Culture & Leisure

Dora Liu, 22, a check-in blogger, adjusts her camera angle to photograph the dishes at a restaurant in Central. It is her third year as a store blogger, and she spends her weekends experiencing different restaurants. “I usually post these photos on Instagram and RedNote,” said Liu. “The shop owner invited me to help them with publicity.” According to the Census and Statistics Department, 88% of the 465.2 billion respondents indicated that they frequently browsed social media for content related to restaurants and entertainment. A 2023 report on the Chinese video site Douyin, shows that the number of check-in bloggers has increased 2.89 times in 2023, and they helped physical merchants increase their revenue by HK$101.3 billion. “Shops will directly message me on social media platforms such as Instagram,” said Liu. “Normally, I receive restaurant promotions through a barter system, meaning the restaurant invites me to eat for free, and in return, I help them gain online exposure.” Chan Yan-ying, 28, a nurse, would look for restaurants based on bloggers' recommendations.  “It is a great time saver for me,” said Chan. “I do not have to spend time searching for restaurants.”  Restaurants can either offer free meals to bloggers in exchange for publicity or paid extra publicity fees, which will give bloggers extra publicity costs, usually in video publicity.Liu prefers to have free meals.  “Because the shooting style and content is decided by the restaurant, it is very limited for me,” she said. “I prefer the work shown within my account to be my style as well as my true feelings.”  Zhang Ziming, 25, a consultant for ComeTrue Cultural Communication, which helps local restaurants operate as agents on RedNote, said the bloggers are often more convincing to the public than the advertisements. “One of the advantages of working with bloggers …

Stray cats fouling the streets and stealing food is a nuisance to some residents in Tai O. Many of these cats were killed by dogs.  But the fate of stray cats has improved since the establishment of the Tai O Stray Cat Home in 2013. Volunteers have been sterilising stray cats and providing them with food and medical treatments. The volunteers often have trouble catching the cats and have to rely on donations to continue their work. Reported by Chen Yongru, Leung Chi-ngai Edited by Vinci Ao Wei-ying

The rhythmic clatter of mahjong tiles mixed with laughter as four students play a heated round of the traditional game late-night in a Hong Kong Baptist University dormitory. "Midterm exams stressed me out last week," said a local hall tutor at HKBU. "After that, I played mahjong two nights in a row to relax myself." "People will join the game whether they know each other or not. Mahjong has boosted friendships in the building," the tutor added. The student requested not to be named as student hall rules prohibit the playing of mahjong in the building. Amid academic pressure and digital isolation, university students are reviving the nearly 200-year-old Chinese game of mahjong, usually associated with older people, for mental wellness and community-building. At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the mahjong club, which was founded in 2022, has about 1,000 active members and more than 1,700 Instagram followers, said Rex Chow, 20, president of the club. “Our community not only attracts local students but also those from mainland China and internationally,” Chow said. “Some new members even did not know how to play mahjong, but they can learn from our free mentor courses.” According to Google Trends, the number of web searches for mahjong in Hong Kong has increased in fluctuation since December 2024, and peaked late January 2025. “Compared with shopping which is tiring and expensive, playing mahjong is a better way to relax,”said Winnie Leung, 20, a local student at HKBU, who plays mahjong at least once a week. Research in China shows that frequent playing of mahjong as a form of social participation can reduce symptoms of depression. “Maintaining a good mental state is important for coping with a busy life," the tutor said.“I would sometimes sacrifice some of my sleep to play mahjong.” …