https://www.scmp.com/rss/323638/feed David Vetter is a former senior reporter on the City desk. David joined the Post in 2016 as editor of HK Magazine following 10 years of reporting and editing for publications in Hong Kong, China and the UK. He holds a master's degree in international journalism. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com There are so many customs associated with Lunar New Year that, for those who didn’t grow up with them, it can be hard to know where to begin. Who knew I’d be given the cold shoulder by my friend’s entire family after gifting them a set of kitchen knives? Who could have foreseen I’d lose everything on the stock market after shaving my head on Lunar New Year’s day? Plenty of people, apparently. Nowadays, a rudimentary search for “LNY traditions” dredges up a barrage of listicles long and short... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3121446/it-time-break-lunar-new-year-traditions-not-if-you-want?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3121446/it-time-break-lunar-new-year-traditions-not-if-you-want?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Feb 2021 01:00:14 +0000 Compared to Lunar New Year, Western New Year’s Eve can seem a rather lacklustre affair. While it’s probably the most widely celebrated occasion in the modern world, an impartial observer might not be able to pin any unique attributes to the holiday. It is neither a religious festival nor a distinct cultural tradition. It doesn’t have dragons or brightly coloured lions, nor does it have a huge bearded man in a red suit, still less, a baby in a manger. Perhaps that’s why, for their New Year’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3043890/how-scottish-influenced-hong-kongs-new-years-eve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3043890/how-scottish-influenced-hong-kongs-new-years-eve?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2019 04:00:15 +0000 Mr Claus was not amused. “Every year this happens,” he boomed at the assembled elves. “I ask you clowns to figure out a dignified way to get into these apartments, and every year the answer is the same: ‘Squeeze in through the air conditioning’.” With that quote, he mimicked the elf sergeant’s admittedly squeaky voice. Sergeant Poppy was indignant. “Sir!” she exclaimed, drawing herself up to her full, 15cm height, “we are not clowns”. She relaxed a little. “Besides, what choice do we have? We... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3040247/what-no-chimney-how-does-santa-claus-deliver-presents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3040247/what-no-chimney-how-does-santa-claus-deliver-presents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2019 18:00:06 +0000 Tracking down Will Yun Lee can be hard. At 48, the action star is moving faster than ever. “I think I lost all my guy friends because I run from set to plane to family,” he laments over the phone from Vancouver. “It's a little bit hectic.” I love working in Hong Kong – I felt what it must be like for a Caucasian in Hollywood. It's a completely different feeling. And very refreshing Korean American actor Will Yun Lee         View this post on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3031442/how-marvel-star-will-yun-lee-lost-14kg-six-weeks-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3031442/how-marvel-star-will-yun-lee-lost-14kg-six-weeks-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2019 05:00:14 +0000 Chinese tech trailblazers Xiaomi have launched an unconventional and wildly expensive new mobile phone called the Mi Mix Alpha. The selling point is the screen covers more than 180 per cent of the phone’s body. What does that even mean? Well, it’s a bit of a cheat as nothing can cover 180 per cent of anything; what it means is the screen stretches around the back and sides of the phone. Up front is a bezel-less display, and that display wraps right around the back, only stopping at a band that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3030644/whats-so-special-about-xiaomis-new-us2800-mi-mix-alpha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3030644/whats-so-special-about-xiaomis-new-us2800-mi-mix-alpha?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2019 06:26:59 +0000 Luxury can be an abstract concept. Marc Jacobs categorised it as “anything you don’t need”, while Coco Chanel held it to be “the opposite of vulgarity”. Perhaps ruling these definitions too nebulous to take to the bank, brands have tried – with some success – to conflate the concept of luxury with that of exclusivity: consider the caché attached to a limited-edition Birkin bag, or a Patek Philippe tourbillon. But no matter the rarity of the product, 21st century mass production techniques and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3021674/how-blockchain-revolutionising-way-luxury-brands-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3021674/how-blockchain-revolutionising-way-luxury-brands-do?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2019 10:56:02 +0000 The latest instalment in our On Work / On Play series with luxury CEOs. This month: Christian von Koenigsegg, founder and CEO of Koenigsegg Automotive ON PLAY Q. Given your high-octane day job, what do you do to unwind? A. I build cars to unwind. I ponder about new innovations and solutions. And I spend time with my family, which is super important. 7 art cars to feast your eyes on Q. What does quality of life mean to you? A. Being able to do the things you like to do, with the people you like... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/3013407/christian-von-koenigsegg-talks-about-his-un-swedish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/3013407/christian-von-koenigsegg-talks-about-his-un-swedish?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jun 2019 08:00:12 +0000 Heritage experts in Hong Kong have cheered news that government officials and a private developer have agreed to preserve an unusual post-second world war theatre that has been the subject of a long-running campaign. New World Development, the majority owner of the State Theatre in North Point, had said earlier that it intended redeveloping the property, which meant the theatre would have been demolished. But the developer changed its plan following a public awareness campaign and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184551/how-campaigners-helped-save-hong-kongs-unique-post-war-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184551/how-campaigners-helped-save-hong-kongs-unique-post-war-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2019 02:01:09 +0000 Six-year-old Sonya Chan runs over to a steel object rising out of the ground like a metallic flower. As she starts striking its shiny surface, deep notes ring out. “Playing is important because it’s fun!” she says with a laugh. A few metres away, slightly older children dash and splash through a water zone, and in a sandpit about six metres long, two dozen children are digging, building and generally rolling about. The new playground at Tuen Mun Park in the New Territories is almost the size of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2183648/childrens-playgrounds-hong-kong-are-largely-uninspiring-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2183648/childrens-playgrounds-hong-kong-are-largely-uninspiring-one?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jan 2019 02:02:18 +0000 Hong Kong’s dubious honour of having the world’s highest priced property puts private home ownership beyond the reach of many. Instead, heavily subsidised public housing is the main choice for young low-income couples, the elderly, and singles hoping to rent a flat, but there is a severe shortage of such homes. Public rental housing estates found across Hong Kong usually comprise several high-rise blocks, with flats of different sizes. They currently house about 3.3 million people – 44.7 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2182106/why-public-housing-shortfall-will-remain-thorn-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2182106/why-public-housing-shortfall-will-remain-thorn-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jan 2019 02:03:22 +0000 Pang Chi-shing is tucking into a meal of preserved vegetables, pork and rice with considerable gusto. “It’s great,” says the 56-year-old divorcee with two children. “The food here is suitable for everyone, and you’re free to go back for as many helpings as you want.” Pang, who earns little more than HK$3,000 (US$382) a month juggling odd jobs as a security guard and an online watch salesman, is one of about 20 diners at an exclusive dining club, where an entire meal costs just HK$8. Open five... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181622/hk8-meals-served-side-job-coaching-hong-kong-lunch-club?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181622/hk8-meals-served-side-job-coaching-hong-kong-lunch-club?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jan 2019 03:02:27 +0000 Hong Kong property is the most expensive in the world. It is not surprising, then, that the proportion of people who rent their homes is rising. Census data shows that in 2006, 52.8 per cent of homes were owned or mortgaged by the people living in them, while 43 per cent were tenants. By 2016, 48.5 per cent of homes were owned by occupants, and the number of households renting had increased to 46.8 per cent. Looming big vacancy tax is prodding city’s developers to sell empty flats Yet there are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179022/renting-hong-kong-heres-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179022/renting-hong-kong-heres-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2018 02:00:25 +0000 The atmosphere electric, the music soaring, each night Rose Winebrenner took to the stage in front of a rapt audience. After 20 years’ hard work, the mezzo soprano had the lead role in Zaia, a theatrical extravaganza by Cirque du Soleil in Macau. Beginning in 2008, it was intended to run for a decade. But after just four years the show was cancelled. Winebrenner’s dreams were dashed; her life turned upside down. In the depths of despondency, she retreated to Lamma Island in Hong Kong, hoping... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2178110/cirque-de-soleil-star-who-found-rejuvenation-and-inspiration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2178110/cirque-de-soleil-star-who-found-rejuvenation-and-inspiration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Dec 2018 04:02:05 +0000 Ng Sau-fung, 72, opens the door to her one-room flat and gives a welcoming smile. “I don’t even allow my friends to visit my home, so you’re honoured,” she tells the three young people waiting in the dim corridor. She knows they are volunteers who have come on a Saturday morning to clean her home. Clearly delighted that they are here, she says with a cheeky glint in her eye: “Just remember I was a professional cleaner most of my life, so my standards are rather high.” Ng’s flat at Kai Yip Estate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2176856/beyond-mopping-floors-and-renovations-hong-kong-elderly-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2176856/beyond-mopping-floors-and-renovations-hong-kong-elderly-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Dec 2018 04:04:13 +0000 After two years trying to have a baby, while taking Chinese medicines and vitamin supplements to improve their chances, Sincere Kan and her husband Roy Chan decided it was time for in vitro fertilisation (IVF). She was 32 at the time, he was 34 and they had been married for two years. Kan did not want to wait much longer. “I thought if I want to have a natural pregnancy it might take me another two years, and I wanted to get pregnant as early as possible so the baby could be healthier,” she... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2176943/more-hong-kong-couples-turning-ivf-treatment-late-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2176943/more-hong-kong-couples-turning-ivf-treatment-late-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Dec 2018 00:01:34 +0000 There is more to Hong Kong’s air pollution than meets the eye – or throat. How often have you heard that the smog actually comes from across the border? Or that cars are responsible for the toxic clouds that regularly envelope the city? Such tropes are seldom accurate. Here, we break down Hong Kong’s noxious vapours to tell you where the pollutants are really coming from – and what can be done about them. What are the most harmful pollutants? ● Particulate matter – PM10 and PM2.5 These are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2175592/why-hong-kongs-air-so-polluted-and-what-can-we-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2175592/why-hong-kongs-air-so-polluted-and-what-can-we-do?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Dec 2018 02:30:45 +0000 Balwinder Singh Brar remembers his early days at the finance company where he worked as an adviser. Everyone in the office was Chinese, and he stood out not only as the only non-Chinese but also as a Sikh with a beard and long hair under his turban. “They had no idea where I was from, why I looked like this,” he recalls. But some of his more outgoing workmates eventually asked about his appearance. “They said they’d never met someone like me before, so they wanted to understand,” he says. Singh,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2175813/how-ethnic-minority-workers-are-shunned-hong-kong-and-whether?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2175813/how-ethnic-minority-workers-are-shunned-hong-kong-and-whether?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Dec 2018 01:30:25 +0000 Facebook could fall foul of Hong Kong law if it continues to withhold data needed for an investigation into online racial hatred, the city’s equality watchdog has said. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), which has the power to enforce anti-discrimination laws, said Facebook had declined to hand over the contact details of users who made posts vilifying ethnic minorities on the official Facebook page of a local NGO. The EOC noted that, under Hong Kong’s Race Discrimination (Investigation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2174737/facebook-could-face-hong-kong-prosecution-over-failure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2174737/facebook-could-face-hong-kong-prosecution-over-failure?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 02:30:55 +0000 From a very early age, Jane Goodall dreamed of going to Africa, living with wild animals and writing books. She achieved all that, and considerably more. As a result of her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, Goodall, now 84, has written more than 20 books and has been the subject of dozens of documentaries. Along the way, she earned a PhD in animal behaviour from Cambridge and has been made a United Nations Messenger of Peace, as well as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2173190/conservation-superstar-jane-goodall-eating-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2173190/conservation-superstar-jane-goodall-eating-your?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Nov 2018 02:34:05 +0000 Every day during the morning and evening rush hours, a familiar sight appears at Hong Kong’s three cross-harbour tunnels – rows of vehicles, from buses and taxis to private cars, choke up entrances in a mind-numbing mash of wheels and exhaust fumes. And despite Hong Kong’s public transport track record still being among the best in Asia, longer waiting times and journeys for buses citywide are becoming the norm, while MTR train carriages seem to be getting fuller. According to transport experts,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2173645/road-nowhere-hong-kong-urged-control-rising-car-numbers-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2173645/road-nowhere-hong-kong-urged-control-rising-car-numbers-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Nov 2018 00:33:28 +0000 Classically trained musician Shirley Choi has released three chart-topping mobile apps for children and is working on two more – but she has not received a penny for more than four years of work. She composed the music and songs for her children’s e-books, all aimed squarely at the issue of climate change. Each is bilingual, in English and Chinese, and available free of charge on both the iOS and Android platforms. The composer-turned-producer says money is the last thing on her mind. “I get... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2172281/classical-musician-develops-chart-topping-apps-teach-kids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2172281/classical-musician-develops-chart-topping-apps-teach-kids?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Nov 2018 04:32:08 +0000 LGBT campaigners have applauded key legal developments in Hong Kong that they say could eventually bring same-sex partners the same rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples. And while warning that a hard fight lies ahead to secure those rights, they pointed to research that suggests the public is in favour of expanding legal protections for LGBT people. In a forum on Thursday night, held as part of Pink Season, a five-week festival of LGBT-themed events in the city that ends on November 3, legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2171406/pink-season-event-highlights-call-hong-kongs-lgbt-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2171406/pink-season-event-highlights-call-hong-kongs-lgbt-community?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Nov 2018 04:31:41 +0000 Major corporations across five industries in Hong Kong on Friday signed a pledge to put an end to the global trade in shark fin. Airline Cathay Pacific was joined by businesses ranging from hotels to advertisers in committing to the Global Shark Pledge, an initiative by wildlife protection organisation WildAid. Hong Kong is a major hub for the trade. As much as 50 per cent of global supply passes through the city, much of it on its way to mainland China. WildAid says the industry relies on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2171486/cathay-pacific-among-major-hong-kong-firms-uniting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2171486/cathay-pacific-among-major-hong-kong-firms-uniting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Nov 2018 00:04:14 +0000 Halloween is here, and that means it’s time for grisly tales, ghost stories and haunted locales. The city of Hong Kong has a long and tumultuous history – which means it’s littered with ghost stories and claims of the paranormal. Here are five of the best ghost stories and haunted places in Hong Kong. 1) Nam Koo Terrace Nam Koo Terrace is famous for being the most haunted apartment building in Hong Kong. It’s thought to have been a military brothel for Japanese troops during their occupation of... https://www.scmp.com/china/most-haunted-and-scary-places-hong-kong-halloween/article/2170987?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/most-haunted-and-scary-places-hong-kong-halloween/article/2170987?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Oct 2018 09:15:00 +0000 David Vetter,Mandy Zheng,Rachel Leung David Vetter,Mandy Zheng,Rachel Leung When Wong Ka-lok started his fortune-telling business in Hong Kong in 1992, few college-educated people took him seriously. Some even called him a fraud. Now, university students are some of his most loyal customers. The reason for the change, he says, is increasing pressure at work and higher career expectations compared to previous generations. Some have trouble finding the right job. Others feel directionless. So they come to Wong for advice, just as they might consult a career adviser or... https://www.scmp.com/culture/directionless-millennials-hong-kong-are-flocking-fortune-tellers-advice/article/3000212?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/directionless-millennials-hong-kong-are-flocking-fortune-tellers-advice/article/3000212?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Oct 2018 10:11:50 +0000 Halloween’s origins are often attributed to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, but no matter where you are in the world, every culture seems to have its own obsession with the supernatural. Often, this goes hand in hand with a fascination for grisly tales and ghost stories. In 21st century Hong Kong, Halloween and the trick-or-treating tradition only seem to have increased in popularity. The annual Lan Kwai Fong Halloween Street Party on October 31 will see thousands of residents of all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2170298/haunted-houses-abandoned-villages-seven-scary-sites-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2170298/haunted-houses-abandoned-villages-seven-scary-sites-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Oct 2018 09:34:11 +0000 “Indonesian helpers are often thieves.... Sorry, we cannot accommodate Africans.... We don’t rent to Pakistanis.” These might sound like shocking statements, but in a new video campaign on social media, Hong Kong charity Resolve Foundation aims to show how racism is a harsh reality for many non-Chinese ethnic minorities in the city, and how those discriminated against are fighting back. The voices in the campaign include: a law student from Togo in West Africa who recalls how Hong Kong landlords... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2170186/indonesian-helpers-are-thieves-shocking-statements-prejudice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2170186/indonesian-helpers-are-thieves-shocking-statements-prejudice?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Oct 2018 00:33:50 +0000 The Hong Kong identity card (HKID) is a small but essential possession for living in the city. Issued by the Immigration Department, all residents aged 15 or older must carry it, and anyone who stays locally for more than 180 days is required to apply for one. But more than furnishing legal proof that one is allowed to be in the city, this modest piece of plastic comes in handy for other processes, from banking to borrowing books. And increasingly, it is taking on more roles in the lives of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2169020/how-humble-hong-kong-identity-card-got-smart-and-became-vital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2169020/how-humble-hong-kong-identity-card-got-smart-and-became-vital?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2018 02:01:19 +0000 When Paul Crow arrives at work in the morning, he does what many of us do, and checks his inbox. But rather than having to contend with spam mail, this inbox contains two pythons, a Chinese cobra, some turtles and an injured deer. It is just the start of a typical day in the life of a senior conservation officer at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden’s Wild Animal Rescue Centre, in the New Territories. “It’s never the same two days in a row,” Crow says of his job. “One day it might be a porcupine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2169425/wildlife-fights-back-hong-kongs-concrete-jungle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2169425/wildlife-fights-back-hong-kongs-concrete-jungle?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2018 01:00:21 +0000 A Hong Kong-based charity says educating the city’s youth could be key to reducing demand for ivory from endangered African elephants. Even though Kenya is more than 8,000km away, conservation group The Elephant Foundation (TEF) is gearing up for a tour of Hong Kong schools. “Seventy per cent of people we talk to don’t understand that an elephant has to die for people to get its ivory,” TEF’s co-founder Colin Dawson says. “The minute people understand the elephant has to die, they don’t want... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2168107/educating-hong-kong-youth-key-stopping-ivory-trade-elephant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2168107/educating-hong-kong-youth-key-stopping-ivory-trade-elephant?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2018 08:02:31 +0000 Hong Kong-based art dealer Maria Kiang is fiddling with a palm-sized tactile toy at the Fine Art Asia fair, but this is no ordinary children’s contraption and she is not using it to kill boredom at her booth. “You remember those things kids were all playing with a year ago?” she asks. “Fidget spinners? This is basically an 11th century fidget spinner. You can’t stop playing with it.” Known as a scholar’s object, it is an oval jade piece carved into the likeness of a quail and worth HK$400,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2168151/song-dynasty-fidget-spinners-and-scholarly-playthings-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2168151/song-dynasty-fidget-spinners-and-scholarly-playthings-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2018 03:02:10 +0000 Injured stray dogs, abandoned kittens, and a cow in distress, are just some of the animal emergencies Jacqui Green has handled over the past 30 years on Lantau Island. The veteran campaigner’s willingness to jump into her car and race to the scene of a case has made her a household name among animal lovers on the island, and across Hong Kong’s animal welfare community. The 68-year-old co-founded Protection of Animals Lantau South (PALS), a society that has been raising awareness for animals on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2167170/animal-welfare-hong-kong-veteran-campaigner-hopes-duty-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2167170/animal-welfare-hong-kong-veteran-campaigner-hopes-duty-care?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Oct 2018 03:18:19 +0000 Residents of Lamma Island have formed a group to give away literally anything – from sports gear, toys, to excess food – to bring neighbours together while reducing waste. Kerys Powell, 45, a primary schoolteacher, started the Facebook-based group called Buy Nothing Lamma Island after day-to-day experiences led her to notice disparities in Hong Kong society. “I’ve seen people throw away perfectly good things,” the Briton says. “But I’ve also seen other people helping themselves to clothes that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2166238/giving-feels-good-britons-lamma-island-facebook-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2166238/giving-feels-good-britons-lamma-island-facebook-project?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:02:40 +0000 Terrified cries rang out through the predawn gloom across the rough sea. Bone-weary and freezing, Inspector Leslie Bird of marine police launch 56 was functioning only on adrenaline when he dived back into the dark winter waters off Lantau Island. A junk boat carrying illegal immigrants had capsized, and he had already saved the life of a seven-month-old baby boy, but the child’s mother was still out there among the wreckage. Shrugging off exhaustion, Bird surged through the swell to where he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2166134/retired-hong-kong-policeman-seeks-baby-he-saved-tragic-1980-incident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2166134/retired-hong-kong-policeman-seeks-baby-he-saved-tragic-1980-incident?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Sep 2018 02:00:39 +0000 “May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even if we are hundreds of miles apart.” This line from a famous Song dynasty poem written by Su Shi, better known as Su Dongpo, perhaps best captures the spirit of Mid-Autumn Festival, an age-old event with roots in both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. As Hong Kong is once again illuminated by dazzling lanterns of all shapes and sizes, the Post explores the ancient history behind the festival, which falls on the 15th day of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165247/what-mid-autumn-festival-all-about-chinese-legends-lanterns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165247/what-mid-autumn-festival-all-about-chinese-legends-lanterns?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Sep 2018 09:02:37 +0000 When it comes to life-threatening combat, Hong Kong-based Thomas Fan Wai-kong, a referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has seen it all, from smashed faces to broken limbs. Fan, 46, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), can hold his own in the ring as well. But in 2016, the seasoned fighter found he would need the help of his friends and family to take on his meanest opponent yet: cancer. “It started as a lump on my neck,” the British national recalls. “It didn’t... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165206/hong-kong-based-ufc-referee-who-holds-black-belt-brazilian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165206/hong-kong-based-ufc-referee-who-holds-black-belt-brazilian?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Sep 2018 06:01:35 +0000 A Hong Kong sociologist has made it her personal mission to shed light on the plight of a marginalised and often misunderstood group of women in the city – prostitutes. “Some 80 per cent of girls we’ve spoken to want to leave [the sex trade],” says Bowie Lam, founder of charity Teen’s Key. “But they feel they don’t have a choice.” The true numbers of those entering this illicit and highly dangerous business are hard to establish, Lam says. One of the major problems facing Teen’s Key is a lack of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2163850/hong-kong-sociologist-behind-charity-teens-key-aims-offer-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2163850/hong-kong-sociologist-behind-charity-teens-key-aims-offer-way?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Sep 2018 02:49:34 +0000 In a rural village in Long Keng, Sai Kung, a small community counts an unlikely character as its leader: a Frenchman with a swashbuckling past, who is one of only four non-ethnic-Chinese resident representatives out of a total of 695 in Hong Kong. Hervé Henri Bouvresse, 57, came to the city in 1988. He married a Hong Kong-Japanese woman in 1993, and says he has never looked back. “My brother Christophe, who got here first, told me this was a place with a lot of opportunity, and I still feel that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2162827/sai-kung-community-hong-kong-swashbuckling-frenchman-village?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2162827/sai-kung-community-hong-kong-swashbuckling-frenchman-village?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:33:30 +0000 Two years ago, Lau Yuet-tan moved from Hong Kong to Iceland. Life couldn’t be more different. She used to be squeezed into a city of seven million known for its crowded streets, packed trains and tiny apartments. Now, she lives in a nation of glaciers and dramatic coastal landscapes. It’s 37 times the size of Hong Kong, with a population of a little more than 330,000. “Life in Iceland is certainly not as luxurious and eventful as it could be at home. And sometimes I do feel bored, but I’ve also... https://www.scmp.com/society/search-better-life-hong-kong-millennials-want-leave-city/article/2160516?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/search-better-life-hong-kong-millennials-want-leave-city/article/2160516?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 10:30:45 +0000 In a city where life moves at breakneck speed and the high cost of living coupled with rocketing property prices mean most are pinching their pennies, Hongkongers might not be perceived to be the most generous when it comes to charitable giving. But according to a survey this year by the University of Hong Kong, the city’s residents are altruistic: at least four in five people donated to charities over the past year. And the British-based Charities Aid Foundation in 2017 ranked Hong Kong an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2160128/can-hong-kong-charities-be-trusted-heres-how-donate-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2160128/can-hong-kong-charities-be-trusted-heres-how-donate-your?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Aug 2018 07:00:56 +0000 Hong Kong has much to learn about conservation from a recent Cape Town water crisis – by harnessing the power of social media and reforming tariffs, according to an environmental expert from the South African city. At the beginning of this year, Cape Town announced it was facing “Day Zero”, a dreaded date when the city’s taps would run dry. But by April it had averted disaster, using measures Hong Kong can adopt, says Kevin Winter, senior lecturer in environmental and geographical science at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2160228/can-hong-kong-learn-how-south-africas-cape-town?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2160228/can-hong-kong-learn-how-south-africas-cape-town?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Aug 2018 05:19:03 +0000 Hongkonger Lau Yuet-tan, 26, chose Iceland, when she decided to emigrate two years ago. She moved from the crowded streets, packed trains and tiny flats of city life to the Nordic island nation of glaciers, dramatic coastal landscapes and a population of a little more than 330,000. “The whole environment here is almost opposite to that in Hong Kong,” says Lau, now 26 and working as a blogger in a travel company. “Life in Iceland is certainly not as luxurious and eventful as it could be at home.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2160161/young-professionals-are-leaving-hong-kong-droves-search?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2160161/young-professionals-are-leaving-hong-kong-droves-search?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 In an effort to spur reform in Hong Kong’s secondary schools, one independent school head is challenging convention by joining a US-based education coalition dedicated to moving away from traditional exams and grades. Rather than academic results, the proposed system looks at other qualities like leadership, scientific thinking, initiative and numeracy – attributes that employers are really looking for, says Toby Newton, head of International College Hong Kong (ICHK) in the New Territories. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2159067/can-new-us-based-education-initiative-change-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2159067/can-new-us-based-education-initiative-change-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Aug 2018 07:30:15 +0000 The relationship between Hong Kong’s police officers and the public has in recent months been fraught with tension in a city divided by social and political conflict, but 55-year-old Briton Toby Newton, a former policeman in colonial Hong Kong, says it’s not as bad as it seems. “To a lot of communities in Britain, police are the enemy,” says Newton, who now runs International College Hong Kong (ICHK), an international secondary school in the New Territories. “I’ve never had that feeling in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2159014/former-colonial-policeman-turned-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2159014/former-colonial-policeman-turned-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Aug 2018 06:18:46 +0000 Every day Hongkongers throw away 450 tonnes of leftover soup ingredients – a weight equivalent to about 1,000 cows, according to a study by a local NGO. The unwanted dregs make up a hefty 40 per cent of all household food waste in the city. The shocking figures were revealed last week by Food Grace which said the “colossal” problem was being forgotten amid the push to tackle other rubbish such as plastics. But now a professional Cantonese chef is encouraging cooks to get creative instead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2158108/how-cantonese-soups-create-40-cent-hong-kongs-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2158108/how-cantonese-soups-create-40-cent-hong-kongs-food?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Aug 2018 06:01:16 +0000 With its burgundy cover and coat of arms, the British National (Overseas) passport might look just like a full British passport – but don’t judge a book by its cover: BN(O) status is more complicated. The BN(O) document has proved a political hot potato. Revelations in July that Britain exerted pressure on Portugal not to grant full citizenship to Macau residents – in an attempt to dissuade Hong Kong people from demanding the same rights for BN(O) holders – prompted concern groups to describe... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157756/what-british-national-overseas-passport-and-what-holder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157756/what-british-national-overseas-passport-and-what-holder?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Aug 2018 05:30:00 +0000 With 7,014 people per sq km, Hong Kong is the world’s fourth most densely populated jurisdiction in the world, according to the UN, trailing only Singapore (8,155 people per sq km), Macau (20,821 people per sq km) and Monaco (25,969 people per sq km). No wonder then, that land reclamation, often seen as a last resort when a country or city runs out of urban space, holds such allure in a place notorious for its housing shortage. Five reclamation sites identified are ‘important land supply option’... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2156638/hong-kong-land-reclamation-explained-good-bad-and-ugly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2156638/hong-kong-land-reclamation-explained-good-bad-and-ugly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2018 05:01:56 +0000 A Hong Kong politician has spawned a furore by calling for tadpoles in a public housing estate pond to be exterminated before they become “noisy frogs”. Ecologists were quick to point out Yuen Long district councillor Ma Shuk-yin was jumping to the wrong conclusion in calling for a cull on the Tin Yiu Estate – as this could result in an increase in mosquitoes. “Tadpoles compete with mosquito larvae for algae, so by removing them you’re likely to see an increase in the number of mosquitoes,” says... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2157093/ecologists-left-hopping-mad-after-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2157093/ecologists-left-hopping-mad-after-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2018 02:05:51 +0000 Dressed in a light-coloured jacket, Winnie Yau, 36, walks up the stairs at Mong Kok MTR station to Nathan Road. On this breezy Hong Kong night in May, she quells a rush of excitement as her phone lights up with a message: “I have arrived”. It is from her date, Pak Tsao. The two met through an app and chatted for about a week before deciding to go on their first date. But before they even sit down for dinner, Yau is already poorer by HK$2,000 (US$255), after buying a suit for the man, also in his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2157083/gift-exchanges-latest-ruse-online-love-scams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2157083/gift-exchanges-latest-ruse-online-love-scams?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2018 01:03:44 +0000 Do you have a heap of small coins at home but don’t know what to do with them? You’re not alone. Thousands of Hongkongers store jars and boxes of 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces, but never quite get around to turning them into something more useful. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) says there is HK$6.7 billion (US$858 million) worth of coins circulating around the city, but with many stores choosing not to accept the coins, and banks charging people to deposit them in their accounts, that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2156203/hong-kong-students-cashing-spare-change-you-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2156203/hong-kong-students-cashing-spare-change-you-have?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jul 2018 02:01:44 +0000