Culture & Leisure

Richard Crosbie, an artist from the UK, has been preparing for the Halloween bazaar booth to sell his artwork. Crosbie has been in Hong Kong for 25 years and started his stall at the bazaar a year and a half ago. This time he became a vendor at a Halloween bazaar, which was held by a local organisation called Handmade Hong Kong, a body holds regular craft markets in the city. “There's a lot of planning (for the stall), and there's a lot of work that goes into it even though there is a one-day event,” Crosbie said. The Halloween night market is held on Oct. 30 at Discovery Bay, lasting seven hours. The celebration attracts many vendors, especially international ones. There are 93 stalls with different vendors selling unique handicrafts. Many hawkers are looking forward to the opportunity as their business has been bleak for the past few years due to the impact of COVID-19. Handicraft dealers from around the world promote cultural exchange while selling. Street trading has been part of local culture in Hong Kong for over 100 years. The city has 97 public markets, around 14,000 stalls, and 11 hawker bazaars with various commodities from fresh produce, food, clothing and household items, according to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Megan Olinger, the founder of Handmade Hong Kong, said that she started crafting at home in 2007 and was introduced by her friend to organise a market. Their first event only had 12 vendors, and now they have around 150. The Discovery Bay Market has been operating for many years and has become the organisation's representative market. Their events receive strong support from the public. “What's been fantastic is seeing the amount of creativity in Hong Kong that people are doing at home on their own. …

The Hong Kong Pet Show 2022 began on Thursday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 500 exhibitors have participated in this four-day Pet Show, showcasing over 1,000 brands of pet food, supplies, and services from around the world. In addition to merchandising, there are also pet pageants, dog obedience demonstrations and charity talks at the venue. Tickets cost HK$30 per person, the same for adults and children, and can be purchased both online and at the counter. Pet owners can bring one pet each but the animal must either be on a leash or in a stroller Carl Wong, Director of Hong Kong Pet Show 2022, said he hoped the show can promote products as well as foster people’s understanding of pets as part of the family through lectures and sharing. Some people abandon their pets because of economic problems, especially during the pandemic, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Hong Kong. 78% of the surveyed 777 adult Hong Kong residents said their household income has dropped since the outbreak and 52% claimed they would reduce their expenses besides buying necessities, according to Credit Institution TransUnion’s statistics. “I spend HK$6000 to HK$7000 every month on my dogs,” said Shada Shum, a visitor who raises two Bichon Frises. “A single pet grooming session can cost around HK$500.” Shum said although her financial situation has been affected by the epidemic, she still takes good care of her pets because they are precious family members and her companions in times of trouble. Apart from cats and dogs, many pet owners in China, especially those in their 20s, prefer exotic animals such as lizards or snakes according to China Pet Consumer White Paper 2021 by iResearch. However, keeping exotic pets such as a chameleon requires …