Dim sum, milk tea or Bruce Lee’s Chinese name? Hongkongers vote for typhoon titles as weather forecaster celebrates its 140th anniversary
- Hongkongers have until January 7 to make their choices, with the results to be announced later in the month
- Among the names listed are neon, pandas An An and Jia Jia, Pui Pui the crocodile, hibiscus and Bak-lan
Dim sum, milk tea and Siu-lung, the Chinese name of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, are among potential typhoon titles shortlisted by the Hong Kong Observatory for a public poll to open on Wednesday.
The vote on names, designed to celebrate the weather forecaster’s 140th anniversary, was organised to expand a reserve list of tropical storm names to be submitted to a typhoon committee set up by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the World Meteorological Organization.
The list of tropical cyclone names with local characteristics nominated by the committee’s 14 members has been in place since 2000.
The typhoon committee is expected to pick 10 new names from the city.
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The public could vote for 20 out of 40 names shortlisted in the first stage and win a souvenir, the Observatory said.
Also among the 40 names are neon, a feature of the city’s night scene, and Sing-si, the Chinese traditional celebratory lion dance.
The names of Ocean Park pandas An An and Jia Jia, Pui Pui, the crocodile who lives in the wetland park, as well as unique species found in the city’s wetlands, including the hoppfish and tree frog, are also on the list.
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Signature plants, such as hibiscus and the white jade orchid tree, known as Bak-lan, are also included.
Voters have until January 7 to vote, with the results to be announced in the same month.
