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Culture & Leisure

Performance art at WestK puts cultural relationships to the test

The new performance architecture exhibition Pollinator comes to Hong Kong for the first time at WestK harbourfront as part of the WestK FunFest 2025, creating a unique space for collaboration between local artists from different fields. The Pollinator is co-created by American artists Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley. They have invited 18 local performance and visual artists to take turns living in the five tents that are connected by a giant wheel. The idea is to attract artists from different cultural backgrounds and to explore how architecture affects social connections, according to the poster at the exhibition. During the artists’ residency, the only way to communicate or to move between the buildings is to use the giant wheel, which is entirely human-powered. “The wheel is like a mixer that mixes us up together as a community,” said Ward Shelley, 75, one of the co-creators of Pollinator. Each artist occupies one of the tents as a studio to display their creative process and final work. The first group of cohabitating artists comes from four fields: performance architecture, paper art, dance, and performance art. “One of the rules in the community is that artists cannot come down from the buildings for the whole period, and artists are not allowed to rest in the building where they have their studios,” said Shelley. “The rules make us interact.”  “We do not know each other and we all come from different countries, so we think differently, ” said Florence Lam, 33, a performance artist.  “But because we are going to be sharing the space and interacting with each other, my ‘neighbours’ will be involved in what I am creating,” Lam added. Ho Tung is a 27-year-old dancer. It is her first time participating in an outdoor performance art exhibition. “I often go to the ‘neighbours’ …

Culture & Leisure

Picasso inspired Asian art on display at M+

Picasso's iconic works are displayed together with those of contemporary Asian artists, offering an opportunity for a unique cross-cultural experience for visitors. Co-organised by M+ and the Musée National Picasso in Paris, and in association with the French May Arts Festival, this exhibition named “Picasso for Asia-A Conversation” is held at the M+ Museum from Mar. 15. It provides the audience a fresh and unique look at Picasso's influence on Asian art, and explores the complex relationship between Western and non-Western, according to the M+ website. “Influenced by Picasso's Cubist painting style, Asian artists have injected traditional Oriental calligraphy and Zen into the Cubist framework, constituting a unique Oriental aesthetic,” said Wang Jingfang, 51, Director of China Artists Association.  “For example, Hong Kong artist Chen Fushan's painting Untitled (Figures Transfixed by a Butterfly) combines geometric segmentation techniques to show surreal spatial layers in ink painting form,” Wang added. “I have a deeper understanding of Picasso's art when comparing the paintings of Picasso and those of Asian artists,” said Zhang Qing, 20, a university student in architecture. “Such cross-cultural exhibition is the presentation of artistic works and ideas at a higher level.” Lee Kityue , 45, a member of M+, has visited many different kinds of exhibitions before.   Lee said that unlike previous solo artist exhibitions, this cross-cultural fusion exhibition made her feel fresh. “Breaking away from Western perspectives and interpreting Western art through Asian culture is very interesting,” Lee said. “I hope to see more exhibitions of this type in the future.” In addition to the basic artwork display, the exhibition also features a variety of immersive interactive installations, such as audio-visual projections and interactive painting systems. “Art is not a static image, not a one-way output,” said Yuki Zhang, 30, a digital artist. “With the use of interactive installations, …

Society

Parents react to abolished HK$2500 education grant from budget address

The cancellation of the HK$2,500 education subsidy has drawn mixed reactions among parents about the latest budget plan, which aims to reduce education expenditures. Cammy To, 34, a mother with a daughter in kindergarten, said she does not consider the grant to be very impactful for her daughter’s education.  “My child studies in full-day kindergarten. A month of tuition fee with meal fee is almost HK$1,500. One semester’s textbook fee is about HK$1,100. So a HK$2,500 grant for a year is just better than not having any subsidies,” she added. The grant did not require a means test for application, making it accessible to all families. According to the Education Bureau, around 800,000 applications of the HK$2,500 grant succeeded and nearly HK$2 thousand million were given to households in the academic year of 2023/24. Lan Wong, 53, a parent to a primary school student, expressed confusion about the proposal after the abolishment was proposed.  “The original grant did not require a means test that both rich and poor could get it,” said Wong.  She added that removing it all of a sudden is unfair for some families, especially for those who need this yearly subsidy.  Christine Choi, the head of the Education Bureau, commented on March 7 during a press conference that the abolition was a necessary step to decrease the government’s expenditure while maintaining educational standards in Hong Kong. “The HK$2,500 grant was introduced as a relief measure, we had announced beforehand that it was designed to alleviate challenges,” said Choi. “Families in need could apply for other subsidies that the government is currently providing.” Professor Cheung Chi-keung, the Head of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, also expressed concern. “Removing subsidies for education is deteriorating Hong Kong’s talent cultivation in …

Culture & Leisure

First Hong Kong Snooker Grand Prix

Australia's Neil Robertson won the inaugural 2025 Snooker Grand Prix at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium. The tournament was a brand new venue and offered a different experience for both players and spectators. The prize money for the tournament was also much higher, which motivated the players to strive for a better result and to promote the development of snooker in Hong Kong.

Society

Elderly flower girl turn artist puts on a show at Victoria Park

94-year-old local artist, Fapopo, who will not disclose her real name, put on a display of her own with her floral design on furniture and canvases at this year’s Hong Kong Flower Show. Fapopo is her pseudonym for the public. She has been planting, drawing, and arranging flowers for over 50 years. It started when she sold flowers at Mong Kok Flower Market in her twenties and that deepened her passion for floral painting. “I was poor and had no money to buy canvases at first, so I just used unwanted furniture to draw,” she said. “I really appreciate Fapopo’s passion and I am glad that I got to know her story at this year’s Flower Show,” said Ada Tam, a 60-year-old retiree. “Her fascinating journey in pursuing her dream is also very much in line with this year’s theme.” “Ablaze with Glory,” is the theme of this year’s Hong Kong Flower Show, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). The Cosmos, a flower that symbolises resilience and strength, is this year’s chosen flower. Some 40,000 varieties of it are on display in an array of colours including yellow, pink and white. A total of 238 organisations participate in this year’s event, including 157 from Hong Kong and 81 from 11 countries. Raymond Ng, a 77-year-old photographer, said the Cosmos is now growing well as early spring brings ample but not intense sunshine. Its brightness brings vitality to Hong Kong. Eileen Lau, a retiree in her sixties, said the Cosmos is appealing and colourful, which can represent the vibrancy as the theme of the show. “But I also worry if the Cosmos would wither easily because it looked so fragile and thin,” Lau said. “I actually do not have much feeling about the chosen flowers as I care …

Dodge it or catch it! Universities students gather to play dodgeball

  • 2025-03-12
  • The Young Reporter
  • By: ALISHIBA MATLOOB、Chun Lim LEUNGEdited by: Wing Chi HO
  • 2025-03-12

Hong Kong Universities Dodgeball Championships was held on March 2nd. As students from various institutions competed together. Organized by the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, the event featured men’s, women’s, and mixed categories. Dodgeball is one of the newly emerged Hong Kong Sports. Reported by: Alishiba Matloob & Chun Lim LEUNG Nathan Edited by: Wing-chi HO Gigi

Health & Environment

Hong Kong Rope Skipping Championship debuts in shopping mall

Hong Kong Rope Skipping Championships 2025 organized by Hong Kong Rope Skipping Federation (HKRSF) was held on March 8 at Olympian City 2. Previously held in the Yuen Long Jockey Club Building Sports Centre, this is the first time this competition was held in a shopping mall. “In the gym, only the family and friends of the athletes would be there to watch, but in the mall, many passersby would also stop and watch the game,” said Leung Kin-lok, 31, a member of Rope Skipping Sports Federation of Hong Kong.  More than 400 players participated in this competition, the highest in five years. The event features speed and endurance races, as well as synchronised and wheel fancy dress races.  “The mall provided us with site and security assistance, and we brought more foot traffic to the mall,” Leung said. “I think the change of venue this time is quite a successful breakthrough.” “By holding activities in places with a larger flow of people, we hope that more people can learn about the skipping rope culture and join this sport in the future,” said Leung. Kwok Long-yin, 13, said that he has been participating in this competition for 4 years, but competing in the mall really gives him a very special and enjoyable experience. "The atmosphere is great and many passing spectators cheer us on, which gives me greater confidence,” Kowk said. Since 2014, The Olympian City has been regularly organizing sports-related events, such as the Hong Kong Breakdancing Team Selection Competition and Summer City Sports Carnival. This rope skipping competition is held annually and it is the only selection for the Hong Kong China Team recognised by the International Rope Skipping Organisation.  For this competition, only members of the HKRSF are eligible to participate. Competitors who score 20 points within …

Culture & Leisure

Folk ritual that gets rid of pests and stress

Crowds seeking spiritual release queued up under the Canal Road Flyover in Causeway Bay on Mar.5. For only HK$50, the self-proclaimed psychic, also known as the “godmother”, can cast a spell on a villain of your choice. A client would write the name of the hated person on a piece of paper. The godmother would then fold the paper talisman, hit it viciously with a shoe then stuff it into the mouth of a paper tiger, which was then burned to ashes.  The client would then offer incense to the god of the earth and the white tiger. The white tiger is the bogeyman in Chinese folklore and the offering, again is supposed to dispel bad luck. Finally, a piece of paper with a prayer on it would be offered  to the deity. Clients would then  use a divination block to ask the deity questions and then get responses through the divination block. The ritual called “villain hitting” is believed to take away bad luck, is a form of folk witchcraft practiced in the Cantonese-speaking regions of China.  This activity is especially popular on the day of  the “Awakening of Insects”, one of 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, which symbolises the revival of insects, as well as t pests. While Hong Kong is far from agricultural, the Awakening of Insects is also a time to ward off evil.  Koline Kong, a 20-year-old local girl waited more than three hours for a five minute villain hitting session.  “It's my first time at this event, “ she said. ‘My sister asked me to help her clear up her bad luck.” “I found this activity very interesting on Rednote, so I came to experience it with my good friend,” said Sylvia Wang, a 23-year-old Hong Kong University student.  The “godmother” also …

Health & Environment

Tropical cyclone Alfred to hit Brisbane, bringing destructive winds and heavy rainfall

Tropical Cyclone Alfred, South East Queensland’s first tropical cyclone in 50 years, is predicted to make landfall on Australia’s eastern coast with dangerous winds and heavy rainfall on Friday night or Saturday morning.  The more than 2.5 million people in Brisbane may experience winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour and up to 200 millimetres of rain by Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, As of Thursday, BOM stated that Alfred was still over 200 kilometres east of Brisbane, but may bring damaging storm tides and major flooding when its centre crosses the coast on early Saturday.  Alfred is the first cyclone to hit the region since Cyclone Zoe in 1974, less than two months after Cyclone Wanda flooded 13,500 homes.  Cyclone Alfred, a category 2 cyclone, has winds with an average maximum speed of 89 to 117 kilometres per hour,  A category 2 cyclone is destructive enough to damage infrastructures, cause power outages, and uproot trees, said Xiaocheng Yu, a climate science researcher at the University of Queensland. “Due to its stable circulation pattern,  Alfred is expected to stall near Brisbane, increasing the risk of intense and prolonged rainfall,” she said.  She mentioned that intense rainfall could lead to flooding, especially in Brisbane, where a river runs through it.  “Tropical cyclones are small-scale, high-variability systems, making accurate predictions challenging,” she added.  She encourages the public to stay indoors and take precautions to protect their homes and garages from flooding.  Brisbane resident Taneen Estah, 19, said she is concerned. “I’ve never experienced one. Nobody in my family knew until yesterday. We live on a hill, so we might not experience flooding, although we may be stuck at home for a few days,” she said.  Estah said she struggled to stock up on necessities due to panic-buying at supermarkets. …

Society

Special-forces mainland travellers are changing the Hong Kong tourism industry

It is 10 am and the Mong Kok footbridge is already buzzing with people.  Tourists snap photos of the Hong Kong skyline with luggage in hand, before hurrying to their next stop. They walk thousands of steps and visit as many attractions as possible in a day.   They are the so-called special-forces tourists in Hong Kong. Like soldiers, they move from one location to another under tight schedules, often over the weekends or holidays such as Labour Day and the Qing Ming festival.  Special-forces tourism is a growing trend among mainland tourists, who have become major contributors to Hong Kong’s tourism industry.  According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, 21 million visitors arrived in Hong Kong in the first half of 2024, with 77% of them from the mainland. On holidays such as National Day, the Immigration Department recorded 1.22 million mainland visitors, making up 88% of the total number of tourists.  The Hong Kong Tourism Board also shows a 34% increase in mainland day-trippers to Hong Kong from 2023 to 2024, causing challenges to the city’s hospitality sector.  Yu Li, 25, counts herself as a special-forces tourist. She planned to explore three districts – Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, in a day.  “Last time I came here, I mainly went hiking along the MacLehose Trail, and this time I am here with my friend just to explore,” she said.  Li said she found her destinations through Rednote, the Chinese social media app where users commonly share and recommend travel plans.  “I have not been to the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui before, but the recommendations in Rednote made me interested in what it features,” she said.  She said she only spends around HK$2,000 a day.  “I mostly shop for medicine and smaller things …