#hongkong
Asian-inspired flavours take centre stage at HK gelato festival
- 2026-10-08
- Society
- By: Baguio AnneEdited by: Fu Rong
- 2026-10-08
https://youtu.be/JclqSdmYdas?si=Aj4NY2NJcgZ9LKZ_ Reported by Linnea Hedman, Anne Baguio Edited by Audrey FU Rong Video description: Hong Kong’s largest gelato festival, Ciao! Gelato Fest 2026, has returned to PMQ in Central, bringing together 20 gelato brands from Hong Kong, Italy, Macau and Portugal. The festival features more than 30 limited-edition and debut flavours, including Asian-inspired creations such as Hong Kong French toast, pineapple bun and mochi. The event attracted long queues and a diverse crowd during the National Day Golden Week, with visitors from Hong Kong, mainland China, and more. According to PMQ, daily visitor traffic increased by 12 % compared with last year, averaging 12,000 visitors a day. With free admission, Ciao! Gelato Fest takes place at PMQ from Oct. 1 to 4 and Oct. 9 to 11.
126-year-old Sincere to close Central store after lease renewal fails
- 2026-10-08
- Society
- By: SHI Puxuan Amy、MA Yifan ChloeEdited by: Fu Rong
- 2026-10-08
Hong Kong’s first Chinese-owned department store, Sincere, will close its Central store in early December after nearly 126 years of business, as it failed to renew its lease. The company is searching for new premises in Sheung Wan or Central for a new store, yet no suitable location has been found by Oct. 4, according to an official announcement by Sincere. Only a four-storey store in Mong Kok and an online store will be left in Hong Kong after the Central store closure. Lily Chan, 74, a customer who lives in Hong Kong Island, lamented the closure of Sincere’s Central store since it had been her top shopping destination for more than 50 years. “I started shopping in Sincere when I was only 20 years old,” she said. “Back then, few Hong Kong department stores like Sincere carried such a wide range of European brands, covering apparel, kitchenware, and furniture.” “I am unsure where I can go shopping after the store shuts down. The Mong Kok one is far from my home,” Chan added. Anny Lau, 42, said her family spanning from her parents down to her children had shopped here. “It carries memories for several generations since it is more than a century old,” she added. Ahead of the closure, the Central store is selling its remaining stock at discounted prices. A cleaner who has worked at the store for a year said customer numbers had been generally low, and only surged these days amid the sale. She declined to be named for fear of repercussions from the company. Sincere’s consolidated revenue dropped from around HK$146 million in 2023 to roughly HK$134 million in 2025, according to Sincere’s annual report. Heidi Cheung, 25, said she seldom shops at traditional department stores such as Sincere, as online shopping is more …
Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong targets over 35,000 public housing units a year
- 2026-09-17
- Business
- By: LI Yuzhou Asher、HU Mudi 胡沐迪、GUO Tongyao 郭童瑶Edited by: Zhou Xinying、LIN Xiaoyou、Wang Yunqi
- 2026-09-17
AI summary: Hong Kong plans to produce over 35,000 public housing units a year on average over five years starting in 2027/28. Increased supply could shorten housing queues, but one academic said tackling wealth and income inequality is also essential. The government is also tackling public housing abuse. Hong Kong will continue to increase public housing supply and combat public rental housing (PRH) abuse, Chief Executive John Lee Ka‑chiu said in his Policy Address 2026 on Wednesday. “The current-term Government has laid a solid foundation for, and is entering the harvesting phase of, public housing production, ” Lee said. “In the next five years, from 2027-28, public housing production will exceed 35,000 units a year on average.” HO Hang-kei, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong whose research interests include housing policy, commented that ramping up PRH supply is a positive measure. “I think this is great because, as we know, Hong Kong has been experiencing a shortage of public housing units, so as you can see from previous figures, the queue was very long,” Ho said. “And I think by having more supply, I think it's going to decrease the waiting time for many people actually need them, especially a lot of people are now kind of in the use of temporary housing.” Ho said that there would be some short-term kind of pain, such as a fiscal deficit. But over the medium to long term, he thought the increase in housing supply would benefit Hong Kong. More stable housing could help residents feel more secure about their work, education and other aspects of their lives, he said. However, Dong Ding, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accountancy, Economics and Finance at Hong Kong Baptist University, said that more …
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: MA Tsz Chiu OscarEdited 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 …
Midea’s Hong Kong IPO drives the market to a two-week high in its first-day trading
- 2024-09-17
- Business
- By: XIA Fan、WANG RuoshuiEdited by: Junzhe JIANG
- 2024-09-17
Midea Group pushes the Hang Seng Index to reach its highest in the past fortnight as the city’s biggest initial public offering in over three years amid the sluggish local market. Under code 0300, the shares of the global electronic appliance giant opened at HK$ 59.2, an 8% increase from its listing price of HK$ 54.8, and closed at HK$59.1. The Hang Seng Index reached a two-week high and closed at 17660.02 accordingly. The Company’s Shenzhen-listed shares climbed by 1.83% last Friday, while the CSI300 index, which indicates the performance of the Top 300 Chinese companies, dropped by 0.42% compared with the previous close. The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets are closed today due to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Midea Group's IPO this time received 5.31 times oversubscription for the public offering and 8.06 times oversubscription for the international offering. It sold 566 million shares after exercising the option to expand its offering by 15% due to the excess demand, according to the company’s filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Foshan-based Midea priced its share at the top of the marketed range of HK$54.8 to raise $4 billion (around HK$31.2 billion), which made it the city’s biggest debut after Kuaishou Technology since early 2021. The Chinese manufacturer introduced 18 cornerstone investors who subscribed to 179.0327 million shares, approximately $1.258 billion (around HK$9.811 billion) of the offered shares. The list includes COSCO Shipping Hong Kong, UBS AM Singapore, and BYD’s subsidiary Golden Link, according to its IPO documents. Despite its strong performance today, Renee Wu, 28, an insurance agent at AIA Group and individual stock trader, remains sceptical about purchasing Midea’s shares. “I won't touch Chinese concept stocks anymore. I feel they lack investment value,” Wu said. “The risks they bring outweigh what they can provide. Chinese concept stocks are …
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.
Sales at Lunar New Year Fairs fail to match pre-pandemic level
- 2024-02-06
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: BO Chuxuan、LAI Uen LingEdited by: Yuqi CHU
- 2024-02-06
Hong Kong’s biggest Lunar New Year's Fair at Victoria Park is selling hot food and dry goods again after four years of restrictions, but some vendors said sales are not as good as they were before the pandemic. The fairs launched on Sunday at 15 locations across the city, such as Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong, are surrounded by crowds. Candice Li Man-shuen, a vendor selling dog accessories who joined the fair several years before the pandemic, said the atmosphere was less lively than she had expected. “People are here today mainly because it is Sunday and there are other nearby events, but they didn’t come here intentionally,” Li added. Wong Kin-fan, a vendor from the mochi stall who has had a stall at the fair for several years, had sold half of her mochi by the afternoon of the first day. That brought her roughly HK$10,000 in sales revenue by the afternoon of the first day. “Sales aren’t what they were before 2020,” Wong said. “However, the rental cost of the stall is correspondingly low. My boss decided to return to this fair again because it is cheaper.” Shirley Lau, 51, a local retailer visiting the fair every year, said there were fewer fast food stalls than before COVID-19. According to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the size of the fast food stalls in 2019 was 56.48 square metres, compared to 40 square metres this year at Victoria Park. Liu Wing-ting, currently working in the hospitality industry, said she felt the variety of goods and food at this fair was less compared to last time when there were fast food stalls. Liu has visited Lunar New Year fairs many times in other districts, but it’s her first time at Victoria Park. She thought people weren’t buying much …
Siamese fighting fish competition adds a punch to Hong Kong Pet Show
- 2024-01-27
- Society
- By: YANG Shuyi、NG Natasha Goa ShengEdited by: Yau To LUM
- 2024-01-27
The “Hong Kong Pet Show 2024" returns on Jan. 25 with Hong Kong’s first-ever “IBC International Betta Show 2024” organized by the International Betta Congress, a worldwide union of Betta-lovers and breeders. Over 600 Siamese rumble fish from different countries are displayed at this year’s Hong Kong Pet Show for the global competition. The event is supposed to raise awareness on the conservation of fighting fish, otherwise known as rumble fish or betta. Eddy, one of the staff members in charge of the “IBC International Betta Show 2024”, said that Betta competition in the world has changed. “Nowadays Betta competition is no longer the same as before. We are now focusing more on their appearance,” he said. Before the start of the competition, all fish are separated into different groups based on their fins, breed, and colour. Then, a demerit point system is used to grade their score. It is expected to have 600-700 competitors before the registration deadline. “We hope that through this competition people could be aware of the increase of Betta breeds now and more people will know about them,” he said. Hong Kong Pet Show 2024 is bigger than in previous years, with more than 650 booths and offering all kinds of products, pet food, and pet insurance. But Gary Chiu Wai-lam, the Management Director of one of the exhibitors, Kangaroo Pet Nutrition, thought there were 10 percent fewer visitors to this year’s pet show on day one compared with last year. “Since we are agents for other pet shops, joining the pet show gives us a channel to tell our customers what our products are about and the advantages of different products.” Daisy Pun, the director of 1363 Natural Pet Home, is an exhibitor who hasn’t joined the pet show before. “Big exhibitions can help …
Hong Kong officials advise caution after Seoul Halloween tragedy
- 2022-10-31
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Tsz Yin HOEdited by: Tiffany Ma
- 2022-10-31
Revellers gathered in the popular night spot, Lan Kwai Fong, to celebrate Halloween today. There is a special traffic arrangement in the area until early Tuesday morning. Several roads including D’Aguilar Street between Wyndham Street and Wellington Street, Wing Wah Lane, and Wo On Lane are closed from 2.00 pm on Sunday till 5.00 am on Tuesday, according to the government press release. Special traffic arrangement in Lan Kwai Fong during festivals was introduced after the 1993 New Year's Eve stampede in which 21 people were killed and 63 others were injured. This year, local officials have warned revellers in Hong Kong to be careful with safety after 154 people were killed in a stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul. On Sunday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He added that the government will pay close attention to the incident. Secretary for Security, Chris Tang Ping-keung said the Immigration Department will provide full help to Hong Kong residents abroad who seek assistance. “I believe the Itaewon tragedy will not happen ( in Hong Kong) because the crowd control is good, the people are disciplined and follow the directions made by the police,” said Cheng Wai-hing, a visitor to Lan Kwan Fong. who was there with his six-year-old son. Party-goers dressed up as different characters, such as Chinese hopping vampires and Covid-19 rapid antigen test indicator to celebrate Halloween. Kwok Ka-chuen, Regional Commander for Hong Kong Island said that the police will pay extra attention to crowd movement in response to the recent fatal stampede in Seoul. Chow Kwok-cheung, bar owner of J1 Pub said that business is quite good today. His bar has been fully-booked since last Friday. “It has been a while since we …