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The Young Reporter

Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is back after 7 years

  • 2024-11-07

The Hong Kong Sixes tournament organised by Hong Kong Cricket Club and Kowloon Cricket Club was held from Nov 1 to 3 at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. The tournament features 12 international teams including the Hong Kong team competing in a six-a-side, the fastest format in the sport.

Society

Hongkongers celebrate Halloween spirit despite struggles for local vendors

Stores and stalls in several shopping hotspots, such as Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po, have been selling costumes and decorations, such as pumpkins and ghosts as Halloween approached. Reiko Leung Hei-nga, 21 has been going to Fuk Wing Street to purchase items for her Halloween costume for almost four years. “I enjoy getting together with my friends and showcasing our costumes,” Leung said. “The hardest part each year is probably finding new ideas and inspiration for a costume.” Many of those costumes showed up at Lan Kwai Fong. “A Hauntingly Good Time in Lan Kwai Fong”, is the theme for the week in the popular nightlife area. Retiree Leung Run-hei, 67, has been visiting Lan Kwai Fong for three consecutive years. “I’ve had a blast coming here with my friends and socialising with others. Although I’m old now, my mind keeps telling me to stay young and enjoy as much as I can,” she said. Ocean Park is hosting a Halloween Fest that started on Sept. 7 until Nov. 3,. Visitors can enjoy six haunted house experiences, namely Dreadful Walled City, Prison Escape, Netherworld Wedding, Hotel Morte, Horror of Homesteak and Forbidden Zone 274. There are also performances, such as Too Hot to K-Oppa, by a group of  Korean dancers. “Even though I work here full-time, the unique events and decorations never cease to amaze me, said Park employee, Diamond Chan Sang-shu, 21, who has been working at the theme park for over two years. But the festivities did not benefit some shops, such as a stall owner surnamed Poon, who operates on Fuk Wing Street. She said sales that have gone down by 60% in the past few years. "The only time that my shop has been active is during festivals. For instance, during Halloween, I would …

Society

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.

Health & Environment

Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival stops plastic cups following single-use plastic ban

The Wine and Dine Festival last weekend stopped serving plastic cups following the government's plastic ban and encouraged guests to bring their own glasses or buy them on-site, as visitors increased by 10% from last year. The move aligned with the city’s' plastic-free initiatives, said Raymond Chan Chun-man, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's general manager of event and product development, “We encourage people to bring their own wine glasses. Instead, each visitor will receive a souvenir glass sleeve," he said. Wine glasses were also sold for $50. Participating restaurants and bars were allowed to pass out their own cutlery and cups to customers. “While we do recommend them to use the cups we provided, it is not within our purview to decide how they use them,” said Wong, a staff worker at the event who asked not to disclose his full name. Last year, plastic cups were sold at the festival for HK$5 each. The five-day festival at the Central Harbourfront expanded its opening hours until 11pm for the first time, with more than 300 participating booths offering thousands of global wines and cuisine, attracting about 155,000 visitors. Some visitors said the use of wine glasses enhanced their tasting experience, in terms of flavour and convenience. “Paper cups produce more bubbles in the middle of the drink and indirectly distort the flavour of the wine, whereas glasses do not,” said Kelvin Lee, a clerk at a non-profit organisation that supports children’s mental health. “If you finish a drink from one store and you want to go to the next one, the booth holder just needs to help you to swish the glass with water and then you can continue to use it,” said Jo Man, the CEO of the same NGO. “After guests have finished their wine, we clean their …

Society

Gen Z entrepreneurs give new life to waste fabric

Several toy bears in cute uniforms sat at a booth at Rethink HK 2024. Many passersby stopped to take photos and touched them gently.  These bears were wearing clothes made from discarded old school uniforms. Their handbags and hats were also made from waste fabrics. Dress Green, a social enterprise founded by 29-year-old Emma Yu and her husband, has partnered with around 30 local schools to recycle used school uniforms into the UNI Green Series.  The Series offers a wide variety of souvenirs for student graduation gifts, including bears wearing old uniforms, pencil bags, tote bags, pouch shoulder bags, fisherman’s hats, cushions etc.  Since the startup's inception in 2021, it has recycled over 3,000 uniforms and pieces of clothing, and produced more than 4,500 upcycling products, according to Dress Green. The growth of Hong Kong's fast fashion industry has resulted in tons of textile waste being sent to landfills, and many Gen Z members have discovered the serious impact of textile industry pollution on the environment and have created sustainable brands in the hope of combating excessive fabric waste and drawing more attention to the issue. “I felt that Gen Z are more focused on sustainability issues than the previous generation,” said Howard Ling, 49, a social enterprise consultant and Professor of Practice at Baptist University. “This is because they are getting more information about environmental protection from diversified media channels and also from schools and communities.”  With the rise of fast fashion, the amount of clothing produced and thrown away has skyrocketed. According to the European Parliament, the global fashion industry generated nearly 20% of the wastewater and about 10% of the carbon emissions in 2023.  In Hong Kong, 404 tons of textile waste were sent to landfills each day in 2021, accounting for 3.6% of municipal solid waste, …

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

Oktoberfest sparks Hong Kong with authentic German vibe

A German man in traditional  Chinese clothes performed the well known local song,   “Waves Flowing”,with his band at Central Market. It’s their second Oktoberfest in Hong Kong. The festival runs from Oct.17 to Nov.2  giving German expatriates  in Hong Kong the chance to enjoy their tradition. The event is celebrated with well-known beer brands,German delicacies such as pork knuckles and sausages. Carolyn Wright, from England came to the Oktoberfest in Hong Kong after having gone to the original Oktoberfest in Munich a couple of weeks ago. “The most important element of Oktoberfest is the beer, but the entertainment is also essential, especially the band. At the one in Munich, every one of the beer tents had a band as the main focus,” said Wright. “It is a good night. This event is well-organised. It has all the elements of the original German Oktoberfest, which brings it here in a fantastic venue.” Alex Arkin, 25, from Germany, was participating in  Oktoberfest in Hong Kong for the first time. “In Germany, it's more crowded and you can feel the vibe more because it's a German tradition. ” said Arkin. “But in Hong Kong, it's also nice because you come with your friends, and you enjoy the friendly atmosphere here.”  Arkin liked the multicultural aspect of  Oktoberfest in Hong Kong.“You can see people from different countries. It's so unique because in Germany it's mostly Germans who participate,” said Arkin. “However, the seating arrangement here at the competition area could be more reasonable. It was a bit too crowded during tonight's competition,” he added.  Ken Tse, 47, a local journalist, attended the Oktoberfest at the Central Market for the first time. “Although I don't know the culture of Oktoberfest very well, I like this event. It's just like a party. Everyone gets together, enjoys …

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

Policy Address 2024: Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots formed to expand specialty tourism

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: CHEN Yik Nam、LI Sin TungEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO
  • 2024-10-16

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the setup of a working group to  develop hotspots in his policy address today, as the government tries to boost a flagging economy. The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced earlier that the visitor arrivals reached 21.1 million from January to June this year. In contrast, about 30.6 million visitors arrived in the first half of 2018. "We will develop Hong Kong into a premier tourism destination through innovative thinking and leveraging our rich and unique resources, such as Victoria Harbour, outlying islands, cultures and cuisine," Lee said. "It will help to instil the concept of 'tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong.'" The government will publish more details in an upcoming blueprint, Lee said, with a focus on several areas designed to enhance tourism in Hong Kong, including ecotourism in South Lantau. Lee also announced measures to attract visitors from the Middle East. These include compiling a list of halal restaurants and getting commercial venues to provide prayer rooms. This comes as Saudi Arabia plans to establish an economic zone and logistics hub in China to strengthen ties between the two states announced during a meeting in September. Lee also emphasised the coordination of organising mega events in the city. Half of mainland tourists said they enjoyed “getting close to nature” and “tasting local snacks,” according to a survey of 287 visitors by mainland questionnaire platform Wenjuanxing. Lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung said that Hong Kong’s tourism model used to place too much emphasis on "commercialisation" and was committed to maintaining its reputation as a "shopping paradise," but according to the research, this is no longer a strong promotion to attract mainland tourists “Tourists will be more interested in some in-depth tourism now, which means learning more about local culture and featured scenery. It is hoped that …

Society

2024 Policy Address: Hong Kong adds 13 universities to Top Talent Scheme to attract more high-calibre talents

The Hong Kong government will expand its Top Talent Scheme adding 13 more mainland Chinese and overseas universities to its eligibility list, to help build Hong Kong as an international talent hub. The list of universities will expand to 198, while extending the validity period of the first visa of high-income talents from two years to three years, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, in the policy address on Wednesday.  “Hong Kong must build a quality talent pool for development in the face of a projected shortage of 180,000 workers across different sectors in the next five years,” Lee said in the policy address. “This policy will help Hong Kong attract a more talented young labour force, ” said Terence Chong Tai-leung, the Executive Director of the Lau Chor Tak Institute of Global Economics and Finance.  “But some universities that are excellent in a certain professional field on the mainland are not on the list,” Chong said. “The government can continue to expand the list to these universities to bring new vitality to some of Hong Kong’s ageing industries, such as nursing and construction,” he added. Wendy Hong Wen, 49, a Legislative Council member, said the government should attract people from the perspective of companies that need workers with special talents rather than graduates of a particular university.  “Hong Kong lacks medical, architectural and technological talents, but it is very difficult to match the imported talents with the scarce jobs,”  she said. The Top Talent Pass Scheme first launched in 2022, attracting people with incomes higher than HK$2.5 million or degrees from the world’s top 100 universities to apply for residency without employment. More than 380,000 applications have been received under the scheme so far, and around 160,000 have arrived in Hong Kong with their families, Lee said. Thea Tong, …