Papier Mache Offerings in Hong Kong

Do you know that the papier-mache offering (紙紮品) industry used to be prosperous in Hong Kong during 1940s – 1980s?

In case you don’t know what I am talking about, papier-mache offerings are offerings that used and burned in Chinese culture for sacred or festive purposes. Yes, burn. In the sense of “burning with fire”. Because for some reason, we believe that the deceased and the spirits will receive things we burn to them (hopefully excluding the trash we burn in incinerators). So, whenever festivals like Ching Ming Festival and Yue Lan Festival come, there will be lots of burning in Hong Kong.

The paper offerings are not just bunches of colored papers, they come in many shapes and forms. While we used to have ghost money made with rice and metallic papers only, try visiting those papier-mache offering shops nowadays, and you will be amazed by the amount you get to choose from: clothes, money, sport cars, houses, LCD television, smart phones, barbecued food and even dolls representing servants…Everything made with papers, with finely-made details as well. You can even order something really peculiar. Say, when the famous Hong Kong singer, Anita Mui, passed away, her apprentices burned a paper-made replica stage for her so that “she could keep performing even in the otherworld”.

And papier-maches are not only for the deceased, there are those used for other occasions, like the fai chun decoration we have during Lunar New Year that aims to bring good luck and the paper lantern kids like to play with during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

So next time, when you see Hongkongers burning the offerings, you know that it’s not about the paper money, it’s about sending a message: tradition has to live on.

Junk Boat in Hong Kong

Do you know that the logo of the Hong Kong Tourism Board is a junk boat?

Er…yeah, you can see it clearly…Sorry for the stupid question.

But there is a good reason behind the use, you know?

Hong Kong has always been described as a place where the East meets the West, and junk boat would be a great choice to represent the eastern element. Junk boat, which was once called Chinese vessel, has its early form developed back in the Han Dynasty (around 206BC – 220AD). Having been used for transport, trading and even wars for millenniums, junk boat has a really rich historical value, and is probably the first thing comes to your mind when words like “Oriental”, “ancient” and “sea” show up.

When Hong Kong was still a fishing port, you could found lots of them along Hong Kong’s harbor. So, to foreigners who came from the overseas, “junk boat” would be the first impression they have about this city. While Hong Kong is no longer a fishing village, you can still find the famous yet nostalgic junk boats floating innocently on the Victoria Harbor, surrounded by modern skyscrapers, like a hundred year old child who would never grow old witnessing the changes of history and the flow of time…Poetic, isn’t it?

And if you are a tourist, you get to board the junk boat and have a little ride along the Victoria Harbor (…for a fee, because someone HAS to feed the tourism industry in Hong Kong). There is no tour guide on the boat, so you may be a bit confused about where you are going or what you are actually looking at. But, think of it as your private time that no one can interrupt: sitting on the classic-looking junk boat, gazing at those nameless city buildings, feeling the breeze which slips past you, smelling the sea, enjoying yourself in this peaceful silent and experiencing how you stand on the borderline between civilization and nature…

Too bad Hongkongers AREN’T ALLOWED to take that junk boat ride, as it’s only for tourists…

Why are we prohibited from riding our own boat? I call that discrimination.

Old Fashioned Toys in Hong Kong

Do you know that Hong Kong was once one of the largest toy exporters in the world?

Hong Kong was just a small dot on the map and probably 99% of the world had never heard of its name. Toys stamped with “Made in Hong Kong” were automatically rejected when Hong Kong first entered the global toy industry.

However, its low-cost yet high-quality toys caught the eyes of international brands; the once appalling “Made in Hong Kong” brand became a guarantee of quality. That was the time overseas companies start their toy production in this small city and the local manufacturers fought to build their own empires.

Tin robots, rubber ducks, paper dressing dolls, battery-operated cars…Some locally manufactured, some imported…

As old fashioned as they may be, the footprints they left on the trail of history would never fade.

That makes you want to meet these “childhood friends” (spelled as “T-O-Y-S”) once again?

Then you have come to the right place. Tai Yuen Street in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island is THE place for childhood seekers like you. You will not only find shops selling old fashioned toys there, but also toys collectors and figurine enthusiasts. Remember the day you only had limited pocket money, and you had to struggle for which toy to buy; but you still couldn’t decide in the end so you could only stare at all the toys you want with that pairs of innocent puppy eyes? Now you can buy them all! Actually, simply seeing the stock would be more than enough to bring that dead child inside you back to life!

Or you can visit the Hong Kong Museum of History and take a look at the great variety of toys that used to be sold in Hong Kong. You will definitely will awe-struck by their unbelievably high quality and astonishing numbers. The only downside is that, no, you can’t play with them, sorry.

Now I want to dig out my transformable and combinable robots I love so much when I was a kid. Oh, and the toy train as well…and that dinosaur plush doll…and, and…

Wait…

My mum threw them away many years ago, didn’t she?

…I hate you mum. *sob*

Organ Donation in Hong Kong

Do you know that in 2008, the Hong Kong Government has established the Centralised Organ Donation Register to make it more convenient for Hongkongers to donate organs after their deaths?

Sadly, there are only around 200,000 Hongkongers registered under the scheme, which is only about 2% population of Hong Kong, and the donation rate is one of the lowest in the world. What’s weird is that, a survey shows that over 90% of interviewees actually agree to donate organ after death. So…where have these potential donators gone?

Lots of people said they didn’t know how to register or were afraid that their families wouldn’t support them. And some researchers suggested that the low donation rate results from traditional beliefs and misconception, while some others researchers urged the government to put more effort in promoting organ donation.

I am not on the stance to criticize, since I am not a registered organ donor either…

Traditional beliefs tell us that death is something serious and should not be taken lightly. This kind of thinking is not wrong, the problem is people (probably including me) seems to have taken it too seriously. They think it is an “undignified death” if we could not even have our whole body preserved / in one piece. That is probably why people are so refused to donate “part of their bodies” to the others.

I don’t care about this dignified death thing, but somehow…this feels so morbid to me.

I mean…registration making sure something will happen to you…after your death…

Yes, I know that doesn’t even sound logical, but it still gives me some shudder…

Maybe I should consider registering one day once I can overcome this irrational fear.

Hey, yeah, you there, don’t be like me, ok?

Lots of people out there need your (our) help, so make sure you (we) give them a chance they deserve!

*Run away as a hypocrite*

Airplane Olive in Hong Kong

Do you know that there is a snack in Hong Kong that can fly?

“That’s impossible. It’s not like it is airplane”, you say?

Oh…but it IS airplane!

Have you ever heard of “Airplane Olive”?

Airplane Olive (飛機欖) is a kind of preserve snack originated from Guangzhou, and is also called “licorice olive”. It is olive marinated with licorices (duh), dried citrus peel, cinnamon, lilac, peppermint, salt and sugar, making it sweet while being slightly sour. During 1950s – 1970s, Airplane Olive vendor would usually carry them in an olive-shape container (which looks like a bomb to me) and shout on the street to look for customers.

“But you said it can fly?”

I did, and I am not kidding. Mr. Kwok Kam Kei (郭鑒基), nicknamed “Father of Airplane Olive”, thought of a really interesting way to deliver the olives. You know that during that time, buildings in Hong Kong were usually just a few storeys tall? So, how did he hand the olives to customers lived upstairs?

Yep, you guessed it. He threw the olives to the people and the people would throw the money back at him! The olives reached the customers as if they “flew” into their house! Some customers recalled that if thrown right, the olives can even reach 13^th floor! Imagine the scene…

Too bad you can’t see this now…I don’t think the police will let you go, and no way can the olives reach the customers who live on 32th floor…

But, hey, you can still buy the olives from the snack shops. And I heard that it helps if you have sore throat or serious phlegm problem. Wanna give it a try?

Mental Health in Hong Kong

Do you know that according to a survey done on 2,500 Hongkongers, around 15% of them have some significant neurotic symptoms?

Now try to apply the figure to this 7-million-people city…

Lots of Hongkongers don’t really understand what mental disorder is. When they heard of the word “mental”, they automatically think it has something related to schizophrenia, being violent and untreatable. Even if they can tell and they are suffering from it, they will still leave it alone because they are too scared and embarrassed to look for medical help.

The result? According to a survey done by Mental Health Association of Hong Kong in 2014, half of the interviewees felt “having poor mental health” and 10% of them even thought of suicide.

And as if the situation is not bad enough, the city is severely lacking working psychiatrist, with only around 350 (in June 2016). So we are talking about a patient-doctor ratio of, on average, 4.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, which is way lower than the median (8.9 psychiatrists per 100,000 people) for high income regions / countries suggested by a WHO survey.

Of course Hongkongers can also opt for private psychologists…if they can afford it. A one-hour consultation from these experts could cost HK$1,200 to HK$2,000 (around US$154 to US$256) and is not covered in insurance. Who would spend that amount of money for mental reasons when paying HK$200 for some cold medicine is already deemed costly by many in this city?

This explains why the private sector handles only 10% of the patients…

The conclusion, from all these datum and numbers, is that Hongkongers are on verge on mental breakdowns and alleviation of the problem does not seem feasible.

One day, they may lose it and go to choke everyone they see.

So please do not scare them, touch them, feed them or take picture of them.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Golden Computer Center in Hong Kong

Do you know that Golden Computer Center of Hong Kong was once infamous for selling counterfeit software?

Well, not anymore (…probably?). Now it is considered as one of the best place to buy computer parts in Hong Kong. And I heard it is also famous among the foreigners.

OK, some clarifications first. There is actually a Golden Computer Center AND a Golden Computer Arcade. They have similar names and they locate inside the same building, so lots of people (like me) tend to mix them up. The Golden Computer Center is the one on the 1^st floor, mainly selling computers, laptops, peripherals and software.

The Golden Computer Arcade is the one on the ground floor, and was originally a floor for boutiques. Since the center above got famous, the arcade started selling related products as well, together with other electronics and video games.

The reason this place is famous for buying computer parts is that…yeah, you guessed it: they are cheap. I am not good with these prices, so I can’t tell you how cheap they exactly are. But of course they would be cheaper than those you can find in the big electronics chains…

Anyway, it’s still a heaven for those who know the prices and know how to build a personal computer. However, since the products sold there usually lack warranty, after-sale services are not guaranteed and the shop owners could be pretty “dishonest” sometimes…It may not be that heavenly to computer laymen (like me again), I guess.

Imagine after travelling through the maze-like and narrow mall corridors, you could finally spot the part you want from the packed display shelves.

You called the shop keeper only to find that he could not speak much English. You, a frustrated yet determined foreign customer, decided to utilize every body language you could think of and show him how firm you stand on the price you offered.

After a lengthy and torturing bargain, the shop keeper finally admitted defeat. You satisfyingly handed him the money, and he, unwillingly, handed you the part you fought for.

…If this scenario does not scare you, then definitely give the place a visit.