Wet Market in Hong Kong

Do you know that the wet markets in Hong Kong are called 街市 (“street market”) because in the past, most of them were set up along the streets?

Allow me to explain what a “wet market” is, my good sir, if you come from a highly modernized / urbanized region and never been to place like this before. It is a marketplace which sells variety of fresh meats and products, like fish, chicken, pork, vegetables, fruits, dried goods etc. Unlike supermarkets, wet markets provide fresh and unprocessed goods that usually come directly from the farms.

That is correct. Fresh. So fresh that lots of them are still alive. You can still hear the chicken squawking and see the fish swimming. You even get to see how the butchers kill them and cut the...

What? That’s disgusting?

I concur. And it’s very unhygienic. It’s “wet” mostly because of the water the shopkeepers used to store fish, or to flush away the trash, or to clean the blood stain…It’s obviously not an ideal place go, especially during the moist summer…

However! It’s welcomed by the older generation and the grassroots mainly because the stocks they have there are cheaper. And you know how the elders enjoy checking the status of their food first hand? It would be easier to tell if the meat is tender, or if the poultry have been fed with chemical products. Moreover, people love visiting the wet market because they can bargain for a better price and, more importantly, they get to develop a bond with the shopkeepers. It sure is comforting to have the acquainted owners to greet you like a friend and provide what you want every time you arrive. Sometimes they may even give you some goodies for free! Not a scene you can find in those chained supermarket, right?

While those big corporations claim how bad the environment is in the wet market and how wet markets should give in, not everyone think the same. In recent years, more tourists and nostalgics tend to visit wet market deliberately because they feel that “this is what the REAL Hong Kong should look like”.

What is Hong Kong?

A modern and international city of finance? Maybe.

But let’s not forget the unique local element: messy, noisy and crowded wet market where even the poorest can afford, and the loneliest can find warmth.

“Transport head” estate in Hong Kong

Do you know that Wan Tau Tong Estate (運頭塘邨) is rumored to be one of the burial grounds in the past in Hong Kong?

…Actually lots of places in Hong Kong are rumored to be burial grounds in the past. People who spread the rumor probably just wanted to scare the others, or simply to look for fun, though.

Anyway, Wan Tau Tong Estate is the latest public housing estate in Tai Po, completed in 1991. This place holds so many residents and is so lively that you will think it has nothing to do with ghost stories…but it does. I mean, the name of the estate itself is spooky enough (運頭 literally means “transport head”)…

There were two versions of the story: one has it that in early 1900s, lots of natural disasters happened and killed many people. In order to prevent the spread of disease, the corpses had to be burnt, leaving the bones behind. Undertakers therefore had to transport the bones and skulls to the burial ground in Tai Po (which is supposed to be the Wan Tau Tong Estate today, hence the name) and had them buried.

The other version is that many civilians were killed and had their heads chopped off during Japanese occupation in 1940s. For some reason this yet-to-be estate became an excellent choice for the Japanese soldiers to ditch the heads.

Whatever the reason was, many people died and have to be buried in this place. Then there started to be rumors about how people would see headless figures pushing a wheelbarrow carrying many heads at night. There was also a spookily hilarious story about a construction worker finding out the headless ghosts using white glue to glue their loose heads on their necks…

If you really are interested in this spooky-name estate, you can give it a visit, preferably at night.

But you would definitely be disappointed. You would only find a modern yet peaceful residential area there. No burial grounds, no headless ghosts, no wheelbarrow carrying heads either.

…We already have them glued up, after all.

What? No, I didn’t say anything.

Don’t mind me…

Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong

Do you know the Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong was originally called “Hong Kong Harbor”?

Yeah, I know. That’s not very original…

But it’s true. The name didn’t change to “Victoria Harbor” until it became the shelter for Queen Victoria’s British fleet.

Victoria Harbor has always been famous for its depth (12 meters on average) and wideness. Together with Hong Kong’s overall climate and its sheltered location, the harbor becomes an ideal choice for entrepot. This makes Victoria Harbor one of the busiest ports in the world, with over 220,000 ships visiting each year.

But who cares about the business potential of the harbor? You don’t come here to do business, do you (if you do, you are reading the wrong article)? Victoria Harbor means more than just an entrepot to foreigners (especially tourists) because it’s one of the most iconic landmarks for Hong Kong, and more importantly, a really popular tourist attraction.

You can take a walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, enjoying the view of Victoria Harbor AND visiting the Avenue of Stars at the same time. Or you can take a ride, either on the tourist-only junk boats or the historical Star Ferry, and sail along coast.

You can even swim across it…No, I am not kidding. If you come at October, you can participate in the Hong Kong Cross Harbor Race, which has a history of more than a hundred year.

If you don’t prefer swimming, you can come during Tuen Ng Festival and watch the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Regatta. I doubt you can join it easily, since it’s some kind of international event. But you can always watch the competitors row row row their boats fiercely against the stream.

You don’t like sports? Fine, just come during Lunar New Year and watch the annual fireworks display held here. All you have to do is just tilt you head upward and respond with “wow” from time to time. Easy, no?

But because of the rapid development of Hong Kong, there have been more and more reclamation on both shores of the harbor. The harbor is unfortunately becoming narrower.

So, those who are interest in the harbor, you better give it a visit before it is turned in to Victoria River…

Traditional Chinese in Hong Kong

Do you know that Hongkongers (and Taiwaneses and Macau people) use traditional Chinese characters (繁體字)?

If your response is “What?! Really?!”, then yes, I am making that clear to you.

Chinese characters are logograms, and each character is form under the combination of strokes and radicals. Though some radicals can be used as stand-alone characters themselves, like 日 (sun) and 火 (fire).

Traditional Chinese appeared as the creation of clerical script (隸書) during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and has more or less remained unchanged since the 5^th century. In other words, we are using a writing system with a history of over a thousand years. That is why the native users / supporters of traditional Chinese always say that the character is the heritage of Chinese Culture and has witness the change and evolution of Chinese writings.

But then why would there be “simplified” Chinese? Actually, there have been voices about simplifying Chinese characters since early 20^th century, which is way before the ruling of PRC government started in 1949. Some people seemed to have come to the conclusion of “Chinese characters should be destroyed or China shall perish”. So simplifying it became a way to destroy (or at least revolutionize) Chinese and a great way to save China. Not to mention that reducing the strokes of the originally complex characters make learning Chinese easier and help raising the literacy rate! That kills two birds with one stone!

…Or so they claimed.

While simplified Chinese does require less effort to write, it is not really easier to be learnt.

Chinese characters, either traditional or simplified, are just bunch of meaningless symbols to those who can’t read them. Why would having 3 strokes less or so make the words easier to understand?

And lots of the radical use for simplified Chinese is pretty random, since that destroy the original connection between the meaning and the words, like removing the “heart” (心) from “love” (traditional: 愛 / simplified: 爱) and removing “rain” (雨) from “lightning” (traditional: 電 / simplified: 电). How could it help the learners if you take away the rationale behind the pattern?

Most importantly, and lots of scholars would agree that, writing is not just a tool for communication, but also the medium of culture. Simplifying the words without a good reason and standard is no different from making up your own words. That way, people are only destroying what have been passed down since the ancient times, instead of protecting it.

So if you plan to learn Chinese…

Well, to be honest, I won’t force you or tell you which one is more “correct”.

But destroying the historical and cultural legacy of millennia so that you can write faster?

That really doesn’t worth it.

Ask yourself, what do you want to learn?

Symbols? Or the embedded culture of the symbols?

East Town Theater in Hong Kong

Do you know there was a cinema in Hong Kong that was remodeled from a funeral parlor?

That doesn’t sound like a good place to do business?

Oh, but the owner of East Town Theater  (東城戲院) seemed to think otherwise.

Also called Tung Shing Cinema, opened in Wan Chai in 1964, equipped with some of the most advance filming equipment and 1300 seats, the cinema was one of the best theaters in town. But it closed just in 10 years.

Poor business? Maybe.

But there also tended to be some spooky reasons behind…

The most famous rumor about the cinema was how only some tickets were sold, but the place was ALWAYS FULL at night. A customer recalled what he experienced: While the film was being played and lights were off, he could see the whole theater full of people. When the lights turned on during the mid-break session, however, the once full theater held only ten people or so. The customer, after visiting the washroom, ran into an old lady…without her jaw. He was so scared that he ran back to the theater for help, and find out the theater was full again. But this time he could see it clearly. Most of the “people” there were without jaws as well…

There was also a story about female customer visiting the washroom (yeah, you know a good ghost story can’t be without washrooms). She saw another female customer inside standing in front of the mirror. Normal, right? I assure you not. When she looked closer at the reflection, this time, instead of missing the jaw, the “woman” was missing her face…And you know that you should run away as fast as possible in a ghost story? Well, she didn’t. The poor and spooked female customer sought help from another customer trying to enter the washroom, saying that there was a faceless ghost inside. This “another customer” then asked, “like this?” and cheerfully showed her faceless face…I swear if the story was not that creepy, I would have laughed at this reply.

But these are probably just urban legends, and are likely made up by the cinema’s competitors to damage its reputation.

Whatever the reason is, the cinema’s business declined and had to be closed in 1974.

The cinema is no more and has been turned into the East Town Building since then.

…One less place for the restless souls to seek entertainment. What a pity. *eerie sobbing*

Tai O in Hong Kong

Do you know that Tai O (大澳) is nicknamed the “Venice of Hong Kong” because of its water town appearance?

Tai O located on the west side of Lantau Island. It’s one of the last fishing villages in Hong Kong.

It is also the home to those who live on water, like Tankas and Hoklos. This place was once flourished with fishing industry and salt production due to its proximity to the sea. But the fisheries nowadays barely sustain the villagers’ income.

However, because of how remote it is from urbanized area, Tai O get to preserve its village-like lifestyle, as well as its nostalgic fishing village scenery. This draws lots of tourists and even Hongkongers to visit every year.

So…what’s so charming about this backwater (pun may or may not intended) town?

A lot of photographers find this place a paradise since it holds some of the most pristine views in Hong Kong, and the clusters of stilt houses (棚屋) is an interesting sight to those who grow up in concrete jungle.

Since Tai O and the Lantau Island are actually separated by a canal, crossing the bridge that connects the two places sure is fun. If you could have come like, 20 years earlier, you would even see the rope ferry, managed by the locals, taking people from one side to the other side.

You are in “Venice” after all. Why not take a boat ride? The villagers will gladly offer you a tour on boat (for a price, of course) so that you can sight-see from another angle. The boats will also go to the open seas, where you can take a look at the fishermen, who should be busy working on their ships, and the beautiful coastline of Lantau Island. Oh, and if you are lucky, you may spot the famous Chinese white dolphins!

You are hungry? Let’s get back on the land and eat something. There are lots of cafés and restaurants at your choice. But! It would be a shame if you don’t try out the popular oversize fish balls which can only be found in Tai O, or that huge squid, or the grilled cuttlefish…

But don’t just enjoy yourself and forget the souvenir! You don’t know what to buy? Come on, what else but dried seafood? Please don’t even claim that you have been to Tai O if you don’t buy some salted fish, or shrimp paste, or both.

But…yeah, not everyone can stand the smell…

Shing Mun River in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Shing Mun River (城門河, literally means “City Gate River”) of Shatin District was once an important source of irrigation water for the local farmers who lived along it?

The original Shing Mun Rver started at Needle Hill and flowed into Tide Cove. In 1970s, the cove was reclaimed and developed as the Shatin New Town we have nowadays. Shing Mun River thus was turned into a 7 km long and 200 m wide artificial channel connecting Tolo Harbor.

And of course the area around the river is no longer farmlands. It is now packed with residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The river itself is a landmark of Shatin district and the landmark of landmarks as well since you can find lots of popular recreational facilities / tourist spots along it, like Shatin Sports Ground, Shatin Park, Shatin Racecourse and Star Seafood Floating Restaurant. Seeing how the river is close to these facilities and the potential it has, the government plans to develop it into a water-related tourist attraction.

It’s also a popular place for water sports. You can see people practicing canoeing or kayaking here from time to time. Dragon boat races would usually be held here as well, so this place would provide a magnificent sight during Tuen Ng Festival.

Hard to imagine the river is heavily polluted 30 years ago, isn’t it? But it WAS seriously polluted because of the domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes discharged from the nearby. The result was a stinking and lifeless river. After a decade of hard work, the water quality has finally improved in 1990s, where fish and invertebrates could live inside the river.

However, in 2015 Decemeber, Fo Tan Nullah, which flows into Shing Mun River, turned into blue and in 2016 February, thousands of fish in Shing Mun River were found dead. This raised concern of the environmentalists and after a lab test, it was revealed that the bacteria, acidity and solid waste level of the river all exceeded the standard allowed. In the end, real estate company Link was found out responsible for and it and fined (for a mere amount of HK$15,000).

With this in mind, turning the river into a tourist attraction doesn’t sound like good idea…

I doubt the tourists will find a rainbow-color river filled with dead fish appealing…

Maybe people should at least learn how to respect the nature before they take advantage of it?

Hong Kong Coliseum

Do you know that the Hong Kong Coliseum (香港體育館) is the second largest indoor facility in Hong Kong (losing to AsiaWorld Arena)? Er, no, not the kind of coliseum with lions and gladiators. It’s a multi-purpose indoor arena.

The coliseum is also called Hong Hum Coliseum (紅磡體育館) because it is located in Hung Hom.

This inverted-pyramid looking structure was built in 1983 and costed about HK$140 million. It has 12,500 seats and could be divided into 3 parts: a 41m x 41m cement flooring arena with 4-side color television monitor for audiences to see clearly from different angles; a conference room of about 160 square meter which can hold up to 120 people, a place for holding conferences and welcoming guests; 3 reception rooms with PA systems which can each hold 60 people. And of course there are also facilities like dressing rooms, make-up rooms and washrooms.

While the Chinese name of the venue can be roughly translated as “sport arena”, it’s not exclusive to sports events. Lots of concertshH, award ceremonies, conventions and even university congregations have been held here.

When one talks about the venue, Hongkongers will definitely be reminded of concert. Holding concerts in Hong Kong Coliseum is the goal of many artists and can be considered as one of the greatest achievements and recognitions of their careers. Not to mention that a lot of international superstars, like David Bowe, Elton John and Ricky Martin have also performed here, making this stage a sanctuary to the entertainment industry.

The coliseum is loved by many fans because even the cheap seats have a great view. They also love the part where the performers and the fans can feel close to each other due to the design, and they believed it’s rare these days. Many admit that while there are other venues to choose from, the Hong Kong Coliseum can never truly be replaced, especially for the older generation, who will never forget that awe-striking moment when they first pay the visit…

Can you hear the echoing cheer?  Or see those waving glow sticks?

Hong Kong Film Award

Do you know that the Hong Kong Film Award (香港電影金像獎, HKFA for short) is a very important award ceremony in the Greater China Region, and one of the greatest recognitions to the movie industry in Asia region? Some people even compare it with American Academy Awards and British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

This annual ceremony inherits the Hong Kong movie industry’s belief of “where there are Ethnic Chinese, there are Hong Kong movies”. The award also witnesses the development and growth of movie industry of Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China over the past few decades.

The ceremony was first being held by City Entertainment Magazine (a local film magazine) in 1982. Lots of institutes, like RTHK and Sing Tao News Corporation Limited joined in the following years. While the event suffered financially in the beginning (without even a regular venue to be held), it mostly ended in success. The success of the award was slowly being recognized by the public and the movie sector, and motivated the movie movement in Hong Kong.

Later, the Hong Kong Film Awards Association Limited was formed, managed by representatives from different professional film bodies (like cinematographers, screen writers and editors) in Hong Kong. Then there started to be more rules for the award. Say, in order to be qualified as a Hong Kong film, the film has to meet two of the following three requirements: its director is a Hong Kong resident, at least one of the film companies is registered in Hong Kong and at least six of the production crews are Hong Kong residents.

So, for a qualified movie to compete for the awards, it has to go through two elections. The first election will start at January every year, where five nominees would be chosen for each award categories. The nomination would then be announced in February and the nominees would go for the second election. The nominated movies would be judged by professionals from the sector. And of course, the movie with the highest score (of that category) would be the winner.

Let’s be realistic…and talk about the trophy! There is no fixed design for the award trophy in the first few ceremonies. It’s not until 1991, the 10^th HKFA, that they adopted Antonio Mak’s design: a goddess with shoulder-length hair, wrapped in golden film and holding a pearl overhead. A very fitting embodiment of the achievement those hard working movie-makers pursue for, if you ask me.

With all the important celebrities from the movie industry of Greater China Region attending, HKFA is becoming more famous, and even world-famous.

Yeah, I know. It’s still not as popular as Oscar. But let Hongkongers dream, will you?

It’s the dream and faith that drive the movie makers to create after all.

What’s so bad about having dreams in a world where imagination governs everything?

Typhoon Shelter in Hong Kong

Do you know that the first typhoon shelter in Hong Kong was built in 1883?

The Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter was built after the 1874 typhoon and is about 14 hectare in area.

Too bad it’s nothing more than a construction site now because of some reclamation projects…

The typhoon shelters in Hong Kong are usually cove-like, with breakwater in front to protect the ships and fishing boats during typhoons, leaving narrow openings by side as entrance / exit.

And, believe it or not, they used to be mini kingdoms on their own!

During 1960s - 80s, many descendants of fishermen and boat people (like Tankas, an ethnic subgroup which used to live along the coastal region in southern China) actually lived on the boats inside the shelters because…well, they didn’t have a better place to live. Since the fish catch was unstable, they couldn’t have a steady income.

Their living condition may be poor, but they formed their own, distinct culture circle while living there. During daytime, the fishermen went out to catch fish; at night, they got to enjoy their fresh-caught seafood, singings, mahjong games and the like. They have their own life-style, language, wedding rituals, songs, food…They even had “floating schools” operated by some religious organization to educate the young children who could not afford proper education.

But Hong Kong is no longer a fishing village, and those boat people have already moved onshore, leading to the decline of “typhoon shelter culture”.

However, there are still functioning typhoon shelters, like the one in Aberdeen, Yau Ma Tei, or Shuen Wan.

Give them a visit!

You may not be able to experience the “typhoon shelter life”, but they will definitely give you some nice scenery if you are tired of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong!

Wonton noodles in Hong Kong

Do you know that wonton noodles (餛飩麵) is also nicknamed 細蓉 [sai3 jung2] in Cantonese?

For those who ask “what is a wonton”, wonton is a kind of dumpling in Cantonese cuisine, usually having shrimp and pork as the stuffing. So to put it simply, wonton noodles are noodles with Cantonese dumplings.

Let’s go back to its name. Some say the name was a poetic reference to refer to beautiful ladies; some say it was wordplay to describe what wonton noodles are: making the eaters warm and satisfying their hunger, as if a gentle embrace from a motherly figure…Sorry, I am not good with this literature thing, but you get the meaning.

                                                                       

細蓉 also refers to the size of the serving of wonton noodles. 細蓉 is the smallest, with one tael of noodles and four wontons; 中蓉 [zung1 jung2] is middle size, with one and a half tael of noodles and six wontons; and 大蓉[daai6 jung2]  is the largest, with two taels of noodles and eight wontons.

And don’t underestimate these plain-looking dumpling noodles. According to some wonton noodles experts, the formula of making good wonton noodles could be boiled down to three things: the wonton, the bouillon and the noodles.

Contrary to popular belief, the wontons should not be too big, where a mouthful size is preferable. The dumpling wrappers have to be thin, while the ratio of pork and shrimp can be adjusted to a person’s liking; the bouillon should be made with pork bone, dried flounder and shrimp roe. A good bouillon would be light brown in color and not too greasy; the noodles should be handmade egg noodles (it’s called “handmade”, but you can buy it from traditional noodles shop, so don’t worry) which taste smooth, thin and more importantly, al dente.

Of course you can eat it in whatever way you want, but care to try the traditional way?  Drink a spoon of bouillon, swallow a wonton, and then eat a mouthful serving of noodles. Rinse and repeat. You will be able to finish the noodles right on the fourth cycle!

You should have noticed though. The serving is pretty small. A bowl of wonton noodles is more like snack instead of proper meal.

But, hey, everything we have here is small AND expensive!

This is the essence of Hong Kong!

Vitasoy in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (維他奶國際集團有限公司) is one of the largest non-carbonated beverage sellers in Hong Kong?

The company was originally called “Hong Kong Soya Bean Products, Co., Ltd.” and was founded in 1940s by Dr. Lo Kwee Seong. Inspired by a talk about how beans are full of proteins and realizing many Chinese are lactose intolerance, Dr. Lo came up with an idea to formulate a drink which is protein-rich and cheaper than fresh milk. He believed that soymilk could replace fresh milk and thus Vitasoy (維他奶) was born.

                                                                          

However, Vitasoy’s sale wasn’t good in the beginning, and was mainly delivered to people’s home with bicycles. Later, Dr. Lo adopted a sterilization technology so that the soymilk could be stored without refrigeration. This greatly increased the duration of the drink and its sale started to skyrocket.

When Vitasoy first came out, it was portrayed as a healthy drink, with the slogan of 點只汽水咁簡單 (“It’s more than just a soft drink”). Therefore, it was (well, still is) pretty popular among students, as the teachers and parents would not oppose to it. Queuing in front of the snack kiosks, waiting to buy that bottle of soymilk, and feeling satisfied simply because of the sweetness it provided...this should be childhood memory to lots of Hongkongers.

The brand now offers many flavors and choices, like chocolate soymilk, malted soya drink, low-sugar soymilk, sesame soymilk and even weird one like oat-flavored, or fruit juices and teas if you don’t like soymilk. Still, the most classic one would always be the original flavor. The taste has always been the same: sugar, salt, seasonings, and more importantly, the savor we Hongkongers grow up with.

Hmm…must be the preservatives…

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

Do you know that the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (大坑舞火龍) has a history of over 130 years?

Uh…what “Tai Hang”? What “fire dragon”? What “dance”?

Let’s go through the whole thing step by step, shall we? *bow*

Tai Hung (大坑, literally “big water channel”) is an area in mid-north of Hong Kong Island. It was given the name because there is a watercourse flowing through it, from Mount Butler to the sea. It has been a traditional residential area even before its redevelopment in 1990s.

Yeah, yeah. I know you are excited about the fire dragon part. I am onto it, alright?

Legend has it that, in 1880, a plague stroke Tai Hang just a few day before the Mid-Autumn Festival. A fortunate teller predicted that, in order to drive away the misfortune, the villagers needed to set a fire dance for three days during the coming festival. Hearing the words, the villagers built a huge dragon out of straw, put incense sticks on it and lit the sticks. Then they held the “flaming dragon”, played drums, ignited firecrackers and dance for three days.

Guess what? The plague disappeared without any medical intervention!

So, this tradition has been practiced during Mid-Autumn Festival since then. And it’s a pretty famous event that attracts lots of people every year, including foreigners and photographers.

During the SARS outbreak in 2003, an extra fire dragon dance was also held to pray for Hongkongers’ fortune and health.

Later, this event has been announced as an intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

What? It’s not the fire-breathing dragon you expect?

But come on! Where else can you find a fire dragon dancing?

Smoking Ban in Hong Kong

Do you know that smoking in public areas like indoor workplaces, restaurants, bars and nightclubs is prohibited in Hong Kong since 2009?

…What? Really?

As a Hongkonger myself, I don’t seem to notice it.

That is the problem of the smoking ban in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Government don’t seem to put too much effort (as expected) to enforce the ban. The Tobacco Control Office (TCO) was set up to deal with people who smoke in the non-smoking area. The effect and efficiency, however, is not as great as its official statistics suggests. Usually, when you make a complain call, you would expect the office to handle the complaint as soon as possible, but no, you will be directed to the call center. Even if you successfully make your complaint, it will still take time before they take action. Will you still care (or remember) that you make a complaint about some random stranger smoking in a restaurant you were in a week ago?

Moreover, the ban / penalty itself is enforced upon the smoking individuals, not the others. So, afraid of losing customers, owners of the indoor venues probably won’t do anything to stop the smokers (except reminding them not to smoke). This renders citizens’ supervision useless and more or less encourages the smokers to ignore the ban. More importantly, if the smokers are about to get caught, they can just throw the cigarette away and shamelessly deny that they are smoking. Then the TCO won’t be able to do much…

Yeah, that pretty much sums up the ineffectiveness of the ban.

To be honest, I am not completely against smoking. You have the right to smoke, but not the right to force-feed us with second hand smoke. So if others tell you that “you are not allow to smoke here”, can’t you just bear with it for a while? Once you leave here, you are free to smoke again. Why the rush? 

Priority Seats in Hong Kong

Do you know that the priority seats were first introduced to Hong Kong in 2009 by the MTR Corporation through a seat offering campaign?

The idea of priority seats is to motivate people to offer seats to those in need (like elderly and pregnant women) on public transports. Since its introduction in the northern Europe, many countries and regions around the world start to follow. And Hong Kong is one of them.

Promoting a “barrier-free” society…It’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Not necessarily. The seats tend to cause controversies more than anything in Hong Kong. People started criticizing passengers who ignored the needy because they were busy playing with their smartphones; some said that Hongkongers lack civil spirit; while some misunderstood and thought that the priority seats are only for the needy.

This kind of stereotyping make young and healthy people the target of criticism: youngsters who are strong enough to stand for the whole journey should offer the seats to the needy, otherwise they would get morally criticized, and in worse cases, got cyberbullied for their “wrong doings”.

These lead to further debate, with people arguing that offering seats to the others is just a kind gesture, not an absolute rule, so no one should take it for granted. Some passengers admitted that while they belong to the “young and healthy” groups, it’s still normal for them to get tired and want a seat for themselves.

In my opinion, these kinds of disputes are, bluntly put, stupid.

So young people can’t be “needy”?

Do we have to public-shame everyone who doesn’t offer seats as long as they are not carrying crutches or wrapping themselves in bandages?

What about those who blame others for not offering seats, while they are just sitting there themselves?

Who is there to judge who needs the seats more?

If Hongkongers really are too selfish like some people suggested and are not ready with the idea of offering seats, then what is the point of having the priority seats?

The main question here doesn’t seem to be a mere “to sit or not to sit”, I believe…

Temple Street in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Temple Street (廟街) in Hong Kong is also called Men’s Street because it is famous for its menswear?

The street has been there since 1880s. It is named “Temple” Street because of the Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple built there. Since the street was close to a square, it’s an ideal place for hawkers to do business. After many years of development, the government designated a “hawkers-allowed” area on the street so that the hawkers could continue their business without disturbing others. And thus the street becomes a famous cluster of roadside stalls selling cheap goods.

The goods there are not only cheap, but are also of great variety.

Be it clothes, handcrafted decoration, tea sets, jade, antiques, electronics and even adult toys…you name it, and you could (most likely) find it there. And you can always bargain for a better price if your budget is tight. Just threaten to leave if you don’t like the price, the shop owners would usually compromise on that.

You want to try your luck? There are traditional Mahjong houses there…though these places are not really for novices, and the people inside are…“not friendly”, to say the least. So, instead of trying your luck, you can have your luck read. There are fortune tellers who can read your fortune by decoding those mysterious poets and reading your palms. You may not understand what they are doing, and their reading may not even be accurate, but it sure is fun.

There were lion dance performances and people selling Chinese medicines in the past. While you probably can’t find that anymore, you may run into some Cantonese Opera troupes performing there if you are lucky. Don’t forget to tip them if you like their shows, ok?

And how can you not try out the food when you are in one of the places that represent Hong Kong the best? Other than those famous local street side snacks, you can also try the famous claypot rice, seafood and different kinds of noodles here. They are delicious and cheap, that’s all you need to know. Just leave the rest to your tongue and stomach.

Do you like Hong Kong movies? Just give this place a visit, and you will understand why lots of movies prefer using this street to symbolize Hong Kong’s culture.

Don’t worry, you won’t experience those gangster fights like you saw in the movies.

Stinky Tofu in Hong Kong

Do you know there is a street food in Hong Kong that stinks…literally?

Of course I am talking about stinky tofu. What else?

Stinky tofu is usually prepared by being put it inside brine made with fermented milk, vegetables and meat. While the full fermentation process can take up to months, stinky tofu sellers nowadays would simply have the tofu fermented a few days just to add the odor.

Technically speaking, stinky tofu is not a “Hong Kong” street food because it came from China (perhaps invented during Qing Dynasty?). And the way it is served varies from place to place. Some are served cold, some steamed and some stewed. In Taiwan, it is served with pickled vegetables. And in Hong Kong, we have it deep-fried.

Those who hate stinky tofu will tell you that it smells like rotten plants and sewage.

Those who like it (like me) will still tell you that the smell is strong…but at least I find it to be quite pleasant. So, let’s say you have overcome the fear and conquer that foul stench, you finally decide to put that smelly brick into your mouth. What do you think it will taste like?

The answer is…absolutely nothing. Sorry to disappoint you if you are expecting something extraordinary. But no matter how stinky it is and how greasy it looks from the outside, it’s still a piece of tofu on the inside. You will probably feel like you are chewing a piece of foamed plastic which is surprisingly tasteless. That is why the Hong Kong style stinky tofu is served with sweet sauce and chili sauce, though some stinky tofu lovers claimed that good stinky tofu should taste like sewage as well…I think I would pass on the “good” one…

Too bad you don’t find many snack stalls selling stinky tofu today. In the past, you are bound to find this delicacy if you visit those street food-filled areas, either sold by roadside food stalls or hawkers, and you really can smell it from a few streets away. But people nowadays are just weaklings who complain how stinky tofu takes away their right to breathe fresh air…Filthy stinky tofu haters.

Jokes aside, the government really has some tight regulations on selling stinky tofu, so your best bet on finding the snack would be places like Mong Kok and Temple Street.

…Have you been holding your breath the whole time?

Come on… If compared with those made in other places, stinky tofu in Hong Kong isn’t that stinky.

Now catch your breath before you faint.

SARS in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infected over 1700 and killed nearly 300 people during its 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong?

The disease was first discovered in mainland China in November 2002. However, the government did not report the case to WHO and Hong Kong until the situation got worse in February 2003. Later in that month, an infected medical professor from Guangzhou visited Hong Kong and stayed in the Metropole Hotel. This unfortunately caused the spread of the virus to Hong Kong, Toronto, Singapore and Vietnam.

The spread of the virus in Hong Kong is quick. All primary and secondary schools were closed for a month to prevent the virus spreading in the public; many tried to stay home and avoided going outside, making this busy city a ghost town; the Amoy Garden housing estate became one of the most disastrous area and over 200 residents had to be evacuated and isolated in holiday camps; over hundred frontline medical workers of the Prince of Wales Hospital had to be quarantined, some even lost their lives while fighting the disease…

I was still a student when these happened. Yes, it’s cool that we got an unexpected vacation, but even kids like me knew that the situation was grim and not many could truly feel excited about this. We watched the news only to see the numbers of infection were on the rise every day. And I would never forget the thrill of hearing residents right from my housing estate got infected every time…We still had to go to school a month later. While wearing face mask was a must, we also had to measure our body temperatures every morning to check if we had cold or any symptom of being infected.

It’s a relief to see the epidemic died down and no more case was reported since June. Our lives went back to normal after the sudden disappearance of SARS. It feels like nothing has happened over those few months.

Yet, can we really say that nothing has happened?

The death toll, the economic impact, the horror…The epidemic may have left without a trace, but definitely left us a scar that would never heal up.

MTR in Hong Kong

Do you know that the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) in Hong Kong is one of the most profitable metro systems in the world?

The first MTR line was opened in 1979 with the aim to solve traffic congestion problems brought by the economic growth of Hong Kong. The service of MTR started to get popular as it really helps commuting inside Hong Kong, so its network has expanded a lot over these years. There could be over 5 million MTR trips in an average weekday while the service can still achieve a 99.9% on-time rate. Such efficiency surely shocks the rest of the world (or so I heard).

After it merged with the KCRC (Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation) in 2007, MTR company takes up almost half of the market share of the franchised public transport market, becoming the oligopoly (if not a monopoly) of the Hong Kong public transport sector.

Since the introduction of the fare adjustment mechanism in 2009, the company promised to provide a fair and transparent way to control the ticket’s price. Basically they will adjust the price by judging the CPI and the nominal wage rate, in other words, “fare increases when there is inflation”.

The problem is Hong Kong has been experiencing inflation and the fares have been increasing for seven years, accumulating a total of 25% increase in the price! This, of course, makes the public angry. Yes, you can argue with the free economy theory and defend how a corporation has the right to maximize profit. However, there’s no way it is a “fair and transparent way to control the ticket price” when they don’t even take their performance and profit level into account. They are making over HK$10 billion a year and there are more delay and signal failure. Reasons like “to protect shareholders’ interests” and “to improve qualities of the services” aren’t going to cut it. And don’t get me start on those insulting fare concession / refund plans…3% discount? 10% off for the second trip on the same day? What do we look like? Beggars?

I guess I should just go to my workplace on foot.

It only takes, like, 6 hours or so…

Too bad there are only 24 hours a day.