TOP STORIES
Canada's Leylah Fernandez wins the Hong Kong Tennis Open Title 2023
- 2023-10-21
- Society
- By: Jemima BadajosEdited by: Rajnandini PANDEY
- 2023-10-21
The 6th Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open concluded on Sunday with 21-year-old Leylah Fernandez from Canada taking her first title of the 2023 season at the women’s singles, beating Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova.
Kulturnatten's 30th Anniversary: A Night of Light and Culture in Copenhagen 13/10/2023
- 2023-10-20
- Society
- By: Tsz Yau CHANEdited by: Wisha LIMBU
- 2023-10-20
Copenhagen's annual Culture Night, known as "Kulturnatten," dazzled the central city with lights, music, and a resilient spirit despite challenging weather conditions. The 30th Anniversary of this celebration had an impressive turnout of over 63,000 attendees. All cultural night events required a Culture Pass at a cost of 110 Danish Krone (HK$121) from either a mobile app or through 7-Eleven stores. The Culture Pass covered free transportation on trains, buses and the Metro in selected city areas from 4 am to 4 pm during the event. The charming streets of Copenhagen were transformed into a vibrant tapestry of culture. Museums, city halls, and churches which normally closed at night were all lit with majestic light shows. Reflecting on the event's growth since 1993, Marie Myschetzky, Secretariat manager for Kulturnatten, noted the remarkable expansion from 45 events in the first year to over 200 high-quality special events after 30 years. Myscheytzky emphasised the event’s role in making culture and the city accessible to everyone. "New generations are invited behind the scenes of the city, and spaces are created for delving into history and contemporary topics in an exciting way," she said. As night fell, the once-silent library underwent a magical transformation into a mysterious maze adorned with lasers and music, concealing treasures of acorns. Kathrine, 41, and her son Cal, 3 visited the Norrebro Library and went on a treasure hunt in the Labyrinth of books and shelves. Young detectives like Cal eagerly embarked on a quest to discover hidden acorns. Upon finding them, Cal skillfully assembled them into figurines using sticks and glue. “The Culture Night event is really good for family activities. Cal gets to visit places that are usually closed at this time,” said Kathrine. “When I was young, I would go to other ball parties at Culture …
Digital Art Fair 2023 highlights AI-generated art on nostalgic theme
- 2023-10-19
- Society
- By: Juncong SHUAI、Junzhe JIANGEdited by: Bella Ding
- 2023-10-19
The 2023 Asia edition of the Digital Art Fair kicked off with nostalgia at K11 Art & Cultural Centre today, highlighting AI-generated art. It is the first post-pandemic digital art fair in Hong Kong with a special exhibition zone dedicated to AI-generated art. “AI can unlock the creativity of artists,” said Jessica Marinaro, senior director at digital artwork market, MakersPlace, “Artists can train AI to be an expert in their work and be prompted like ‘if you were me, what would you do next’.” The Red Prayer of Park Young Sook’s Moon Jar I & II is the result of collaboration between new media artist, Ming Shiu and her AI partner Genesis Kai. They used traditional Korean Joseon ceramics to explore interaction with Asia’s diverse cultures. “We artists have also been super nostalgic but we will use the tools of the future,” said Herman Rahman, Co-Curator and Fair Manager of Art & Technology. Take Your Time, a site-specific and multi-sensory installation, was created by Hong Kong artist, Jonathan Jay Lee under the inspiration of old neon lights in this city. The artwork is meant to showcase and preserve the cultural heritage of Hong Kong utilising digital technology, according to Digital Art Fair. Echoing a theme of nostalgia but beyond generative arts, digital artist Henry Chu launched Rainfall Piano this year, which is made of just LED lights, screens and stones. “I was driven by technology to showcase something new because it could easily attract people’s eyeballs and earn quick money,” said Chu, “But I want to go back to the purity of art…many artists are focusing on the origin of the art after the pandemic.” This year’s fair also includes four other sections: the immersive zone filled with 3D animations, the Inspire Zone of web3 technologies, the Prestige Zone displaying …
Hong Kong FIA World RX Finale to be held next month
- 2023-10-18
- Society
- By: Yau To LUMEdited by: Ka Ki FUNG
- 2023-10-18
Hong Kong will be hosting the FIA World Rallycross Championship Finale for the first time at the Central Harbourfront Event Space from 10-12 November . It is the city’s first motorsport race since the Formula-E race was held in 2019 and the first-ever World Rallycross city race. The season finale is certified by the Hong Kong SAR government as a Major Sports Event, also known as the “M” Mark Event. It is also the first international all-electric motorsport competition in the Asia-Pacific region. Leslie Wong, CEO of World RX Hong Kong Management Limited, expressed his gratitude for the contribution from the government. “The support from the government is really strong in which they are responding with whatever they can to help organize this championship,” Wong said in a press conference. Wong added that the season finale would lead to the development of a track in Hong Kong to nurture local competitive drivers. "I would say hopefully the path or the future development of motorsports is that we will have our own permanent racecourse in Hong Kong, but it will be a long way, and I hope this is the first step towards it," he said. The circuit in Hong Kong would be around 1.2 km long, composed of 37% alternating gravel and 63% asphalt sections, the latter of which will be all closed public roads. Klara Andersson started her competitive career in 2021 and is the only woman among ten drivers competing in the finale next month. “This will be the first city centre race, I think it's really inspiring and also the first time for an all-electric motorsport competition to be held in Asia Pacific. It's a lot of excitement and I really think that we will put on a good show,” she said. The young driver also recommends …
Young adults play hide-and-seek with modern technology twist
- 2023-10-16
- Society
- By: Lisheng CHENGEdited by: Yixin Gao
- 2023-10-16
Hong Kong's first urban “cat-and-mouse” game took place at Kowloon Walled City Park on Oct 15, where 40 people engaged in an exciting chase through sharing satellite positioning. The game was created and initiated by the HKGo organization, a business that has organized more than 100 outdoor and indoor activities that participants pay to play. The game is the company’s first outdoor game combined with modern techonology. The game is a combination of hide-and-seek and tag with players divided into cats and mice. The cats hunt the mice and gain bracelets when a mouse is hit with an inflatable stick. The game is played until all the mice have been converted to cats. Players must stay within the boundary of the park. The cat with the most bracelets and the last surviving mouse are crowned kings. Players pay HK$48 to join the game and kings win HK$88 each. Players share their real-time positions with the satellite positioning function of Gaode Map, a map app. Bruce Shen, 28, one of the organizers, said the hide-and-seek aspect is not new, but adding the satellite positioning technology escalates the excitement and challenge level of the game. Shen, also a founding member of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Association, and his business partner, Michael Hua, 29, studied information technology. They aspire to combine traditional games and outdoor activities with new information technologies to bring a fresher experience to young adults. “Seeing the cat only ten meters away from me on the map without knowing the exact spot was a nerve-wracking moment,” said Clara Chen, 23, a mouse player. Yiqi Chan, 22, a cat player, united with other cats and discussed plans to catch mice. His partner distracted the mice from the front while he climbed up the hill from the back to chase …
28-year-old university student arrested for suspected sexual assault and voyeuristic acts at multiple university orientation camps
- 2023-09-07
- Society
- By: Ngai Fung NGEdited by: Aruzhan ZEINULLA
- 2023-09-07
The police announced yesterday the arrest of a 28-year-old student from the Education University of Hong Kong on allegations of sexual assault and voyeurism during six different university orientation camps. Basil Tang, an assistant police commander of the Hong Kong police force, said in a press briefing, that four female students reported being victims of the suspect’s illicit behavior. The suspect, identified as a top-up degree student at Education University, is believed to have sexually assaulted an 18-year-old freshman during a joint orientation camp hosted by the Hong Kong Red Cross in mid-July. However, the suspect's alleged criminal conduct did not cease there. In mid-August, a month after the first reported incident, he was accused of raping a 19-year-old female student when driving her home from a university camp. In the same camp, an 18-year-old female student alleges she was indecently assaulted by the same individual. Further allegations involve the suspect reportedly observing a 22-year-old female student while she was showering during a joint photography and engineering orientation camp in late August. Assistant Commander Tang also revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested in early July for a sexual assault case unrelated to university orientation camps. These distressing incidents have raised significant concerns and prompted attention from the academic community and beyond. Ahead of the weekly Executive Council gathering, Hong Kong's leader John Lee commented on the recent sexual assault cases within university camps, stating, “If such behavior does not breach the law but is in conflict with campus regulation, schools have a responsibility to ensure discipline.” According to data provided by the Hong Kong Police Force, there were 20 reported rape cases in 2022, and 21 in 2023. As the new academic year begins, universities, including Hong Kong Baptist University, actively promote student participation in various society-organized …
Hong Kong Faces Organ Donation Crisis with Sharp Decline in Registrations
- 2023-04-13
- Society
- By: Kei Tung LAMEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-04-13
Organ donation in Hong Kong has hit an eight-year low, with only 12,500 people registering as donors last year, despite ongoing efforts to promote organ donation. The number of new registrations on the Central Organ Donation Register has declined year by year following 2019. The number of cancellations has also risen sharply, reaching 1,615 last year, more than double the figure for 2021. Edith Chow, a 20-year-old university student who has registered on the Central Organ Donation Register, believes that organ donation is a moral imperative. “The decision of donating organs is often driven by a desire to help others and to make a positive impact on the world. I hope I can be a way to leave a positive legacy and make a lasting contribution to society,” she said. However, some people are hesitant or opposed to the idea of organ donation. Ip, a 76-year-old man, cited Chinese beliefs as the reason for his opposition to organ donation. “We believe that we should have our whole body even after death, so I can’t donate my organs to others. I don’t even allow my relatives to do so,” he said. Chow said most of her friends and relatives are generally more open-minded about organ donation. However, she said the government's efforts to promote the program are insufficient in attracting more registration. "Registering to donate organs is an easy process, but the lack of advertising on public transport is challenging to reach a broader audience. Many people are still unaware of the significant impact that organ donation can have on someone's life," Chow said. Lam, a 58-year-old architect, expressed concerns about the risks associated with donation and its potential impact on their health. “I have three high, and I am afraid that if my organs are donated to others, it would …
Hong Kong Cantopop: K-song's popularity reduces diversity of local music
- 2022-12-30
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ka Ki FUNG、Kin Hou POONEdited by: Lokman Yuen
- 2022-12-30
Cantopop has played an important role in Hong Kong music culture since 1960, yet faced criticism for being dominated by mainstream love songs, or so-called “K-songs”. The term “K-song” appeared 20 to 30 years ago and comes from the word “karaoke”, a popular choice of activity teenagers like to do in the 80s-90s, according to Michael Kam Wing-hin, associate programme director of the associate degree in social sciences at College of Institute. Some say that the emergence of “K-song” reflects the musical preferences of mainstream audiences while critics say K song is a commercial act adopted by music production companies to gain profit. Jacky Chueng, one of the four “Heavenly Kings” in Cantopop, had high sales of his K songs in the 80s and 90s, but his jazz style in the later years led to mediocre sales, Kam said. “This situation may reflect that ‘K songs’ have a good response and audience acceptance, but it does not necessarily mean that the quality of ‘K songs’ is high. While those with a high level of musical quality does not mean that they are easy to become hits,” said Kam. As K songs guaranteed commercial success, companies have shifted their attention more to producing these types of songs, which reduced the diversity of songs in the music industry, and led to mass production of songs with similar characteristics. Kam agreed K songs are a product of the music market. Songwriters tend to produce K songs because audience acceptance and market response is the key to decide whether a song is hot or not, and K songs are mostly about love, with catchy melodies that are easy for people to sing along with, gaining a lot of concern and support, Kam said. “K song” is also seen as a way for artists to …
Art Department: The story behind the visuals
- 2022-12-29
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Nga Ying LAU、Yuhe WANGEdited by: Leona Liu
- 2022-12-29
Irving Cheung Yee-man, a 40-year-old film production designer and art director, once worked on film production in the Shaw Studio for 69 hours straight without sleeping. She would keep working but not be conscious about what she was doing. “Why am I still working?” was the realisation when her consciousness was delayed. For Cheung, working in the film art department is exciting, despite the high-pressure schedule and irregular working time. “Few other industries have such a job that people working for it can tell others, ‘hey, I just witnessed an explosion today, or a bank robbery, even flesh-cutting from a corpse’,” Cheung said. In Hong Kong, the rising popularity of recent domestic films has brought more attention to the film art department, which is often hidden behind the media spotlight and the cheers of moviegoers. As the directorial debut of award-winning visual effects specialist Ng Yuen-fai, the action sci-fi film Warriors of Future has become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong of all time, taking over HK$80 million at the Hong Kong box office, according to data released by the official social accounts of this film. With expensive and time-consuming production, Warriors of Future has impressed audiences with its rich visual effects and sparked a media discussion on Hong Kong’s special effects filmmaking. To achieve the artistic presentation of a film, the art department is responsible for creating the overall visual look of a film in collaboration with the director. An art department is supervised by a production designer whose job can be divided into three stages: pre-production, scene creation and post-production. Production designers will discuss and co-create the backgrounds of the film characters at the pre-production stage when the script has yet to be developed. Then, the production designer will lead the art director and costume designer in …
Hong Kong film industry questions for its revival era
- 2022-12-28
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ho Yi CHEUNG、Ka Tung NGEdited by: Tiffany Ma
- 2022-12-28
In October, two local films, "Warriors of Future" and "Table For Six", broke over HK$70 million at the box office while some movie related people wonder whether the Hong Kong film industry can have its second glorious "1980-90" era. "As time passes and more significant events occur, there will inevitably be more compelling movie ideas.," Luk said. "Warriors of Future", starring Louis Koo, Lau Ching Wan, and Carina Lau, is the biggest movie ever made in Hong Kong while "table of six" became the top Hong Kong-produced comedy at the box office in Hong Kong in 2022. Luk said social events can inspire new themes to Hong Kong films and create a craze. For example, a 2002 film "Internal Affairs" created with the background after Hong Kong's handover in 1997. Hong Kong is also attempting to produce a wider genre of films. Over half of the films with the gangster genres in the 1970s to 1990s to kung fu films such as “Ip Man” series from 2008 to 2019, the Hong Kong films mostly are about themes of police and bandits. “By introducing science fiction films to the local market, "Warriors of the Future" has made an important first step for Hong Kong's film industry,” said Luk. Chan Hoi-king, 21, a former film student in Hong Kong Baptist University, now studying at the University of Birmingham thinks the Hong Kong film industry is expected to revive. “The government has begun to face up to the development of the film industry, and the rebirth of Hong Kong film is expected,” said Chan. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has set aside approximately HK$240 million to promote the development of Hong Kong films. Eligible film projects will receive a maximum of HK$9 million in funding under the new measure "Asian Cultural Exchange …