Last Week In Reality
Last week's news in bite-sized chunks. Illustrations: Ryan Chan.
Sat 31
Goodbye Ding Dong Thousands bid farewell at the funeral of Francis Lam Pou-chuen, the voice of Japanese robot cat Doraemon. Many are in tears, remembering how Lam’s voice accompanied them through their childhoods. The funeral hall is filled with floral wreaths in Doraemon-inspired patterns. Six screens show video clips of Lam’s past work. Lam passed away in early January. He was 63 years old.
Sun 1
Thousand-Dollar Ride After a secondary school boy paid his minibus fare with a $500 banknote last month, a mainland tourist raises the stakes by paying for a bus ride from Admiralty to Ocean Park with a $1,000 banknote, overpaying by $989.40. The tourist got off the bus at Ocean Park as if nothing had happened.
Mon 2
IFC School A fake institution called “The Suwen University of Hong Kong” is caught selling diplomas on Taobao.com for prices ranging from RMB100-1,000. The institution has Photoshopped its name and logo onto the facades of IFC Mall and Harbour City, referring to the landmarks as campus buildings. The website also includes a photo of Chinese University president Joseph Sung Jao-yiu. The government states that Suwen is not registered as an educational institution in the city.