https://www.scmp.com/rss/329738/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chopping firewood, cooking without a stove, and getting water from a creek—this is the everyday routine of Mok Ho-kwong, a 36-year-old man who’s chosen to live a simple and green life in the outskirts of bustling Hong Kong. Mok, who calls himself “Yeah Man,” a play on the Chinese words for “wild man,” started living off the grid 13 years ago. “I studied leisure management at the University of Hong Kong, but I learned a lot about nature and the environment outside school,” he says. “I realized... https://www.scmp.com/travel/living-grid-hong-kong/article/3005326?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/living-grid-hong-kong/article/3005326?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2019 04:17:49 +0000 Lam Ming-kuen, a 48-year-old housewife is all dressed up and ready to leave the house. But when she says goodbye to Mon Mon, a five-year-old Pomeranian, the dog clings to her leg, not wanting to be left behind. “He does that every time I leave – I can still hear him whimper after I close the door,” Lam, who lives with her husband and two daughters, says. As much as Lam wants to bring her pet along more often, living in Hong Kong makes it difficult to travel anywhere with the animal. “He has... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181733/pet-owners-dogged-difficulties-when-it-comes-travelling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181733/pet-owners-dogged-difficulties-when-it-comes-travelling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jan 2019 02:01:12 +0000 Making a fire with sticks, cooking without a stove, getting water from a creek – this is the every day routine for Mok Ho-kwong, a 36-year-old man who chooses to live a simple and green life in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Mok, who calls himself “Yeah Man” (similar to the Cantonese pronunciation of wild man), started living off the grid 13 years ago. “I studied leisure management at the University of Hong Kong, but I learned a lot about nature and the environment outside school. I realised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181640/it-possible-live-grid-hong-kong-yeah-man-grows-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181640/it-possible-live-grid-hong-kong-yeah-man-grows-his?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jan 2019 01:15:42 +0000 Hundreds of thousands of revellers in Hong Kong began the new year with the thunderous roar of HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) worth of fireworks going off above Victoria Harbour at the stroke of midnight. At least 340,000 people gathered on either side of the famed harbour to watch a 10-minute synchronised “pyromusical” of fireworks, pyrotechnics, lights and music, while countdown celebrations were held on the streets and in malls across commercial and tourist haunts such as Causeway Bay, Lan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180200/pay-politics-and-positivity-minds-hongkongers-2019-beckons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180200/pay-politics-and-positivity-minds-hongkongers-2019-beckons?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2018 14:33:00 +0000 Kara Ngai Li-yung, a 19-year-old diver emerges from the sea after collecting bags of plastic foam and beer bottles in the water. “People throw a lot of trash into the sea, there’s plastic everywhere in there,” she says. The underwater clean-up efforts by the volunteer show her love for marine life and aspiration to be a marine conservationist in Hong Kong. Ngai lived in Yuen Long in her childhood, and she has taken care of different animals such as parrots and fish. “Because our house is near a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179818/diving-gives-young-hongkonger-confidence-follow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179818/diving-gives-young-hongkonger-confidence-follow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Dec 2018 02:46:35 +0000 So Kan, 86, is looking dapper in a black suit and red bow tie, while his wife Li Hok-chun, 82, sports a white bridal gown with a lace jacket. They have been married for 60 years, but the way they look into each other’s eyes and their fresh enthusiasm for the photo shoot make them seem like newly weds. The couple’s stiffness relaxes as they grow more comfortable in front of the lens, guided by the photographer, who is helping them take wedding shots of their 60th anniversary. “Taking wedding... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179785/campaign-giving-back-hong-kong-elderly-shows-youre-never-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179785/campaign-giving-back-hong-kong-elderly-shows-youre-never-too?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Dec 2018 01:33:10 +0000 About 300,000 revellers are expected to turn out on both sides of Victoria Harbour on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the countdown to 2019, say police. Announcing road closure measures on Friday, the police estimated about 30,000 people will gather near the waterfront on Hong Kong Island and about 230,000 to 270,000 in Kowloon West on Monday evening for the celebrations, which include the HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) fireworks display and light show over the harbour. Some of the major roads in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179932/hong-kong-police-announce-road-closures-both-sides-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179932/hong-kong-police-announce-road-closures-both-sides-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Dec 2018 00:32:38 +0000 Hongkongers can soon replace their ID cards in a 30-minute procedure at nine centres across the city, with the launch of efforts to complete a transition to new cards with updated security features over the next four years. Announcing the opening of the centres on Thursday, Chan Tin-Chee, assistant director of personal documentation under the Immigration Department, said the application would take about 30 minutes. “People can collect their new ID card at the collection counters or self-service... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179706/move-replace-old-hong-kong-id-cards-kicks-launch-nine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179706/move-replace-old-hong-kong-id-cards-kicks-launch-nine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Dec 2018 11:57:17 +0000 More than 100 upgraded automated immigration clearance channels have been installed at Hong Kong’s two recently opened cross-boundary control points at a cost of about HK$18 million (US$2.3 million), according to the Immigration Department. Raymond Lok Wai-man, assistant director of the information system section at the department, said each e-channel machine cost HK$180,000 and could support faster maintenance and more flexible deployment. As of December 21, 51 new e-channels were available at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2179546/more-100-new-automated-immigration-channels-make-processing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2179546/more-100-new-automated-immigration-channels-make-processing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Dec 2018 23:01:13 +0000 “Hello? My wife is in labour at home – oh my God, I can see the baby’s head, what should I do now?” This was the call 26-year-old Law Pak-yeung received merely two weeks into his job answering emergency reports; and one he would never forget.   It was morning of November 14 when Law got the report from a man whose wife was about to give birth at home. There was no time to get her to the hospital. “I was freaking out a little bit at first because I didn’t have any experience of childbirth. But I... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179342/hong-kong-emergency-responders-helping-deliver-babies-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2179342/hong-kong-emergency-responders-helping-deliver-babies-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Dec 2018 00:03:01 +0000 Some Hongkongers still believe dwarves are slow learners who will never grow old, a new study has shown. The survey, carried out for the Equal Opportunities Commission by the department of public policy at City University, found more than 80 per cent of residents did not understand dwarfism. Other commonly held stereotypes included the belief that little people – a term by which many dwarves identify – had lower IQs, and did not mind being mocked for their stature. Dr Simon Yau Yung, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2178817/survey-reveals-hongkongers-lack-understanding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2178817/survey-reveals-hongkongers-lack-understanding?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Dec 2018 02:32:28 +0000 Hong Kong’s first children’s hospital, which will focus on rare and complex cases, opened its doors on Tuesday, but inpatient services will not commence until next year. The first patients at the HK$13 billion (US$1.7 billion) Hong Kong Children’s Hospital in Kai Tak were attending for follow-up appointments at specialist outpatient clinics. Specialties for nephrology, oncology and metabolic medicine start first. On Tuesday, nine patients previously receiving follow-up care from the paediatric... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2178561/hk13-billion-hong-kong-childrens-hospital-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2178561/hk13-billion-hong-kong-childrens-hospital-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:22:10 +0000 Three Hong Kong fast-food giants between them used 180 million items of disposable plastic for both eat-in and takeaway meals last year, according to a green group. Cafe de Coral, Fairwood and Maxim’s provided seven to 14 pieces of plastic per takeaway meal, adding up to about 100 million disposable items a year, a Greenpeace study released on Thursday said. Even eat-in meals such as hotpot and rice came with plastic plates, cups and other single-use cutlery, making another 80 million pieces a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2177889/180-million-pieces-disposable-plastic-year-dished-out-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2177889/180-million-pieces-disposable-plastic-year-dished-out-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Dec 2018 23:04:06 +0000 Marjorie Nim Salvador could not stop crying on Tuesday as she described the moment she saw her 89-year-old employer, and his crushed wheelchair, trapped underneath a runaway school bus. The Filipino domestic worker said she had been knocked down in the panic to avoid the out-of-control vehicle on Monday, and the first thing she saw after looking up was her boss, Willy Yip, lying injured. Speaking from her hospital bed at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, the 43-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2177497/school-bus-crash-victim-recalls-moment-she-saw-89-year-old-wheelchair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2177497/school-bus-crash-victim-recalls-moment-she-saw-89-year-old-wheelchair?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Dec 2018 11:57:40 +0000 The rise in emergency charges at Hong Kong’s public hospitals has failed to cut queues and waiting times for urgent cases, despite a drop in the total number of patients, according to new figures. But the Hospital Authority said it had no plans to further increase the charge, which grew from HK$100 to HK$180 in June last year. The rise was intended to curb the number of non-urgent patients waiting in emergency rooms. The authority’s latest figures, released on Friday, showed about 2,079,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2176994/rise-emergency-fees-hong-kong-public-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2176994/rise-emergency-fees-hong-kong-public-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Dec 2018 13:45:45 +0000 HSBC has become the first bank in Hong Kong to deploy staff with specialist knowledge in dementia to help sufferers overcome difficulties managing their finances. The move comes after a survey found many struggled with financial matters such as processing account information and remembering passwords. The bank said on Thursday it would provide both financial and practical support for the city’s growing number of patients as the population rapidly aged. Some 45 “dementia ambassadors” would offer... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2176781/hsbc-deploys-dementia-specialist-staff-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2176781/hsbc-deploys-dementia-specialist-staff-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2018 14:43:34 +0000