as the ‘Greater Bay Area’ mirrors economic shifts sweeping across the region
The renaming of the ‘Canton Delta’ as the ‘Greater Bay Area’ mirrors economic shifts sweeping across the region
A surge in attacks by feral pigs that have strayed into the city is a sign that the government must rein in the porcine population before someone gets seriously hurt.
A surge in attacks by feral pigs that have strayed into the city is a sign that the government must rein in the porcine population before someone gets seriously hurt.
Politicians were quick to condemn uniformed troops from the People’s Liberation Army’s Hong Kong garrison helping with the post-Typhoon Mangkhut clean-up, but why not see them for what they are – a valuable but underused resource?
Politicians were quick to condemn uniformed troops from the People’s Liberation Army’s Hong Kong garrison helping with the post-Typhoon Mangkhut clean-up, but why not see them for what they are – a valuable but underused resource?
Feared for its ability to bring bad luck, the harmless broom – often the source of unflattering nicknames – is kept at arm’s length during Lunar New Year. Find out why
Feared for its ability to bring bad luck, the harmless broom – often the source of unflattering nicknames – is kept at arm’s length during Lunar New Year. Find out why
Across Hong Kong, often at the sites of former police and military facilities, mango trees grow. Though it’s rarely acknowledged now, they owe their existence to Sikhs and Punjabis who filled the ranks of both services.
Across Hong Kong, often at the sites of former police and military facilities, mango trees grow. Though it’s rarely acknowledged now, they owe their existence to Sikhs and Punjabis who filled the ranks of both services.
Original express train from Tsim Sha Tsui to the centre of the Chinese city took just 90 minutes, when it started in 1937, before all links were cut with the Communist assumption of power
Original express train from Tsim Sha Tsui to the centre of the Chinese city took just 90 minutes, when it started in 1937, before all links were cut with the Communist assumption of power
The Nansen passport – named after a Norwegian Nobel laureate – allowed those left stateless after the first world war to escape, including famous names such as Marc Chagall, Anna Pavlova and Aristotle Onassis
The Nansen passport – named after a Norwegian Nobel laureate – allowed those left stateless after the first world war to escape, including famous names such as Marc Chagall, Anna Pavlova and Aristotle Onassis
As Hong Kong’s assembly sector flourished, workers sometimes shared the load with family members, including children, to increase production
As Hong Kong’s assembly sector flourished, workers sometimes shared the load with family members, including children, to increase production
Writer Stella Benson’s journals reveal much about European life in pre-war Hong Kong, of which she was emphatically not a fan.
Writer Stella Benson’s journals reveal much about European life in pre-war Hong Kong, of which she was emphatically not a fan.
In Hong Kong flamboyant displays of wealth are nothing new – the moneyed class have long known how to splash the cash.
In Hong Kong flamboyant displays of wealth are nothing new – the moneyed class have long known how to splash the cash.
Hong Kong, where vibrators are openly advertised, has always had a contradictory relationship with the business of pleasure, an industry led by Japan
Hong Kong, where vibrators are openly advertised, has always had a contradictory relationship with the business of pleasure, an industry led by Japan
Pro-establishment indignation has catapulted Andy Chan from the fringes onto a political pedestal
Pro-establishment indignation has catapulted Andy Chan from the fringes onto a political pedestal
From the craze for Chinese tea and Indian textiles to Japonisme, ‘fads’ have connected the East with Europe and the United States for centuries
From the craze for Chinese tea and Indian textiles to Japonisme, ‘fads’ have connected the East with Europe and the United States for centuries
Invented to expedite communication for travelling Buddhist monks, hand gestures eventually evolved into a less honourable means of communication and today are largely the preserve of mobsters
Invented to expedite communication for travelling Buddhist monks, hand gestures eventually evolved into a less honourable means of communication and today are largely the preserve of mobsters
Affability, a nose for trouble and the ability to handle drunks were essential qualifications for barkeeping, one of the only trades in which Westerners could compete in Hong Kong
Affability, a nose for trouble and the ability to handle drunks were essential qualifications for barkeeping, one of the only trades in which Westerners could compete in Hong Kong
How black-market racketeers made tidy fortunes by selling adulterated pencillin and other antibiotics to China in the 1950s
How black-market racketeers made tidy fortunes by selling adulterated pencillin and other antibiotics to China in the 1950s
Textile mills provided employment for several generations of Hongkongers and made their proprietors rich, but the coloured effluent that spewed from dyeing works defiled city nullahs and inshore waters until production moved to China.
Textile mills provided employment for several generations of Hongkongers and made their proprietors rich, but the coloured effluent that spewed from dyeing works defiled city nullahs and inshore waters until production moved to China.