News
Hong Kong towards NFT art at slow pace, with unstable market factors
- 2022-12-14
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Bella Ding、Ming Min AW YONGEdited by: YANG Zhenfei
- 2022-12-14
In the work of Hong Kong NFT artist David Leung, a cooked hairy crab on the dining table could turn into a bee-like creature, with its fangs bared at the audience. "Sometimes I look at food, they look back at me,” said Leung. He got inspiration from the food he works with every day and started to make photograph collections of food, manipulating them into perfect symmetry monsters. Leung entered the NFT industry earlier this year. As a part of his NFT photograph collection entitled Hairy Halloween, the hairy crab images already gained 0.3 ETH, a kind of cryptocurrency used by digital marketplace Opensea, or HK$ 2860.3 for him. Just like Leung, a number of artists or art creators in Hong Kong have attempted to explore the use of NFT, either for art creation or trading, although the market is yet well-established. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are blockchain-based digital assets, such as digital art or music, or tokenized physical assets, such as homes, automobiles, or papers. And every NFT has its own identification code and metadata to distinguish them from one another. The government set aside HK$100 million to push the city on the road of “art tech” after former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the plan in her last policy address in November 2020. And many organisations, for example, the auction house Digital Art Fair, embraced the idea of digital art assets, especially NFTs. "NFT art has recently been fairly popular with many generous investors in Hong Kong," said Heiman Ng, the Head of Business Development for the Digital Art Fair. "This year, we auctioned 21 pieces of art in partnership with Sotheby's. A single piece by Jacky Tsai, our digital artist of the year, is worth between HK$3 and HK$5 million." About 10.7% of adults …
Cosplay culture in Hong Kong: an interesting way for the youth to express themselves
- 2022-12-07
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Summer LiEdited by: Ziyu Bruce Zhao
- 2022-12-07
An annual Comic Convention, HKU Cosplay Party 2022, was held on the campus at Hong Kong University on Nov. 13. This new entertainment and display activity is popular among the youth. It is becoming a new way for young people to express themselves and broaden their social circle. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/4_Vsin2q4LU
Hong Kong echoes the country’s honour for former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin
- 2022-12-06
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Nola YipEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG、Nick Yang
- 2022-12-06
Hong Kong expressed sorrow over the death of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin with a three-minute silence while live streaming Beijing’s memorial service in the Great Hall of the People at 10 am Tuesday. The city’s 18 district offices live broadcasted the memorial service to the public for residents to mourn Jiang. “The whole party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups mourn the loss of such a great man,” said current Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the state’s farewell event. “Comrade Jiang Zemin was a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist, diplomat and a long-tested communist fighter," he added. “The death of President Jiang is an immeasurable loss to our country,” said chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Facebook today. Outside the main entrance of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government on Tuesday morning, around twenty police officers were on guard near wreaths and a pile of white flowers dedicated to the former president. Some passersby stopped to take photos of the flower dedications and paid respect with bows to the picture of the late leader. “It’s a kind of respect,” said Win Hung, 78, “he (Jiang) had great achievements.” Hung brought his friend from the mainland to observe the scene after bowing in front of the former head of state’s portrait. “(Former) president Jiang has done a lot for our country,” said Yeung Kuen, 48, a businesswoman who also came with her friends to express their condolences outside the Liaison Office. A Hong Kong Polytechnic University postgraduate Teng Zihan, 23, held a white chrysanthemum, representing grief for the dead in Chinese culture, and bowed with his friend to honour the paramount leader. The Liaison Office in Hong Kong closed the mourning hall on Monday at 5:30 pm with prior …
The fourth Hong Kong illustration and creative show: Borderless
- 2022-12-06
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ka Tung NG、Rajnandini PANDEYEdited by: Jenny Lam
- 2022-12-06
A two-day Illustration and Creative Exhibition is held for the fourth time, compiled of about 300 illustrators from Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. The exhibition is at Kowloon International Trade & Exhibition Centre on Nov. 26-27.
World Cup makes business better, pub owners say
- 2022-12-06
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: Subin JO、Mei Ching LEEEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-12-06
Two weeks after the beginning of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, pubs in Hong Kong saw an increase in revenue during the world-class tournament. The group stage of the game finished last Friday. As the competition heated up, The Young Reporter found the business of bars during the World Cup period has improved. Lee Dong Baek, 49, a pub owner in Tsim Sha Tsui expected to produce 15% more profit than usual, according to the number of guests that have made reservations in advance during the tournament. “Hong Kong is a global city, the pub will be crowded throughout the World Cup season,” he said. Yoon Yong-ho, 58, the owner of a beer pub in Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been running for 11 years, said liquor sales have increased since the cup competition began as customers will “stay longer during the matches.” He added that patronage of large groups of customers is the major source of income during the World Cup. Lee Myung-jin, 31, a football fan from South Korea, booked a pub with her co-workers three days ago to cheer for her home country. “If Korea wins today, I don't think spending money will be a waste,” she said. Chan Wai-ming, 21, one of the customers, also said that the atmosphere in the pub can stimulate his willingness to spend more money and time. Yet, pub owners and customers are also facing restrictions despite the government scrapping the limitation on opening hours for dining premises on Nov. 3. Guests need to take rapid tests less than 24 hours before entry, and no more than six people can sit at one table. Yoon said it was sad that he could not see more customers coming because of limitations on gathering. The time difference also hinders a significant increase …
Hong Kong's neon in new art form
- 2022-12-05
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Zimo ZHONG、Subin JOEdited by: Kate Zhang、Ziyu Bruce Zhao
- 2022-12-05
In a dark room, a woman lit a cigarette and opened a refrigerator. The door was wide open, a pure blue neon glow enveloping her. This is a classic scene from the 1988 movie As Tears Go By directed by iconic Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, who excelled in using the neon lights in Hong Kong films. Neon lights have long been a special feature of Hong Kong’s nightscape. Tourist Oh Ae-ran, a Korean housewife, said one of the unforgettable sights of her Hong Kong trip was the numerous neon lights on Hong Kong's streets. “I was mesmerised by the neon colours that I had never seen in Korea,” Oh said. Another Korean traveller Kwack ho-wook said the neon lights in streets are an exclusive culture to Hong Kong. “I took many pictures of neon lights at Tsim Sha Tsui. In my view, neon light makes Hong Kong’s night streets more active,” Kwack said. But over the last decade, the city’s iconic neon signs has been decreasing. Fewer and fewer companies are making them due to the emergence of LED lights, which are cheaper to run and come in more colours." Thousands of neon signs that had been standing for decades were turned into illegal structures overnight in 2010 after the Building Department issued a Minor Works Control System, which requires sign boards not protrude more than 4.2 metres and be at least 3.5 metres above the ground. Media have reported that 90% of the city’s major neon signs have disappeared in the past 20 years. The government Buildings Department has removed close to 7,000 “dangerous advertising signs,” many of them neon, since 2014. But as the number of signs decline for store fronts, Hong Kong's neon culture is shifting to art. Wu Chi-kai, 55, is one of the last …
Hong Kong’s workforce shrinks amid consecutive population outflow
- 2022-12-05
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lok Yi CHUEdited by: Tiffany Ma
- 2022-12-05
Kong Gam-lung, 33, is sitting in his office, worrying about the recruitment he posted on the Internet a few months ago. Over the past year, he has posted several job advertisements on different online recruitment platforms, but few have applied. He owns an interior design firm DLP Studio Limited, which has been hit hard by the decline of the young labour force in Hong Kong. “The former designer resigned because he planned to leave Hong Kong, and we have posted many advertisements to hire a new junior interior designer since last June, but this position is still vacant at this moment,” said Kong. He said DLP Studio is having “the most difficult time” in recruiting new workers this year. Hong Kong’s exodus shrank the labour force as many left for political reasons or due to strict Covid-19 restrictions. More than 113,000 people have left Hong Kong since June 2021, a record high since the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, said the Census and Statistics Department. Entry and mid-level positions, such as the junior designer at Kong’s company, have been hit the hardest, as most of the leaving employees are under 30. The labour force of Hong Kong was 3.77 million in the third quarter of 2022, down around 3% year-on-year and at a ten-year low, according to official data. Kong currently works 12 hours a day with several employees to manage around 10 projects at the same time due to the shortage of manpower. “This not only affects my work-life balance but more importantly, it affects the operation of the company,” said Kong, explaining that the unstaffed situation has made his company lost many opportunities to undertake design and construction projects. Kong said the company has already rejected four store and home interior design projects this year, …
Hang Seng Index slightly sinks as China protest fear
- 2022-12-02
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: Nga Ying LAU、Mei Ching LEEEdited by: Rex Cheuk
- 2022-12-02
Hong Kong stocks closed at a slight drop on Friday, ending the three-day increasing trend since Nov. 29 as the prolonged zero-COVID policy triggered protests across China. The Hang Seng Index closed at 18,675 today with a drop of 0.3% and the Hang Seng Tech Index declined 0.3%. The index soared by 26.6% in November, which recorded the highest monthly gain since October 1998 as China eased some COVID measures and introduced policies helping developers with financial difficulties. The best-performing stock for today was AliHealth, a blue chip stock with an increase of 9.7%, followed by 7.1% by Haidilao, and 3.1% by Meituan. AliHealth announced the interim results from April to September on Monday, stating the total revenue of Q2 and Q3 has bounced by 22.9% compared to the end of Q1. The worst performing stocks were the semiconductor manufacturer SMIC with a decrease of 5.4% and followed by 4.5% in CG Services. Real estate stocks generally contracted, with Longfor Group and Country Garden recording a 4% slip respectively. Moody said in a report released on Thursday that after China softened the limit of excessive borrowing to developers, the future for the property sector “remains negative on sluggish demand and weak contracted sales.” Other major Asian markets all slumped as investors await the release of a fresh batch of US jobs numbers due on Friday. Shanghai Composite Index closed at 3,156 points, dipping 0.3%. RMB rose to a new closing high in two weeks, with the closing of an increase of 411 basis points. “China may accelerate its exit from the zero-COVID policy, which will benefit their market currencies and the rebound of assets,” said Barclays Bank.
TYR Awards 2022 Winners
- 2022-11-30
- By: Robin Ewing、Jenny LamEdited by: Robin Ewing
- 2022-11-30
Best Spot News 1st place: Jacky Poon, Timothy Fung & Kelly Pang for Hong Kong eases curbs on vaccine pass checks except cinemas and ice rinks Runner-up: Tse Man, Amber Li, & Ayra Wang for 1,200 swimmers make waves in harbour race Best Video Spot News 1st place: Karmen Li & Jayde Cheung for Covid lockdown in Kwai Chung leaves residents in the lurch Runner-up: Karmen Li & Jayde Cheung for Edward Leung Tin-kei released after six years in prison Best On-the-Ground Reporting 1st place: Annie Cheung & Chloe Wong for SOCO coverage, Policy Address Best Live Coverage 1st place: Noah Tsang for Tourism, Policy Address Best Video Feature 1st place: Karmen Li & Tracy Leung for Goodbye to the last sawmill in Hong Kong Runner-up: Wisha Limbu, Gini Pandey & Leona Liu for See the world in patterns: Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at M+ Best Feature 1st place: Julia Zhong, Beata Mo & Karmen Li for Foodpanda riders strike over wage cuts Runner-up: Julia Zhong, Yongyi Cao & Karmen Li for Ready for snakes? Hong Kongers bring pets reptiles to new countries Best Human Rights Reporting 1st place: Jayde Cheung & Clarice Wu for Justice for silent frontline cleaners Runner-up: Malick Gai & Tiffany Ma for Renters face racial discrimination in Asia's world city Best COVID-19 Coverage 1st place: Tracy Leung, Kelly Pang & Clarice Wu for Hong Kong's health care system under stress during the fifth wave of Covid-19 Runner-up: Kate Zhang & Tracy Leung for Desperate for drugs during the lockdown in China Best Society Story 1st place: Gini Pandey, Warren Leung, & Leona Liu for Hong Kong immigration wave: the elderly left behind need more assistance Runner-up: Dhuha Al-Zaidi & Jayde Cheung for Foreign Domestic Helpers Under Stress Despite Wage Increase Best use of online technology during …
Multimedia: Urumqi's vigil in Hong Kong
- 2022-11-29
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Karmen LiEdited by: Jayde Cheung
- 2022-11-29
Demonstrators gathered in Central at around 7 pm to mourn the victims of a fire accident in Urumqi amid strict lockdown in mainland China. Mainlanders from provinces including Shanghai and cities like Guangzhou and Chengdu held blank sheets to protest against the COVID-19 measures, and chanted slogans to oust Chinese president Xi Jinping since last Saturday. After the ten mainland Chinese students mourned at the University of Hong Kong last Sunday, protestors in Central held blank papers and sent flowers to pay tribute to the ongoing protests in mainland China despite the police’s social distancing checks. Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/03HI_DwUHzY