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Memorial exhibition of Jin Yong brings back the world of wuxia

“A Path to Glory - Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial '', an exhibition celebrating the 100th birthday of the famous Hong Kong writer Jin Yong opened in Central on Friday, free to the public. Fans can immerse in the fictional narratives with sculptures, calligraphy, and augmented reality. 10 sculptures made of bronze or stainless steel featured in the exhibition held in Edinburgh Palace, worth a total of HK$100 million, are on loan without charge from their creator, mainland Chinese artist Ren Zhe. The exhibition will open until July 2. "Seeing these sculptures in person is more shocking than watching them on TV,"  said Joyce Cai, 63, who has read all the novels by Jin Yong. She came from Kwun Tong, which is an hour's drive away. “The expressions of these characters are so real.” Speaking at the opening ceremony on Friday, the centenary of Jin Yong’s birth, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said people worldwide are familiar with Jin Yong’s 15 novels which have become a “golden-plated signboard” for Hong Kong. Jin Yong, also known as Louis Cha, is a prominent Chinese martial arts novelist and writer, whose 15 volumes of works have been translated into 14 languages and whose books have sold more than 300 million copies, with 1,400 characters created. Zoey Siu, 55, a photographer, has read all of Jin Yong’s novels. “Jin Young’s novel is the collective memory of Hong Kong,” she said.”Once Jin Yong's works were published, the whole city seemed to be quieter at that time because everyone was reading his stories.” Siu was deeply impressed by Jin Yong’s style of writing and attracted by his psychological and detailed descriptions. "Many foreigners are able to read Chinese and history probably because they read Jin Yong novels," said Chong Tai-leung, 55, executive director of Chinese University of …

Society

VegCoffee Mix & Match Competition attracts non-vegetarian visitors to Vegetarian Food Asia

The 10th Vegetarian Food Asia held from Friday to Sunday featured the second VegCoffee Mix & Match Competition, with a combination of cafe culture and vegan culture which attracted many non-vegetarians. This year's competition highlighted a vegan and coffee theme, requiring competitors to make desserts and coffee within an hour. The organizer of this event, the Hong Kong Roasters and Coffee Commissioners Association, said this is the only live competition in Hong Kong where coffee and roasting are held at the same time. Lei Bui-dak, 45, chairman of the Vegan Coffee Creation Competition organizing committee, said they wanted to further promote vegan culture through the growing popularity of the cafe culture in Asia. "We wanted to explore how well vegan and cafe cultures could be integrated so that the vegan culture will become widely known as a lifestyle. We were happy to see that the competition did succeed in attracting many non-vegetarians who came because they were interested,” he said. “I came to this exhibition after seeing the Coffee Association's promotion on Facebook​​,” said Cheung Ming-wing, a coffee lover, who specifically came to watch this competition. “I’m not a vegetarian, but I think I might try going vegan after this exhibition,” he said. Lim Sze-han and Chan Sung-ming participated in the VegCoffee Mix & Match competition, presenting a work called "The Hong Kong Tea Set". "The theme of our work is a very classic Hong Kong afternoon tea with pineapple buns and coffee, and all the ingredients of the pineapple bun are vegan," Lim said. “We are not vegetarians. We came to this contest because we were curious about vegan culture and our desire to help spread it for the better,” said Lim and Chan. Lim said that they had made a lot of efforts before the competition, such as …

Society

Sham Shui Po' s first Literary Youth Bazaar immerses visitors in local culture

The Home Affairs Department organised the "Searching for Sham Shui Po" Literati Bazaar at the activity space underneath the Tung Chau Street Flyover on Saturday. It is one of the events under the "District 18 is Colourful Day and Night in 2024" programme, aiming to drive people to understand and immerse themselves in local design products and Sham Shui Po textile culture while promoting itself to become the core area of ​​the innovative economy. The bazaar marked the first time for Sham Shui Po to host an event of this scale, with more than 30 stalls featuring local original works such as fabrics, leathers, and cultural and creative products. The bazaar also promotes city walking activities.After registering for admission, visitors will receive a printed eco-cup as a gift. Shadow Lee, 28, a handmade stall owner, said she was happy that the government has given  young literary youths a platform to promote their work. Cindy Chen, 26, a ceramic craftsman, said that as a resident of Sham Shui Po since childhood, she is honoured to contribute to the development of this area's culture. "Although the economy here is not well developed, the culture of cloth and handicrafts has always been very distinctive, and in recent years, I can feel that the government is emphasising these cultures," said Chen. Effie Zhu, 21, a visitor to the bazaar, said it is her first time participating in such type of bazaar in Sham Shui Po,“ I did not expect that there would be so many visitors, not only some literary youth but also many old people and children joined today’s bazaar.” Karlssen Wong, 7, said his favourite part of the whole fair was the stamping and punching of cards in the fair, where there were all sorts of prizes to be won. “I was …

People

Brisbane Celebrates International Women’s Day with a Sea of Pink

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: KURNIAWAN Trista VaniaEdited by: Lisheng CHENG、Yau To LUM
  • 2024-03-10

Australia celebrated International Women’s Day today with around 23,000 people wearing pink for a five-kilometre run in Brisbane to support breast cancer research. It’s the largest event for the cause ever held. The run began in South Brisbane and ended in City Botanical Gardens with participants walking, jogging, or running along the way. People could also join virtually across the state, bringing the total number of participants to  26,000. Tickets were sold out within a month.  The Mater Foundation has been holding the event for over 33 years to raise funds for breast cancer research.  They partnered with Queensland X-ray this year and raised over nearly 1.8 million Australian dollars (HK$9.3 million). The money will go toward providing women with high-quality X-ray imaging services.  Kaylah Pearse, one of the event organisers, said she is delighted to see the event grow every year.  “Last year was a smaller show compared to this year. It’s great because fundraisers need more support to carry out more research and provide help for women with breast cancer,” she said.  Connie Glover, one of the participants, said that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and she has joined the event for four years now.  “I was inspired by my mom. I think it’s important to support more people with similar experiences,” said Glover. She also added that the funds can help provide women with headscarves after chemotherapy and mastectomy bras after breast removal surgery. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare stated that breast cancer is the most common cancer among females in Australia in 2023. One in seven women in Australia is at risk of breast cancer during their lifetime.  In 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that breast cancer is the seventh-highest cause of death overall and the second …

Society

Budget 2024 Key Takeaways: Careful balance of revenue and deficit to continue

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: AU YEUNG Jim、AO Wei Ying VinciEdited by: Juncong SHUAI
  • 2024-02-28

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered the 2024-2025 Budget speech on Wednesday, announcing policies to strive for high-quality development while sustaining a solid economy. Top the list is the cancellations of property cooling measures, with Special Stamp Duty, Buyers’ Stamp Duty and New Residential Stamp Duty scrapped with immediate effect. For the coming fiscal year, the total government expenditure will increase by about 6.7% to HK$776.9 billion, while the total government revenue is estimated to be HK$633 billion. Chan expects that there will be a deficit of HK$48.1 billion for the year, and fiscal reserves will decrease to HK$685.1 billion. Here are the key takeaways of this year’s budget plan.  

Society

Budget 2024: Government to increase Care Service Vouchers and Digital Support for Elderly

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: MAO Anqi、LAI Uen LingEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO
  • 2024-02-28

The government will increase the number of vouchers to help elderly people afford in-home care and elderly care centres as well as provide funding for the elderly to learn digital skills. However, local social workers say this fails to address many problems for the elderly. The number of Community Care Service Vouchers, which help the elderly age in place,  will increase to 11,000 at a cost of about HK$900 million, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po in the budget address this morning. From the second quarter of this year, the number of Residential Care Service Vouchers, which help the elderly pay for services in care centres, will increase to 5,000, involving an annual expenditure of about $1.44 billion overall. The government plans to set aside $100 million from the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund to help people aged 60 or above get equipped with digital skills and technical support. At least 50,000 elderly individuals are expected to benefit from the first round of projects, which are expected to begin at the end of 2024. Tony Fung, 30, a social worker at a district health centre in East Kowloon, said the plans mentioned this year are not in line with real problems elderly residents face. “At the centre, we are already teaching our elderly residents how to use smartphones and computers. I hope that the government can help in transforming service centres and update their services,” he said. Fung said the government should assess the waiting time for admissions into elderly care homes and increase expenditure where necessary. The average waiting time for a bedridden person to be admitted to an elderly care home takes around 18 months, Fung said. Cindy Chan, 40, is a social worker at a district health centre in East Kowloon. A 15-year veteran, she hopes …

Society

Budget 2024: Hong Kong to Assess Talent Visas while Nurturing Local Talents

The Hong Kong government will put more effort into nurturing local talents while also reviewing existing talent schemes to ensure their effectiveness. The government will organise a summit and a conference in May, aiming at promoting the flow of talent in the Greater Bay Area. More than 140,000 applications have been received under the various talent admission schemes, of which more than 100,000 have been approved in the past year, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po in his budget address today. The Top Talent Scheme, launched in 2022, allows people with incomes higher than HK$2.5 million or degrees from eligible universities to apply for residency without employment. This added an estimated HK$34 billion to the economy, equivalent to 1.2% of Hong Kong's GDP, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a public address in February.  Chan said that 60% of immigrant talents were married, and most of them have brought their families to Hong Kong.   Lilian Bao, 42, a former executive of a Beijing-based internet company who emigrated to Hong Kong under the talent scheme, now lives with her daughter in Hung Hom. “I immigrated to Hong Kong for my daughter's future education,” she said. “I want her to enjoy a more international, diverse and independent learning and living experience here.” Some doubt the long-term effectiveness of the talent schemes. Some applicants have not complied with the time frame for coming to Hong Kong and securing employment after receiving approval, said legislator Adrian Ho in a Legco meeting in January. Ho also said that some say the scheme is relatively lenient in the work experience requirement and the vetting and approval criteria, making it possible for some people to exploit the scheme to immigrate to Hong Kong.  “There are rumours that individual applicants have only come to Hong Kong for …

Society

World’s First Hydrogen-powered Bus Hits the Road

Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus hit the road on Sunday, marking Citybus’ s first operation of zero-emission vehicles. The bus, running on Route 20, embarked on its first journey at 11 am from Kai Tak and arrived at  Cheung Sha Wan Terminal in around 40 minutes. The services ended at 8 pm. “The new hydrogen-powered bus has opened a new page of Hong Kong’s transportation development,” said Anson Li, the operations officer of Route 20.  The bus will operate six to eight trips  per day along Route 20 on the “Waterloo Road Line” through Kowloon City during its initial month, then gradually expanding the services to Routes 20A and 22M. The bus operated from and refueled at Hong Kong’s first hydrogen refueling station in the West Kowloon Depot. Li said the hydrogen-powered bus can be fully charged in only 10 to 20 minutes, much faster compared to the two to three hours required by an electric bus.   Over a hundred bus enthusiasts gathered to experience the rides. Among them, Lee Wan, 23, captured the moments of the last bus returning to the Kai Tak Terminal.   After the ride,  Wan said that the hydrogen bus was  more comfortable, as it ran more smoothly and was quieter. Citybus spent HK$ 8 million on producing the hydrogen double-decker bus, which emits only water after transforming the fuel into electricity to power the vehicle. “To me, I think the production costs are too high. It's well worth being rolled out on a large scale if the price can be lowered as the technology improves,” Wan said. Citybus launched the first electric double-decker bus in 2021. The company pledged to operate a complete fleet of zero-emission buses by 2045.      

Society

Wong Tai Sin Lantern Festival Fun Fair returns after four-year hiatus

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: LI Sin Tung、MAO AnqiEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO
  • 2024-02-23

The first day of the Wong Tai Sin Lantern Festival Fun Fair has resumed after a four-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Buzzing with noise and a lively atmosphere, the highlight of day one was the return of crowds of visitors at the night-time event. Visitors immersed themselves in the festivities, taking pictures and eating snacks bought from the stall. According to the Wong Tai Sin District Council, around 50 exhibitors participated in the fair, including food vendors, craft stalls and decoration stands. The Wong Tai Sin Lantern Festival Fun Fair is one of the events under Night Vibes Hong Kong, a series of projects using night markets as a means to promote the post-pandemic economy by the government. The Fair will be held from Feb. 23 to 25.

People

Diverse Sailors Make Splashes at Hong Kong Race Week

The 2024 Hong Kong Race Week drew to a close on Sunday, ending six days of sailing  between local and international athletes, including competitors from mainland China as young as 7 years old. Hong Kong Race Week, the city’s premier international regatta for dinghies and invited classes,  was suspended for three years since 2019 and resumed for the first time last year.  The scale of this year's event continues to grow from last year. According to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, this year’s race attracted over 270 sailors from 10 countries and regions, compared with 236 participants last year.  Ten classes including 29er, ILCA 4, ILGA 6, Optimist Fleet competed in five race areas including Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, Stanley, Tai Tam and Lo Chau.  Singaporean sailor Isaac Goh, who clinched the silver medal in the Boys ILCA 4 Single Handed event at the Asian Games, raced against Hong Kong sailors Stephanie Norton and Nancy Highfield in ILCA 6 for the first time. “Compared with the first time I competed in Hong Kong I was more at ease,” said Goh. “I do have confidence, and the goal I set for myself is to maintain the position I am in now. ” Goh ranked second in this Class, only after Stephanie Norton, the silver medal winner at the Asian Games of ILCA 6. “For me, this (event) was more like training,” said Norton. “But I do like to win, and the Singapore team is really strong.”   Hong Kong Race Week this year incorporates the second 2024 29er Asian Championship as well. Japanese players, Yuto Tsutsumi and Taishi Goto, who were the champion 29er sailors in Japan and ranked third in the 29er Class, were the only national team leading the board besides Hong Kong teams. “We don’t have many …