The Young Reporter
Doctors Without Borders raises awareness on plight in Sudan
- 2024-03-26
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: AO Wei Ying Vinci、ZHANG YipingEdited by: Yee Ling TSANG、Yi Yin CHOW
- 2024-03-26
The Hong Kong chapter of Doctors Without Borders organised its first fundraising running race since 2002 at Plover Cove Reservoir’s main dam on March 17th The choice of the location aims to raise awareness of humanitarian aid and hardships in Southern Sudan.
Green building facilities a sustainable future in Hong Kong
- 2024-03-26
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG Haicen、LIU Yutong、BO ChuxuanEdited by: Yuqi CHU
- 2024-03-26
Next to the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, a leisure and entertainment business centre is about to be launched The exteriors of the three main buildings are all made of glass walls, which effectively gives insulation and increases light sources, just like an airship. Its extensive green walls and surroundings with abundant plants signal its uniqueness as a green building. “I am looking forward to the soon to be opened K11 Skies,” said Lai Wing-tsz, a passerby who just left the airport, “it amazes me and makes me wonder if it is still the Hong Kong I remember. ” In recent years, the concept of green building has been developing rapidly in Hong Kong with the goal of a sustainable future, a concept valued by the government and top developers. "Green building is not just about the building itself," said Vivian Ngan, the assistant manager of Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), "it's about an organisational unity of the building and its surroundings." Green buildings are supposed to be environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient by reducing carbon emissions, increasing green coverage, reusing waste materials, installing rooftop solar panels and district cooling systems. K11 Skies for example, has been awarded platinum certification in several Hong Kong and international green building ratings, a recognition even higher than K11 Musea beside Victoria Harbour. According to HKGBC, more than 57% of the roof of K11 Skies is covered with highly reflective coatings and greenery to reduce energy loss. It also uses non-chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating system in order to avoid ozone-depleting substances. In addition to K11 Skies, there are thousands of other green buildings in Hong Kong. In order to achieve the government’s long-term goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, green buildings are now a priority in …
World's largest pop culture exhibition ComplexCon debuts in Asia for Hong Kong’s Art March
- 2024-03-26
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: YANG Haicen、WANG LudanEdited by: Yuqi CHU
- 2024-03-26
The pop culture exhibition ComplexCon came to a close on Sunday at AsiaWorld-Expo as its debut outside the US, with an influx of local and other Asian fashion designer brands and musicians. The Asian debut was supported by the government’s HK$1.4 billion Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his policy address last October. ComplexCon, as the world's largest trend festival, was first launched in Los Angeles in 2016, gathering urban culture and music artists, with past performers including Snoop Dogg, Selena Gomez and Offset. “This exhibition used to be held in North America. I've had my eye on it for a long time, but never had the chance to attend,” said Tang Ziqi, 20, a trend culture enthusiast. He said he has been hooked on hip-hop, rap and fashion since he was in secondary school. "But today, I think ComplexCon has found a more suitable and Asian way to present its artistic effect in Hong Kong," Tang added. “You can see lots of trendy brands and designers from Hong Kong here, like my favourite Offgod, a 19-year-old teenage designer.” ComplexCon consists of a bazaar selling trendy fashion items and a music festival with ticket prices ranging from HK$380 to HK$4,780. Forty fashion brands and 12 artworks landed at the Hong Kong ComplexCon. Asian brands took the vast majority, including Thug Club, a Korean street fashion brand, local brand Lakh and GrowthRing & Supply and Taiwanese brand Goopy Made. Richard Chen Xiyun, a 19 year-old university student and also a fan of trendy sneakers, said he was very pleased with the variety of booths at the marketplace, which filled up three showrooms. “The artworks in the marketplace are very distinctive, including some contemporary and conceptual appeal, which allows me to have a variety …
Labour importation threatens local job security
- 2024-03-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: AO Wei Ying Vinci、AU YEUNG JimEdited by: Ka Man Wong
- 2024-03-25
It has been six months since the government launched various labour importation schemes aimed at addressing a labour shortage in the construction and transportation sectors. Last year, Hong Kong saw a manpower shortage of 17,500-24,000 in the construction industry, and 3,600 public light bus and coach drivers, according to Legco figures. But labour unions say the government should instead focus on fixing the flaws in labour protection laws in order to promote local employment and sustain the workforce. Construction: Labour importation threatens local job opportunities According to a press release from the Hong Kong Construction Association in January, the first workforce demand survey result after the start of the importation scheme shows a shortage of 8,208 workers. The government has approved 4,680 out of the 12,000 applications in the first round for 20 construction contracts. HKCA supports the scheme as a supplementary measure to resolve the urgent labour shortage but expects the government to enhance labour sustainability by introducing multiple measures, including hiring new blood in the industries, utilising technologies, and providing more training to the existing workforce as the scheme is not permanent. Ng Wai-leung, Equity Director of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said that the highly mobile work nature of construction work makes it hard to safeguard job vacancies for local workers. “We would only import labour when the workload exceeds the demand. We should only aim to fill up the short-term manpower gaps,” said Ng. “When the demand shrinks, it is really unacceptable that companies fire local workers before imported ones. Instead, imported workers should go home once they are not engaged in any projects.” According to Ng, many imported labour are working on the Third Airport Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport. He hoped that the agencies and government can provide language …
Noir & Blanc—A Story of Photography exhibition debuts at M+
- 2024-03-24
- Photo Essay
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Sin Tung、CHEN Yik NamEdited by: Sze Kei WONG
- 2024-03-24
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Noir & Blanc—A Story of Photography is the first photography programme of the French May Arts Festival in Hong Kong opening in March. As the first stop of the travelling exhibition, M+ is collaborating with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the national library of France. It showcases photographic works from 1915 to 2019 and is the first major public exhibition of BnF’s photography collections in Asia. “Light and Shadow”, “Aiming for Contrast” and “Colour Chart” are the three main sections in the exhibition. It presents different perspectives for comprehending the creation of black-and-white images over the span of more than a century. The exhibition includes more than 250 photographs from BnF’s world-renowned collection, complemented by over 30 works from both mainland China and Hong Kong, drawn from the M+ Collections. The exhibition will be held from Mar. 16 to July 1. Tickets are $140 for adults, $70 for full-time students, children ages 7 to 11, senior citizens ages 60 or above, persons with disabilities and one companion, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients.
Hong Kong recycling industry faces uncertainty over waste charging scheme
- 2024-03-24
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Sin Tung、CHEN Yik NamEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO
- 2024-03-24
Yeung Man-ching, 21, a student at the Hong Kong Baptist University, starts her morning by bringing plastic bottles and waste paper from home to throw them into the recycling bin on campus. She has been recycling garbage for more than two years and says she has recycled over a hundred bottles. “I always ask my family to collect and clean the plastic bottles. From where I live in Tai Wai, there are no recycling bins downstairs at my house, so I can only take them back to school to be recycled,” she said. Yeung said that she once passed a food waste recycling machine in Sha Tin with a long queue, which intrigued her. She had never thought about recycling before and decided then to start recycling plastic bottles. “I believe that after the waste-charging scheme is officially implemented, more people will be willing to recycle,” she added. “It’s time for Hong Kong’s recycling system to improve.” Recycling in Hong Kong is finally on track, alongside many expectations of its continuous development with the introduction of a new waste charging scheme, whose implementation was pushed back until August this year. But experts say the city still has a long way to go before it can call itself green. “I have noted many discussions and questions raised by various sectors in the community about Municipal Solid Waste Charging, and many people expressed their concerns to me that the general public do not understand how waste charging will be implemented,” said Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan in a media session on Jan. 19. “As a responsible government, we would like to implement waste charging successfully and smoothly,” said Tse. “Therefore, I believe it is a liable act for us to put more time into public education.” The “pay-as-you-throw” charging scheme …
Small companies find ESG compliance easier said than done
- 2024-03-23
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: XIA Fan、ZHAO RuntongEdited by: Junzhe JIANG、Ji Youn Lee
- 2024-03-23
Two years ago, Edmund Chan started a small company called Meat The Next which offers plant protein products. He came up with the idea soon after his child was born because he wanted to protect the environment for the next generation through sustainable development. “Sustainable development has the highest priority in our business,” Chan said. “We want to provide a solution to our customers and give them the platform to protect the environment.” Chan’s company develops their leading products in an environmental, social and corporate governance or ESG philosophy. That means they are mindful of the company's sustainability, including its effects on the environment and the broader society. According to the company’s website, the carbon emission in producing one kilogram of tiger nut milk is less than 0.9 kg, far lower than the 3.2 kg in producing the same amount of cow’s milk. “Our society is becoming more concerned about our environment compared with the previous decade, and companies are embracing the idea of ESG as consumers are calling for more sustainable development,” said Davis Bookhart, Director of the Sustainability Office at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, A Hong Kong Consumer Council survey in 2023 found that 87% of consumers said they would be willing to pay an additional 5% or more for products or services that are environmentally friendly or sustainably produced. However, developing ESG is easier said than done for small to medium enterprises. “The lack of talent is a major challenge for SMEs,” said Keith Chan, assistant professor of HKUST. “It will affect their ability to make their ideas financially feasible.” Edmund Chan said his company has cooperated with experts from different fields, such as product development, test and retailing. “If small businesses do things individually, it is like trying to speak up but …
Food and beverage stalls return to Hong Kong Flower Show 2024 after the pandemic
- 2024-03-20
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: WONG Hong Ni、CHEN Yik NamEdited by: Ngai Fung NG
- 2024-03-20
Hong Kong Flower Show 2024, one of the biggest annual flower events in the city, has returned with full features after the pandemic of COVID-19. This year’s theme is Fairy Tales and it showcases a variety of flower exhibits from horticultural organizations from around the world.
Memorial exhibition of Jin Yong brings back the world of wuxia
- 2024-03-20
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LIU Yutong、BO ChuxuanEdited by: Juncong SHUAI
- 2024-03-20
“A Path to Glory - Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial '', an exhibition celebrating the 100th birthday of the famous Hong Kong writer Jin Yong opened in Central on Friday, free to the public. Fans can immerse in the fictional narratives with sculptures, calligraphy, and augmented reality. 10 sculptures made of bronze or stainless steel featured in the exhibition held in Edinburgh Palace, worth a total of HK$100 million, are on loan without charge from their creator, mainland Chinese artist Ren Zhe. The exhibition will open until July 2. "Seeing these sculptures in person is more shocking than watching them on TV," said Joyce Cai, 63, who has read all the novels by Jin Yong. She came from Kwun Tong, which is an hour's drive away. “The expressions of these characters are so real.” Speaking at the opening ceremony on Friday, the centenary of Jin Yong’s birth, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said people worldwide are familiar with Jin Yong’s 15 novels which have become a “golden-plated signboard” for Hong Kong. Jin Yong, also known as Louis Cha, is a prominent Chinese martial arts novelist and writer, whose 15 volumes of works have been translated into 14 languages and whose books have sold more than 300 million copies, with 1,400 characters created. Zoey Siu, 55, a photographer, has read all of Jin Yong’s novels. “Jin Young’s novel is the collective memory of Hong Kong,” she said.”Once Jin Yong's works were published, the whole city seemed to be quieter at that time because everyone was reading his stories.” Siu was deeply impressed by Jin Yong’s style of writing and attracted by his psychological and detailed descriptions. "Many foreigners are able to read Chinese and history probably because they read Jin Yong novels," said Chong Tai-leung, 55, executive director of Chinese University of …
Floral Joy Around Town: 2024 Hong Kong Flower Show
- 2024-03-18
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Sin Tung、MAO Anqi、James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTOEdited by: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTO
- 2024-03-18
Hong Kong welcomes the arrival of spring with the annual Hong Kong Flower Show as it returns to Victoria Park for a second straight year after a three-year halt due to Covid-19. This year’s theme is “Floral Joy Around Town,” with the Angelonia as the event’s chosen flower. Angelonia, also known as the “angel flower” and summer snapdragon, comes in various colours and is noted for its long flowering period, flourishing from Spring to Autumn. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department uses the Angelonia to symbolise Hong Kong’s ability to overcome adversity, adding that Hong Kong can always overcome difficulties and bloom with vigour like the theme flower. Around 229 organisations are participating in this year’s event, including several government departments and exhibitors from other countries. The event will be held from Mar. 15 to 24.