By: Lokman YuenEdited by: Jenny Lam
Power cut in Tin Shui Wai forced business closure
- 2022-06-23
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: Jenny Lam
- 2022-06-23
Some 160,000 households in the New Territories West were plunged into darkness on Tuesday evening, “It was a complete blackout. We had no idea what happened, we can’t contact each other,” said Miffy Tang who lives in Tin Shui Wai with her husband and child. The power supply to all affected areas had been restored by 8 a.m. on Wednesday, However, CLP warned that electricity in the area might remain unstable for a few days. Tang, a resident of Tin Fu Court, told TYR that the housing estate was not only affected by the blackout, but also they have no internet to contact others. Tin Fu Court is one of four housing estates which had an extensive electricity shortage, along with Tin Ching Village, Tin Ze Village and Tin Yuet Village. Tang had just started dinner with her family at their grandfather’s house at 7:15 p.m The sudden blackout forced them to have a candlelit dinner. She said she was lucky she was able to finish cooking before the blackout.., Then, she had to climb more than 11 storeys in order to get home to take a bath in cold water and had a night with no air-conditioning or a fan. After putting her son to bed with a USB-charged fan, Tang and her husband stayed awake the whole night. They could see there was no light around the housing estate until 2 am. Then the electricity came back at 4:30 a.m. They were hopeful, but only to be disappointed soon after. Power was not restored until 9 a.m. CLP Power expected it will take two days to restore power supply to the area, but some fans and air-conditioners came back on this morning. CLP warned that power supply in the area might remain unstable for a few days …
Rise in Chinese identity recognition, but Hong Kong still comes first, survey shows
- 2022-06-22
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: C.K. Lau
- 2022-06-22
More Hong Kong people regard themselves as Chinese or citizens of the People’s Republic of China, although their sense of identity as Hongkongers continues to rank first, a survey has found. Conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI), the survey found that the number of people who identify themselves as “members of the Chinese race” and “Chinese” has reached new highs since 2018, while those who regard themselves as “citizens of the PRC” have also reached their highest levels since 2016. Meanwhile, the number of people who feel they are “Hongkongers” and “global citizens” have registered record lows since June 2017 and December 2008 respectively. However, an overwhelming 70% of the respondents still identify themselves as “Hongkongers” in a broad sense (i.e., either as “Hongkongers” or “Hongkongers in China”), and only 29% regard themselves as “Chinese” in a broad sense (i.e., either as “Chinese” or “Chinese in Hong Kong”). About 42% have opted for a mixed identity of “Hongkongers” and “Chinese” (i.e., either as “Chinese in Hong Kong” or “Hongkongers in China”). One thousand Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above were interviewed by telephone between May 31 and June 4. PORI, formerly known as the Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong, has been conducting regular surveys to track the changing sense of identity of Hong Kong people before 1997 when the city was reunited with China. Yuen Mi-chang, the current affairs commentator, said the results of the latest survey showed that many people with strong sentiments against the mainland authorities had left Hong Kong after the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement and as the local democratic movement weakened. Those who had opted to stay behind had to adjust their mentality and sense of recognition even though they remained dissatisfied with the political condition, …
One-third of Hong Kong adults gain weight amid 5th wave of Covid-19 pandemic, survey finds
- 2022-06-21
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: C.K. Lau
- 2022-06-21
One in three Hongkongers have put on about 10% of their body weight because of a lack of outdoor activities since the outbreak of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by the Hong Kong Obesity Society has found. The online questionnaire survey of 559 adults was conducted from May 27 to June 6. It found that 53% of the respondents with BMI 25 or above (considered as obese for an Asian adult) and about one-fourth of those with BMI 18.5 - 22.9 have gained weight. Among those who have put on weight, 66% have seen their body weight increased by 5-10%, 16% by 10-15% and 13% by more than 15%. The researchers said the weight gain was driven by two reasons: the resumption of dining in services at restaurants and reduced physical exercise. They survey found that 44% of the respondents wanted to dine out following the relaxation of dining-in restrictions last month as they feared the restrictions may be restored should the pandemic worsen again. Another 38% said they had avoided outdoor activities to stay safe and refrained from exercising with their masks on because it was uncomfortable. The study also found that obesity discrimination still exists in Hong Kong, with over 60% of the respondents believing that people who are overweight are more likely to be too lazy to exercise and to indulge in binging. In fact, the researchers said many obesity patients have difficulties losing weight for medical reasons and discrimination discourages them from seeking medical help. Tsui Tsum-miu, president of the Hong Kong Obesity Society, said the medical sector and many members of the public solely focused on serious cases of obesity and ignored the less severe ones. More community efforts should be directed towards supporting obesity patients, he said.
Increased use of telemedicine during the Covid-19
- 2022-06-13
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Karmen LiEdited by: Leona Liu
- 2022-06-13
The fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong gives telemedicine a boost as many clinics are closed to prevent cross-infection and patients may be reluctant to attend the in-person appointments during the pandemic. Despite the constraints in video consultation such as being unable to physically examine the patients, it can provide the right medication and immediate medical suggestions for Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.
Blind saxophonist in China’s national disabled performing troupe speaks on success and overcoming challenges
- 2022-06-08
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: Summer Li
- 2022-06-08
“One more time. Don’t make the audience feel your actions are too stiff, ” the director of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing said to Wang Qi as he practiced walking and turning on the stage. “Try to reduce the sense of performance,” the director said. Wang was practicing raising his hands to display the emblem of the winter Paralympic Games to the world at the opening ceremony on March 4. “I had to practice once and once again to form muscle memory,” he said. “We have been rehearsing intensively since January.” Wang, 40, a leading saxophonist in China, has been performing in the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe for more than a decade. His performance has been seen at many historic moments of China including APEC Summit and Shanghai Expo 2011. “For visually-abled people, it's natural to go to the center of the stage and then turn around and face the audience. But because we blind people can't see, we don't know which position to go on the stage, and we don't know how much to turn around is appropriate,” he said. “But if we practice too much without correct guidance, our movements will be too deliberate.” Wang, who wears his hair long and is always in sunglasses, has been blind for almost 30 years. In 1995, when Wang was 15 and had been blind for two years, one teacher at the special education school in his hometown Dalian led a group of students to a room full of musical instruments, where Wang befriended the saxophone. “I was standing in the big room, trying to recall those instruments I saw before losing my sight,” he said. “Suddenly, the saxophone jumped into my mind. I walked ahead and held it in my arms.” However, …
Pandemic gives rise to depression and anxiety
- 2022-05-31
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Hamish CHANEdited by: Nicholas Shu
- 2022-05-31
Rachel Li Liang-yu, 24, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 12 years ago. It is a mental disorder associated with extreme mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. She said her emotions are more unpredictable than before due to COVID-19, and her mood swings are the worst during lockdowns. “It is because the clinic where I used to meet my psychiatrist has been closed for a while due to the lockdown in Hebei, China,” Li said. Dr. Adrian Low, the president of the Hong Kong Association of Psychology, said it is common for people to feel stressed due to the massive amount of information during the pandemic. “For those who suffered from mental health issues before, they are more easily triggered,” Low said. “For the ordinary public, they may face depression easier than before as well.” According to the World Health Organisation’s research in 2022, the pandemic has triggered an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide by 25%. Parents’ anxiety levels have also been elevated. Cheng Lihua, a mother of two primary school children in Hong Kong, said she feels anxious and depressed due to the pandemic. “As a parent, it is normal to be worried,” said Cheng, “especially when there is so much negative information on television, WeChat groups and other social media.” The depression rate of mothers increased from 19% before the pandemic to 35% in July 2020, while the anxiety rate increased from 18% to 31%, according to research by the Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. This research suggested that the mental states of parents taking responsibility for their children’s academics and daily lives at the same time are severely compromised. Cheng said when her children leave home for school, she often worries about the campus hygiene and is scared that her …
What can dreams tell us about our physical and mental health?
- 2022-05-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: Kiki Lo、Clarice Wu
- 2022-05-19
The crowd rushed at me, embraced me in an uncomfortable way. I struggled to get away, or get help, and then I woke up. That was my recollection of a dream to Akira Cheung Ka-fai, founder of HARMONIC Holistic Healing Centre. Cheung is a clinical hypnotherapist who specialises in the interpretation of dreams. He said that graphics and sensations may be merely symbolic representations of real-life issues, but emotions and feelings are not distorted, but are real because the subconscious mind does not lie. “With more intense emotions and feelings, or more frequent occurrences, messages from the subconscious mind become more important and urgent to the conscious mind,” he said. Cheung does not think one should use the conscious mind and rational thinking to interpret dreams, because the landscape can change and is symbolic, and sometimes what appears in a dream may not necessarily be the problem. It wasn’t until we tried to understand and analyze my dream that I fully understood how the conscious mind can block out the subconscious mind. “So what was the scene in the dream? Who came up to you and hugged you,” he asked. “A wedding, a relative’s wedding, and then my mum’s relatives interrupting me,” I said. “But now that I clearly remember that wedding from my secondary school days, and it wasn’t that terrible, and my relatives weren’t that annoying,” I added, But soon I realised it was my conscious mind analysing the dream. “What emotion did you feel in the dream,” he asked. I closed my eyes and tried to recall the dream and identify the strongest feelings in that situation. “Pure annoyance, a struggle to break free, a feeling of powerlessness,” I said. “Elements and images in dreams can change and are symbolic only, but the feeling is always true, …
Polycystic ovary syndrome patients regain menstruation by following the ketogenic diet
- 2022-05-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Gigi Chong、Tiffany MaEdited by: Hamish CHAN
- 2022-05-19
After Patricia Wong Oi-wai went a year without menstruating, she went on a ketogenic diet, a popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet commonly called “keto”. She weighed her meals, checked for fat content and only seasoned them with salt and pepper. Diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at the age of 36, Wong refused to take medications. Instead, she read that a ketogenic diet could relieve her symptoms. She tried it to see whether it was real. PCOS is a common endocrine hormone condition among women of reproductive age that causes irregular menstruation, acne and excessive masculine features such as an overabundance of body hair. PCOS affects between 6% and 12% of women of reproductive age around the globe, according to a study from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. However, there is no precise clinical procedure to cure PCOS. "If there is a way that would heal my sickness without taking any medication, why not give it a try?" Wong said. "After trying it out, it works." Wong used to cook for herself and cut back on social gatherings to meet the strict requirements of the ketogenic diet – a daily food consumption of 70% fat, 20% protein, 5% vegetables and 5% carbohydrates. Wong lost nine kilograms after strictly following the ketogenic diet for a month and regained her menstruation four years ago. A ketogenic diet is often used to lose weight and improve insulin resistance. PCOS patients said their emotions and hair condition improved on the diet and that it helped with weight loss and regulated menstruation cycles. It even increases the chance to get pregnant, according to a pilot study from Nutrition & Metabolism. Wong, who said her PCOS symptoms have mostly been relieved by adopting a ketogenic diet, said it was tough for her to avoid carbohydrates and sugar …
Multimedia: Hong Kong's sixth chief executive election
- 2022-05-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde CheungEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-05-16
The sixth chief executive election was held last Sunday. John Lee Ka-chiu, becomes the chief executive-elect with over 99% support from the Election Committee. The Young Reporter documented this first uncontested election in the city.
Trouble in mainland quarantine after escaping pandemic in Hong Kong
- 2022-05-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: Summer Li
- 2022-05-11
As the pandemic hit Hong Kong with unprecedented Omicron variants, many people working and studying in the city have started their journey to escape to mainland since mid February to avoid the health crisis. However, the poor living condition, extraordinary high prices and awful food during the 21-day quarantine caused a lot of inconvenience to the people longing to return home.