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Blind saxophonist in China’s national disabled performing troupe speaks on success and overcoming challenges
- 2022-06-08
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: Summer Li
- 2022-06-08
“One more time. Don’t make the audience feel your actions are too stiff, ” the director of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing said to Wang Qi as he practiced walking and turning on the stage. “Try to reduce the sense of performance,” the director said. Wang was practicing raising his hands to display the emblem of the winter Paralympic Games to the world at the opening ceremony on March 4. “I had to practice once and once again to form muscle memory,” he said. “We have been rehearsing intensively since January.” Wang, 40, a leading saxophonist in China, has been performing in the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe for more than a decade. His performance has been seen at many historic moments of China including APEC Summit and Shanghai Expo 2011. “For visually-abled people, it's natural to go to the center of the stage and then turn around and face the audience. But because we blind people can't see, we don't know which position to go on the stage, and we don't know how much to turn around is appropriate,” he said. “But if we practice too much without correct guidance, our movements will be too deliberate.” Wang, who wears his hair long and is always in sunglasses, has been blind for almost 30 years. In 1995, when Wang was 15 and had been blind for two years, one teacher at the special education school in his hometown Dalian led a group of students to a room full of musical instruments, where Wang befriended the saxophone. “I was standing in the big room, trying to recall those instruments I saw before losing my sight,” he said. “Suddenly, the saxophone jumped into my mind. I walked ahead and held it in my arms.” However, …
Pandemic gives rise to depression and anxiety
- 2022-05-31
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Hamish CHANEdited by: Nicholas Shu
- 2022-05-31
Rachel Li Liang-yu, 24, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 12 years ago. It is a mental disorder associated with extreme mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. She said her emotions are more unpredictable than before due to COVID-19, and her mood swings are the worst during lockdowns. “It is because the clinic where I used to meet my psychiatrist has been closed for a while due to the lockdown in Hebei, China,” Li said. Dr. Adrian Low, the president of the Hong Kong Association of Psychology, said it is common for people to feel stressed due to the massive amount of information during the pandemic. “For those who suffered from mental health issues before, they are more easily triggered,” Low said. “For the ordinary public, they may face depression easier than before as well.” According to the World Health Organisation’s research in 2022, the pandemic has triggered an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide by 25%. Parents’ anxiety levels have also been elevated. Cheng Lihua, a mother of two primary school children in Hong Kong, said she feels anxious and depressed due to the pandemic. “As a parent, it is normal to be worried,” said Cheng, “especially when there is so much negative information on television, WeChat groups and other social media.” The depression rate of mothers increased from 19% before the pandemic to 35% in July 2020, while the anxiety rate increased from 18% to 31%, according to research by the Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. This research suggested that the mental states of parents taking responsibility for their children’s academics and daily lives at the same time are severely compromised. Cheng said when her children leave home for school, she often worries about the campus hygiene and is scared that her …
What can dreams tell us about our physical and mental health?
- 2022-05-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: Kiki Lo、Clarice Wu
- 2022-05-19
The crowd rushed at me, embraced me in an uncomfortable way. I struggled to get away, or get help, and then I woke up. That was my recollection of a dream to Akira Cheung Ka-fai, founder of HARMONIC Holistic Healing Centre. Cheung is a clinical hypnotherapist who specialises in the interpretation of dreams. He said that graphics and sensations may be merely symbolic representations of real-life issues, but emotions and feelings are not distorted, but are real because the subconscious mind does not lie. “With more intense emotions and feelings, or more frequent occurrences, messages from the subconscious mind become more important and urgent to the conscious mind,” he said. Cheung does not think one should use the conscious mind and rational thinking to interpret dreams, because the landscape can change and is symbolic, and sometimes what appears in a dream may not necessarily be the problem. It wasn’t until we tried to understand and analyze my dream that I fully understood how the conscious mind can block out the subconscious mind. “So what was the scene in the dream? Who came up to you and hugged you,” he asked. “A wedding, a relative’s wedding, and then my mum’s relatives interrupting me,” I said. “But now that I clearly remember that wedding from my secondary school days, and it wasn’t that terrible, and my relatives weren’t that annoying,” I added, But soon I realised it was my conscious mind analysing the dream. “What emotion did you feel in the dream,” he asked. I closed my eyes and tried to recall the dream and identify the strongest feelings in that situation. “Pure annoyance, a struggle to break free, a feeling of powerlessness,” I said. “Elements and images in dreams can change and are symbolic only, but the feeling is always true, …
Polycystic ovary syndrome patients regain menstruation by following the ketogenic diet
- 2022-05-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Gigi Chong、Tiffany MaEdited by: Hamish CHAN
- 2022-05-19
After Patricia Wong Oi-wai went a year without menstruating, she went on a ketogenic diet, a popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet commonly called “keto”. She weighed her meals, checked for fat content and only seasoned them with salt and pepper. Diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at the age of 36, Wong refused to take medications. Instead, she read that a ketogenic diet could relieve her symptoms. She tried it to see whether it was real. PCOS is a common endocrine hormone condition among women of reproductive age that causes irregular menstruation, acne and excessive masculine features such as an overabundance of body hair. PCOS affects between 6% and 12% of women of reproductive age around the globe, according to a study from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. However, there is no precise clinical procedure to cure PCOS. "If there is a way that would heal my sickness without taking any medication, why not give it a try?" Wong said. "After trying it out, it works." Wong used to cook for herself and cut back on social gatherings to meet the strict requirements of the ketogenic diet – a daily food consumption of 70% fat, 20% protein, 5% vegetables and 5% carbohydrates. Wong lost nine kilograms after strictly following the ketogenic diet for a month and regained her menstruation four years ago. A ketogenic diet is often used to lose weight and improve insulin resistance. PCOS patients said their emotions and hair condition improved on the diet and that it helped with weight loss and regulated menstruation cycles. It even increases the chance to get pregnant, according to a pilot study from Nutrition & Metabolism. Wong, who said her PCOS symptoms have mostly been relieved by adopting a ketogenic diet, said it was tough for her to avoid carbohydrates and sugar …
Multimedia: Hong Kong's sixth chief executive election
- 2022-05-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde CheungEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-05-16
The sixth chief executive election was held last Sunday. John Lee Ka-chiu, becomes the chief executive-elect with over 99% support from the Election Committee. The Young Reporter documented this first uncontested election in the city.
Trouble in mainland quarantine after escaping pandemic in Hong Kong
- 2022-05-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: Summer Li
- 2022-05-11
As the pandemic hit Hong Kong with unprecedented Omicron variants, many people working and studying in the city have started their journey to escape to mainland since mid February to avoid the health crisis. However, the poor living condition, extraordinary high prices and awful food during the 21-day quarantine caused a lot of inconvenience to the people longing to return home.
John Lee Ka-chiu confirmed to be the new leader in Hong Kong
- 2022-05-08
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde CheungEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-05-08
John Lee Ka-chiu, 64, the sole candidate, secured his seat as the sixth chief executive in Hong Kong today with only eight votes against him. Lee won 1,416 votes out of 1,428, including four blank votes, gaining trust from over 99% from the election committee, a record high of support. Thirty-three members did not vote. “With loyalty and perseverance, I shall undertake this historic mission and shoulder this responsibility to unite and lead the 7.4 million Hong Kong people to start a new chapter together,” Lee said at the press conference after being elected. This is the first chief executive election since Beijing’s election reform ensuring governance by “patriots only”. It is also the first uncontested chief executive election in Hong Kong since its handover. “I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election and later today,” said Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the current chief executive, in a statement today. “We will render all the support needed for the assumption of office by the new term of government.” Lee will take over as chief executive on July 1. The chief executive is chosen by the election committee, a body that has been expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members after the electoral system reform and includes representatives from different sectors. “The election committee members are very responsive and completed their responsibility,” said Tam Yiu-chung, member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, also the Lee’s campaign manager. “This is an important event in Hong Kong. The sixth chief executive will be elected under the new election system. We wish Hong Kong to begin a new chapter and a good development.” Lee, a former police officer, handled the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019 as Secretary for Security. Lee’s latest ratings plunged to a new low of 34.8 between March 7 …
Desperate for drugs during the lockdown in China
- 2022-05-03
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Kate ZhangEdited by: Tracy Leung
- 2022-05-03
Liu Tian, 27, in Changchun, Jilin province, suffers from a major depressive disorder. She has been off her medication for ten days since the city went into lockdown due to COVID-19 in March. Her medicine is only available at three pharmacies in the city far away from her home, and she cannot get it delivered. She tried to contact epidemic prevention staff in the community and the hospital for help. The community staff issued her an emergency medication certificate, but she could not go to the hospital because of local traffic control. As a result, she had headaches, was irritated and emotionally unstable. She tried calling the hospital’s emergency number but was told that they were only responsible for emergency care and not prescriptions. “I don't want to keep looking for medicine anymore because I'm afraid of being rejected again,” Liu said. “When I was at my worst, I even thought about committing suicide.” Beijing has been sticking to the "dynamic zero tolerance" strategy for Covid. That means even a few positive cases would trigger a lockdown followed by large-scale testing. During the lockdown, no one can travel and delivery services are limited. Chronically ill patients like Liu Tian face difficulties purchasing medications. They turn to local community staff, volunteers, and netizens for help. Cheng Yulong, 51, has diabetes. “My blood sugar level kept rising, and I was really desperate. I cannot solely rely on the blood sugar-lowering medications because they are not as effective as insulin,” he said. When the lockdown started in Changchun in early March, he had to stay at the construction site where he had been working for almost 30 days, but he only carried a limited amount of insulin. The insulin Cheng needed was sold out in the nearby pharmacies. He sought help from community …
BRISBANE | Labour Day events in Queensland, Australia
- 2022-05-02
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Hamish CHANEdited by: Clarice Wu、Kelly Pang
- 2022-05-02
Thousands of union members have flooded Brisbane’s CBD for the Labour Day parade in the capital of the State of Queensland in Australia today. The Labour Day events are organised by the Queensland Council of Unions, affiliated with the Australian Labor Party. The Queensland Council of Unions said that the event acknowledges the improvements made to the lives of working people and to society by the labour movement. Political figures from the Labor Party have participated in the parade. Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Premier of Queensland, marched along with Anthony Albanese, the Leader of the Opposition of Australia. Michelle Rae, the Queensland director of Media and Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said their goal in this parade is to raise awareness for press freedom and remind the rights of freelancers in the media industry. She explained that the Labour Day parade in general brings collective power to fight for a better working environment and holidays that labourers deserve. “The parade can bring a new generation along, and at the same time, it can give Union members a chance to talk about their reality,” said Rae. The march ended with live music shows and booths that provided refreshments for participants at Brisbane Showgrounds after an hour's walk.
Hong Kong reopens border to non-resident
- 2022-05-01
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Leona LiuEdited by: Nicholas Shu
- 2022-05-01
Hong Kong reopens its borders today to non-local residents, ending a two-year entry ban because of Covid-19. The Food and Health Bureau announced the lifting of the ban after a government steering committee reviewed the latest epidemic situation. "Considering public health factors … and balancing the expectation from members of the public as well as the various sectors of the community … the committee considers that there is room to suitably adjust relevant measures," a spokesman of the bureau said. Inbound foreign passengers must be fully-vaccinated and are required to check into designated quarantine hotels for seven days after taking a rapid antigen test at the airport upon landing. The seventh cycle of quarantine hotels includes 44 hotels for both visitors and Hong Kong residents returning from places other than the Mainland and Macao. But as of 5 p.m. today, more than three quarters of the hotels are short of rooms for May. Phailin Xie, a Thai-Chinese, was considering coming to Hong Kong to see her brother and newborn nephew, but decided not to visit because of the quarantine measures. “While it is good news that Hong Kong is reopening to tourists, the week of quarantine still makes my trip difficult, not to mention the need to book a much sought after hotel room in advance,” she said. The government is also relaxing the threshold for suspending incoming infected passengers flights. The current three-person threshold is raised to five passengers, or five per cent of the passengers on board the same flight. Flights over this limit are suspended for five days instead of seven. Hong Kong International Airport figures show that in 2018, the number of passengers hit 74.4 million and the airport handled over 400,000 aircraft movements. But by 2021, that had plummeted to 1.3 million passengers and 145,000 …