Culture & Leisure

What is the price to pay for more greenery? by Cecilia Wong A few young women work conscientiously on their two-feet by three-feet garden, cultivating in-season organic vegetables on a rooftop of a Kwun Tong industrial building. They are surrounded by high rises and green walls, where birdsong play from speakers on top of the 13-storey building. A wide range of vegetables - potatoes, tomatoes, and third plant, is cultivated in rectangular planter boxes. Right at the corner of the same street, a green wall adorns another skyscraper, decorating it with the hues of olive, fern and chartreuse. Hong Kong's urban landscape has increasingly undergone a rapid greening over the past decade, as architects and developers begin to install roof-top gardens and green walls. Although vertical walls and roof-top gardens are promoted by the government, exact figures are not available. The iconic green wall inside the Hotel ICON in Kowloon is such an example. Research has shown that skyrise greenery reduces temperature by reflecting and absorbing up to 80 per cent of the heat, depending on the amount and type. In particular, research carried out by Dr Sam C. M. Hui, assistant lecturer of Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, shows that vegetated plant covered surfaces can provide a cooler interior environment and regulate the thermal activity of an urban city. "We have never fully utilized our land resources," Mr Osbert Lam, the founder of City Farm, one of Hong Kong's few urban farms, said. The skyrise greenery, enhancing vertical density of "plantscaping" over the building façade by covering present unused space with plants, has become substitutions for the lost green spaces during the process of urbanization. Hong Kong's 40,453 private buildings are mostly not suited for large-scale greening, but in theory, the application of vertical …

Can art and business go hand in hand? by Jianne Soriano Hong Kong has witnessed a boom in the art industry in recent years, thanks to international fairs like Art Basel, Art Central, and the development of the West Kowloon Culture district, while this may provides opportunities for business. Young artists are not benefiting, says University of Hong Kong student, Elaine Chiu. She has 25 exhibitions under her belt. "[The Hong Kong art industry] is very international and very rarely would Hong Kong organise its own art fairs. I'm not sure if this is a good trend for local artists as we have to appeal to the international market to be successful." Just this year, Chiu has had her artworks exhibited in France, Italy and Bulgaria. But Chiu believes  that  Hong Kong's emphasis on commercialising art is a blow to local artists. Compared with her experience in the UK where she sees art as "more public", the 20-year-old feels that Hong Kong's art atmosphere "isn't as strong." She pointed out that it is difficult to make her artworks seen in the local community because of the lack of funding, opportunities and connections. "Without a gallery representation, you cannot get into the art scene here in Hong Kong. It's always about money, relationship and connections," she added. Preconceived beliefs that ‘art can't feed you' has been one of the reasons why the art scene in Hong Kong is underdeveloped, according to Nicky Chan, the founder of tgt Gallery. "When we were young, teachers always said ‘Art is a good way to express your emotion'. Yet what they were really implying was ‘Don't do art when you grow up', he said. Chan's tgt gallery aims to provide an interactive platform for young local artists to share their creativity and talent. The gallery …

Handmade ukuleles bring happy sounds to Hong Kong by Tracy Zhang Along the rugged track on Cheung Chau Island, next to the snack and souvenirs stores, ukuleles are among the attractions. Originally from Hawaii, this instrument has become popular among Hong Kong youth in recent years, because it has been featured in romantic movies and soap operas. Located on one of the busiest streets in Cheung Chau island, Benny Cheng's rock music school is decorated with colorful ukuleles. "People who come to Cheung Chau care more about the fish balls than the handmade ukuleles. Few would stop by and appreciate them," said Mr Cheng, who founded G.V.S Rock School. He thinks Hong Kong people are often too busy to slow down and pay attention to handmade products. "But the creative and colorful ukuleles hanging here more or less attract some attention," he added. The art of handcrafted ukeleles 1879 in Portugal. Hand made instruments were  gradually replaced by factory-made products, which are often perfectly polished. "I can always buy a perfect ukulele in Hong Kong, but what I can't do is to make it with my hands and enjoy the process," said Evan Binkley, the founder of the brand Fish Ukulele. Mr. Binkley fills his house with unique ukuleles made from moon cake tins, papayas, bamboo and so on. "The way I make ukuleles is different from other people. I have my own style and I want something different," said Mr Binkley. "Different materials create different tones and sounds, which make them unique," he said, while playing one made from a papaya that he picked up from the garbage. "The problem is that people cannot make money doing that. A handmade ukulele costs much more money and time than one produced in a factory," he said. A group of social …

A set of sculptures recently sparked calls of panic. Does Hong Kong appreciate public art? By Emily Cheung When the public art installation "Event Horizon Hong Kong" , first went on display on a rooftop in Central in November, 2015, people mistook the sculpture of a life-sized naked man as a suicide suspect and called the police. "I spotted it a long time ago. But to be honest, I don't know why it has to be there," said Ms Chu Tze-yan, who works nearby. The controversial art project featured 31 fiberglass sculptures by artist, Antony Gormley. The figures stand on streets or rooftops across the city. "The idea was to underline the relationship between human and space," says Mr Gormley. "Public art allows free thinking and the community may not feel comfortable with sculptures like that at first," said Antony J. Chan, the British Council's Head of Art and Creative Industries, who organized  "Event Horizon Hong Kong" . Mr Chan believes that the police calls that resulted from his artwork show a lack of understanding of public art. But Hong Kong is no stranger to public art .  In early 1999, the  government launched  a Public Art Scheme to boost creativity and to bring artistic elements to the public. Since then, more than 20 sets of public art pieces have been on display. What is regarded by some as sophisticated public art, such as Mr Gormley's naked men, is seldom appreciated. Instead, many seem to think that art should be decorative rather than artistic expression. "I don't see the need to  understand those artwork thoroughly. It is fine a long as they  make the place more beautiful and visually attractive ," said Travis Mackenzie, a tourist from Washington. He and many tourists find pleasure in seeing the artwork, though some do …

  by Cecilia Wong Cultural travelling is a vogue for travel agencies to bespeak their cultural exploring tours, it goes beyond merely visiting a place, but allows experience as a member of a culture and undergoes transformations of lives. Cultural travelling is to go local and dig into authentic, genuine stories in a country, said Chan Shing-kwan, one of the co-founders of Eastern Vision and Glo Travel which both organising international travel programmes in a unique way. Chan said that they attempt to modify traditional travel tours, which tend to load customers to various tourist spots for merely shopping and eating, by providing comprehensive, intellectual but fun experiences. Tours organised by Eastern Vision and Glo Travel try to break stereotypes and "bridge" different people, he said. "Reading a lot about North Koreans, but had never talked to them, I lost track," said Niklas Pape, a German exchange student at The University of Hong Kong. He joined an Eastern Vision's tour to North Korea last year and agreed that through interacting with locals during the visit, participants gained a "different perception" towards North Koreans.  "Only after talking to them, I know they are very same as human beings," he said.   Unlike a semester exchange which is long enough for complete immersion, the tours are limited by short travelling periods. Thus, he described the tours as just a "tool" for people to gain basic information of a country and open people's doors to cultural exchange in the future, as well as to build habits of delving into or at least research a country's background before visiting. Cultural experience is about physical engagement and, of equally important, idea exchange. "Only by going local, talking to local communities, and involving in an environment can people understand the conditions -- political, social and economic …