Culture & Leisure
Oscars 2018: TYR's Picks and what we expect from the ceremony
- 2018-03-05
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Angie Chan、Ezra CheungEdited by: Holly Chik
- 2018-03-05
The 90th Academy Awards are just a few hours away. As the people of Hollywood get prepared for their big night. Much like the previous years, there are many speculations as to what people will wear, what the host, Jimmy Kimmel, will be saying, what topics would be mentioned during acceptance speeches, and most of all, who will be the winners. While we will have to wait until 5 pm PST on Sunday, March 4 (9 am HKT on Monday, March 5), editors Angie Chan and Ezra Cheung sat down with The Young Reporter's Editor-in-Chief Holly Chik and discussed the upcoming Oscars, before their live-streams on Facebook during the event. A: Angie Chan E: Ezra Cheung H: Holly Chik H: What makes the 90th Academy Awards so significant? E: I think it's fairly important because the ceremony is held amidst the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, electrifying the whole American film industry. I am very curious about what one of the nominees, Meryl Streep, will say during the presentation (given she wins the Best Actress in a Leading Role). And besides, I did go to pretty much all of the films nominated. The race is fairly competitive and I am looking forward to (the announcement of) the winners. A: Well, it's the 90th Academy Awards, the number itself makes it significant. *laughs* I think with so much happening in Hollywood, it would be hard for the celebs not to be political one way or the other, and I think how they represent their stance will be what makes this year extra significant 'cause what these important figures of the entertainment industry say will easily determine the general public's view. And I think seeing Jimmy Kimmel a second time would be quite interesting as well considering his kind of awkward …
Flexitarian: an easy way to go green
- 2017-11-21
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Sharon Pun、Candice WongEdited by: Richelia Yeung、Ellen He
- 2017-11-21
To become a flexible vegetarian in Hong Kong "I'd like to have the Pesto Chicken Salad, but please take away the chicken," said Ms. Chan at a bakery cafe. Her friend surprisingly asked her, "What? You're taking away the best part of the dish!" This is a situation often encountered by Chan Wun, but her diet habit is different from that of traditional "vegetarians". She is a member of a rising group, "flexitarians", a combination of "flexible" and "vegetarians". The number of flexitarians rose from 5% in 2008 to 22% in 2016, while vegetarians only account for 3% of Hong Kong's population. Up till 2017, over 1,000 restaurants in Hong Kong have joined an initiative programme to offer vegetarian-friendly menus, according to a social startup, Green Monday. "In order to lose weight, I had become a vegetarian for around two months during high school," said Ms. Chan, an 18-year-old university student. She had no choice but to constantly ordered Indian curry since it was the only vegetarian choice at school. Things become more difficult during family gatherings. When Ms. Chan's mother cooks vegetarian meals for her non-vegetarian father and brother often complain that the meals lacked protein. "It is difficult to avoid eating meat especially when we are living in Chinese culture where specific cuisines and dishes will be offered during celebratory events and festivals," said Ms. Chan. "Then I decided to quit because of inconvenience, time cost and expense." Instead of being a strict vegetarian, she opted for a flexitarian-style diet. In fact, the problem was not faced just by Ms. Chan when she was a vegetarian. To Hiu-yan, 20, a university student who has been a vegetarian for two years, said that the once-athlete started this eating habit to keep fit. Ms. To said she faced limited …
Hip-hop geeks leap forward with local rap battles
- 2017-10-26
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Daisy Lee、Jianne SorianoEdited by: Daisy Lee、Jianne Soriano
- 2017-10-26
At eleven o'clock on Saturday night, when it's past bedtime for the city, the nightlife hub in Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong just kicked off its day. Standing at the entrance of an underground club, Hector "SCF-SAiNT" Telmo, in a plain black t-shirt with the words "Straight Outta Home Kong" was busily distributing leaflets for his hip-hop show held later night. Unlike others, he's looking for the chance to break the deadlock of hip-hop on the 'cultural desert' by organising regular rap battles in Central hipster clubs. Straight Outta Home Kong is a underground music project co-founded by two non-Chinese rappers, Telmo and Mohit "DJ Mojito" Kailandasani. Telmo has been stuck for a while in developing his career as a rapper. "Nobody opened the doors for us, nobody gave us opportunities. We felt like outcasts, so our mission was 'how do we bridge the gap, how do we connect, how we get to work with them,'" he said. Though the road to success is not as simple as he expected, the 25-year-old didn't stop. Instead, he started searching for way-out for his fellows—to connect Cantonese, English and Tagalog rappers, who were also looking for a place in the hip-hop industry for a long time. "Now that there's a platform, an opportunity and the fact that the younger generation can see this...at least they have something to look up to, especially on the ethnic minority side," he added. Invited by Telmo, Eric "Heartgrey" So, a Hong Kong beatboxer who debuted about 10 years ago, sees hip-hop battles held in bars as a chance 'to show [their] passion and energy to the local people'. "It's already hard to do music in Hong Kong so if there's a platform...why don't you perform and participate?" Describing the times when he was still starting as …
How Chinese treats hungry ghosts
- 2017-09-04
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Michelle Ng、Holly ChikEdited by: Angela Cheung
- 2017-09-04
Commonly known as the Chinese Halloween, the Hungry Ghost Festival falls on the 14th of the seventh lunar month. This year, a Chinese community organisation held the third Hungry Ghost Festival exhibition in Victoria Park from 1 to 3 September. Watch the video to know more about the customs and traditions of the festival and visitors' view about the event. Reported by Holly Chik and Michelle Ng Video edited by Angela Cheung
Different Faces, Same Values
- 2017-05-24
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- Edited by: Jianne Soriano
- 2017-05-24
Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Chungking Mansions is not only a landmark but also a hub of different cultures with many ethnic minorities. Walking out from Tsim Sha Tsui station, Muhammed Hussain is used to the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Many have East Asian faces, speaking Mandarin or Korean loudly with a draw- bar box in hand. Many of these tourists with money to burn love the emporiums where they can easily find popular designer brands such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci. It's 12:03pm. Hussain looks down at his watch as he waits for the traffic light to cross busy Nathan Road. In a few hours, white-collar workers and tourists will head to the nearby historic Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea. But neither the Peninsula nor the emporium is Hussain's destination. Instead, he steps through an inconspicuous building entrance and heads upstairs to his mobile phone shop. Everyday Hussain, a 20 year-old Pakistani man, follows the same routine. He meets 20 to 30 customers a day until he closes his shop at 9 pm. He may go for a late lunch, usually curry and rice, not because he likes it but because it is a common menu in the building. Just like other commercial buildings in the neighborhood, there are many mobile phone shops, money changers and restaurants. But unlike other buildings, restaurants here mainly sell Indian food and most shopkeepers are South Asian and African men. The building's name is Chungking Mansions, and it's history is full of mystery and lore to even locals and the tourists who know it for its cheap accommodation. Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the most prosperous districts in Hong Kong, Chungking Mansions has never been seen as a part of Hong Kong, even after being chosen as a landmark …
Walking in Hong Kong
- 2017-04-23
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-04-23
It says something about the possibility of having a walkable Hong Kong when artificial grass mats, splash pools, picnic tables and benches were placed on what used to be a heavily-congested Des Voeux Road Central in September last year. The government is working with NGOs to turn roads into more pedestrian-friendly and it maysurprise many that the city is currently having seven full-time pedestrian schemes and 30 part-time ones. "Walking can be safe, comfortable and interesting," said Maura Wong Hung-hung, Chief Executive Officer of the independent public think tank Civic Exchange. "That's why walking is a pleasure and something that people enjoy, they don't have to depend on vehicles," said Wong. The "Walk in Hong Kong" initiative, proposed by the Transport and Housing Bureau, was officially announce in the 2017 Policy Address on January 18. It aims to promote walkability, which is related to connectivity of streets in Hong Kong. Working on pedestrian environment, the initiative will implement multiple new measures based on four themes. According to the Legislative Council Paper, it will provide user-friendly information on walking routes, enhance pedestrian network connection, make walking a pleasant experience and provide a safe and quality pedestrian environment. Civic Exchange introduced a new initiative in December 2016, "Walkability", to advocate walking in the city. The new initiative also encourages the government and different sectors to take a "people-first" approach in urban planning. For instance, meetings and seminars will be organized to foster citizens' understanding about the concept of walkability. "Pedestrian should play a priority role in the city's development, including the transportation strategy," said Wong. Civic Exchange also introduced the WALKScore in December 2016, a tool to measure walkability in Hong Kong. It takes into consideration the city's density, mixed-land use, constant traffic, hilly topography and other challenges. From its data, Mongkok …
From Urban Jungle to Toyau
- 2017-03-22
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-03-22
They farm what they eat, make what they use and love what they have.In Sheung Shui Wa Shan Tsuen,several young people have set up Toyau, a place where they can getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life, to explore nature. This is where they live and work and learn to get along with one another and with Mother Earth.The inhabitants of Toyau farm, do carpentry, pottery and they draw."If we have guests, we will get up at 6 a.m. to start the day, for example,by cooking," said Sum Wing-kiu, 26,
Men in Skirts Break Fashion Boundaries
- 2017-03-21
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-03-21
Freedom in male clothing style.
"The Egg Tart: Evolution of a Classic Hairstyle
- 2017-03-20
- Photo Essay
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-03-20
TYR's Kenji Chan walks us around a historical barber shop and a celebrity-serving modern salon which offers the same time-honoured hairstyle "Eat Tart", which crazed the city in the 1950s."The pompadour haircut has al-ways been a classical and good men 's haircut," said Adam Chan Moon-tong, a young yet experienced hairstylist.Style such as comparing the look with vintage stone washed jeans and Wonton noodles, Chan said thatHong Kong people had forgotten the grooming culture Shanghai barbers brou
All I Want for Christmas is Food: Delighting Food Tours, Sydney
- 2016-12-11
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- 2016-12-11
by Julianna Wu Hanging out in a block that's full of nice snacks and cuisines in a sunny day, eat whatever you like until you can't have anymore. This is every foodie's dream. Especially in a city like Sydney, which has more than 20 different cultures and regions, which means, over 20 different kinds of food and cuisine? In this huge city that's approximately eleven times bigger than Hong Kong, foodies are luckily enough to have professionals that would lead them through streets and corners to find delicacies, teach them how to eat properly, and most importantly, tell them the stories behind the food and the reason why it exists. Tours led customers through various cultures' authentic restaurants and foods were started in Sydney a decade ago. Eventually it grows into a popular thing across the city. Now Sydney has up to 17 different organizations offering nearly 100 food tours around the city: ranging from focus tours on wine or chocolate to certain culture's food. Taste Food Tour is one of the companies that bring customers into the broad Western suburbs of the city for Persian, South-east Asia and other more kinds of foods with a price ranging from 400 to 600 HKD for an adult. The tour of Babylonian Delights - Fairfield for example, includes two sets of meal, two typical snacks stores, one grocery shop of the Persian or Turkish culture as well as a rich explanation of the culture background and how do people make food within a walking distance of the local suburb Fairfield. The tours' schedule has been set to meet different kinds of customers' need. Food tours in Chinatown, which is a hot tourism spot, are set during weekdays for the convenience of travelers. While far Western or outer central city food tours are …