https://www.scmp.com/rss/314301/feed Jessie Lau is a journalist with the South China Morning Post covering Hong Kong news and social affairs. Working primarily for the paper’s City Weekend edition, she writes features and news stories on diverse topics including human rights, culture and the environment. Originally from Hong Kong, she joined SCMP in 2015 after graduating with distinction from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English. Prior to joining SCMP, Jessie helped edit San Quentin News, an... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Veteran social activist Ho Hei-wah’s career began when he ran away from home at the age of 17. It was the early 70s and Ho’s family wanted him to inherit the family’s jade business. Ho, who wanted to study, opted instead to become a teenage runaway, working odd low-income jobs to fund his educational pursuits. This glimpse into working-class life was the spark that triggered Ho’s passion for social justice and poverty alleviation – a passion that eventually propelled him into a decades-long... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2069871/hong-kong-peoples-champion-still-fighting-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2069871/hong-kong-peoples-champion-still-fighting-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Feb 2017 09:02:03 +0000 When philanthropist and entrepreneur James Chen Yue Jia visited a school library in his hometown of Qidong in Jiangsu province, he was surprised to find empty shelves and very few children’s books. “This was something strange to me,” said Chen, whose family made grants ­to stock the library with books chosen by teachers, students and parents. The library project eventually inspired the founding of the Chen Yet-sen Family Foundation with a focus on early childhood literacy and library... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2055198/one-books-entrepreneur-wants-every-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2055198/one-books-entrepreneur-wants-every-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Dec 2016 07:01:38 +0000 Li Ching-wan caught a rat with his bare hands. The 12-year-old was sleeping when he felt something sitting on his forehead. He tried to knock it off but ended up grabbing the furry creature by its body. “I hurled it away and it landed on the face of my grandmother, who was sleeping next to me,” Li said, “The rat was probably sleeping on my forehead.” Living in a dilapidated and poorly ventilated subdivided flat in Cheung Sha Wan, Li and his 9-year-old stepbrother are two of the 235,100 local... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2055278/why-impoverished-young-hongkongers-are-deprived?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2055278/why-impoverished-young-hongkongers-are-deprived?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:02:44 +0000 On a corner bench at Victoria Park, Season Choi breastfeeds her 15-month-old daughter under a nursing cover. Despite her efforts to be discreet, she still receives a few glares from pedestrians – reactions she shrugs off as “common”. “Once when I was breastfeeding at a park, an old woman told me to go home or hide in the toilet. Older people are more traditional,” 28-year-old Choi says. “In Asia, public acceptance of breastfeeding still lags behind places like the West.” While Hong Kong has made... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2053363/why-hong-kong-needs-do-more-breastfeeding-mothers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2053363/why-hong-kong-needs-do-more-breastfeeding-mothers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Dec 2016 01:01:37 +0000 Chandran Nair has always been drawn to Asia and issues of development. Born in the multicultural melting pot that is Malaysia, Nair grew up exposed to a wide mix of cultures including Hokkien, Cantonese and more. “I could even swear in Hokkien,” Nair said. “I was eating char siu bao at three years old, and I was eating with chopsticks very young.” Now founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank based in Hong Kong providing executive education,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2051193/hong-kong-based-chief-executive-has-tomorrow-his-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2051193/hong-kong-based-chief-executive-has-tomorrow-his-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Dec 2016 05:00:50 +0000 Domestic abuse is on the rise again in Hong Kong and experts say the number of reported cases is “the tip of the iceberg” in terms of the real number of victims. The number of reported cases, calculated by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) as spousal or cohabitant abuse, halved between 2007 and 2012 before climbing again until 2015. Academics and charity ­workers suggest the initial decline could be due to police recategorising many domestic abuse cases as family disputes around 2008. They say... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2049285/hong-kong-losing-battle-against-domestic-violence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2049285/hong-kong-losing-battle-against-domestic-violence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Nov 2016 02:00:45 +0000 While Hong Kong is undeniably one of the top places to live in the world in terms of personal safety and efficiency, residents are becoming more concerned about the city’s liveability as it struggles to combat soaring rents, overcrowding, exorbitant living costs and air pollution. Although Hong Kong provides a high level of safety and access to quality public services such as health care and transport, experts say the government can do more to provide affordable housing and minimise congestion... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2049263/time-hong-kong-think-out-box-solve-its-liveability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2049263/time-hong-kong-think-out-box-solve-its-liveability?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Nov 2016 01:04:49 +0000 Growing numbers of Hong Kong high school students are applying to universities in the United States in the hope of a better education – and the trend is fuelling the expansion of the “college prep” tutor industry in the city, consultants have said. Some students and parents report that the extra assistance is helpful for their applications, while education experts say it is unnecessary and contributes to inequality within education and beyond. But tutors and coaches insist they are just... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2049306/growing-numbers-hong-kong-high-school-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2049306/growing-numbers-hong-kong-high-school-students?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2016 14:30:00 +0000 Growing up in Singapore, author and journalist Cheryl Lu-lien Tan would walk down the street and peer into bars that served as watering holes for the city’s “sarong party girls”. In short skirts, high heels and fierce make-up, these attractive Asian women in their 20s had one purpose: to bag a white husband with a fat bank account and produce a Eurasian “Chanel baby”. It wasn’t until Tan returned to Singapore in her 30s that she found herself in one of those very bars, immersed in the vibrant... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2045728/cheryl-tan-her-novel-sarong-party-girls-singlish-and-young-women-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2045728/cheryl-tan-her-novel-sarong-party-girls-singlish-and-young-women-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Nov 2016 05:31:24 +0000 Film producer and martial arts enthusiast Bey Logan has had a love affair with kung fu since he was a ­teenager. Known for his role in producing hits like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the documentary Jackie Chan: My Story, locally based Logan has built a notable career in the film industry since he first stepped foot on Hong Kong soil more than two ­decades ago. In addition to running his own film company and operating a kung fu school, he’s now shifting his focus towards... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2045256/how-british-man-broke-hong-kongs-martial-arts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2045256/how-british-man-broke-hong-kongs-martial-arts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Nov 2016 08:01:46 +0000 From a warm welcome to discrimination, Hongkongers’ attitudes towards mainland immigrants have shifted over the years through war, economic development and political turmoil. Following the second world war and up until the 1980s, waves of mainlanders flooded into the city and were welcomed with relatively open arms. The biggest occurred between 1949 and 1955, when several hundred mainlanders arrived every day, according to John Carroll, history professor at the University of Hong Kong. “There... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2044875/it-wasnt-always-us-versus-them-look-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2044875/it-wasnt-always-us-versus-them-look-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2016 11:30:15 +0000 South Korea’s political crisis and the nation’s worsening ties with China will only help the North Korean regime, said North Korean defector and activist Hyeonseo Lee. The country is in political turmoil following recent revelations that President Park Geun-hye has been taking secret advice from Choi Soon-sil, a confidante with no policy background and who holds no public office. Tens of thousands of South Koreans protested in Seoul last weekend to demand the resignation of Park, who is facing a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2044859/how-park-geun-hye-scandal-could-help-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2044859/how-park-geun-hye-scandal-could-help-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2016 12:14:45 +0000 Despite growing awareness of transgender issues in Hong Kong, rights groups say that transgender people still face an uphill battle against discrimination and unfair treatment. Those who want to legally change their official gender must complete a series of psychiatric assessments lasting about two years before going under the knife for full sex reassignment surgery. The fight to lift the barrier to same-sex equality in Hong Kong Gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder – the condition of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043423/hong-kongs-transgender-community-still-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043423/hong-kongs-transgender-community-still-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2016 06:58:44 +0000 When Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (YAF) founder Lindsey McAlister first arrived more than two decades ago on a backpacking trip – she knew she would call this city home and become a player in its arts scene. After briefly working as an arts teacher and facilitator for the English Schools Foundation, McAlister founded YAF in 1993 with the aim of creating an organisation that provides inclusive artistic opportunities free of charge to young people in the city. It started off as a two-week... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2042726/want-career-arts-lindsey-mcalister-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2042726/want-career-arts-lindsey-mcalister-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 08:03:05 +0000 Many Hongkongers support allowing same-sex couples to ask about their partner’s medical condition and claim their ashes after they die, yet the city still does not recognise such rights and continues to fall behind on LGBTI equality. A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that 54 per cent of the public support the right of same-sex couples in a long-term stable relationship to ask doctors about their partner’s medical conditions, while less than 20 per cent were opposed. About 64... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043101/heartbreak-same-sex-couples-battling-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043101/heartbreak-same-sex-couples-battling-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 04:00:15 +0000 In today’s fast-moving digital environment, it’s hard to imagine a time when data privacy wasn’t a hot topic issue. Yet that was the case when Stephen Lau Ka-men stepped into his role as Hong Kong’s first Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data from 1996 to 2001, a period when the city was just being introduced to the importance of online privacy and the protection of personal information. “It was a really new concept. The law was written in such a way to promote the awareness of personal data... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2043069/hong-kongs-data-privacy-pioneer-lowers-his-guard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2043069/hong-kongs-data-privacy-pioneer-lowers-his-guard?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 03:00:32 +0000 Hongkongers consume so much that if everyone else in the world lived like us, we would need almost four Planet Earths to sustain us. Hong Kong’s ecological footprint per capita, or the area required to sustain a person’s use of natural resources, has reached a historic high, according to a study by conservation body WWF, released last week. The city’s footprint is the second largest in Asia, behind Singapore, and 17thin the world. About 3.9 earths would be needed to sustain humanity’s lifestyle... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043119/how-many-earths-do-we-need-if-rest-world-consumed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043119/how-many-earths-do-we-need-if-rest-world-consumed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 01:00:30 +0000 Environmentalist Mok Ho-kwong and his wife spend their days in a small, rural house tucked between Fanling and Kam Tin. They tend their farmland, where they grow their own vegetables. They cook their dinners using abandoned wood from garbage, and wash their hair with tea seed powder. They wash their clothes with baking soda in a nearby stream. They haven’t used toilet paper in over a decade, choosing instead to use water for cleansing. Hongkongers willing if not quite ready to embrace... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043134/how-green-living-hong-kong-family-survives-hk8000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2043134/how-green-living-hong-kong-family-survives-hk8000?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 00:48:04 +0000 A growing number of Japanese – especially younger people – are rediscovering Hong Kong as a place for starting businesses, according to the country’s latest residency figures. Japan’s top diplomat in Hong Kong, Kuninori Matsuda, told the South China Morning Post that more young Japanese were becoming interested in the city, with more small and medium-sized companies looking to set up businesses in food-related industries and seeing it as an entry point into mainland China. More Japanese were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2041269/young-japanese-show-increasing-interest-setting-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2041269/young-japanese-show-increasing-interest-setting-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2016 12:15:45 +0000 On a skiing trip in France, Sadie Kaye experienced a surge of confidence. Believing herself to be an expert skier, she decided to take on the steepest slope on the mountain range. Yet as she began her descent from the top and hurtled down the icy cliff, her body froze. The world became a blur. In an instant, she realised that she actually didn’t know how to ski at all and had never skied in her entire life. She crashed, twisting her ankle. In 2011, several years after the incident, Kaye was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2041246/how-bipolar-sufferer-came-down-earth-after-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2041246/how-bipolar-sufferer-came-down-earth-after-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2016 08:02:10 +0000 The city’s poverty problem is far greater than the ­government lets on social workers say, with many living above the official poverty line who are still ­unable to eke out a living. The Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report 2015, the most recent government study, set the poverty lines for households of one and two persons at HK$3,800 and HK$8,800 respectively. Yet a 2014 ­Oxfam Hong Kong study estimated basic monthly living expenses for those living alone stood at about HK$7,344. For two people,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2039087/more-hong-kong-people-fall-within-cracks-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2039087/more-hong-kong-people-fall-within-cracks-official?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2016 03:00:15 +0000 On a pavement in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong district, a 60-year-old clocksmith sits behind a small mobile cupboard, carefully taking tools out of various drawers to repair a broken watch. He is one of five street hawking tradesman that the government are planning to issue licenses to in the district in a bid to legalise their operations. Critics say the move may force those who are unable to afford the fees to close down and end the succession of some traditional handcrafts. The licenses would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2039043/will-hong-kongs-street-hawkers-be-saved-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2039043/will-hong-kongs-street-hawkers-be-saved-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 The wife of a retired school principal appealed to the public on Saturday for a liver donation to save her husband, who may have only two weeks to live. Wu Man-ming, 60, former head of SKH Holy Trinity Church Secondary School in Ho Man Tin, has acute liver disease and is in dire need of a transplant. Brother-in-law Stephen Chu Ka-fu said Wu was on the waiting list to receive an organ from a dead donor, while several relatives had offered live donations but were not suitable matches. “I hope... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2028408/hong-kong-woman-begs-liver-donor-save-husband-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2028408/hong-kong-woman-begs-liver-donor-save-husband-who?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Oct 2016 12:50:46 +0000 Traditional family businesses dominate Hong Kong and mainland China’s economy – but fewer members of the younger generation seem willing to take up the mantle, putting many firms’ futures in doubt. Family controlled businesses now make up approximately 60 per cent of both Hong Kong and the mainland’s GDP, experts say. About 3 million private enterprises on the mainland are also facing succession, according to a 2014 report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Yet a survey last year by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028173/hong-kongs-family-firms-struggle-merge-tradition-young?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028173/hong-kongs-family-firms-struggle-merge-tradition-young?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Oct 2016 06:02:34 +0000 On a bench underneath the footbridge opposite Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, you can usually find 68-year-old Peter Goh sitting quietly in a buttoned-down shirt, reading a newspaper. Cheerful and polite, he’s well known by those who work nearby, with many stopping to chat with him during their commute. But when the day draws to an end and the streets slowly empty, Goh remains, hunkering down at a spot in Tamar Park where he spends his nights. “I take the cleanest papers and spread them out on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028158/hong-kong-homeless-raise-awareness-their-plight-snapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028158/hong-kong-homeless-raise-awareness-their-plight-snapping?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Oct 2016 20:32:03 +0000 In a rare visit to the city, Japan’s first lady Akie Abe said Hong Kong and Japanese relations would become more crucial in the coming years as the neighbouring nation faces economic challenges. At a ceremony marking the launch of the inaugural Japan Autumn Festival at Exchange Square in Central on Friday, Abe emphasised the importance of trade and tourism between the two territories. She said she hoped Hongkongers visit the less-travelled areas of Japan, which are currently experiencing a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028162/japans-first-lady-akie-abe-praises-strong-relationship-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2028162/japans-first-lady-akie-abe-praises-strong-relationship-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Oct 2016 10:28:48 +0000 In a dilapidated shack on the roof of a Cheung Sha Wan residential building, an old woman crouches over a shallow bucket of water, rinsing a HK$5 pair of cucumbers for lunch. Sunlight seeps through cracks in a ceiling that is haphazardly constructed out of tarpaulin, metal pipes and sheets of corrugated iron. Clothes and hangers dangle from rusty wires. The 67-year-old woman, surnamed Law, lives in the subdivided rooftop unit with nine other residents. They are struggling to make ends meet in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2026112/rooftop-slums-are-stark-reminder-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2026112/rooftop-slums-are-stark-reminder-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Oct 2016 11:45:45 +0000 In an open kitchen joint in Tai Po, a pan sizzles as Wong Wing-leung deftly flicks it with his wrist. The smell of Hong Kong cooking wafts through the bright, airy restaurant. Orders scrawled on slips of paper line the metal countertop as busboys scurry back and forth. Wong owns Chan Hon Kee, one of Tai Po’s oldest cha chaan teng, or restaurants, which serves a mix of affordable Chinese and Western fare unique to the city. Opened by his uncle in the early 1960s in Tsuen Wan, the restaurant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2024062/hong-kongs-local-food-back-menu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2024062/hong-kongs-local-food-back-menu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2016 03:30:30 +0000 Breast cancer survivor Emily Ng recalled breaking down in tears at the doctor’s office when she was told that she may have to have her left breast surgically removed as part of her treatment. It was 2010, and Ng had just completed her annual medical check-up when she received a call saying that she needed to go for a mammogram X-ray exam. After a few examinations, she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and the doctor said that she would have to undergo a partial mastectomy. “I felt... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2024080/easing-pain-inflating-self-esteem-post-surgery-bra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2024080/easing-pain-inflating-self-esteem-post-surgery-bra?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2016 02:03:06 +0000 The sound of rumbling fills the night air, as shirtless men with towels wrapped around their necks drag pallet jacks with stacked boxes of fruit across the road. Buyers and sellers yell at one another across stalls, surrounded by lego-like towers of boxes perched on wooden crates. Workers load their cargo into half-empty trucks parked outside the cluster of alleys. It’s almost midnight, yet the work day is just beginning at the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market. From dusk till dawn, the rustic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2024028/ripe-change-vibrant-hong-kong-fruit-market-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2024028/ripe-change-vibrant-hong-kong-fruit-market-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:15 +0000 Population growth on Cheung Chau has residents calling for more ferry services during weekday morning peak hours in order to meet overwhelming demand for commuter transport. According to some residents, maximum capacity is quickly being reached for the 6.20am fast ferry to Central, with up to 40 passengers left to wait for the next service on a daily basis. While some evening services are also beginning to fill up, the issue is not as critical as the mornings when children must get to school on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2022034/high-and-dry-cheung-chau-residents-demand-added?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2022034/high-and-dry-cheung-chau-residents-demand-added?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Sep 2016 03:30:39 +0000 Green groups are pushing the government to take more concrete measures to reduce the city’s plastic waste problem, which they say has reached epic proportions. This week, France became the first country in the world to impose a ban on plastic plates, utensils and cups that will take effect in 2020. In Hong Kong, however, the use of disposable plastic products remains rampant and environmental rights advocates say the government needs to implement legislation to reduce the amount of plastic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2022009/stop-talking-trash-and-get-tough-plastic-waste?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2022009/stop-talking-trash-and-get-tough-plastic-waste?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Sep 2016 02:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong must invest in digital technology and human development if it doesn’t want to lose its competitive edge to regional rivals, says leading American economist and management guru Michael Porter. Despite having a productive economy, good infrastructure and a dynamic business community, the city needs to continue innovating and strengthening its human development, Porter said, speaking to The Post, an international philanthropy forum organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2021690/how-hong-kong-can-keep-its-competitive-edge-over-rivals-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2021690/how-hong-kong-can-keep-its-competitive-edge-over-rivals-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2016 11:37:02 +0000 Medical experts warn that government plans to address the acute manpower shortage plaguing Hong Kong’s health system are unlikely to ease the pressure. In recent years, public hospitals have faced a chronic shortage of about 300 doctors, leading to massive spikes in waiting times and a system that is often stretched to breaking point. The number of doctors needed is projected to increase by about 28 per cent from 6,310 in 2016 to 8,050 in 2026, according to a 2015 Food and Health Bureau... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2020068/proposed-cure-hong-kongs-public-health-system-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2020068/proposed-cure-hong-kongs-public-health-system-no?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Sep 2016 06:03:16 +0000 Iconic Hong Kong women’s club The Helena May is looking to usher in a new era as it celebrates its 100th anniversary, and adapts to the demands of a rapidly changing city. On Monday, members and guests gathered at a tea party commemorating the club’s founding on September 12, 1916. Perched on 35 Garden Road, Central, the institute opened with a mission to promote the welfare of women in Hong Kong. With accommodation and other facilities, the club aimed to support women living and working away... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2020246/historic-hong-kong-womens-club-rings-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2020246/historic-hong-kong-womens-club-rings-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Sep 2016 04:55:51 +0000 Local comedian Tamby Chan went to his first open mic show just three years back – and he’s been addicted to stand-up ever since. “It just makes me feel good,” Chan, who was born in Hong Kong and emigrated to Canada when he was seven before returning in 2008, said. “It also teaches you to be honest with yourself.” Now he is one of two comedians representing Hong Kong in a global competition to find the funniest person in the world, along with Singapore-based Hongkonger Joanna Sio. Hong Kong comic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2018043/can-hong-kong-comedian-become-funniest-person-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2018043/can-hong-kong-comedian-become-funniest-person-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Sep 2016 04:00:30 +0000 Suicide prevention is not an easy task in Hong Kong, but one man has built a career on it. With more than two decades of experience in suicide research, Paul Yip Siu-fai is now in his 14th year serving as the founding director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention. Recently appointed chairman of the government’s new Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, Yip is also a professor of social work and administration at the University of Hong Kong and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2018007/one-too-many-hong-kong-suicide-expert-battling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2018007/one-too-many-hong-kong-suicide-expert-battling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Sep 2016 02:02:03 +0000 Christie’s Asia President Rebecca Wei never used to care about securing private time off work – until she became so overworked that she ended up in hospital for two weeks during her early thirties. It was back when Wei had just started her decade-long career at McKinsey & Company, where she would go on to become the first female partner elected at their Greater China Office. Having worked for six months without weekends or vacations, she developed a pain during a Christmas party and went to see... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2017997/how-hospital-cured-my-addiction-work-christies-asia-president-rebecca-wei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2017997/how-hospital-cured-my-addiction-work-christies-asia-president-rebecca-wei?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Sep 2016 08:00:30 +0000 Three months ago, on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, I climbed some 500 metres to the top of Hong Kong’s Lion Rock. Made famous by a song from the 1970s, it embodies what locals call the “Lion Rock spirit” – a tendency for Hongkongers to persevere through hardship for a brighter future. It had seemed fitting, to scale the summit on a date that marked such sacrifice for political change. I remember that moment clearly because I remember looking down at the city and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2017960/election-woke-hong-kongs-lion-rock-spirit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2017960/election-woke-hong-kongs-lion-rock-spirit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Sep 2016 05:45:11 +0000 In a modest workshop perched above a side street in Yau Tong, four expatriate women sat at a wooden table, diligently cutting pentagon-shaped holes in bottle caps with small knives and chatting in Vietnamese. In another workstation just across the room, another cluster of people were also hard at work, drilling into a thin piece of wood. They are a grassroots group of expat volunteers making an environmentally friendly and low technology air cooling system out of used bottles and wooden parts –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2013049/meet-vietnamese-expats-making-difference-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2013049/meet-vietnamese-expats-making-difference-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Sep 2016 01:00:45 +0000 Police have warned the public to be mindful of road safety as city schools are set to reopen on September 1, and youngsters remain some of the most frequent victims of traffic accidents. Excluding senior citizens, Hongkongers between the ages of 10 and 14 have consistently ranked as the age group with the highest rate of pedestrian injuries and fatalities from 2009 to 2015, according to statistics from the Transport Department. Last year, the age group saw 137 casualties. To prepare for local... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2009868/road-safety-warning-citys-kids-get-set-start-new-school-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2009868/road-safety-warning-citys-kids-get-set-start-new-school-term?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Aug 2016 00:03:46 +0000 As the city gears up for its second annual Hong Kong Culture Festival, experts say the government needs to put more resources into preserving intangible cultural heritage and the city should look towards gaining greater recognition for it. Featuring age-old traditions like Hakka kung fu and Chinese puppetry, the festival will run from September 2 to October 22. Its aim is to be a platform for Hongkongers to rediscover their heritage and promote awareness of the importance of preserving culture,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2009485/getting-tangible-hong-kong-seeks-spread-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2009485/getting-tangible-hong-kong-seeks-spread-message?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Aug 2016 03:02:26 +0000 Crowds cheered on a sweaty stream of runners as they raced along a 7km trail that winds through Central Park, New York. Vivid costumes and banners splattered the scene – an explosion of colour. Families, friends and strangers strolled along, celebrating a united cause. Not a cloud was in sight. It was the summer of 2013 and Alex Chong, a Hong Kong-based IT manager, was taking part in New York’s annual pride run in honour of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) community. It was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2005747/hong-kong-running-group-going-distance-citys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2005747/hong-kong-running-group-going-distance-citys?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2016 04:00:25 +0000 This time last year, 43-year-old Mike Ko could speak clearly, use his hands to write, and go out using a wheelchair to eat with his friends at a restaurant. Now he can only make sounds, and even a simple act such as lifting his head to sip water exhausts him. Leaving his apartment is a struggle. It has been three years since Ko was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare type of ­motor neurone disease that causes a victim’s muscles to rapidly weaken to the extent that they have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2006305/ice-bucket-challenge-turns-cash-freeze-two-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2006305/ice-bucket-challenge-turns-cash-freeze-two-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2016 01:04:10 +0000 Local parent Raymond Cheng landed a coveted interview for his son to enter the second year of primary school at an English School Foundation institution last year – only to have his hopes dashed when his child did not make the cut. To secure the interview, he had paid HK$50,000 to ESF through a scheme called “Individual Nomination Rights” which gives admission priority to its participants, who have an admission rate of about 50 per cent. Capped at 150 individuals per year, the fee is only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2002943/hike-hong-kong-families-turning-international?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2002943/hike-hong-kong-families-turning-international?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Aug 2016 06:00:52 +0000 Tai Po was just a small fishing village when it was ushered into an era of rapid development in the 1960s – one that began with a local carpet factory. It was a period of transformation not only for Tai Po, but also the whole of Hong Kong. The Communist Party takeover of China in 1949 prompted many refugees to flood into the then British-ruled city. At the same time, the United States implemented a trade embargo against China, which meant that goods could not be exported from the mainland. To... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1999633/hong-kong-carpet-maker-weaves-60-years-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1999633/hong-kong-carpet-maker-weaves-60-years-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Aug 2016 06:03:21 +0000 All marriages require hard work, but they can be especially ­challenging if you’re an expatriate in Hong Kong. Divorces are on the rise in the city, and the trend appears to hold true for expat couples, experts say. The number of divorce petitions filed – both by one person or on a joint basis – grew by more than half from 14,063 in 2000 to 21,467 in 2015, according to the judiciary. Hong Kong divorce professionals promote radical alternative to court action While there is no specific data on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1999743/divorce-proves-be-hardest-break-expatriates-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1999743/divorce-proves-be-hardest-break-expatriates-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Aug 2016 03:01:26 +0000 Baseball was not a typical sport among Hongkongers in the 1980s. It was precisely because of this that Leo Lu Kwong-fai, then principal of Kei Kok Primary School in Sha Tin, decided to set up one of Hong Kong’s first youth baseball teams in 1983. Called the Sha Tin Martins, it went on to win little league matches against strong foreign rivals ­­– victories that resonated with locals at a time when the city’s uncertain future rested in the hands of foreign players. “I wanted to make something... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1996565/local-film-weeds-fire-retells-story-inspiring-sha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1996565/local-film-weeds-fire-retells-story-inspiring-sha?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jul 2016 01:01:54 +0000 With electric guitars hanging from stands, a sleek Apple computer and CDs scattered across a transparent desk – Michael Egerton’s apartment in Mui Wo, Lantau is a rather typical one for an expatriate. Except that it moonlights as a radio station. Egerton is one of the creators of Radio Lantau, an internet radio station that broadcasts music and various shows geared towards the Lantau expat community. It is one of few free online radio shows in the city that broadcasts in English and caters... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1996497/radio-ga-ga-lantau-british-resident-moonlights-dj-spinning-songs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1996497/radio-ga-ga-lantau-british-resident-moonlights-dj-spinning-songs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jul 2016 07:15:00 +0000 Gliding through the cool, murky waters of the ­Ninepin Islands near Sai Kung, scuba instructor ­Anssi Iivari didn’t see anything out of the ordinary – until he came face to face with a metre-long squid. “It appeared right in front of us for a few seconds, wondering who we were and what we were doing, then took off,” said Iivari, master instructor at ­Pro-Diver Development. “I had never seen a squid that big in Hong Kong before.” It was one of Iivari’s most memorable dives in the city. With... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1993468/dive-learning-dive-challenging-hong-kong-makes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1993468/dive-learning-dive-challenging-hong-kong-makes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jul 2016 00:03:46 +0000