https://www.scmp.com/rss/16321/feed Richard is a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist who writes about a broad range of subjects, but with a focus on the arts and culture. He has been an editor at the Wall Street Journal, editorial director of Haymarket Publishing Asia and the editor of a weekly business magazine in his native UK. A graduate of Oxford University, he is also the author of a successful business book and a former stand-up comedian, the latter of which he wasn’t very good at. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Richard Lord Richard Lord By 2060, old-age to work-age ratios will double and 20 per cent of the population will be aged 65 or older, according to OECD predictions. The prospect of fewer young people to care for increasing numbers of elderly in their retirement makes financial planning and healthcare increasingly paramount concerns. “Chronic diseases are getting more prevalent and the age of onset is getting younger,” says Dr Shiba Poon, a general practitioner with OT&P Healthcare. “The majority of non-communicable... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-healthcare/article/3352859/how-longevity-healthcare-reshaping-physical-mental-and-financial-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-healthcare/article/3352859/how-longevity-healthcare-reshaping-physical-mental-and-financial-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 22:00:17 +0000 Richard Lord Richard Lord One of the most exciting uses of the blockchain is the tokenisation of real world assets – the ability to represent traditional financial assets as digital units. In theory, you can tokenise anything: funds, stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, private equity – even artworks. There are a number of compelling advantages to doing so, especially as institutions are already seeing benefits all the way up to the retail level. China Asset Management (Hong Kong), for instance, launched digital... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-alternative-investments/article/3332738/tokenisation-can-hong-kong-unlock-real-world-asset-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-alternative-investments/article/3332738/tokenisation-can-hong-kong-unlock-real-world-asset-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Richard Lord Richard Lord Hong Kong might not be racing to fill its streets with AI-powered self-driving cars with the alacrity of some other cities, but its cautious approach reflects a serious commitment to managing such transformative technology. Currently, the first public trials are under way, and they could soon become a familiar sight on our roads. At the heart of these futuristic vehicles – often called driverless cars, autonomous vehicles (AVs) or robotaxis – lies AI. It is essential for processing an immense... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3322303/apollo-go-and-ponyai-are-trialling-self-driving-cars-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3322303/apollo-go-and-ponyai-are-trialling-self-driving-cars-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 02:56:13 +0000 Richard Lord Richard Lord Take a stroll around the streets of Hong Kong a couple of decades ago and the amount of street art you’d have seen would be close to zero. A smattering of graffiti, yes, but almost no walls where businesses had commissioned artworks for commercial purposes. Today, the situation couldn’t be more different. Hong Kong is covered in street art of all descriptions, with hotspots from SoHo and Sheung Wan – including perhaps most Insta-famous of all, artist Alex Croft’s Graham Street mural for homeware... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3308310/why-brands-and-businesses-are-embracing-street-art-culture-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3308310/why-brands-and-businesses-are-embracing-street-art-culture-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:15:07 +0000 There’s one venue that has revolutionised the way art is consumed in Hong Kong over the past decade or so. It isn’t the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, home to Art Basel; neither is it M+, the undoubted quality of the art museum’s extensive collection notwithstanding, and nor is it any of the city’s many clusters of private galleries. Instead, one of the venues most responsible for popularising art in the city is one that many of its residents walk past, gaze at or cross over every... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3304722/how-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour-doubles-floating-art-gallery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3304722/how-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour-doubles-floating-art-gallery?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2025 02:00:10 +0000 It is a truism that most diver’s watches are far more likely to see the inside of a corporate boardroom than the deck of a schooner, let alone any inky ocean depths. Nonetheless, for those who want a timepiece that’s as rugged as it is stylish, an impressive range of innovative sports watches saw the light of day this year. In particular, it was a bumper year for fans of maritime horology, with a focus on covetable diver’s watches. Chief among the anticipated releases was the Tudor Black Bay 58... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3291016/built-adventure-these-rugged-timepieces-rolex-omega-richard-mille-and-others-are-made-sporty-types?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3291016/built-adventure-these-rugged-timepieces-rolex-omega-richard-mille-and-others-are-made-sporty-types?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:00:10 +0000 Intricate complications and futuristic materials are all very well, but sometimes we just want watchmakers to dazzle us with their skills. This year, stand-out pieces from several leading luxury watch maisons have gone well beyond telling the time to also telling stories through their spectacular designs. Van Cleef & Arpels, for example, pushed the art of enamelling into entirely new territory with the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté, part of its Extraordinary Dials collection. Its dial, which took... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3290995/art-and-jewellery-designs-redefining-timepieces-shape-shifting-cartier-and-chanels-couture-ensemble?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3290995/art-and-jewellery-designs-redefining-timepieces-shape-shifting-cartier-and-chanels-couture-ensemble?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2025 21:00:12 +0000 As ever, this year has seen brands digging deep into their archives, as some much-loved maisons remind us what made these signature models horological fan favourites in the first place. Of course, there’s also no better time than the present to revisit time-only models. The Grand Seiko SLGW005 recalls the high beat rate, precision Grand Seiko 45GS from 1968, including a return to printing both Seiko and Grand Seiko logos from that era. Leaning more towards the designer side of revivalist... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3290997/luxury-watchmakers-explore-their-archives-revive-vintage-classics-grand-seiko-and-piagets-time-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3290997/luxury-watchmakers-explore-their-archives-revive-vintage-classics-grand-seiko-and-piagets-time-only?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 21:00:09 +0000 Family offices are making themselves felt in Hong Kong. In recent years, not only has the city attracted many more such companies – which take care of all a family’s financial needs, employing their own experts – but the scope of those companies has been growing. They are typically established after a family’s assets grow, usually through a successful business, and its members want to do more with their money. Their role can be a varied one: naturally, it involves asset allocation, but it can... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3282680/why-hong-kongs-family-offices-are-thriving-high-net-worth-individuals-build-their-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3282680/why-hong-kongs-family-offices-are-thriving-high-net-worth-individuals-build-their-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2024 03:05:07 +0000 Aron Tsang: “I read it first and introduced it to Wesley. I got it at Eslite in Causeway Bay; I always go into the architecture and design corner, and right next to it is the science corner. The book’s name was very attractive to me – as architects, we’re always asking ourselves: what is beauty and how can we achieve that? “The first few chapters were easy to understand but then the middle and end were very difficult for me, with a lot of quantum physics. What I initially expected was for it to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/design-interiors/article/3278873/how-nobel-prize-winning-theoretical-physicist-frank-wilczek-inspired-two-hong-kong-architects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/design-interiors/article/3278873/how-nobel-prize-winning-theoretical-physicist-frank-wilczek-inspired-two-hong-kong-architects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Sep 2024 08:45:08 +0000 Hong Kong Ballet’s most recent production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, in 2021, provided a new spin on the famous ballet, with its fantastical story that takes place in a child’s imagination, infusing it with local cultural elements, from lion dancers to jockeys to mahjong. Fashion designer Mountain Yam, founder of the label 112 mountainyam, explains how it changed his life. I wasn’t a big fan of ballet but I’ve become one. Last year, we had a collaboration with Hong Kong Ballet – we... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3277801/tchaikovskys-nutcracker-still-has-power-change-lives-what-fashion-designer-learned-hong-kong-ballets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3277801/tchaikovskys-nutcracker-still-has-power-change-lives-what-fashion-designer-learned-hong-kong-ballets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 03:15:15 +0000 Comedy-drama The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), directed by Wes Anderson in his trademark ravishing visual style, and starring an ensemble cast led by Ralph Fiennes, tells the story of a hotel concierge in a fictional Eastern European country, as he tries to prove he is innocent of murder against a backdrop of impending fascism. Lorene Faure and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founders of Hong Kong architecture and interior design studio Bean Buro, explain how it changed their lives. Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui:... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3276938/how-grand-budapest-hotel-inspired-hong-kong-design-studio-think-about-narratives-and-nostalgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3276938/how-grand-budapest-hotel-inspired-hong-kong-design-studio-think-about-narratives-and-nostalgia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:45:07 +0000 The Tao Te Ching (circa 4th century BC and later), traditionally attributed to legendary sage Lao Tzu, is the foundational text of Taoism, as well as one of the world’s most important works of philosophy. Sarah Greene, Belgium-born founder and director of Sheung Wan independent art space Blue Lotus Gallery, explains how it changed her life. It is a text written over 2,000 years ago that had a transformative power over me. I was introduced to it while studying classical Chinese at the University... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3276037/how-tao-te-ching-taught-me-focus-small-simple-attainable-things?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3276037/how-tao-te-ching-taught-me-focus-small-simple-attainable-things?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2024 03:15:15 +0000 The Klimt Collection at the Belvedere Museum Vienna is the largest group of works by Gustav Klimt, one of the leading artistic figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works often depicted the female body, exploring the boundary of figuration and abstraction in a riot of colour, texture, eroticism and emotion. The first time I found out about Klimt was when I was doing art A-level in Cambridge. I was born in Hong Kong and educated in a local school, then moved to the UK for GCSEs... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3275122/what-im-doing-now-very-related-klimt-how-hong-kong-home-furnisher-channelling-austrian-painters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3275122/what-im-doing-now-very-related-klimt-how-hong-kong-home-furnisher-channelling-austrian-painters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:15:13 +0000 Performance and installation artist Chiharu Shiota is best known for her monumental works consisting of huge, dense webs of brightly coloured thread that have been suspended from ceilings, often enveloping household items and other objects below them. A survey of her work since the 1990s, The Soul Trembles (2019), at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, represented her most comprehensive exhibition. Virginia Lung Wai-ki, co-founder of Hong Kong interior design studio One Plus Partnership, explains how it... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3274171/how-japanese-installation-artists-monumental-work-changed-hong-kong-interior-designers-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3274171/how-japanese-installation-artists-monumental-work-changed-hong-kong-interior-designers-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:15:13 +0000 The Mission (1986), directed by Roland Joffé and starring Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro, tells the story of missionaries in 18th century South America against the backdrop of brutal colonial suppression of indigenous people; it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is often cited as one of the greatest films about religion. Matthew Gregory, founder and director of Faust International Youth Theatre and executive producer at theatre production company ABA Productions, explains how... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3273684/why-overlooked-robert-de-niro-movie-life-changing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3273684/why-overlooked-robert-de-niro-movie-life-changing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:00:13 +0000 Perhaps the world’s most famous unfinished building, the Sagrada Família is due to be completed in 2026. Barcelona’s undisputed major landmark, construction of which began in 1882, it is the masterwork of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Horace Pan Hung-bing, founder of Hong Kong interior design studio Panorama Design Group and chairman of the Hong Kong Interior Design Association, explains how it changed his life. The first time I saw it was when I was at university. I was very happy to be able... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/design-interiors/article/3272737/barcelonas-sagrada-familia-worlds-most-famous-unfinished-building-reason?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/design-interiors/article/3272737/barcelonas-sagrada-familia-worlds-most-famous-unfinished-building-reason?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2024 09:15:12 +0000 London museum and library the Wellcome Collection, explores the intersection of science, medicine and art, hosting regular temporary exhibitions. “Milk” (2023) examined the history, politics and cultural role of the life-giving liquid, while “The Cult of Beauty” (2023-24) explored changing notions of pulchritude and the lengths people go to in their pursuit of it. Hong Kong contemporary artist Ling Pui-sze, whose work features abstract depictions of organic forms, explains how recent insights... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3271781/why-hong-kong-artist-ling-pui-sze-stans-wellcome-collection-london-and-its-ever-so-eclectic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3271781/why-hong-kong-artist-ling-pui-sze-stans-wellcome-collection-london-and-its-ever-so-eclectic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:00:09 +0000 Among the best-known works of photographer and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, Seascapes, begun in 1980, is a series of contemplative black-and-white images of the sea, identically sized and formatted. They are taken in various locations around the world using a large-format camera with exposures that can last hours. Patrick Lam Kwai-pui, founder and creative director of Hong Kong architecture and interior design firm Sim-Plex Design Studio, explains how it changed his life. I studied for a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3269614/zen-spirit-japanese-photographer-hiroshi-sugimotos-monumental-seascapes-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3269614/zen-spirit-japanese-photographer-hiroshi-sugimotos-monumental-seascapes-series?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2024 03:45:08 +0000 Steven Berkoff’s 1988 revival at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre of his own play Greek (1980), a reworking of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex updated to contemporary London, presented a confrontational, stylised, deconstructivist theatrical spectacle typical of the playwright, director and actor’s work. Sean Curran, co-founder and co-artistic director of innovative Hong Kong theatre company Theatre du Pif, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I was 23 and I’d been taking drama classes in Edinburgh,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3268801/romeo-and-juliet-bored-him-steven-berkoffs-play-greek-changed-sean-currans-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3268801/romeo-and-juliet-bored-him-steven-berkoffs-play-greek-changed-sean-currans-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:15:09 +0000 The Joy of Small Things (2021), by British journalist Hannah Jane Parkinson, is a compilation of more than 100 columns written for The Guardian newspaper on the small pleasures and rewards to be found in daily life. Rebecca Ling, a lawyer and founder of Parallel 51, a womenswear brand that specialises in high-quality everyday items, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I read it last year. I got gifted it by my mother for Christmas, but I didn’t pick it up for a while because honestly,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3268049/how-book-about-simple-pleasures-changed-hong-kong-womenswear-brand-founders-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3268049/how-book-about-simple-pleasures-changed-hong-kong-womenswear-brand-founders-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2024 09:15:08 +0000 Atelier Brancusi, part of Paris’ Pompidou Centre, is the perfectly preserved Parisian studio of Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). Bequeathed by the Romanian artist to the French state following his death, it was reconstructed by architect Renzo Piano in the early 1990s after the original was damaged by flooding. Hong Kong artist Michael Lau Kin-man, best known for his designer toys, as well as for paintings and sculptures, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. My first trip to Paris was in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3266909/how-constantin-brancusis-paris-studio-changed-hong-kong-designer-toymakers-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3266909/how-constantin-brancusis-paris-studio-changed-hong-kong-designer-toymakers-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:15:09 +0000 One of the landmark works of 20th century literature, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Márquez, tells the story of the rise and fall of the Buendía family over seven generations and the fictional town they established. A foundational text of magical realism, which juxtaposes the mundane with the wildly fantastic, the book is also a caustic comment on Colombia’s self-interested elites. Hong Kong contemporary artist Hilarie Hon Hang-lam tells Richard Lord... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3266240/how-gabriel-garcia-marquezs-one-hundred-years-solitude-changed-artists-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3266240/how-gabriel-garcia-marquezs-one-hundred-years-solitude-changed-artists-life?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:15:09 +0000 The ballet Romeo and Juliet (composed in 1935 and first performed in 1938), one of the seminal works of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, sets Shakespeare’s story of doomed lovers from opposing clans to a modern soundtrack that includes every emotion from romance to drama to humour. Julie Liu, founder and designer at Hong Kong-based contemporary qipao brand Qipology, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I learned ballet for 14 years, from when I was four to when I went to university.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3265287/romeo-and-juliet-changed-her-life-qipao-designer-ballet-dreams-her-qipology-brand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3265287/romeo-and-juliet-changed-her-life-qipao-designer-ballet-dreams-her-qipology-brand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 23:15:09 +0000 Business leadership author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek’s best known book, Start with Why (2009), counsels making issues of motivation, mission and purpose central to any organisation, arguing that the best leaders work by inspiration. Catherine Tong Dannaoui, executive director of HandsOn Hong Kong, an NGO that galvanises people to volunteer for a host of local good causes, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. My predecessor, Sue Toomey, showed me his Ted Talk. She said it had... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3264429/how-motivational-speaker-simon-sinek-helped-hong-kong-charity-boss-become-better-leader-finding-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3264429/how-motivational-speaker-simon-sinek-helped-hong-kong-charity-boss-become-better-leader-finding-her?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 09:15:09 +0000 Silent film The Kid (1921) tells the story of an abandoned child’s impromptu adoption by and life with The Tramp, the main character of its writer, director, producer and star, Charlie Chaplin. Featuring the cinematic legend’s trademark blend of slapstick humour, pathos and social commentary, it is perhaps his most loved work. William Kayne Mukai, the French-Japanese founder of Hong Kong contemporary art space WKM Gallery, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I was pretty young when I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3263492/how-watching-charlie-chaplin-silent-classic-kid-changed-life-hong-kong-gallery-founder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3263492/how-watching-charlie-chaplin-silent-classic-kid-changed-life-hong-kong-gallery-founder?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 09:15:08 +0000 The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (1997), by German self-help author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, is a guide to living based on various spiritual traditions, which advocates for the power of living solely in the moment rather than focusing on the past or future. Frederieke van Doorn, the Netherlands-born founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based women’s tailoring brand Frey, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I started reading it two or three years ago. It was at the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3262729/how-eckhart-tolles-power-now-taught-fashion-ceo-your-mind-your-greatest-enemy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3262729/how-eckhart-tolles-power-now-taught-fashion-ceo-your-mind-your-greatest-enemy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 May 2024 09:15:14 +0000 Untitled (1962), a free-standing sculpture, was made entirely from scavenged materials by Donald Judd, the high priest of 20th century minimalist art, who was also a prolific furniture designer. Hong Kong contemporary artist Wong Kit-yi, who in 2021 completed a residency with Judd’s Chinati Foundation, in Marfa, Texas, where the American artist lived, worked and owned a giant tract of desert land to display his work, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I went on the residency programme... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3261722/not-comfortable-how-donald-judds-art-and-furniture-taught-hong-kong-artist-secret-staying-fresh?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3261722/not-comfortable-how-donald-judds-art-and-furniture-taught-hong-kong-artist-secret-staying-fresh?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2024 08:15:13 +0000 Halber Mensch (1985), the third album from seminal German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten, blended their trademark early sound of harsh industrial noise, often created using instruments made by the band themselves from scrap metal, with a growing musical palette that also included electronic and even pastoral elements. Andrew Chan Hang-fai, artistic director of Hong Kong experimental theatre company Alice Theatre Laboratory, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I learned about... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3260887/how-industrial-music-album-halber-mensch-changed-artistic-directors-life-made-his-friends-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3260887/how-industrial-music-album-halber-mensch-changed-artistic-directors-life-made-his-friends-start?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 May 2024 09:15:22 +0000 When Denica Riadini-Flesch set up her social enterprise SukkhaCitta in 2016, her ambitions were modest. “I didn’t start SukkhaCitta because I wanted to change the world,” she says. “I saw a problem and I wanted to be part of the solution.” That problem was the low wages earned by women making clothes in rural Indonesia, 98 per cent of whom were unable to earn a living from doing so – paying the price for the cheap clothes the rest of us wear. SukkhaCitta is a sustainable clothing label that’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3260420/meet-indonesias-rolex-awards-enterprise-laureate-how-denica-riadini-flesch-ex-world-bank-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3260420/meet-indonesias-rolex-awards-enterprise-laureate-how-denica-riadini-flesch-ex-world-bank-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Apr 2024 04:00:32 +0000 Moodswings in This Order (2021), the debut release from Korean-Australian musician DPR Ian, marries pop, R&B and hip hop with introspective lyrics exploring the various mental-health challenges that the singer has faced, using characters including the manic Mr Insanity and the depressed Mito. Makayla Ng Sze-nga, Hong Kong fashion designer and founder of plus-size label Fashion Corner Plus, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I came to his music in 2021 – this was his first release. I was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3260006/plus-size-fashion-brand-founder-and-designer-how-korean-australian-musician-dpr-ian-helped-her-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3260006/plus-size-fashion-brand-founder-and-designer-how-korean-australian-musician-dpr-ian-helped-her-get?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:15:11 +0000 New Zealand-born, Italy-based contemporary artist Veronica Green’s The Dive depicts a young girl on a diving board, about to plunge into the ocean. Patricia Ho, who helps marginalised groups such as human trafficking victims and refugees both in her role as a human rights lawyer and as the founder of NGO Hong Kong Dignity Institute, explains how it changed her life. I grew up in a mixed culture home. My dad was (investment guru) Tony Measor. He left the UK in his early 20s, left everything... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3259153/how-painting-young-girl-about-dive-ocean-changed-life-hong-kong-human-rights-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3259153/how-painting-young-girl-about-dive-ocean-changed-life-hong-kong-human-rights-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:15:12 +0000 As with much of the work of the mostly self-taught Chinese ink artist Water Poon Kwing-wing, who is also a well-known photographer and filmmaker, Get Together (2015) takes an innovative, minimalist approach to the medium, depicting nature using spare brushstrokes and pleasingly rounded forms. T.K. Chan, a co-founder of Hong Kong’s Blink Gallery, who is also an ink artist, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. Water Poon has a strong visual sense and has been exploring various media and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3258308/how-chinese-ink-artist-water-poons-innovative-paintings-taught-hong-kong-gallery-co-founder-be-bold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3258308/how-chinese-ink-artist-water-poons-innovative-paintings-taught-hong-kong-gallery-co-founder-be-bold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2024 08:15:14 +0000 Non-fiction book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), by Pulitzer Prize-winning husband-and-wife journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, examines the numerous ways women are mistreated around the world, and looks at possible solutions, arguing that their oppression represents the single biggest moral challenge of the modern era. Natalie Chow, co-founder of Hong Kong-based sustainable and ethical footwear brand Kibo, tells Richard Lord how it... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3257710/how-half-sky-opened-ethical-and-sustainable-shoe-brand-co-founder-natalie-chows-eyes-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3257710/how-half-sky-opened-ethical-and-sustainable-shoe-brand-co-founder-natalie-chows-eyes-human?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:15:22 +0000 One of Hong Kong’s most instantly recognisable buildings, the Bank of China Tower (completed in 1989), with its dazzling facade of soaring triangles, is the work of legendary Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. Raymond Fung Wing-kee, Hong Kong contemporary ink artist and the architect behind projects including Sai Kung Waterfront Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park and City Hall Memorial Garden, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. Before I.M. Pei did this building, I was one of his fans,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3256636/how-seeing-im-peis-bank-china-tower-hong-kong-changed-life-hong-kong-artist-and-architect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3256636/how-seeing-im-peis-bank-china-tower-hong-kong-changed-life-hong-kong-artist-and-architect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2024 23:15:12 +0000 The 13th album from Phil Collins-fronted band Genesis, “Invisible Touch” (1986), marked the final stage of the formerly progressive rock act’s transition to a more accessible, pop-oriented sound. Tania Mohan, founder and creative director of Indian-influenced Hong Kong fashion label Tabla, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. It was summer; I was 15 going on 16. Invisible Touch came out and I just loved it from the moment I heard it. I had such a wonderful summer, and this album reflected... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3256208/how-genesis-1986-album-invisible-touch-and-meeting-phil-collins-changed-life-fashion-label-founder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3256208/how-genesis-1986-album-invisible-touch-and-meeting-phil-collins-changed-life-fashion-label-founder?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2024 09:15:22 +0000 Long-running American television cooking competition “Top Chef” pits contestants against each other in a series of culinary challenges, using a progressive elimination format. Barry Quek, head chef at Michelin-star Hong Kong restaurant Whey, where he serves modern European cuisine featuring ingredients influenced by his Singaporean background, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I remember first watching it when I was in the army, at 19 years old, in 2009 or 2010. As a young kid, I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3255190/how-top-chef-changed-life-barry-quek-chef-michelin-star-hong-kong-restaurant-and-tv-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3255190/how-top-chef-changed-life-barry-quek-chef-michelin-star-hong-kong-restaurant-and-tv-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:15:21 +0000 “Persuasion” (1817), the final work by Jane Austen, one of the greatest of all English-language novelists, tells the story of Anne Elliot, and her complicated reconnection aged 27 with her former suitor Frederick Wentworth. Lucy Lord MBE, a decorated obstetrician who is also the founder and executive chair of mental health charity Mind HK, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I was between 14 and 16 when I first read it. My mother was reading Pride and Prejudice, and I picked it up when... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3254399/how-jane-austens-book-persuasion-changed-life-hong-kong-mental-health-charity-founder-and-decorated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3254399/how-jane-austens-book-persuasion-changed-life-hong-kong-mental-health-charity-founder-and-decorated?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:15:11 +0000 Hong Kong Festival of Arts with the Disabled was a pioneering event, organised by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and its constituent NGOs in 1986, showcasing the achievements of people with disabilities from both Hong Kong and overseas in a range of artistic fields, from visual art to music to dance. Ida Lam Choi-chu, chairwoman of charity Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong, which was born out of the event, explains how it changed her life. It was the first event of its kind... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3253377/how-working-hong-kong-festival-arts-disabled-1986-changed-future-disabled-charity-chairwomans-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3253377/how-working-hong-kong-festival-arts-disabled-1986-changed-future-disabled-charity-chairwomans-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:15:10 +0000 There are many reasons why people love Omega watches. There’s their aesthetic qualities, from refined, elegant collections like the Constellation and De Ville, to an icon among dive watches like the Seamaster. There’s the brand’s rich associations: its long history of use in space flight; its distinguished military pedigree; its role as the official timekeeper to a range of global sporting events from the Olympics to yachting’s America’s Cup; even its status as the preferred timepiece of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3253373/style-edit-omega-famed-its-elegant-constellation-collection-and-seamaster-dive-watches-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3253373/style-edit-omega-famed-its-elegant-constellation-collection-and-seamaster-dive-watches-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:00:10 +0000 American photographer Flip Schulke’s iconic photo “Muhammad Ali Boxing Underwater” (1961) captured the boxing legend and cultural icon aged 19, standing on the floor of a Miami swimming pool in a boxing pose. Ali had told Schulke that this was his usual training method, but it turned out the boxer couldn’t even swim at the time and was guided instead by his eye for a compelling image. Libby Alexander, co-founder and chief executive of Splash Foundation, a Hong Kong charity that teaches domestic... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3252551/how-photo-muhammad-ali-boxing-underwater-inspired-founder-hong-kong-charity-teaches-underprivileged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3252551/how-photo-muhammad-ali-boxing-underwater-inspired-founder-hong-kong-charity-teaches-underprivileged?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:15:14 +0000 One of the classic Chinese novels and one of the world’s great works of literature, “Dream of the Red Chamber” (1791), by Cao Xueqin, is an epic depicting the gradual fall of a prominent family, widely loved for its psychological realism, intricate plotting and incredible wealth of historical detail. Flora Yu Kit-yee, executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I remember it rather clearly: I was about eight or nine when I first read it – that’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3251944/how-chinese-classic-novel-dream-red-chamber-opened-eyes-hong-kong-arts-festival-executive-director?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3251944/how-chinese-classic-novel-dream-red-chamber-opened-eyes-hong-kong-arts-festival-executive-director?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Feb 2024 09:15:18 +0000 Pseudonymous graffiti legend Banksy’s so-called bemusement park, Dismaland, transformed a disused outdoor swimming pool complex in the British seaside town of Weston-super-Mare into a parody of an amusement park for 36 days in 2015, complete with works by 58 artists, many of them bitingly satirical of consumerism and contemporary society. Tim Yu, founder and director of Hong Kong contemporary art space JPS Gallery, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I first saw street art when I was a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3250153/how-banksys-2015-amusement-park-parody-dismaland-transformed-gallery-founders-view-exhibitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3250153/how-banksys-2015-amusement-park-parody-dismaland-transformed-gallery-founders-view-exhibitions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:15:09 +0000 Anglo-Australian poet, journalist, radio producer and academic Martin Harrison was renowned both for his poetry’s highly perceptive, metaphysical observations of natural phenomena and for its detailed focus on the nature of selfhood; “Summer” (2001) is one of his best known collections and a critical favourite. Award-winning Hong Kong poet Belle Ling, who is also an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I first met Martin Harrison during... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3249426/how-poet-martin-harrison-found-beauty-mundane-creating-profoundly-riveting-works-changed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3249426/how-poet-martin-harrison-found-beauty-mundane-creating-profoundly-riveting-works-changed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jan 2024 09:15:15 +0000 As Lunar New Year approaches, Hong Kong is festooned with the characteristic colours of the season: red and gold, visual representations of good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. Two watches from coveted Swiss luxury watchmaker Tudor constitute the ideal way to complete the festive mood, showcasing those auspicious colours at their finest, and making ideal gifts to mark the occasion. When it was first introduced in 2012, the Black Bay instantly became Tudor’s emblematic collection, and it... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3248732/style-edit-iconic-tudor-watches-don-lunar-new-year-colours-classic-black-bay-and-royal-timepieces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3248732/style-edit-iconic-tudor-watches-don-lunar-new-year-colours-classic-black-bay-and-royal-timepieces?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jan 2024 02:00:18 +0000 One of the seminal works of French literature, “Les Fleurs du Mal” (“The Flowers of Evil”; 1857) contains most of the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Strikingly innovative and taboo-busting in both style and subject, it foregrounded dark, controversial themes, from sexuality to death to self-disgust. Nicolas Chow, Swiss-born chairman for Asia and worldwide head of Asian art at auction house Sotheby’s, tells Richard Lord how it changed his life. I was 13 years old when I read Les Fleurs du Mal for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3248700/thrill-forbidden-how-charles-baudelaires-dark-taboo-busting-poetry-changed-life-sothebys-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3248700/thrill-forbidden-how-charles-baudelaires-dark-taboo-busting-poetry-changed-life-sothebys-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:15:10 +0000 Xia Cheng Bei, or the “Stele for Xia Cheng” (circa AD170), attributed to renowned calligrapher Cai Yong, is an Eastern Han dynasty stele, a form of ancient monument, describing the family history and life of Xia Cheng, which embodies Confucian ideas of moral rectitude and edification. A Song dynasty ink rubbing of it can be found in the collection of Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Art Museum. Peggy Ho Pik-ki, research fellow at the museum, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. After I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247687/how-famous-ink-rubbing-chinese-calligraphy-cai-yong-changed-museum-research-fellows-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247687/how-famous-ink-rubbing-chinese-calligraphy-cai-yong-changed-museum-research-fellows-life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jan 2024 09:15:13 +0000 As well as launching one of the most successful film franchises of all time, epoch-making space opera “Star Wars” (1977) made stars of several cast members, including actor, novelist, script editor and raconteur Carrie Fisher, who played the pivotal role of Princess Leia. Gillian Howard, Hong Kong-based co-founder and global fair director of the Digital Art Fair, explains how the film, and an encounter with its star, changed her life. It started when I was really little, growing up in Hong Kong.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247093/how-selling-star-wars-actress-carrie-fisher-piece-video-art-changed-life-hong-kong-based-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247093/how-selling-star-wars-actress-carrie-fisher-piece-video-art-changed-life-hong-kong-based-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2024 09:15:12 +0000 The debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the leading English-language writers of the 20th century, “This Side of Paradise” (1920) is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale detailing the complicated romantic entanglements of carefree Jazz Age youth. Christine Chow, co-founder and creative director of Hong Kong sustainable fashion label Tove & Libra, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life. I’ve always been an avid reader, but my parents were not. I was just trying to discover new... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3244622/how-f-scott-fitzgeralds-first-book-side-paradise-changed-life-hong-kong-sustainable-fashion-label-co?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3244622/how-f-scott-fitzgeralds-first-book-side-paradise-changed-life-hong-kong-sustainable-fashion-label-co?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2023 09:15:09 +0000 For 135 years, Carl F. Bucherer has remained laser focused on innovation, constantly refreshing what the art of luxury watchmaking can mean. In 2023, the storied Swiss company again prepared itself to face the future with a refresh of its priorities under the theme Exploring Time. It refined its products into three categories – Manero, Patravi and Heritage – and made plans to increase the number of movements it manufacturers entirely in-house, as well as its production of the peripheral... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3244215/style-edit-carl-f-bucherer-adds-hong-kong-its-annual-hometown-collection-designs-paying-tribute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3244215/style-edit-carl-f-bucherer-adds-hong-kong-its-annual-hometown-collection-designs-paying-tribute?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 02:00:31 +0000