Short Reads
Then & Now | When Scots were deployed to Hong Kong defences named after roads in London
Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly, Shaftesbury Avenue: names given to the tunnels of Hong Kong’s Shing Mun Redoubt. Yet their occupants in 1941 were Scots for whom London was in a foreign land.
‘My favourite place’: Skids singer Richard Jobson excited to play Hong Kong
Scottish punk rockers Skids are playing their first Hong Kong gig on April 30. Frontman Richard Jobson, who can’t wait to perform in his favourite city, talks about starting out in music aged 16 in 1977.
Reflections | The pitfalls of travelling on passports issued by Malaysia and Singapore
Passports issued by Singapore and Malaysia don’t separate first and last names, confusing airline computers and online apps. Why the constant demands to state a surname when none is defined?
Home from Home | Where are all the bees and butterflies? UK’s many wildlife worries
From bees and butterflies to birds and badgers, much of Britain’s wildlife is in disturbing decline resulting from development, climate change, pesticides and pollution. And then there’s the roadkill.
When a Hong Kong truck driver was put on trial for smuggling guns into China
A Hong Kong truck driver was arrested for smuggling firearms into China when he entered Shenzhen in 2001, and put on trial despite the guns being fake. Eight months later he was still awaiting a verdict.
Hong Kong musical on marine sustainability decries shark’s fin soup
A Hong Kong musical promoting marine conservation and decrying shark’s fin soup, Shark Symphony is a mix of arts: throat singing, contortionism, acrobatics and belly dancing, backed by an orchestra.
Then & Now | Northern Thai cemetery’s surprising links to old Hong Kong
Chiang Mai’s foreign cemetery not only contains Hong Kong-made tombstones, but also bear testament to the educational ties that once bound northern Thailand to Hong Kong.
When a British soldier’s wife went on hunger strike in Singapore
A teenaged British army wife went on hunger strike in Singapore in 1962 in protest at the housing provided for the family. A move to Hong Kong, and a flat in Chungking Mansions, delighted her.
Reflections | Move over, soba. After oodles of udon on a trip to Japan, I’m a convert
Soba and soumen wheat noodles are my preferred Japanese varieties, but after eating udon on a visit to Kagawa in Shikoku, especially the local Sanuki udon, I was won over by their chewiness.
Hong Kong to host Asia’s first international Shakespeare festival
In an Asian first, the Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival, taking place in June, will see works by the British playwright reinterpreted by troupes from Romania to the UK to South Korea.
Then & Now | The eclectic publisher jailed for plotting to kill Mao Zedong
After World War II, Henri Vetch built a publishing career in China before being jailed for plotting to assassinate Mao Zedong and later taking the helm of the freshly minted Hong Kong University press.
When a trawler exploded in Aberdeen harbour, Hong Kong, killing three
A fishing trawler exploded and sank in Hong Kong, in 1977, when marine police were inspecting the boat. Three officers were killed and 10 injured, in the blast, caused by an LPG canister in the hold.
Home from Home | As Hong Kong hits 31 degrees, think of us still enduring UK winter
Hong Kong saw its highest ever March temperatures, while the UK awaits the end of winter – but climate change is bringing earlier signs of spring in Britain, causing a sense of renewal and revival.
Reflections | How Beijing’s Marco Polo Bridge shaped modern Chinese history
The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge showed how vulnerable modern bridges can be. China’s Marco Polo Bridge has stood the test of time, and has been the scene of historically important events.
Then & Now | Clichéd attractions will not draw tourists back to Hong Kong
Gimmicks like fireworks and drone shows that all but the most backward Chinese cities look down upon are not the answer to Hong Kong tourism’s problems. Tourists want authentic experiences.
Reflections | Standard Chinese script unified China, yet we can’t make a universal plug?
Why power plugs and sockets are not standardised worldwide is anyone’s guess. China’s First Emperor was all about standardisation – he introduced the universal Chinese writing system used to this day.
Language Matters | Purple’s roots, from sea snails to Caesar to its association with grandeur
Purple robes were a status symbol in Roman times, and the preserve of Byzantine emperors. Why? The dye came from the mucus of sea snails, 10,000 of which produced just a gram of the stuff.
Filipino artist explores her ‘Chineseness’ in Hong Kong show Tracings
Manila-born Filipino-Chinese artist MM Yu didn’t fit in growing up, and turned to art to document everyday life. In her first Hong Kong solo exhibition, she recreates her past to explore her identity.
‘Can’t blame them’: when a Hong Kong classic car rally thrilled Chinese fans
The classic cars Hong Kong owners drove to Guangzhou, China, in 1986, were a novelty at a time when hardly anyone there owned a car. Enthusiasts cheered wildly as sports cars were put through their paces.
When sculptor Henry Moore was celebrated in a Hong Kong exhibition
British sculptor Henry Moore’s life and work was celebrated in an exhibition in Hong Kong in 1986, opened by the Duchess of Kent, and an extensive catalogue published in Chinese and English in 1987.
