https://www.scmp.com/rss/324014/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com It’s tough to find love in a city like Hong Kong, where the fast-paced grind endemic to any global metropolis is coupled with the culturally specific demands of parents pushing early marriage and a relatively conservative dating culture. The frustrations of finding the perfect partner—and the pressure from parents to find one quick—have led many to seek speed dating and matchmaking services, where one session can cost up to $300. For some people, the expense is worth it. Wendy So, 23, spent... https://www.scmp.com/videos/speed-dating-tinder-and-very-expensive-matchmakers-finding-love-hong-kong-lonely-journey/article/3000820?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/speed-dating-tinder-and-very-expensive-matchmakers-finding-love-hong-kong-lonely-journey/article/3000820?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Feb 2019 10:02:48 +0000 Hong Kong language teacher Ronny Mintjens, who had flown to North Korea to teach soon-to-be tour guides English, did the unheard of there – he asked for freedom for his students’ sake. In the capital Pyongyang, he had been given a textbook and especially told to teach chapters one and two – advertising and critical thinking – which he knew would be difficult given that both subjects are forbidden in one of the world’s most secretive countries.  He knew that the country only ran government... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142602/how-hong-kong-teacher-pushes-boundaries-and-trains-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142602/how-hong-kong-teacher-pushes-boundaries-and-trains-future?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 08:45:00 +0000 With the daily smoking rate of Hong Kong’s population at a record low, one might think public health advocate Antonio Kwong Cho-sing could not be any happier as head of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, an anti-smoking activist group. But he now faces a new challenge that has reared its ugly head: e-cigarettes. “If I have the power to make it work, I wish Hong Kong can be a smoke-free society, Kwong says. “Is this a far-fetched idea? I personally don’t really think so.” Fewer smokers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142467/are-e-cigarettes-all-smoke-and-mirrors-one-mans-quest-clean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142467/are-e-cigarettes-all-smoke-and-mirrors-one-mans-quest-clean?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 08:02:41 +0000 For six months, while Hong Kong’s schoolchildren bury themselves in textbooks to prepare for examinations, the world is the classroom for the four-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son of Cherry Chau Tsun-to. Chau and her husband consider themselves a “travelling family”, and aim to educate their children with life lessons on the road. The couple quit their high-paying jobs in Hong Kong to go on a trip around Asia. Their lifestyle choice is driven by a strong urge to get their children away... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142459/hong-kong-children-learn-life-lessons-world-their-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2142459/hong-kong-children-learn-life-lessons-world-their-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 01:01:05 +0000 From squashing into a crowded MTR during the morning commute, to attending those never-ending meetings with demanding bosses, it is easy to understand why some Hong Kong employees occasionally find it difficult to see the funny side of life. But, 31 office workers and residents from Quarry Bay are hoping to change all that, turning the mundane into comedy, and sharing a much-needed laugh with their fellow Hongkongers in the process. Joan Odita is just one of the actresses performing in Project... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140555/new-play-aiming-help-hong-kong-workers-look-bright-side?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140555/new-play-aiming-help-hong-kong-workers-look-bright-side?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Apr 2018 08:30:58 +0000 Open classrooms and playful learning will not work in Hong Kong because the education system is known to encourage rote learning. So Betty Chan Po-king was told when she took over her mother’s school, Yew Chung, in the 1970s and launched a kindergarten section. But Chan, chief executive and school supervisor of Yew Chung International School, proved the naysayers wrong by making her kindergarten one of the top preschools in the city. She says her success is partly because she understands that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140557/question-degrees-hong-kong-educator-betty-chan-new-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140557/question-degrees-hong-kong-educator-betty-chan-new-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Apr 2018 07:30:21 +0000 In Hong Kong, where life moves at breakneck speed and the high cost of living means enormous stress for those who fall through society’s cracks, tens of thousands suffer from mental illness. According to a new survey, the city needs to do more to educate its young on mental well-being and stamp out the taboo and stereotypes associated with those who suffer from mental illness. The study, by non-profit group OCD and Anxiety Support Hong Kong, calls on the government to “take an active role” in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2140575/why-mental-health-awareness-should-start-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2140575/why-mental-health-awareness-should-start-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Apr 2018 06:03:37 +0000 When Hong Kong officials decided to glue down pebbles that were originally removable in a play area at Victoria Park, little did they know their decision would upset tens of thousands of children. Sirius Yip Shing-yuk, 6, was one of the unhappy youngsters. He felt strongly enough in February to write an open letter to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department head, Michelle Li Mei-sheung. The LCSD manages more than 600 playgrounds and parks. “When I was a baby, my father and mother often... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140539/are-hong-kongs-super-safe-and-boring-playgrounds-failing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140539/are-hong-kongs-super-safe-and-boring-playgrounds-failing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Apr 2018 01:02:15 +0000 In a Hong Kong community hall where dozens of taekwondo athletes are doing their weekly training, a 26-year-old woman, who uses a wheelchair due to a mystery disease, breaks a small wooden board in half with just one forceful punch. Chan Ka-man is fearless in many ways. Not only has she been fighting a life-changing medical condition over the past few years – one that doctors are unable to diagnose – she is also battling for the highest rank in taekwondo, a black belt. This is despite her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2139581/fearless-hong-kong-martial-artist-shows-heart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2139581/fearless-hong-kong-martial-artist-shows-heart?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Mar 2018 07:00:50 +0000 Hong Kong child author Annabel Lucy Yue was inspired to publish her first book at the age of six when she saw an ant gingerly crawling up a wall.  To date, the eight-year-old girl is a three-time published author. She has also donated all proceeds of her three books – HK$44,523 (US$5,673) – to NGO Teach For China to help tens of thousands of children in rural mainland China gain access to better education. “I like the process of getting an idea, writing it down and turning it into a story,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139580/meet-eight-year-old-who-has-written-three-books-and-donates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139580/meet-eight-year-old-who-has-written-three-books-and-donates?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Mar 2018 05:04:00 +0000 City legislators want to give Hong Kong’s official consumer watchdog powers to prosecute unscrupulous traders operating in a city known as a “shoppers’ paradise”. Tens of thousands of complaints are filed to the Consumer Council every year, covering everything from shampoo to the purchase of flats. However, the body, which was set up more than 40 years ago, only operates in an advisory capacity and has no legal authority to actually prosecute anyone. The most it can do is mediate complaints, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139652/consumer-watchdog-needs-be-more-dragon-paper-tiger-say-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139652/consumer-watchdog-needs-be-more-dragon-paper-tiger-say-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Mar 2018 02:03:29 +0000 Hong Kong-based entrepreneur Boryana Uzunova says her decision to drop out of school at a young age has helped build her fashion and technology business. The move did not only make her the co-founder of two start-ups in the city, but also one of the top graduates from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). “I had the luxury of having my parents’ blessing in my desire to learn in a non-standardised way,” Uzunova, 23,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2138599/how-did-high-school-dropout-bulgaria-succeed-fashion-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2138599/how-did-high-school-dropout-bulgaria-succeed-fashion-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Mar 2018 08:04:11 +0000 A Hong Kong dragon boat team will row 12 hours in Taiwan waters to reach one of the island’s most polluted areas as part of an environmental campaign to raise money and support clean-up efforts. The event, organised by rowing group Dragon Overtime, is aimed at raising NT$20 million (HK$5.3 million) and will take place on May 13. About 35 people will take part in the campaign, according to the organiser, including 20 paddlers who will row 70km – from 4am to 4pm – from popular travel destination... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2138611/enter-dragon-boat-hong-kong-rowers-brave-12-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2138611/enter-dragon-boat-hong-kong-rowers-brave-12-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Mar 2018 07:01:21 +0000 Will Hong Kong’s fishing town and popular tourist attraction Tai O become unlivable or even disappear in the coming decades due to sea level rises and extreme weather? And – whatever ill effects climate change does bring to the town – will the blame lie more with its local residents, or with the city’s power-guzzling urbanites, ferried around by cabs and trains, and kept cool at home by air conditioners? Those are the questions charity CarbonCare InnoLab wants Hongkongers to think about,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2136451/could-rising-tides-put-hong-kongs-tai-o-underwater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2136451/could-rising-tides-put-hong-kongs-tai-o-underwater?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 08:03:10 +0000 Hong Kong’s high-density urban designs and cramped living space could lead to a quick decline in mental health for the city’s residents, according to a new study. A report by international think tank Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health has looked into current government policies and interviewed 17 local experts in various fields such as public health, urban planning and architecture. The centre studied the relationship between Hong Kong’s urban design and the mental wellness of its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2137447/cramped-quarters-no-walking-space-streets-how-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2137447/cramped-quarters-no-walking-space-streets-how-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 07:32:49 +0000 As a magician whose job is to bring joy to people, Marvin Lam Chun-lok admits he is sometimes not as cheerful as he would like to be, especially when he is on his own. “I usually take 10 to 30 minutes in the morning, depending on how much free time I have, to meditate,” Lam, 29, says. “This gives me an opportunity to clear my head and genuinely ‘spend’ time with myself. “Our job is to bring others happiness, and if we don’t feel happy inside, how do we expect to perform well and bring joy to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2137595/can-hong-kongs-happy-industry-spread-cheer-city-notorious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2137595/can-hong-kongs-happy-industry-spread-cheer-city-notorious?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 01:30:45 +0000 British-Indian hotelier Sonu Shivdasani has what many consider an ultra-luxury lifestyle – running his high-end resorts and travelling to some of the world’s most exclusive holiday destinations – but he is adamant that doesn’t make him any less of an environmentalist. The 53-year-old chief executive and founder of Soneva, which owns resorts in the Maldives and Thailand, says he believes the global hotel industry consumes “far more than our fair share of resources” and should be taking “bold... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2136448/corporations-must-rediscover-their-original?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2136448/corporations-must-rediscover-their-original?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 09:00:51 +0000 Hong Kong-raised Lamia Sreya Rahman is not yet fluent in Cantonese despite having studied the local dialect for more than a decade. It’s not because she is lazy or anything to do with her Bangladeshi ancestry. Rather, it’s because what she was taught in school was too simple, according to the 20-year-old. It allowed her to strike up only rudimentary conversations with residents of the city of seven million. “The content taught in school is frankly too easy and repetitive,” Rahman said at a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2136449/hidden-racism-plaguing-hong-kong-and-how-one-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2136449/hidden-racism-plaguing-hong-kong-and-how-one-student?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 05:31:45 +0000 Event manager Samantha Chan was forced to work 36 hours straight at one point without a proper rest – quite a feat even in a city such as Hong Kong where employees put in some of the longest hours in the world.  “Life is all about work,” Chan, 26, says. “Even if we’re out of the office, we’re still thinking about what is not being done and that clients might still be looking for us.” Hong Kong’s problem with long hours – which put workers’ both mental and physical health at risk – has persisted... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2136552/will-hong-kongs-problem-long-working-hours-ever-come-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2136552/will-hong-kongs-problem-long-working-hours-ever-come-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 01:30:30 +0000 A water buffalo stands at the entrance to one of Hong Kong’s iconic tourist sites, the Big Buddha on Lantau Island, keeping still as a couple walk up to it and pose for pictures. On the other side of the island, a woman pours fried rice, peanuts and pork in front of a brown cow, saying she fears it might starve to death if she does not feed it. These scenes, recently broadcast on a local television programme, have triggered a debate over a long-standing problem in Hong Kong – feral cattle... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2135430/horns-dilemma-what-can-be-done-about-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2135430/horns-dilemma-what-can-be-done-about-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 08:33:59 +0000 Graphic design graduate Lam Ka-hang loves old-school hand-drawn film posters, something he believes is a lost art in this digital era when pictures can easily be enhanced with software. The 22-year-old Hong Kong Design Institute graduate started drawing film posters for fun when he graduated last year as he thinks the traditional art “has a stronger touch of humanity”. His works are showcased on his personal Facebook page – No Paper Studio – which is followed by more than 7,000 people. But Lam... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135444/poster-boy-lost-hong-kong-movie-art-wants-draw-marvel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135444/poster-boy-lost-hong-kong-movie-art-wants-draw-marvel?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 08:02:17 +0000 From low childcare costs to paid leave for mothers and fathers, some European countries, especially Scandinavian ones, have long been lauded for their high degree of gender equality. In Hong Kong, where the government is currently seeking ways to boost childcare services through increasing land supply for such facilities and raising the amount of maternity leave, the Equal Opportunities Commission says the city still needs to do more to build not only women-friendly but family-friendly work... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135477/how-does-hong-kong-compare-europe-when-it-comes-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135477/how-does-hong-kong-compare-europe-when-it-comes-women?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 03:15:30 +0000 As a woman in Hong Kong’s male-dominated political arena, legislator Tanya Chan believes feminism isn’t just a women’s issue, but also about empowering people affected by other prejudices and social barriers. Chan, 46, is one of 10 female members of the city’s Legislative Council, which has 70 seats but only 64 members currently, pending by-elections and disqualification appeals. How does Hong Kong compare with Europe when it comes to women-friendly workplaces? She says that, although she does... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135491/what-hong-kong-can-do-help-women-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2135491/what-hong-kong-can-do-help-women-work?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 03:00:30 +0000 With hundreds of children in Hong Kong being abused every year, mostly by their parents, child protection advocate Donna Wong Chiu-ling thinks it’s important to drive home the message that harsh discipline is not only abusive but also inflicts serious physical and mental damage. “In traditional Chinese culture, many parents think that sparing the rod means spoiling the child,” says Wong, 49, acting director of the charity Against Child Abuse. “They treat their children like their property … and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2134163/violence-not-parenting-hong-kong-child-advocate-says-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2134163/violence-not-parenting-hong-kong-child-advocate-says-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 10:03:42 +0000 Taking over a school on the verge of shutting its doors was a risky career move, but principal Chu Tsz-wing is not a conventional educator. And in the end, his unorthodox administrative style helped turn the ailing institution around. “We had two options then: one was to let the school close for good and another was to make changes,” Chu, 37, recalled telling the teaching staff on his first day at the helm of Baptist Rainbow Primary School in Wong Tai Sin in the summer of 2013. Baptist Rainbow,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2134242/how-brave-hong-kong-principal-turned-failing-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2134242/how-brave-hong-kong-principal-turned-failing-school?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 05:02:29 +0000 At a restaurant in the bustling Chinese city of Guangzhou, Adam Tsui Ho-wai holds up a queue as he fumbles with his wallet looking for cash to settle his bill. The cashier and fellow customers waiting to pay with their smartphones are clearly not impressed.  Many people living in the Guangdong provincial capital as well as other mainland metropolises such as Shenzhen and Shanghai are paying for almost everything with their smartphones. Even taxi drivers ask their passengers if they want to use... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2134354/whats-holding-hong-kong-back-becoming-smarter-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2134354/whats-holding-hong-kong-back-becoming-smarter-city?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 00:05:00 +0000 Dozens of single mainland Chinese mothers of Hong Kong-born children protested at the government headquarters in Admiralty on Saturday and demanded authorities speed up the process to allow them to permanently settle in the city. The group, led by non-profit Society for Community Organisation, submitted a petition on the second day of the Lunar New Year and appealed to Hong Kong security minister John Lee Ka-chiu to liaise with mainland authorities. The mothers said they had been waiting for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2133662/single-mainland-mothers-protest-tamar-bid-be-reunited-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2133662/single-mainland-mothers-protest-tamar-bid-be-reunited-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Feb 2018 09:14:10 +0000 British soldier-turned-tour guide Michael Johnson never thought he would call Hong Kong home when he first arrived here back in the late 1980s when the city was still a colony. But the 49-year-old, who is originally from Northern England, has witnessed the ups and downs of the city through the eyes of a soldier, a father of two teenage daughters, sportsman and businessman over the past 30 years. And that, he says, qualifies him to run his self-guided bespoke tours, showing adventurous visitors... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132421/march-ex-soldier-hong-kong-tours-difference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132421/march-ex-soldier-hong-kong-tours-difference?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2018 06:00:20 +0000 Mary, 31, a frequent speed dater in Hong Kong, has never had a boyfriend, after spending five years being repeatedly disappointed as she searched for her Mr Right. Speaking on the condition she could use a pseudonym, Mary said she felt hopeless over the trend of women being “leftover” in the city because they outnumbered the men, a situation worsened by factors such as a falling marriage rate due to high housing prices and long working hours discouraging singletons from going on dates. In Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132654/speed-dating-tinder-and-leftover-women-changing-face-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132654/speed-dating-tinder-and-leftover-women-changing-face-love?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2018 03:45:15 +0000 In the time of Tinder, when your next date might be just a “swipe” away, a surprising number of Hongkongers are still forking out to go on speed dates – organised social events where participants have a succession of one-on-one conversations with potential partners in a limited amount of time.  A growing gender imbalance in city means single women here are increasingly willing to spend money on the search for a special someone – potentially big business for matchmakers, who say the scene is now... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132698/hungry-love-hong-kong-singles-pay-valentines-day-speed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2132698/hungry-love-hong-kong-singles-pay-valentines-day-speed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 “Life is so much easier in the virtual world,” says 18-year-old former video game addict, Thomas Chan. “I can make friends without having to deal with the awkwardness of face-to-face communications. I have so much more confidence from winning a game than in real life where everyone at school is so competitive. “More importantly, the computer is always there for me.” Chan, who skipped school for 18 months to play video games when he was 16, is not alone in his video game obsession. But what many... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2131654/why-taking-video-games-another-level-can-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2131654/why-taking-video-games-another-level-can-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Feb 2018 05:01:04 +0000 Sandwiched between a fishball street stall and a cha chaan teng, or local teahouse, in an old neighbourhood in Hong Kong, a distinctive rainbow flag stands out. After almost 10 years of being “invisible” in society because of a lack of resources to set up a permanent venue, non-profit Transgender Resource Centre has finally opened its door in a city where transgender people have yet to be recognised legally. “It’s really important to be visible in society,” says its founder and chairwoman Joanne... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2131689/hong-kong-transgender-centre-seeks-make-invisible-visible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2131689/hong-kong-transgender-centre-seeks-make-invisible-visible?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Feb 2018 00:34:29 +0000 Hongkongers appetite for reef fish such as grouper could mean such dishes will be gone from diners’ tables in the next couple of decades, according to a new study. Environmentalists and academics warned the city, known as a “food paradise”, will fail to create a sustainable trade chain and marine environment if it continues its current trading and eating pattern. The green activists also criticised the government for its “outdated” regulations on the trade of live reef fish, which allow for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2131609/hongkongers-appetite-reef-fish-unsustainable-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2131609/hongkongers-appetite-reef-fish-unsustainable-study?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Feb 2018 10:00:45 +0000 “It’s like having to confess your love to someone you’ve had a crush on.” That was how 27-year-old Leung Cheuk-lam felt when he spoke to a complete stranger for the first time last year as part of a personal project, which requires him to strike up a conversation with at least one random person a day. The idea is to promote face-to-face human connection, something that Leung says is increasingly rare these days because of our growing dependence on communication devices. Would you hold the lift... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130754/are-hongkongers-cold-people-man-behind-campaign-speaking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130754/are-hongkongers-cold-people-man-behind-campaign-speaking?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jan 2018 08:34:25 +0000 Walk DVRC, an NGO that has set its sights on “bringing the street back to the people”, hopes to convince the government to pedestrianise Des Voeux Road Central, one of the busiest roads in Hong Kong’s core business district, for at least three months at the end of the year. When will Hong Kong tackle the health menace of congested roads? Its chairman and the man behind the initiative, Markus Shaw, says the plan to take cars off the streets and transform the area into a pedestrian-tram green zone... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130682/bringing-streets-back-hong-kong-people-putting-brakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130682/bringing-streets-back-hong-kong-people-putting-brakes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jan 2018 04:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s car-oriented roads are designed for an “alarming” number of vehicles, prevent people from walking, and worsen hazardous air pollution and public health, environmentalists have warned. Those who tout walking as a mode of transport argue there should be more car-free areas and describe the city as still in its infancy in promoting urban walkability when compared with Western cities such as London, where policymakers recently set out a “healthy streets approach”. The sluggish pace of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130762/why-should-hong-kong-be-more-walkable-environmentalists-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2130762/why-should-hong-kong-be-more-walkable-environmentalists-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jan 2018 03:45:30 +0000 There was quite a commotion in Hollywood when it was revealed that Michelle ­Williams was paid less than 1 per cent of what her male co-star received for ­reshooting scenes of crime thriller All the Money in the World. On the other side of the Atlantic, public service broadcaster BBC came under fire after its China editor Carrie Gracie resigned over pay inequality disputes. Hong Kong suffers from the problem of gender pay gap just like anywhere else. Despite being an international finance centre... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2129752/gender-pay-inequality-problem-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2129752/gender-pay-inequality-problem-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jan 2018 04:00:45 +0000 From fighting for the rights of ethnic minorities to helping the disadvantaged, Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung is proud of the recognition he has won for his contributions to the social welfare sector. But the 60-year-old lawmaker has one lingering regret: he wishes he had been a better father. Life is understandably difficult for him as a parent raising a 26-year-old daughter with a severe intellectual disability. Cheung, however, wants to tell other families with special-needs children that it is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128002/why-hong-kong-lawmaker-who-fights-disadvantaged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128002/why-hong-kong-lawmaker-who-fights-disadvantaged?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2018 09:31:38 +0000 A woman went on a date with a man who worked as an accountant. She was nervous before meeting up because she failed maths in high school and wasn’t sure what topic to bring up with him. “What are your interests?” the accountant texted her before their date. “Anything that doesn’t involve a calculator,” the woman replied. For their date, she suggested going salsa dancing, which she loved and was sure would have nothing to do with numbers. But moments after the two hit the dance floor, the woman –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2128010/meet-man-bringing-comedy-show-hong-kong-based-your-bad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2128010/meet-man-bringing-comedy-show-hong-kong-based-your-bad?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2018 06:03:42 +0000 A worrying trend of Hongkongers consuming more alcohol has added to the problem of obesity, which will tip the city’s already overburdened public health care system over the brink in the next decade, hitting society like a “tsunami”, warns an academic. But two public heath experts say an unhealthy diet, such as consuming excessive sugar, and a lack of exercise are still the major factors contributing to obesity. They called for the government to introduce wide-ranging changes, such as a sugar... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128011/hongkongers-growing-love-booze-could-create?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128011/hongkongers-growing-love-booze-could-create?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2018 04:15:30 +0000 To many Hongkongers, To Kwa Wan in Kowloon is just an area that cannot be reached by the MTR or home to some of the city’s asylum seekers. At least that is usually how cultural tour guide Stewart Cheng hears outsiders describing his neighbourhood. But in the 1930s, the former industrial hub was the base of the famed Shaw Brothers Studio, on Pak Tai Street, and the current Cattle Depot Artist Village on Ma Tau Kok Road was a slaughterhouse for about 90 years. Historical titbits such as these are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127034/hidden-gems-revealed-hong-kong-urban-backwater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127034/hidden-gems-revealed-hong-kong-urban-backwater?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2018 07:00:22 +0000 A dream came true for Hongkonger Chang Chuen-man when he completed the challenge of a lifetime trekking in the Himalayas back in 2015. But a week before he had expected to fly home from Nepal, disaster struck and an earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people in the country. Chang, like most others, could have looked for the next available flight out and escaped the natural disaster. But he decided to stay for a few more months to help the local community rebuild their homes. On top of that, the dog... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127033/how-hong-kong-trekker-became-one-dogs-best-friends-quake-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2127033/how-hong-kong-trekker-became-one-dogs-best-friends-quake-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2018 06:34:06 +0000 US scientist Dr Andy Shih has handled many different autism cases since he became an advocate on the issue more than 10 years ago. But the cases have all had one thing in common: the parents just wanted to hear their children call them mum or dad as soon as they could speak. “For many families, autism is an economic burden, and the social isolation and stress experienced by the family add to the daily challenges ... But many tell me that all they want is to be able to hear their child say ‘Baba’... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2127036/they-just-want-hear-them-say-mum-or-dad-parents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2127036/they-just-want-hear-them-say-mum-or-dad-parents?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2018 05:46:58 +0000 An unpleasant job interview years ago has left a scar on Sushi Siu Sze-man’s life. On the job application form, the former psychosis patient was asked to declare her mental state. “One question on the application form was whether I was mentally ill before,” recalls Siu, 33. “I didn’t know whether I could just ignore the question. I thought I had to declare everything during a job interview.” In the end the company did not hire Siu, and she was told it was because they found a better candidate.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2126151/scarred-former-patient-mission-cut-public-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2126151/scarred-former-patient-mission-cut-public-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Dec 2017 06:04:40 +0000 Advances in technology over the years have left a variety of ways to light our homes and offices. For years, the only choice for indoor lighting was an ordinary, power-hungry incandescent bulb. But today an increasingly common go-to is the energy-saving light-emitting diode, or LED. As LED lights become more popular, environmentalists warn that, while they may consume less energy, their brightness could add to cities’ light pollution. In October, a new LED screen the size of five tennis courts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2125445/glowing-pains-hidden-environmental-cost-led-lights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2125445/glowing-pains-hidden-environmental-cost-led-lights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Dec 2017 09:33:16 +0000 Along the harbourfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Johnny Wu Hung-shing, Hong Kong’s version of Santa Claus, is surrounded by smiles and happy faces. The 46-year-old plays the role well, breaking out into the trademark “Ho ho ho” bellowing laugh as people snap pictures and call out to him. But a little boy, apparently frightened by Wu’s bright red and white outfit, appears anxious, tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s all right. I get that a lot. We just need to give him some time to build trust,” Wu, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125385/santa-my-identity-how-hong-kong-man-lives-and-breathes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125385/santa-my-identity-how-hong-kong-man-lives-and-breathes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Dec 2017 06:15:52 +0000 As her train leaves Hong Kong International Airport for the city centre and passes one street light after another, Sally Law looks through the carriage window and is dazzled by the city’s skyline. From now until Lunar New Year, the harbour shines even more brightly than usual; buildings along both waterfronts are dressed up with festive lights to boost the holiday spirit. But the festive fluorescence has its downsides, with possible adverse effects on the environment and public health. And green... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125435/blight-light-why-hong-kongs-neon-haze-isnt-going-away-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125435/blight-light-why-hong-kongs-neon-haze-isnt-going-away-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Dec 2017 05:58:10 +0000 Stationery enthusiast Joel Chung Yin-chai believes having the right pencil could have a positive impact on a child’s life. This has prompted him to set up a stationery bank to collect and distribute writing tools for underprivileged children in Hong Kong. “A pencil can have a certain effect on a child’s life,” the 52-year-old founder of Bank of Stationery said. “Without a proper pencil, a child’s posture can be affected and he or she may suffer from muscle pain. Their penmanship can also be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125118/its-all-pencil-bank-stationery-founder-says-right-tool-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125118/its-all-pencil-bank-stationery-founder-says-right-tool-can?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Dec 2017 05:46:34 +0000 Hong Kong architect William Lim Ooi-lee is surrounded by skyscrapers in the city’s business district, Central – a few of them designed by him. But looking up, the 60-year-old says he believes that building vertically fast is not the best for the city’s urban development. Lim, a registered architect in both Hong Kong and the United States, warns that high-rise buildings will add to the problem of traffic congestion as more vehicles will be parking on the streets or going in and out of these... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124353/only-way-not-says-hong-kong-architect-who-thinks-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124353/only-way-not-says-hong-kong-architect-who-thinks-city?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Dec 2017 08:00:15 +0000 Arun Kapoor was sending his son to school when his car broke down. His domestic helper would usually have helped but she did not turn up for work that day. At the same time his wife was in hospital, pregnant with their second child. It was a hectic week for the Indian technology entrepreneur. But the chaos had a silver lining – it inspired Kapoor to set up OkSir, his “Uber-style” smartphone app that delivers an array of household services on demand. “Whenever I needed something, I just couldn’t... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124550/how-week-chaos-inspired-indian-tech-entrepreneur-set-oksir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124550/how-week-chaos-inspired-indian-tech-entrepreneur-set-oksir?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Dec 2017 06:04:45 +0000