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Reduced liquor tax makes merry for Wine and Dine Festival

The Chief Executive proposed to reduce liquor tax from 100% to 10% in this year’s policy address. This festival serves as a platform to help merchants advertise their liquors, as their costs are reduced from import duty adjustment.

Society

Gen Z mainlanders build community for compatriots in Hong Kong

Go down an unassuming stairway on D'Aguilar Street in Lan Kwai Fong and you will be greeted by a pair of  heavy Chinese-style doors. Further deep underground, you will face a wall of graffiti with the name of the bar, Bamboo. The owner of this Chinese style bar is Ran Guangwu, 25,  a micro-influencer on the mainland's internet. He started the bar with a group of young mainlanders and most of their customers are also from the mainland. "We host different themed events almost every weekend," Ran said. "People come here to relax, It’s like visiting a friend’s house." According to government statistics, the number of mainland students applying for Hong Kong degrees has risen from a maximum of 20% to 40% over one year, and newly enrolled students from mainland China account for 41% of total enrollment universities in Hong Kong in 2023. Meanwhile, a set of key performance indicators shows at least 35, 000 mainland Chinese have entered Hong Kong under the government run talent import scheme since 2023. They can stay in the city for at least 12 months.  Ran Guangwu hopes his bar can offer a home away from home for young mainlanders. Ma Xiaoshuai, 20, a mainland student from The City University of Hong Kong, is a client at Bamboo. “Most bars in Hong Kong are either too fancy or too wild, but this one is just right—very down-to-earth,” he said. He has made new friends there who share his background. Shi Zhengqi , 20, grew up in Fujian and moved to Hong Kong with his parents in recent years to restart his high school life. “We’ll be playing lots of table games here that you’d only find on the mainland, such as  Miss Card and King’s Game,” he said. Shi said the life pace …

Society

Pasta Run unites community to support mental health awareness

  • By: Chun Hei LUK、Wing Chi HOEdited by: Yau To LUM
  • 2024-10-21

Ten runners dressed up as chefs, bacon, ketchup, and mustard ran together from Harbour Fun Restaurant & Bar in Causeway Bay to Pici Taikoo Place in Quarry Bay along with more than 500 runners on Sunday morning.  Among them, Lee Ka-wing, 34, who dressed up as a chef, said he wanted to bring joy to the community.  "I want to bring a smile to everyone's face and the costumes add an extra layer of fun to the race, and it’s all for charity,” Lee said. "Every costume tells a story, and I hope mine inspires others to join in the spirit of the run and support a great cause."  The Pici Pasta Run, returned on Sunday for the fourth consecutive year to gather runners, families, and food enthusiasts dressed up in whimsical costumes, including giant spaghetti strands and colorful pasta shapes.  The charity Mind HK said they held the Pici Pasta Run with the local Italian restaurant Pici aimed to raise awareness and funds for mental health initiatives while promoting community spirit through a fun and engaging run.  The charity run also aimed to uplift community well-being during the unprecedented global pandemic. Last year, it successfully raised over HK$100,000.  Chan Wing-man, 25, a first-time participant said he enjoyed the event where community, charity, and celebration came together. "I’ve heard so much about the atmosphere at the Pici Pasta Run, I am excited to be part of such a fun event that combines running and enjoying delicious pasta,” Chan said. "The energy was just incredible and it was not a typical race – it was more about enjoying the experience and the community spirit.”  Kevin Tsia, 43, brought him closer to his 11-year-old son. "We’ve seen people in different costumes. That makes the event more enjoyable for our kids and brings …

Society

Gen Z Cantonese opera performers bridge modernity and tradition

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: LI Sin Tung、CHEN Yik NamEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO、Ben Rong Li
  • 2024-10-18

In a small practice room in Mong Kok, 17-year-old Li Man-chit stages a performance, combining martial arts and singing. As an aspiring Cantonese opera actor, he is part of the generation of new blood carrying forward the traditional culture. Despite his busy schedule as a Form Six student, Li continues to devote time to his passion, crafting his art. Having begun practising Cantonese opera when he was five, he said: “When my peers were watching cartoons, I was deeply attracted to Cantonese opera on television. I was mesmerised by the performers, their elegant costumes and the style of the art. And I still cherish that to this day.” Since he was eight years old, Li has travelled around the world to cities, including Vancouver, Los Angeles and Beijing. A highlight of the aspiring Cantonese opera singer was in 2017 when Li performed before President Xi Jinping and several mainland and local government officials at the West Kowloon Cultural District. “At that time, he was standing almost right in front of me and I was incredibly nervous, but this nervousness also pushed me to do my best,” he said. “After the show, Xi Jinping expressed his gratitude that Cantonese opera had ‘young inheritors’, which greatly inspired me,” Li added. “I am one of the Generation Z bearers of this culture,” he added. “Although it is sometimes a bit hard to go back and forth to perform, I don't feel tired because this is what I truly love.” Cantonese opera actress Wong Ho-yau believes that the lack of interest among young people in Cantonese opera is because of the gap between tradition and modernity. Wong, in her 20s, pointed out that the ancient values behind Cantonese opera scripts may conflict with a young audience. “While the general content of Cantonese opera performances …

Society

Hong Kong Policy Address 2024: government to fuel fencing fad after Paris Olympics

Hong Kong will build a sports arena with fencing training and competition facilities after two Hong Kong fencing athletes won in the Paris Olympics, said John Lee Ka-chiu in his third policy address. Hong Kong's Edgar Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong Man-wai each won gold medals in the men's foil and women's epee events in Paris, sparking an increase in Hongkongers taking local fencing classes. This is part of the government’s broader plan to increase Hong Kong’s international competitiveness.  “We will make full use of the Kai Tak Sports Park and other existing venues to host large-scale international competitions so that Hong Kong teams can compete on home soil, building their own audience,” said Lee. “These will be conducive to the long-term development of the sports industry.” Hong Kong is set to host the World Foil Championships in 2026 and co-host the 15th National Games with Guangdong and Macou, during which Hong Kong will be responsible for organising eight events, including fencing. "After the Paris Olympics, the number of people inquiring about fencing increased by approximately 50% to 80%. In the past, most were children below secondary school age, but now there is a noticeable rise in interest from university students and adults as well," said Rever You, Administrative Director of the Hong Kong Fencing School, where this year's Olympic fencing champion Cheung spent six years learning the basics of fencing. There are 46 fencing training institutions in Hong Kong, including the Asian Fencing Academy, Hong Kong Fencing School, and Fencing Formula, that offer a range of fencing courses, according to the Hong Kong Fencing Association. "After seeing Vivian Kong and Edgar Cheung win championships this year, my child has raised a strong interest in fencing," said Liu, who preferred not to disclose his full name. You said that after …

Society

Preston pride parade calls for ban on conversion therapy

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: AO Wei Ying Vinci、AU YEUNG JimEdited by: Jemima Badajos
  • 2024-10-11

Preston held its second pride parade on Saturday  to call for the immediate and complete ban of conversion therapy in the United Kingdom, amid repeated commitments by the British government to do so. The city in North West England hosted its 11th annual pride event since 2012, but the parade across the city centre only started last year. Conversion therapy, or conversion practices, is defined by the UK Parliament as activities with the predetermined purpose and intent of changing a person’s sexual orientation, or changing a person to and from being transgender. According to LGBT rights organisation Stonewall Scotland, conversion therapy often include pseudo-scientific practices such as being asked to ingest “purifying substances”, being prayed over, exorcisms, and other forms of counselling session associated with threats to convince or even coerce an individual to change their sexual identity. “Conversion therapy is a barbaric practice, and every effort should be made to stamp out such a thing,” said Dean Toppings, a student nurse from University of Central Lancashire A government national LGBTQ survey conducted in 2018 found that out of the 108,100 respondents, 7% of all respondents had been offered or underwent conversion therapy. Within transgender respondents, 13% of them have been offered or undergone such practices. In the King’s Speech to the UK Parliament in July, the new British government under the Labour party has renewed its commitment to introducing a draft Conversion Practices Bill that will be brought forward to outlaw conversion therapy nationally. The  Labour Party’s manifesto described conversion therapy as abusive. “Here is no other word for it – so Labour will finally deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices,” it read. Many hope that the transgender community will be included in the eventual bill. “Trans rights are human rights, and we must continue to fight …

Society

Hong Kong Kickboxing Championship 2024 takes centre stage at Kowloon City Plaza

Spectators gathered at Kowloon City Plaza for the 2024 Annual Kickboxing Championship on the 29th of September. Organized by the Hong Kong Kickboxing Association, the competition serves as a platform for the association to select the most promising fighters to represent Hong Kong in various international events, making it a highly anticipated occasion.

Society

“Spirit of Journalism” alive and well at first Yahoo! student journalist award

A story about using flies and fungus to recycle food waste by students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) took the top prize at the first Yahoo! student journalist award on Saturday. More than 40 students and professors attended the ceremony in Kwun Tong. They come from three  universities and together, they submitted 100 entries. Yahoo! said on the competition website that the goal was  to recognize and nurture the next generation of media professionals, and deepen their understanding of critical issues such as current affairs, and environmental, social and governance.  The top English prize  on diversity and inclusion went to Lam Tsoi-yin, 21, and Chan Chi-wing, 22, from the University of Hong Kong who wrote  about the changemakers in an aging society. “We have done a lot of research on this topic. We are very happy that Yahoo! has set up this competition for us to work on this year, and we are honored to receive this award,”  Lam said. “We encourage younger journalists to keep digging in more and more great news angles,” said Francis Ng Ka-long, Head of Home & News at Yahoo!, “There are still a lot of journalists who are fully committed to reporting news.” “Many students’ work are of a high standard,” Ng added.Francis Ng Ka-Long shares his view about the competition.  Students at  the ceremony were also asked to share what the “Spirit of Journalism” meant for them, and the answer “truth” topped the list. Raymond Li, the head of the department of Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University was at the event. “I always support students to participate in journalism competitions. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose, as long as they have had a chance to present their work and gain experience, which is helpful to improve their …

Society

Diverse sailors make splashes at Hong Kong Race Week

The 2024 Hong Kong Race Week drew to a close on Feb.4. The six day event was the second time it was held since the Covid-19 lockdown in 2019. Ten classes of the event including both professional and amateur levels competed in Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, Stanley, Tai Tam and Lo Chau. This year’s Hong Kong Race Week was co-organised with the 29er Asian Sailing Championships, attracting 273 local and overseas sailors.   Asia's top ranked sailors, Hangzhou Asian Games medallists and the winners in the last Hong Kong Race Week also gathered at Middle Island to compete. Many junior athletes from Shenzhen, Nanjing and Qingdao  travelled to Hong Kong accompanied by their club coaches or parents to participate in the juniors category, a first for the event.

Society

Dyeing for Sustainability: Reviving natural indigo for eco-friendly textiles | Global News Relay

Environmentally-conscious artists and experts in the textile industry want to go back to the basics by promoting the use of natural indigo.