#hk
New Gold Zone at 2025 International Jewellery Show boosts Hong Kong’s position as trading hub
- 2025-03-04
- Business
- By: Yichun FangEdited by: WANG Ruoshui、XIA Fan、BO Chuxuan
- 2025-03-04
The 41st Hong Kong International Jewellery Show kicking off on Tuesday, debuts the Gold Jewellery Zone at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, with international gold exhibitors drawn in. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) describes this new addition as a showcase for novel gold jewellery design, part of efforts to strengthen the city’s position as a global hub for gold jewellery trade. Organised by the HKTDC, the Jewellery Show will run from 4 to 8 March, showcasing new product trends including affordable luxury jewellery, men's and unisex jewellery, sustainable development and jewellery technology. “Hong Kong is actively accessing both the technical support of mainland China and the international market, so I hold a strong belief that the gold market here will become increasingly prosperous,” said Winston Chow, director & deputy general manager of Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd. HKTDC said that Hong Kong is leading in the gold product sector. Currently, manufacturers are conducting high value-added processes in Hong Kong, while shifting manufacturing activities to mainland China. Atticus Zhu, the founder of Shenzhen Shangpin Gold Jewellery company exhibiting in the gold jewellery area, said that the consumers of the Hong Kong gold market accept the premium of labor cost on design to a greater extent than mainland Chinese customers, who are relatively more sensitive to the gold price. “Hong Kong is the global hub for gold jewellery trade, providing a springboard to tap into various international markets,” he added. “For example, through Hong Kong, we reached out to the Malaysia market, a country with a 20% overseas Chinese population and has one of the most receptive markets for gold today. ” The gold price rose more than 25% in 2024, the most significant annual gain in 14 years, as regional wars and political changes continued the uncertainty among …
Economic downturn fuels claw machine entrepreneurship
- 2025-02-24
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHENG Tsz Sen Sean、SIU Tsz HangEdited by: Wing Chi HO
- 2025-02-24
Claw machines, once a niche type of amusement, require minimal investment and management to operate, and now they are driving a new wave of entrepreneurship in Hong Kong’s bustling malls amid economic uncertainty. Claw machine arcades can stay open around the clock for which obsessed claw game lovers never have to stop. Recently, these machines have found their way into many shopping malls across Hong Kong, occupying previously vacant shop spaces and offering players a chance to win big prizes, such as a vacuum cleaner or a Nintendo Switch gaming console, for HK$5. The rental index of the Hong Kong retail property market has dropped by over 20 points after peaking in 2019, and the average rent for retail has been decreasing since then, according to the Rating and Valuation Department. Despite the fall, many commercial spaces remain vacant and claw machine arcades have become a short-term solution for both landlords and business starters. Anyone who can afford the rent, the machines and the prizes can open a claw machine arcade, as they require minimal staffing and maintenance. Alan Tang, 30, owner of a claw machine arcade in Yuen Long said all the machines in his shop were rented out in 2020, but only 60% of them are rented out now. His monthly income peaked at nearly HK$100,000 in 2020, but since then Tang has seen a 60% drop in revenue. As of the beginning of this year, machine rent ranges from HK$3,500 to HK$4,500, a 25% decrease from 2020. By comparison, fewer machines are being rented out. “Claw machines require little management, more people are joining this business as it brings a decent amount of profit,” Tang said. Tang added that the monthly rent for his store is about HK$50,000. Operating 24 …
"Suede" Ignites Clockenflap Stage After Eight Years
- 2024-12-14
- Culture & Leisure
- By: Tsz Chiu MaEdited by: Ben Rong Li、Xiya RUI
- 2024-12-14
One of Hong Kong’s favourite Britpop bands, Suede is back with a vengeance at this year’s Clockenflap. Brett Anderson, the main vocalist of Suede, showcased his famous microphone swinging during the show. Their performance even broke through the generations as numbers of young audiences were also attracted to have a glimpse of them. In 1999, thousands of fans packed into the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to watch their show, resulting in several injuries. Suede’s performance on the second night this year included songs such as “Beautiful Ones”, “Animal Nitrate” and “Trash”. They joined French electronica duo Air, British rapper Central Cee, Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts and others at the popular music festival from November 29 to December 1 in Central Harbourfront. Benson Chiu, a longtime Suede fan was excited to see the band play in Hong Kong again. “It was a precious moment when they performed ‘Saturday Night’ on a Saturday night,” he said. “I hope they will come to Hong Kong again in the future.” Another highlight of the festival was the community singalong of “Seven Nation Army” during American guitarist Jack White’s performance. As the greatest hit by The White Stripes, created by Jack White, “Seven Nation Army” has since become a famous stadium chant. The crowd in Clockenflap continued chanting the song after the show ended. Apart from big names and headliners, Clockenflap also showcased many hidden gems. Gloria Chan, who was at the festival for the third time, said she was surprised to discover the Japanese group Turtle Island. “Their performance was so amazing that they seamlessly blended lots of instruments together without any dissonance,” said Chan. Clockenflap sold out twice in 2023, but sales weren’t as good this year. Many participants felt that this year's festival was much less crowded than in …
Art Basel Hong Kong full-scale returns with an objective turnover
- 2024-04-01
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG Haicen、WANG LudanEdited by: Lisheng CHENG
- 2024-04-01
The 11th edition of Art Basel Hong Kong was held from Mar. 28 to 30 at the Convention and Exhibition Center, with more than 80,000 visitors and totaling $39.4 million, recording a 4% increase in global turnover. Art Basel 2024 showcased the work from 242 of the world's leading galleries from 40 countries and territories. Lu Caiyun, Chairman of UBS Wealth Management Asia, said in a public address that art market sales in Mainland China and Hong Kong reached approximately US$12.2 billion, a 9% increase year-on-year. "While the cloud of high interest rates, inflation and political instability continues to slow down growth at the top end of the market, buyers are particularly active in the lower price points,” said Clare McAndrew, the founder of Arts Economics. This year, 23 galleries from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas exhibited in Hong Kong for the first time, with an increase of 65 galleries over 2023, according to Art Basel Hong Kong. “Our goal is to connect visitors from around the world with our home, Hong Kong, through the collaboration and innovation inspired by art and artists," said the director of Art Basel Hong Kong Sylvia Lok in public address.
Education and Career Expo highlights government positions and further education
- 2024-01-29
- Business
- By: Ji Youn LeeEdited by: Chi On LIU、Junzhe JIANG
- 2024-01-29
Attracting more than 800 booths, The Hong Kong Education and Career Expo addressed civil servant positions, featured job openings from private institutions, and provided further study opportunities as a burst for applicants seeking government and commercial sector jobs and a boost of studying abroad. The three-day expo was held from Jan.25, bringing more than 3,000 job openings from 16 countries and 17 regions to the participants. To help the participants better understand the government’s jobs, the series talk on “Careers in the Government” became one of the most popular stands at the event. “Hong Kong government, which is the biggest employer in Hong Kong, offers more than 190,000 full-time jobs for those willing to work hard and keep learning to achieve success,” said Ingrid Yueng, Secretary for the Civil Service. Correspondingly, applications for civil service jobs increased sharply. The applicants for Customs officers surged by 90%, with a 40% increase for Immigration officers since October, according to Yueng. Tiffany Cheung, 23, a fresh graduate from a local university, said the government’s talks during the expo were very insightful for her future career path. “I can ask questions regarding the application process and job content here, so I think [this event] is quite helpful,” Cheung said. “The talks are quite clear, and the speaker made the content of the position very clear. It matches my expectations regarding the role.” The unemployment rate in Hong Kong from October to December of 2023 was 2.9%, which resumed at the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to government data. However, Sandy Cheung, a final-year history student at Hong Kong Baptist University, said finding a job proved difficult because there are few opportunities in Hong Kong for her major. “My history major limits my career prospects, and many of my friends consider teaching or working at …
Housing differences between Singapore and Hong Kong, here’s what you need to know
- 2022-11-15
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ming Min AW YONG、Yuhe WANGEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-11-15
Hong Kong and Singapore, two small and open Asian economies, have different degrees of housing ownership. Hong Kong has ranked first place in the least affordable housing markets among 92 cities since 2010, according to Demographia International Housing Affordability, yet Singapore ranked 40th on the latest list. More than 113,000 residents left Hong Kong in 2021, marking a 1.6% population decline, the biggest population drop since the record. Ample living space, brighter economic prospects and affordable housing prices were the top three reasons why people left the city, according to the research by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies in 2021. However, the population of Singapore, which has one of the highest homeownership rates in a market economy, grew by 3.4% last year. Here are four aspects you need to know about differences in housing issues between Hong Kong and Singapore. What percentage of the population owns a house in each economy? Hong Kong In Hong Kong, 49.8% of the population owned a house in 2021, meaning only about 3.6 million people owned a house in 2021. Currently, there are 2,657,800 domestic households in Hong Kong. The average household size in the territory is two members per household. Singapore As a country with more than 5.6 million people, Singapore has a higher population density than Hong Kong. Yet, nearly 90% of the population owned property in 2021 in the state, according to the Department of Statistics of Singapore, with three members living in one house on average. How many public and private housing units are there in each country? Hong Kong Hong Kong had a total of 2,960,000 living quarters last year. About 60% of properties are private permanent quarters, which are housing estates developed by private developers. Around 40% of the quarters are public rental housing units …
Largest outdoor cinema in Hong Kong reopens after one-year closure
- 2022-10-14
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Zimo ZHONGEdited by: Karmen Li
- 2022-10-14
Hong Kong’s biggest outdoor cinema, The Grounds, welcomed guests again on Thursday after Covid-19 rules forced its suspension a year ago. The cinema is at Central AIA Vitality Park. “It’s very challenging to build this event and put it together in Hong Kong. We just try to reopen this cinema as soon as we can,” said Simon Wilson, managing director and co-founder of The Grounds. The government announced a relaxation of social distance measures starting from Oct. 20, including allowing live performances and outdoor eating at some premises such as theme parks. This cinema can accommodate up to 380 people in 100 upgraded private garden pods. The audience can remove face masks in their booths. But only up to four people are allowed in each booth in order to comply with social distancing rules. Guests can order food from a web-based app. The menu offers Vietnamese food, tacos and wines. Three different types of tickets are available, depending on the location and the types of seats, with prices ranging from HK$200 to HK$900. Only classic and nostalgic movies are playing this season, including Forrest Gump and the Harry Potter series. Wilson said that movies in different Languages would be shown this season. The Grounds collaborated with Golden Scene Cinema to start the outdoor shows in 2021, and has shown local movies, including Suk Suk. The cinema is opened for three months each year and the current season will end on Dec. 30. “Actually I have seen today’s movie before. It is a good romantic comedy,” said Angela Shih, who invited four of her friends along. “ We just planned to spend our girls’ night here. I am really excited and looking forward to it.” Wilson said they had a great response in ticket sales, especially for musicals and blockbuster films. …
Two out of 40 prepackaged juices found to contain mycotoxin
- 2017-10-17
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Holly ChikEdited by: Daisy Lee
- 2017-10-17
Consumer Council said two of prepackaged juices samples were tested positive for patulin, a mycotoxin a UN committee on Food Additives say could suppress immunoreactions, damage nerves and affect the development of infants. Although patulin is commonly present in decaying fruits, especially apples, "the risk is higher in juices because mould cannot be seen", said council spokesman Michael Hui King-man. The distributors have instantly removed the two cold pressed apple and blended apple juices, in which the amount of patulin have exceeded the Centre for Food Safety's action level. The council also found that the dietary fibre content of all 40 samples, including those with fruit pulps claims, was lower than the detection limit of less than 1.1g/100ml of fruit juice. Vitamin C content in apple juices was also found generally lower than 2mg/100ml, whilst that in orange juices, on the whole, was higher, ranging from 11 to 52mg/100ml. High sugar content in all samples also entailed that they are "not deemed as a low-sugar food" under Hong Kong's current nutrition labelling standards. For the sample with the most sugar, drinking 1 bottle of 360ml of juice would amount to 46g of sugar intake. In other words, it is equivalent to 92% of an adult average daily intake of 50g free sugars limit. The council urged consumers not to substitute fruit juice for fruit because juices contain less vitamin C and fibre but are more expensive. Reported by Holly Chik Edited by Daisy Lee
"The Egg Tart: Evolution of a Classic Hairstyle
- 2017-03-20
- Photo Essay
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-03-20
TYR's Kenji Chan walks us around a historical barber shop and a celebrity-serving modern salon which offers the same time-honoured hairstyle "Eat Tart", which crazed the city in the 1950s."The pompadour haircut has al-ways been a classical and good men 's haircut," said Adam Chan Moon-tong, a young yet experienced hairstylist.Style such as comparing the look with vintage stone washed jeans and Wonton noodles, Chan said thatHong Kong people had forgotten the grooming culture Shanghai barbers brou