https://www.scmp.com/rss/142232/feed Poon Kit is a professor in the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University. She served as undersecretary for the environment in the Hong Kong SAR Government from 2008 to 2012 en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The new round of institutional reform, unveiled at the plenary session of the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing last week, is truly a milestone in the history of China’s environmental protection and conservation. A new ministry for conservation and a restructured environmental watchdog will be established against the backdrop of streamlining 15 constituent ministries and departments of the State Council.  The reform package is the eighth round of institutional revamping since 1982. It... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138029/china-enters-new-era-conservation-and-pollution-control-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138029/china-enters-new-era-conservation-and-pollution-control-can?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Mar 2018 04:00:30 +0000 The 27th Hong Kong Film Awards, held last week, said it all. Macho males remain at the centre of this society compared to females, especially the old and unwedded ones. Depicting brotherhood, loyalty and betrayal among three heroes, the war epic, The Warlords, took home eight of the 19 honours. In contrast, the tragicomedy looking into the sober experience of an old lady, The Postmodern Life of My Aunt, won only the best actress award, despite its generally favourable reviews. The number of... https://www.scmp.com/article/634549/loneliness-epidemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/634549/loneliness-epidemic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0000 As the plenary sessions of the new National People's Congress started last week, commentators in Hong Kong marvelled at the fact that nearly 70 per cent of the delegates were newcomers, including two Sichuan province women in their 20s from ethnic minorities. The call for generational change in Hong Kong's political landscape has thus intensified. This yearning for fresh faces deserves close attention. It underscores the search for a new direction as Hong Kong nears a new decade. In fact, the... https://www.scmp.com/article/629286/fresh-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/629286/fresh-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Tonight's family gatherings, banquets and parties will celebrate the arrival of 2008 with the New Year's Day holiday. Few of us think about holidays as the product of state powers and politics. Yet, as the mainland's recent revamp of its holiday scheme reveals, the choice of holidays touches a range of important issues. Political, economic, social and cultural factors all come into play. The State Council recently decided to cut short May's 'golden week' holiday, while adding the Ching... https://www.scmp.com/article/621225/red-letter-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/621225/red-letter-days?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 This week will be a defining moment for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. How he will be remembered after he departs from the political scene in 2012 will depend on the outcomes of two events. First, whether he is selected by netizens as one of the 10 most influential people in China in 2007, in an online survey organised by mainland media conglomerates. If picked, he will probably be written into history books as a popular regional leader. The second matter is how Beijing rules on... https://www.scmp.com/article/620687/mr-popularity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/620687/mr-popularity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Since the chief executive election in March, political parties, grass-roots groups and think-tanks have rolled up their sleeves and plunged into the fight for a place on the political stage. As the year draws to an end, all but the Liberal Party - the second-largest political party in the Legislative Council - have proved their political strength. The pan-democracy camp, through Anson Chan Fang On-sang, won the recent Legislative Council by-election handsomely, and the Democratic Alliance for... https://www.scmp.com/article/619902/decline-and-fall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/619902/decline-and-fall?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 As she was sworn in at the Legislative Council chamber last Wednesday, Anson Chan Fang On-sang completed her transformation from a former senior bureaucrat to an elected legislator. Although she arrived at the finishing line with a substantial victory over her rival, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, her future does not look rosy. She is likely to confront many hurdles between now and the next Legco poll. Her foremost test will be regarding her relationship with the pan-democrats. Although she stood... https://www.scmp.com/article/618947/rocky-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/618947/rocky-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 The curtain has finally fallen on the Legislative Council by-election, with Anson Chan Fang On-sang declared the winner. As a prelude to the upcoming election for the whole of Legco next September, the strategies of the different camps, the candidates' actions and the media coverage during the by-election offer some useful clues about political development in Hong Kong. The crucial question remains: was democracy a winner or a loser? There were three distinct stages to the by-election. It... https://www.scmp.com/article/618168/democracys-victory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/618168/democracys-victory?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 After the pan-democratic camp was left badly bruised in the district council elections, it is hard to turn one's eyes away from the Legislative Council by-election, where the main rivals are Anson Chan Fang On-sang and Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee. The Hong Kong Island poll, on December 2, is now filled with both symbolic and substantive values for democrats. Thus, for them, it is vital that Mrs Chan wins. Symbolically, the pro-democracy camp cannot afford to lose two elections in a row. ... https://www.scmp.com/article/617115/victory-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/617115/victory-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:00:00 +0000 If you had asked, four weeks ago, who would win a landslide victory in the Legislative Council by-election, people on the street would have said: 'Anson Chan Fang On-sang'. Today, the answer would be very different. Mrs Chan's victory appears anything but certain. An opinion poll conducted by the University of Hong Kong last week indicated that the big lead she enjoyed over her rival, former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, has been trimmed to as low as 3 percentage points. While the... https://www.scmp.com/article/615253/down-fray?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/615253/down-fray?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Despite its popularity among viewers around the world and its success at the Venice Film Festival, Ang Lee's spy thriller Lust, Caution has suffered two setbacks. First, it was rejected by organisers of the Oscars as Taiwan's entry for best foreign film because it did not have enough Taiwanese working on the movie. Then it was rejected by the Hong Kong Film Awards - for having too few Hongkongers. Lee's misfortune tells a story. It suggests that film directors, movie stars and corporations... https://www.scmp.com/article/614378/narrow-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/614378/narrow-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:00:00 +0000 The biggest news out of the Communist Party's 17th National Congress was its hint about the new leadership lineup for 2012. Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang - party bosses in Shanghai and Liaoning , respectively - emerged as the nation's likely future president and premier. But that news was rather trivial compared to the underlying message. The congress cements a new era when leadership successions no longer breed huge crises. That period of chaotic uncertainty ended with the departure of the... https://www.scmp.com/article/613440/passing-baton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/613440/passing-baton?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Women play an indispensable role in political affairs. The Statute of Liberty, holding up her torch in New York harbour, is a female figure symbolising freedom and democracy. In many famous drawings, the spirit of the French Revolution is represented by female figures in Roman dress. In China, the Goddess of Democracy created during the Tiananmen student movement in 1989 was a female figure with Chinese facial features. Yet it is by no means easy for women to participate in politics. ... https://www.scmp.com/article/610692/politics-femininity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/610692/politics-femininity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Every country has its own, deeply rooted wounds. In consequence, each also has its own desires, consciously or subconsciously. The return of Anson Chan Fang On-sang and Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee to Hong Kong's political scene is a case in point. Their reascension highlights Hongkongers' desire to reconcile the need for a more effective government - the sort we had in the past - with today's quest for democracy. The Legislative Council by-election in December presents a golden opportunity for... https://www.scmp.com/article/609895/great-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/609895/great-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:00:00 +0000 With overseas visitors flooding into the city for a series of 10th anniversary events these few weeks, Hongkongers often found themselves embarrassed by a simple question: what to take home as souvenirs? Yes, the skyline of the city viewed from The Peak was impressive. The food at a range of restaurants was excellent. Yet, a single item that could capture the essence of Hong Kong seems to be lacking. What is the essence of Hong Kong anyway? Government officials say Hong Kong is a world... https://www.scmp.com/article/600691/unique-hybrid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/600691/unique-hybrid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:00:00 +0000 A lot of words have been written reviewing Hong Kong's past decade. Yet, what will Hong Kong become in the next decade? Little has been said about the city's future, especially our younger generation, who will become the pillar of social development. The lack of attention being paid to them suggests that Hong Kong is in danger of becoming a backward-looking city. There have been no thorough studies of whether they are prepared and equipped for the challenges ahead, or what their... https://www.scmp.com/article/599031/forward-thinking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/599031/forward-thinking?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:00:00 +0000 At the advent of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, a survey conducted by academics showed a rise in Chinese identity among the city's youth. Those who identified themselves as Chinese Hongkongers rose to 22 per cent, up from 16 per cent a decade ago, while those who called themselves Hongkongers dropped from 34 per cent to 29 per cent for the same period. Although this helped to show the changing mood in youngsters, it nonetheless drew its conclusions from the perceived... https://www.scmp.com/article/597276/changing-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/597276/changing-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jun 2007 16:00:00 +0000 The conservation of historic sites and redevelopment of old districts in Hong Kong have caused controversy, but it is by no means unique to the government. In Beijing, the demolition of the Dongsibatiao hutong hit the front pages of newspapers last week. The municipal government, eager to polish the city's image ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, was severely criticised by conservationists and residents. The issue of conservation amid urban renewal is a new test for old bureaucracy. In... https://www.scmp.com/article/593701/test-old-beliefs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/593701/test-old-beliefs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 May 2007 16:00:00 +0000 After teaching undergraduate students for a few semesters, I have realised that the greatest paradox for educators today is the trade-off between being an adaptive and a principled teacher. The educators of Confucianism recently have confronted the same dilemma. In China, a heated debate has erupted between those who wish to preserve the authenticities of Confucianism and those who popularise Confucian studies through the mass media. Yu Dan, a young professor from the Beijing Normal... https://www.scmp.com/article/590109/confucius-goes-mod?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/590109/confucius-goes-mod?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:00:00 +0000 As Donald Tsang Yam-kuen prepares for his second term as chief executive, the hopes and fears of Hong Kong's middle class - the backbone of the community - need to be an important area of policy consideration. In fact, the combined effects of resurgent property prices and stagnant career prospects have seen a slow but discernible rise in anxiety among members of this group. Classified as professionals, managers and executives, their income exceeds the average annual salary of... https://www.scmp.com/article/588285/class-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/588285/class-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Apr 2007 16:00:00 +0000