People
Hong Kong’s legal gaps in deepfake porn leave victims unprotected
- 2026-11-04
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: SHI Puxuan Amy、MA Yifan ChloeEdited by: CHEN Xiyun
- 2026-11-04
In February, Chiao, 22, saw an AI-generated photo with her face superimposed on a naked body appear in the comments of one of her Threads posts. She was shocked and hoped her family and friends could tell the nude photo was fake, she said. “I refused to share any portraits of myself on public platforms for months, as I was terrified my image would be turned into pornographic content somewhere out of my sight,” said Chiao, a student based in Taiwan, who doesn’t want to reveal her full name for fear of it happening again. Chiao now works part-time at an influencer marketing agency, where she must publish promotional content on her personal social media account showing her face. The required exposure of the job is stressful, she said, explaining that it recalls her trauma and raises the fear of falling victim again. Luna, 32, a part-time influencer from Taiwan who also doesn’t want to reveal her full name, said she once received a direct message that included a screenshot of an image showing her face swapped onto an intimate image. Luna discovered this photo had been shared in an online chatroom whose members used anonymous accounts. She saved the chat logs as evidence. The group also contained deepfake content of other influencers in pornographic images, Luna recalled, with group members actively posting new face-swapped images at the time. Both Chiao and Luna said they decided not to report the abuse to police. They said they thought authorities would struggle to identify the perpetrators and that filing a report would do little to address the harm they had already suffered. AI-generated deepfake sexual abuse is an increasing threat for online users, particularly young women who say police can do little to help them. Pornographic images account for 98% of deepfakes, …
Chinese wine attracts growing interest at HK Wine & Dine Festival
- 2026-11-03
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: ZHENG Xinyi、Gengjing HuangEdited by: CHEN Ziyu
- 2026-11-03
Chinese flavored wines drew strong interest from visitors at the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival in Central over the weekend from Oct. 29 to Nov.1, with tea and coffee-infused cocktails releases among the most popular offerings. “The innovation has turned once-conventional wines into newly popular, award-winning hits at this year's festival,” said Ken Cheng, 45, manager at a Hong Kong-based Chinese wines distributor. Chinese wine booths drew many tasters at the festival as Chinese producers recorded a strong performance at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards in June, where they won 214 medals, including two platinum, 11 golds, and 100 silvers. Cheng said younger consumers are increasingly pivoting toward fresh and distinctively flavoured vintages, adding that the growing demand for such approachable wines is reshaping the global wine market. Ken Yuen, a local wine distributor representing mainland labels, said local consumers are exceptionally open to novel profiles. “Our best sellers here are actually unique infused releases, such as caffeine-free coffee flavoured and tea flavoured wines that align perfectly with Hong Kong’s daily coffee culture,” Yuen said. “Ningxia’s wine exports surged 180% year-on-year, with Hong Kong absorbing nearly half of that total. Winemakers attribute this rapid growth to local consumers’ exceptional openness to novel profiles,” Yuen added. While distributors focus on expanding trade volume, boutique winery owners are also working to build international recognition for Chinese wines. “Our original motivation for founding the winery was simple, giving back to the community and bringing Chinese-flavoured wines to the world stage,” said Rita Kung, a Hongkonger who co-founded boutique winery Mystic Island in Shandong and was one of the exhibitors. Kung said balancing the company's revenues and costs remains challenging; however, the desire to bring Shandong's locally crafted wines to the world has not wavered. Kevin Lo, an air and sea logistics …
21-Year-Old swimmer sets record-breaking time in 45 km around Hong Kong Island
- 2026-11-03
- People
- By: SIU Tsz HangEdited by: SIU Tsz Hang
- 2026-11-03
Reported by Kajsa Svedlund Kylsjö Edited by Linnea Hedman In a stunning display of stamina and community spirit, 21-year-old Emeric Payer set a new course record for the 45-kilometres HK360 circumnavigation swim around Hong Kong Island on Nov. 2, 2026. Payer completed the gruelling open-water challenge in a historic time of 10 hours, 22 minutes, and 59 seconds, shaving more than 13 minutes off the previous course record of 10:35:58, set by Waris Mills on Nov. 26, 2025. A dream come true For Payer, standing at the finish line as the new record holder was a milestone he once thought unattainable. "When I signed up six months ago, I saw the 45 km distance and the fast pace they put me up on and I was telling myself, 'I will never do that,'" Payer said after reaching the shore. Having never attempted long-distance swims of this scale, Payer trained under Edie Hu, an experienced open-water swimmer who completed the HK360 in 2018. Under her coaching, Payer ramped up his training over six months, joining local races and steadily increasing his mileage. "A couple of weeks ago, he did a 10-hour swim in Repulse Bay, swimming back and forth from the beach to South Bay. It was really nice that day to see his confidence that he could actually do it," Hu said. Braving the dark and unpredictable waters Open-water swim experts and organisers regard the 45-kilometre HK360 as one of the region’s most demanding endurance challenges. Swimmers must contend with unpredictable currents, choppy waters, and heavy commercial shipping traffic. Payer launched his attempt under the cover of darkness at 4 am. When the sun finally rose just before 6 am, it provided a vital mental boost for the long journey ahead. "This morning’s sunrise was magical, one of the most …
Policy Address 2026: HK$10 billion loan ‘not enough’ for building new campus site, after John Lee announced the development of Northern Metropolis University Town
- 2026-09-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: ZHENG WU Anny、ZHENG Yuan ElaineEdited by: CHAU Wing Yau
- 2026-09-16
The new university town in the Northern Metropolis Development area will be expanded, Lee said today in the policy address, but universities, which are expected to fund new campuses, say the government is not offering enough money for building costs. In April, the government announced a low-interest loan scheme with HK$10 billion reserved to support universities in building campuses in the new development area. Dr Albert Chau, the Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) at Hong Kong Baptist University, said the low-interest loan is “not enough”. “Our university may build new laboratories and buildings, and the required funding is substantial, despite a HK$10 billion loan for universities.” Nineteen universities have submitted proposals for building a new campus in NMUT, Choi Yuk-lin, the secretary for Education of Hong Kong, said in a press conference in June. If all the proposals are accepted, each university would receive an average of around HK$500 million. According to the University Engagement Office of HKBU, its new Jockey Club Campus of Creativity, which opened in 2024 on its Kowloon Tong campus, cost HK$2.22 billion for 7,430 square metres, far exceeding HK$500 million. Zhou Haoming, a post-graduate student at the University of Hong Kong, said he is concerned that universities may raise tuition fees to fill the funding gap. “Government loans are a policy concession, but the school will ultimately have to put up the money for construction,”he said. Chau said that the tuition fee at HKBU will only be raised to meet inflation and won’t be a major way to gather funding for expanding the campus site. “We have no reason to transfer the burden of university development to our students. We should set proper tuition figures which students can afford. This is our social responsibility,” Chau said. Universities are expected to seek funds by utilising reserves or …
Youth summit focuses on opportunities for HK ethnic minority youth
- 2026-09-13
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG Shuyi、XIE Xinni CindyEdited by: Lou Zhengzheng
- 2026-09-13
More than 300 ethnically diverse people aged 18 to 30 gathered on Saturday at a youth leadership Summit, which centred on prospective opportunities and challenges for ethnic minority youth in Hong Kong. The Ethnically Diverse Youth Leadership Summit 2026 was the second edition of the summit held by the Zubin Foundation in Ngau Tau Kok. The summit aimed to focus more on job opportunities, although much of the discussion about diverse ethnic communities centers on the negative barriers and challenges, said Shalini Mahtani, Founder and CEO of the foundation. “We're not downplaying them, but we also wanted to focus on something like your aspirations, leadership, and future in Hong Kong,” she said. Delivering his opening remarks as a guest speaker, Chris Sun Yuk-han, Secretary for the Labor and Welfare Bureau, said that as a policymaker, he is keen to listen to the group’s passion and concern. Sun encouraged young minorities to overcome difficulties in their work and said it was a great opportunity for him to hear the participants' thoughts. The summit revolves around the challenges and opportunities of the ethnically diverse community and features a debate titled “Are you optimistic or pessimistic about your future in Hong Kong?” Arvind Singh Dhaliwal, 23, an engineering student at the University of Hong Kong, is of Indian descent and grew up in Hong Kong. He speaks some everyday Cantonese and English, and represented the opposition side in debate. “A lot of engineering companies prefer people who can speak Mandarin, since many firms and departments are moving head to the mainland,” said Dhaliwal. “For Cantonese, I can speak enough to get by, but it is too stressful for me to speak Mandarin.” Subha Abedin, 21, a member of the Foundation for Youth Development—a youth-led non-governmental organisation—who graduated this year, said “Language can be …
Red minibus drivers struggle as ridership plunges and fuel costs rise
- 2026-05-13
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHEUNG Ka Yi Ann、ZHENG Yuan ElaineEdited by: CHAU Wing Yau
- 2026-05-13
At Kwun Tong Yue Man Square Public Transport Interchange, one of the city’s busiest transport hubs, 55-year-old red minibus driver Saniel Ng would clock off from a 13-hour shift at 9pm on most days with a take-home pay of just about HK$1,000. As Ng looked around the transport interchange, he noted that even though there were some queues of passengers waiting for red minibuses, ridership was not what it used to be. “Bus companies have taken away the business,” said Ng, who has been a red minibus driver for more than 20 years. “Without enough passengers, it’s hard to survive.” For decades, Hong Kong’s red minibus has been better known for its high speed and unruly round-the-clock service. But the trade is at risk of becoming a remnant of old Hong Kong as the city’s mass transport network continues to modernise. There are two types of public light buses, differentiated by their roof colours and service flexibility. Red minibuses operate on flexible routes with fares that drivers can adjust based on demand and the time of day, whereas green minibuses run on fixed routes and schedules set by the government. Red minibuses are disappearing, with passenger numbers falling by more than half, or 50.5%, from 295,000 in 2017 to 146,000 in 2024, according to Transport and Logistics Bureau data compiled in a Legislative Council research report published in March last year. Commercial vehicles in Hong Kong must obtain operational licences from the Transport Department. The price of a minibus operating licence, for both red and green minibuses, also dropped 47% between 2022 and 2024, from HK$1.7 million to HK$900,000, far below its 2014 peak of HK$5.5 million. Despite green minibuses having recorded a recovery in passenger volume since 2022, red minibuses have continued to see a decline in their passenger …
Prolonged waiting for treatment worsens mental illness sufferings
- 2026-05-03
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: MA Yifan Chloe、SHI Puxuan AmyEdited by: CHEN Xiyun
- 2026-05-03
Vivian Chan, a 16-year-old Form Five student in Wong Chuk Hang, had her life trajectory changed three years ago when she was bullied and sexually harassed at just 12 years old. The incident left her isolated, led to suicide attempts, and resulted in a year-long struggle with mental health symptoms before she finally received a diagnosis and started treatment at Queen Mary Hospital. Chan was diagnosed with moderate depression in early 2024, one year after her depression began to arise, which gradually worsened due to extended outpatient waiting times and delayed community intervention, she said. Hong Kong’s public hospital psychiatric clinics have long been plagued by lengthy waiting times and a severely imbalanced doctor-patient ratio, with the longest waiting time for new outpatient cases reaching up to 101 weeks in 2025. While the government seeks to strengthen community mental health interventions in the hope of shortening clinical waiting lists, the effort is hampered by a shortage of resources for social workers’ early identification and prevention services training. The number of new psychiatric outpatient cases at public clinics has continuously increased from 47,879 in 2022 to 53,353 in 2025, according to the Hospital Authority. Around one in five urgent patients faces a median waiting time of one to three weeks for treatment, while the median waiting period for most non-urgent patients ranges from 17 to 76 weeks. After joining Queen Mary Hospital’s waiting list in 2024, Chan eagerly awaited professional medical help, only to endure a 28-week delay. Chan felt intense pain and helplessness during the waiting period. “Without a diagnosis, I kept overthinking if I was truly sick,” she added. She once locked herself in her bedroom for weeks to escape from the painful reality. “I pulled the curtains to block out sunlight, wrapped myself in blankets, and couldn’t hold …
LGBTQ couples in Hong Kong face difficulties securing legal protection
- 2026-04-08
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lan Xinbei、ZHOU ShiqingEdited by: Ye Enyi
- 2026-04-08
Ah Moon, 55, who does not want to reveal her real name, initially had no intention of making decisions about legal safeguards for herself and her same-sex partner related to end-of-life matters. She began to consider these issues more consciously during a hospital stay in 2002, while she was in a relationship with her ex-girlfriend. “I was afraid of what would happen if I never woke up again, so I drafted a few pages of plans on blank paper myself after discharge,” she said. Hong Kong does not legally recognise same-sex marriages. Ah Moon said because her family does not care about her relationship, she worries that her wishes after death will not be honoured. In September, the Legislative Council rejected a bill to legally recognise same-sex partnerships by a large majority, leaving same-sex couples to rely on fragmented legal documents and personal requests to protect end-of-life decisions such as inheritance, medical choices and funeral arrangements. Rufina Ng, a senior associate at Hastings & Co, a law firm that offers free legal consultation for the LGBTQ community, said same-sex partners are highly recommended to plan in advance for end-of-life, though they still face limitations. Ng said the most common end-of-life legal challenges faced by same-sex couples in Hong Kong are claiming the body and inheritance, particularly if there is no will or there is conflict between the surviving partner and the deceased’s family. “Same-sex couples lack the legal status of spouses or family members under Hong Kong’s legal framework. When one partner dies without a will, the surviving one currently has no inheritance rights and other relatives may also oppose their handling of funeral arrangements,” she said. Hong Kong’s current inheritance laws only recognise spouses and a few other relatives. Unmarried partners, whether same-sex or not, receive no legal protection. …
Hong Kong queer Christians: The struggle between faith and sexual identity among Hong Kong queer Christians
- 2026-03-17
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lou Zhengzheng、FENG Zhenpeng、XIE Xinni CindyEdited by: Li Yinheng
- 2026-03-17
LGBTQ Christians are one of Hong Kong’s marginalised groups with no official record of their numbers. There are about 1 million Christians in Hong Kong. A survey shows that among 1,433 LGBTQ respondents, 441 showed symptoms of depression. TYR spoke to three LGBTQ Christians and an expert in Christian studies to uncover the internal identity pressure and verbal insults they experienced in Hong Kong. Reported by Laura LOU Zhengzheng, Stephen Feng Zhenpeng, Cindy Xie Xinni Edited by Henry Li Yinheng
Long queues for special child care centres: what does over a year’s wait mean for families?
- 2026-03-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: SHI Puxuan Amy、MA Yifan ChloeEdited by: QIN Ziyang
- 2026-03-11
In a sunlit activity room of the Cheung Sha Wan Special Child Care Centre, young children are drawing with a therapist’s help. Nearby, another repeats words prompted by a speech therapist. These simple moments are government-subsidised intensive rehabilitation training for children with disabilities. Cherry Lee, 41, waited nearly two years for her daughter with moderate autism to access such a facility and receive intensive training. “It would have been better if my daughter could have entered the centre sooner,” she said. “At the very least, she could have had an earlier opportunity to develop essential self-care skills.” Hong Kong’s 52 government-funded Special Child Care Centres provide full-day centre-based care and cognitive training, speech, occupational and physiotherapy programmes for children with moderate to severe disabilities aged 2 to 6 before they enter primary school. Lee’s two-year wait is far from an isolated case. According to the Social Welfare Department, the average waiting time for the centres is 19.1 months in 2024. Experts and NGOs say that this wait means a delay in development for special needs children, while families are burdened with extra costs and stress in taking care of children. The government added 64 centre quotas for a total of 2,580 places in 2025, with 513 children on the waiting list, according to the Social Welfare Department. “The supply of places cannot keep up with the speed of increasing demand; it is not enough for those special needs children,” a representative from Hong Chi Association, an NGO operating three Special Child Care Centres, confirmed. “This is the core reason for the long wait.” Lee’s daughter, Sakina Muk, was placed in a centre run by NGO Heep Hong Society when she was 5 in August 2025, meaning she only has about a year she can use the service. “Even with early …