There was great news for giant pandas this week: The patch-eyed goofballs are no longer an endangered species, thanks to years of concerted conservation efforts. Here in Hong Kong, however, we’re having a little more trouble with our own endangered icons…
In the late 1960s, Hong Kong restaurants began serving dim sum with the trolleys used in Western fine-dining, because servers found traditional trays and platters too heavy to handle. The trolleys were later fitted with heating elements to keep food warm. But thanks to the space trolleys take up, they’re now a dying breed, disappearing in favor of the often baffling dim sum order sheet.
Get trollied: Lin Heung Tea House, 160-164 Wellington St., Central, 2544-4556; London Restaurant, Good Hope Building, 612 Nathan Rd., Mong Kok, 2771-8018.
2. Good, Decent Politicians
Is there a good man left in politics? With the passing of the legendary Szeto Wah in 2011, are there any truly honorable men or women left? The Martin Lees and Anson Chans aren’t in Legco any longer, and their replacements seem far more interested in bickering, filibustering and vetoing than trying to fix the problems Hong Kong faces. Meanwhile, the civil servants we thought to be at least OK turn out to have been crooked—take former Chief Secretary Rafael Hui, convicted of misconduct and accepting bribes. Perhaps our new crop of young, upstart Legco members can bring some honor back to politics? Sure, and pigs have a habit of taking wing…
Read More: The Who's Who of Legco: Meet 6 New Radical Lawmakers
3. Animals
If there’s a candidate for official Hong Kong animal, it’s the Chinese white dolphin—known in Hong Kong as the pink dolphin. In fact, they were the official mascot of the 1997 Handover. And like so many things since then, they’re facing extinction—thanks to polluted waters, overfishing and extensive construction projects. The number of pink dolphins around the city plummeted from 158 in 2003 to just 62 in 2015. Other wildlife facing the same fate include the hawksbill turtle, for similar reasons; the Chinese pangolin, rapidly diminishing due to poaching; and Romer’s tree frog, first discovered on Lamma Island in 1952 and entirely indigenous to Hong Kong.
Advertisement
How to save them: Volunteer or donate to the WWF at wwf.org.hk
Read More: Samuel Hung Ka-yiu Can Save Hong Kong's 60 Endangered Dolphins
