Society
Chief executive demands better control towards Hong Kong budget tourism from mainland
- 2023-03-30
- Society
- By: Junzhe JIANG、Xiya RUIEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-03-30
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has asked related officials to enhance the control of the crowds to solve the complaints from Hong Kong residents over the low-cost mainland visitors gathering on the street and in restaurants. Lee said on Tuesday that the city's tourism is recovering and has reached the first stage of returning to normality, hence making it necessary to manage the capacity. In the press conference, Lee said he had asked the related authorities, including Culture, Sport and Tourism Bureau as well as Hong Kong Tourism Authority to manage the tourism’s impact on transportation. After the three-year shutdown, many cross-border tourists have returned to the city, leading to crowding in Kowloon City, To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and more. According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the number of tourists from the mainland increased to 280,525 in January, 470.8% more than the same period in 2022. Hong Kong Express announced that they would operate 400 more flights every week to cope with rising levels of flights to Hong Kong. Cheng Xinyi, a customer manager from Donghai travel agency, said they have four to five tour groups to Hong Kong every day, and Hong Kong is the best choice for tourists with a lower budget. The tourists are usually guided by their tour conductors and travel among the districts for shopping. This caused complaints about noise, hygiene issues, and transportation congestion spark. “There are many mainland tour groups eating in my restaurant,” said Maa Hoi-ying, the owner of a local restaurant in To Kwa Wan. “I usually accept 50 customers at the same time, but I can only keep 10 to 15 seats for my neighbourhoods,” she said. Maa said although there are some complaints about the tour groups, she’s happy with them as she can earn more money. …
MTR new fares tie to property profits and an one-off 1.2% fare cut announced
- 2023-03-25
- Society
- By: Xiya RUIEdited by: Tsz Ying CHEUNG、Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-03-25
The Hong Kong government has approved a one-off fare reduction of 1.2% points in MTR fares this Tuesday, which is the biggest reduction in recent years, as MTR decided to maintain stable fare prices for the public, according to Lam Sai-hung, Hong Kong Transport Secretary, at a press conference on March 21. The MTR’s Fare Adjustment Mechanism is a system regulating the fare increment of public utilities, including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited (MTR). Meanwhile, the new mechanism will be directly tied to the MTR property development profits. Starting from this June, the more profit the MTR makes, the smaller the fare increases. Lam stated that the new calculation formula of fares has a long-term effect. A decline of 1.85% for fares is expected in 2024. “The fare should have been adjusted long ago. My monthly subway transportation fee is close to HK$400, such a big cost!” said Wong Youkum, 29, a Central agency employee. Specifically, if the MTR property profit reaches 5 billion to 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, the special deduction will be increased by 0.1 percentage points. If the property profit exceeds 10 billion yuan, the special deduction will be increased by 0.1 percentage points, and the special deduction will be up to 0.8%. Jacob Kam Chak-pui, the CEO of MTR Corp, claimed that it is necessary for the corporation to have stable revenue sources as the railway network reaches a mature stage and the expenses of keeping, modernizing, and replacing railway assets have been steadily rising. “I saw some news that the subway doors suddenly flew out and broke down,” said Wong. “There is no reason for the MTR to charge higher and higher fares when even the most basic safety issues are worrying.” The MTR’s Fare Adjustment Mechanism has led to an over 31% …
Hong Kong’s first major exhibition for graffiti and street art
- 2023-03-22
- Society
- By: Yuhan WANG、Juncong SHUAIEdited by: Noah Tsang
- 2023-03-22
“City as Studio” is China’s first significant graffiti and street art exhibition. The exhibition showcases over 100 pieces of artwork by more than 30 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and FUTURA. It is held at K11 Art & Cultural Centre from Mar. 20 to May. 14. This video has been updated on 26/3/2023.
Tolls for two Hong Kong cross-harbour tunnels will increase to HK$30 from August 2, charges for Western Tunnel will decrease to HK$60
- 2023-03-22
- Society
- By: Kei Tung LAMEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-03-22
To alleviate long-standing traffic flow issues, the Hong Kong government proposed a new toll plan for three cross-harbour tunnels in two stages. Chan Sai-hung, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, said that under the first stage, starting from August 2, tolls for private cars using the Western Harbour Crossing will be lowered from HK$75 to HK$60. Also, the tolls for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the Eastern Harbour Crossing will be increased from HK$20 to HK$30 and from HK$25 to HK$30, respectively. Taxi fares will be standardized at HK$25 per trip for all three tunnels to discourage empty taxis from concentrating on lower-priced return trips through the Cross-Harbour and Eastern Harbour Crossings. "The lower toll rate for the Western Harbour Tunnel would encourage me to use it more often," Chan, a private car driver, said. He said that the higher toll rates for the other tunnels could help distribute traffic evenly across all three tunnels. However, not all drivers are happy with the proposed changes. Sze, a private car driver and a frequent user of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, said that the toll increase would add to his monthly expenses. "The new charges are just a disguised increase in fares," he said. Under the proposed second stage, which is expected to start latest by the end of this year, the government plans to implement different charging schemes for different time periods. During "non-peak hours", 7 pm to 7.30 am, from Monday to Saturday nights, the three tunnels will charge a flat rate of HK$20 for private cars. In the morning and evening "peak hours", the fee is HK$60 for the Western Harbour Tunnel and HK$40 for the Cross-Harbour and Eastern Harbour Crossings. On Sundays and public holidays, private cars will be charged at a flat rate of HK$20 to HK$25, depending …
Hong Kong blooms in joy as annual flower show returns after three-year hiatus
- 2023-03-20
- Society
- By: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTOEdited by: Tsz Yin HO
- 2023-03-20
As the city welcomes spring, swarms of people flocked to Victoria Park to celebrate the return of the annual Hong Kong Flower Show in Causeway Bay. The event has been cancelled since 2020 due to the safety concerns over the virus. This year’s theme was “Bliss on Bloom”, featuring 40,000 hydrangeas as the theme flower, along with some 400,000 flowers, according to the LCSD. Accompanying the flowers were attractions built by several government departments and the 18 district councils, along with other organisations, including the Philippine Consulate-General and the Guangzhou local government. The returning Hong Kong Flower Show garnered hundreds of people, including families, schools and tour groups. The 2023 Hong Kong Flower Show started on Mar. 10 and ended on Mar. 19.
Michelle Yeoh creates Asian women’s history with Oscar
- 2023-03-14
- Society
- By: Yuqi CHU、Yuhan WANGEdited by: Chengqi MO
- 2023-03-14
An 84-year-old woman sat in a theatre in Malaysia to watch the Oscars ceremony broadcast live on the big screen with tears in her eyes. On the screen, her 60-year-old daughter, Michelle Yeoh Choo-kheng held the Oscar and gave an acceptance speech at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. "For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams dream big and dreams do come true,” Yeoh said, “and ladies, don't let anyone ever tell you you're past your prime.” Andy Vermaut shares:Oscars 2023: Michelle Yeoh's mum in tears as she celebrates historic victory: Michelle Yeoh becomes the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress. https://t.co/adctaYYqqs Thank you pic.twitter.com/F8YpXIQLqX — Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) March 13, 2023 Yeoh’s mother cried for joy for her proud daughter winning the Oscar for best actress Malaysian-born Yeoh became the first actor of Asian descent to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for the action comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once, witnessed by the whole world at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday night. The film tells the story of a middle-aged immigrant woman facing the problems of family and mid-life crisis while living a multiverse life. Yeoh has already won several awards for her performance in the movie, including a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award a few months ago. The film also took best picture, best supporting actor and actress at the Oscars. Yeoh expressed thanks especially to the Hong Kong film industry, which is the cradle of her acting career. Everything Everywhere All at Once pic.twitter.com/rPMOgd33T3 — The Cinegogue (@TheCinegogue) March 8, 2023 Stage photo in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once “To my extended …
The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival will open with Mad Fate and Elegies
- 2023-03-11
- Society
- By: Juncong SHUAI、Junzhe JIANG、Yuhan WANGEdited by: Wisha LIMBU
- 2023-03-11
The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival is set to open on Mar 30 in person after a year of postponement with two movie premieres, Mad Fate and Elegies as the curtain-raiser. HKIFF47 is also in the “Hello Hong Kong” campaign from the government as an effort to rejuvenate the tourism industry after the pandemic. Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok Fu-ching, ambassador for both the Hong Kong International Film Festival and was not able to attend the press conference on Friday. Directed by Cheang Pou-soi, Mad Fate is a noir thriller telling the story of a neurologist who attempts to change a delivery man's desire to kill while discussing the relationship between fate and instinct. Elegies is a lyrical documentary by Ann Hui On-wah portraying the landscapes of contemporary local poetry and showing the different personalities of those poets. The two movie premieres will open HKIFF47 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre while Louis Koo Tin-lok’s Vital Sign will wrap up the festival on Apr 10. Wilfred Wong Yin-wai, the chairman of the Film Society, hopes that people from every industry would support the festival after the pandemic hampered Hong Kong movies from reaching overseas markets. “Hong Kong International Film Festival will act as a torch passing from generations to generations to revitalise Hong Kong’s film industry,” Wong said in the press conference. Soi Cheang will be the “Filmmaker-in-Focus” of the festival this year, he brought along his latest movie Mad Fate which was shown in the special screening unit at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Twelve works of Soi Cheang will be retrospected in the festival, featuring the aesthetic of violence with his strong personal style. Meanwhile, a series of products including special edition magazines will be published which the audience will be able to purchase whereas VIP …
ChatGPT should be encouraged in schools, says experts
- 2023-03-09
- Society
- By: Jemima BadajosEdited by: KOO Chi Tung 顧知桐
- 2023-03-09
Executives from local universities expressed their support towards the use of AI technologies in assignments at an AI summit, following a temporary ban on ChatGPT due to considerations of academic plagiarism in Hong Kong universities. The “Artificial-Human-Centred Summit” held at Hong Kong Baptist University on Monday, had academics gathered from different disciplines, including computer science, data science and communication. “ChatGPT can perform extremely well if you ask the right question,” said Guo Yike, Provost of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Guo supported the use of AI in education and called for funding to help teachers re-design lesson syllabus. He suggested rather than doing an answer-based assessment, teachers can check the quality of questions prompted into ChatGPT. “Getting the right answer will deduct much less intelligence than asking the right question,” he said. Martin Wong Ding-fat, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong also believes that ChatGPT can be beneficial to students. “ChatGPT allows students to work on projects that are bigger because the smaller units are already available,” said Wong. ChatGPT, a free AI chatbot developed by research and deployment company OpenAI, works by providing detailed responses to user prompts. It is currently used as a feedback tool to create safe and appropriate AI systems. Hong Kong has invested in artificial intelligence in recent years, such as introducing an AI learning module in secondary schools and setting up an ethical framework for AI and big data analytics. In the Budget Address this year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-Po also announced the launch of a feasibility study for a potential AI Supercomputing Centre, which will be completed in 2023-2024. But the audience at the Summit also expressed concerns about the regulation of AI and whether it will overtake human beings. “The more …
The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens 2023
- 2023-03-06
- Society
- By: Tsz Yau CHAN、Yau To LUMEdited by: Tsz In Warren LEUNG、Ka Ki FUNG
- 2023-03-06
The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens will be held in the Hong Kong Stadium from 31st of March to 2rd of April. This year is the first tournament after all COVID restrictions have been scrapped. The Hong Kong rugby team is looking forward to seeing rugby fans’ faces and making a comeback to their home field.
Young children adjusts to “new normal” after mask mandate ends
- 2023-03-04
- Society
- By: Jemima BadajosEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-03-04
The end of mask mandates on Wednesday brings hopes to improve children’s psychological development, as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a rise in speech problems and emotional recognition in children. The removal of mask requirements was announced by Chief Executive John Lee-Ka Chiu on Wednesday due to the “trend (of COVID-19 cases) and the fact that the winter surge (of influenza)” is ending. “We are starting to resume to normalcy comprehensively, and that will be very beneficial to economic development, our international competitiveness as well as our activities which involve everyone in Hong Kong,” he said. Mask-wearing had especially impacted the speech development and facial perception of children. The number of children under 12 newly diagnosed with speech and language development problems grew by 25% from 2019 pre-pandemic to 2021, according to the Department of Health. Phoebe Ber, 26, a teacher at Tiny Talent Professional English Learning Centre, says that mask-wearing had raised difficulties during the pandemic in learning pronunciation, especially for similar-sounding vowels M and N. Teachers also had to exaggerate their emotions more with their eyes and voices. “(The mask mandate) is a good thing because not only it helps the younger kids to see facial expressions, they also get to see the mouth movements and as well as improve what they need to improve,” said Ber. “Especially the kids who were born in 2019, who the moment they knew the world, they've just worn masks the entire time,” she said. Mask-wearing has also shown a decrease in holistic processing and facial processing abilities in children, according to a scientific study done in 2022. Participants who took the Cambridge Face Memory Test had about a 20% decrease in scores when asked to remember faces with masks compared to faces without them. Faith Wong, 32, is the mother of a …