https://www.scmp.com/rss/308587/feed Vivian Chiu graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in mass communications. She specialises in stories on women's issues and rural mainland China. After a 10-year stint in the SCMP's features section, she continues to contribute to the Post en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Former media executive Nirav Haji hails from Singapore, but the place he calls “home” is Johor, Malaysia. Haji is one of 57,000 foreigners to have been granted a 10-year visa under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme since 2002 and has been enjoying the lifestyle he can afford in the country next door. In Johor, he and his wife rent a 5,000 sq ft bungalow with five bedrooms and a garden; back in Singapore, for the same money, they rented a three-bed apartment. What’s more, he is still... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3147994/will-sultan-johors-social-media-post-prompt-malaysia-rethink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3147994/will-sultan-johors-social-media-post-prompt-malaysia-rethink?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Sep 2021 02:30:26 +0000 After Mansur and Moina Khan from Bangladesh secured long-term visas to reside in Malaysia in 2014, they bought a condo worth at least 1 million ringgit in the heart of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and moved there in 2017. “We invested our life savings in Malaysia,” said Mansur, who like his wife, is in his 60s and retired. “We loved living here, its multiracial people and food. We are law-abiding visa holders and wished to spend a hassle-free retirement in Malaysia,” he added. But for the past 14... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145410/its-our-only-home-malaysias-changes-mm2h-visa-scheme-throw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145410/its-our-only-home-malaysias-changes-mm2h-visa-scheme-throw?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Aug 2021 01:30:13 +0000 Malaysia’s decision to significantly raise the income criteria for its migration scheme for wealthy foreigners may lead Hongkongers to look elsewhere, according to visa agents, who said applicants were also wary of the Southeast Asian country’s political instability. The Malaysia My Second Home Scheme (MM2H) will reopen from October after a hiatus of one year, but with stricter criteria to ensure the applicants contribute to an economy hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the home affairs ministry... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3144929/hongkongers-think-twice-malaysia-changes-migration-rules-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3144929/hongkongers-think-twice-malaysia-changes-migration-rules-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Aug 2021 07:14:28 +0000 Growing up in the Netherlands, Linde Welberg knew she had the most loving parents a child could ask for. Yet she had always felt something was missing from her life. Long before her father and mother told her she was adopted, she instinctively knew it. “I felt a part of me was missing,” she says. On the other side of the Atlantic, in the US city of Philadelphia, Lianna Fogg was going through similar turmoil. “I shared the same dream of every adoptee,” says Fogg. “Not just to find my birth... https://www.scmp.com/society/after-lifetime-searching-two-adopted-chinese-find-their-birth-parents/article/3002273?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/after-lifetime-searching-two-adopted-chinese-find-their-birth-parents/article/3002273?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:47:38 +0000 Growing up in the Netherlands, Linde Welberg knew she had the most loving parents a child could ask for. Yet she had always felt something was missing from her life. Long before her father, Wim, and mother, Mieke, told her she was adopted, she instinctively knew it. “I felt a part of me was missing. I feared my birth parents might be dead. I cried to see them, asking if they’d left a note, phone number or address,” she says. On the other side of the Atlantic, in the US city of Philadelphia,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3002106/chinese-girls-adopted-american-and-netherlands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3002106/chinese-girls-adopted-american-and-netherlands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:00:13 +0000 On December 26, 1995, police on patrol at the railway station in the Chinese city of Nanchang made a heartbreaking discovery. Lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, was a baby girl. They took the infant to the Nanchang Welfare Home, a state orphanage, where carers named her Chen Zhantong – zhan being Chinese for “station.” She was estimated to be just six days old. Six months later, she was adopted by Carol Free, an audiologist from California. Chen Zhantong became Kathyrn Free. In April... https://www.scmp.com/society/nanchang-project-working-reunite-adopted-children-their-chinese-birth-families/article/2155947?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/nanchang-project-working-reunite-adopted-children-their-chinese-birth-families/article/2155947?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jul 2018 09:15:45 +0000 On December 26, 1995, police on patrol at the railway station in the Chinese city of Nanchang made a heartbreaking discovery. Lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, was a baby girl. They took the infant to the Nanchang Welfare Home, a state orphanage, where carers named her Chen Zhantong – Zhan being Chinese for “station”. She was estimated to be just six days old. Six months later, her life took a turn for the better when she was adopted by Carol Free, an audiologist from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/2155851/searching-her-birth-parents-chinese-girl-adopted-us-22-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/2155851/searching-her-birth-parents-chinese-girl-adopted-us-22-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000 With the temperature and humidity dropping in October, and Hong Kong’s climate becoming more bearable, Green Sense hopes more people will take part in its annual “No Air Con Night” this year. The local environmental awareness group launched the initiative in September 2010, but is still not convinced it has persuaded enough Hongkongers to switch on their fans for a night instead of using air cons. “Rather than picking a night in July or August each year, we chose September, and this year it’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2023272/hong-kong-no-air-con-night-pushed-back-october-hope-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2023272/hong-kong-no-air-con-night-pushed-back-october-hope-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2016 23:01:07 +0000 Barely recovered from a gruelling flight back to Hong Kong after sending her son Evan to university in the US state of North Carolina, Doris Choy (not her real name) is gearing up for another round of college applications. Her daughter Chloe starts Year 10 in September and Choy is already bracing herself for the nerve-wracking ordeal. Only this time she is more prepared. Like many parents, Choy wants her children to get the best education possible. “When Evan was preparing for college... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1941676/why-parents-hong-kong-and-china-use-consultants-find-us-college?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1941676/why-parents-hong-kong-and-china-use-consultants-find-us-college?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 May 2016 08:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong science students attending American universities can now work in the US for up to three years after completing their studies. A new rule which goes into effect on May 10 will extend the optional practical training (OPT) scheme for foreign graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by two years from the current 12 months. The OPT period for non-STEM graduates remains at one year. “The permits will pave way for foreign graduates to gain residency in the US after... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1936848/hong-kong-sciencetech-graduates-us-can-now-work-there-3-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1936848/hong-kong-sciencetech-graduates-us-can-now-work-there-3-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2016 05:45:15 +0000 Changwook Shim displays formidable academic credentials. The Hong Kong International School (HKIS) student has a grade point average of 3.9 (out of a possible 4), scored 2,320 out of a possible 2,400 on his SAT, and earned 35 out of a possible 36 in the ACT college admissions test. He is just as impressive outside the classroom. Now 18, Shim has led the HKIS volleyball and debating teams, and plays the viola for his school orchestra and the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra. And as president of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1935260/why-us-universities-are-changing-what-they-look-students-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1935260/why-us-universities-are-changing-what-they-look-students-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2016 16:00:45 +0000 Victor Xian was five years old when his family emigrated to Australia from Guangzhou in 2007. Living in Sydney, he quickly fitted in at school, where he played soccer with his new friends and was in no time speaking fluent English. At the age of 10, as he was looking forward to starting junior high school, his family decided to return to Guangzhou to care for his ageing grandparents, but Victor was not happy about the move. Besides the adjustment of leaving his friends behind, Victor's basic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1880873/international-schools-ride-boom-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1880873/international-schools-ride-boom-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Nov 2015 10:00:15 +0000 Fourth-generation fisherman Leung Pak-sun, retired and still robust at 70, never expected to be recruited to teach university students about Hong Kong's fishing history and culture. Students have teamed up with fishermen to give public guided tours as part of the WAY (We Are With You) project launched by the University of Hong Kong in 2012 with HK$10 million funding from the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation. Leading a group of visitors on a sampan excursion of the Aberdeen waters, Leung recalls... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1851485/tough-crew-hong-kong-fishermen-tell-their-life-stories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1851485/tough-crew-hong-kong-fishermen-tell-their-life-stories?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2015 16:15:30 +0000 For the past couple of summers, 11-year-old Song Shiqing has been taking groups of young visitors on discovery tours of Haizhu district in Guangzhou. Crossing a bridge over a water channel, the group arrives in an enclave called Kangle. "Here you can buy cheap shoes and clothes," young Shiqing says, pointing to the Jia'en Department Store. "The Wenzhou noodle shop is around the corner, next to the Kangle School and vegetable market." A junior ambassador of sorts for Kangle, Shiqing can relate to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1826842/migrant-workers-guangzhou-hope-give-their-children-brighter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1826842/migrant-workers-guangzhou-hope-give-their-children-brighter?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jun 2015 22:30:55 +0000 Family doctors should be enlisted to help diagnose people in the early stages of mental distress so symptoms can be addressed before the need for a consultation with a psychiatrist, experts say. The authors of a three-year survey of mental health in the city have called for primary care services to be boosted to screen for at-risk patients and help ease the pressure on government psychiatric services. The results have just been submitted to the Food and Health Bureau for review. The bureau... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1827221/one-seven-hongkongers-has-mood-disorder-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1827221/one-seven-hongkongers-has-mood-disorder-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2015 19:00:00 +0000 Family doctors should be enlisted to help diagnose people in the early stages of mental distress, so symptoms can be addressed before the need for a consultation with a psychiatrist. This will give them a better chance of recovery, Hong Kong experts advise. The authors of a three-year survey of mental health in the city have called for primary care services to be boosted to screen for at-risk patients, and help ease the pressure on government psychiatric services. The full results have just been... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1826704/mood-disorders-better-treated-early-says-hospital-authority-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1826704/mood-disorders-better-treated-early-says-hospital-authority-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2015 03:45:30 +0000 Thousands of students are drawn to a design career, but degree places in the field are limited locally. While many opt for overseas universities as an alternative, some are venturing to study in China, acquiring a strong foundation in traditional techniques at top art academies. According to the national Ministry of Education, the number of Hong Kong students studying at Chinese universities rose from 11,155 in 2011 to 15,330 in 2014. Local students normally take the Joint Entrance Examination... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1748657/hong-kong-design-students-benefit-studying-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1748657/hong-kong-design-students-benefit-studying-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2015 22:37:53 +0000 Forget objective reporting. Young people are not reading newspapers any more. The line is blurring between fact and fiction in the digital age, as sensational journalism comes alive on the mobile video screen. Launched in 2010, Apple Daily's virtual world of animated news has captured the public's imagination. It also interested two Baptist University media researchers, who are more concerned than entertained by the recent changes. It clouds our judgment of the incident and may even compromise... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1396777/media-researchers-say-animated-news-reports-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1396777/media-researchers-say-animated-news-reports-are?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jan 2014 02:00:45 +0000 Alicia Wieser and Samar Shaheryar never met while they were in New York, working in finance, but their paths crossed in Tokyo in 2010 when Wieser volunteered at Tokyo Helps, a charity set up by Shaheryar to raise funds for disaster relief worldwide. They have been good friends ever since. Their passion for helping others continued after relocating to Hong Kong. When the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011, they organised Hong Kong Helps Japan, and collected US$120,000 for disaster... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1381960/appalling-birth-conditions-poor-nations-spur-two-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1381960/appalling-birth-conditions-poor-nations-spur-two-women?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Dec 2013 13:00:45 +0000 Hunan native Li Shi was born with cerebral palsy. His father had to take on a number of jobs to raise him, but became seriously ill and died. Unable to support Li, his widowed mother abandoned him in the city when he was five years old. For several months, the boy survived by running with a gang of beggars in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, until a concerned stranger took him to an orphanage, the Changsha Welfare Centre. In 1997, he was finally placed in the care of International China... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1336609/charity-gives-chinas-abandoned-disabled-children-second?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1336609/charity-gives-chinas-abandoned-disabled-children-second?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Oct 2013 10:56:29 +0000 It took sixth-former Sandra five years before she could stop wearing a back brace. Sandra, who prefers not to disclose her real name, is a casualty of the enduring problem of Hong Kong students lugging overly heavy bags. Signs of trouble were already surfacing in Primary Four, when she would cart thick history and grammar texts between home and school daily to complete her class assignments. "The teacher might not finish covering material from the textbook during the term, but we still had to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1310896/children-are-still-damaging-their-spines-carrying-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1310896/children-are-still-damaging-their-spines-carrying-school?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 American businessman Laszlo Montgomery's passion for China goes beyond perfecting his command of the language, both simplified and traditional. He is eager to narrate China's 5,000-year history and culture to a worldwide audience. When Laszlo, 54, launched his educational show on ChinaHistoryPodcast.com in 2010, the idea was to explain the country to his fellow Americans and "spread goodwill between China and the United States". I'm coaxing you to believe this stuff is interesting ... Hey,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1298938/podcasts-offer-lessons-chinese-history-and-american-slang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1298938/podcasts-offer-lessons-chinese-history-and-american-slang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 It's not unusual to find banks, bookstores and coffee shops on a university campus, but what about a tailor? Patrick Hui and Frency Ng, both Polytechnic University clothing technology researchers, teach at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), but also run a loss-making business at the school's Troels Povlsen Care Apparel Centre. In 2007, the duo founded the centre to make "caring" clothes for the elderly and disabled, becoming the first such initiative in Asia. One of its most popular... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1293868/academics-craft-clothes-disabled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1293868/academics-craft-clothes-disabled?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Kevin is the only boy in his Primary Two class wearing a hearing aid. While he feels self-conscious about the tiny curved sound amplifier attached behind his ears, nobody seems to notice it. "It's itchy and uncomfortable when I sweat," says Kevin, whose name has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. "I don't wear them all the time. I can hear fine. The teacher uses a microphone in class." We want to find out whether intervention is needed in this grey area of mild hearing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1291409/hearing-aids-children-should-not-carry-social-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1291409/hearing-aids-children-should-not-carry-social-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000