Short Reads
Then & Now | When supermarkets stopped being for the English-speaking elite in Hong Kong
Hong Kong supermarkets have gone from places with dress codes and English-speaking staff that served the wealthy elite to the ubiquitous neighbourhood stores of today.
When an armed robber killed two security guards in Hong Kong jewellery raid
Two security guards were shot and killed in a struggle during an armed robbery at a jewellery store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1983.
Experience ‘balance and harmony’ in tea-pairing lunch, workshop in Hong Kong
Hungry and love tea? Try a lunch at Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong that pairs tea with French-Chinese cuisine – and attend a workshop to try a rare Puer tea valued at US$61,500 per brick.
He thought Chinese history was badly taught. So Hong Kong grandad wrote book
Through his book A Basic History of Ancient and Modern China, Hong Kong author Chui Chuen-shun aims to teach the millions of ethnically Chinese children in countries other than China about their roots.
When a death sentence was upheld for murder of Hong Kong triad leader’s boy
In 1988, a man killed the son of a triad leader in Hong Kong because he hated his father. A year later, he was convicted for the murder and sentenced to death. He lost his appeal to overturn it in 1990.
Language Matters | Where the word magazine comes from, and how its meaning evolved
Storehouse, weapons store, holder of gun cartridges, magazine meant several things before a publisher coined its usage to describe a periodical as a ‘magazine [of] the most remarkable pieces’.
Then & Now | How the mosquito net became ubiquitous in Hong Kong and across the tropics
Mosquitoes have long been a feature of life in Hong Kong and various methods have been devised to thwart the bloodthirsty pests, from kerosene in the drinking water to now-nostalgic nets.
Reflections | How, in China, chillis were the poor man’s salt before becoming prized
The world has got used to eating spicy food – witness Denmark’s recall of too-spicy instant noodles. To think that centuries ago chillis were unknown to most Chinese, used instead of salt by ethnic-minority cooks.
Star-studded Hong Kong film trailers in focus at exhibition
Coming to a Theatre Near You, at the Hong Kong Film Archive, presents 100 stand-out film trailers featuring stars including Chow Yun-fat, Bruce Lee, and shows how skilful editing grabbed viewers’ attention.
Then & Now | Portuguese cultural advocate in Hong Kong whose words fell on stony ground
Eduardo Brazão encouraged Hong Kong’s Portuguese community to better appreciate themselves, but his enthusiasm was not widely shared.
Home from Home | 2 years back in England, and still I think of Hong Kong every day
After 28 years renting in Hong Kong, moving to our own house in an English village felt great. The garden was a joy. But the novelty has worn off, and I miss what we left behind.
Reflections | Grandma movie gets me thinking about mine, and the ones who ruled China
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, a film portraying a young man’s relationship with his grandmother, gets Wee Kek Koon thinking of his own, and of China’s grandmother rulers.
Refugee Week Hong Kong events celebrate asylum seekers
Community and connection are the themes of Refugee Week Hong Kong, in which poetry readings, a film festival and other events will highlight the challenges faced by asylum seekers, and their creativity.
‘Lazy cow’: HSBC executive sued dance instructors for fees after 2004 insult
When a dance instructor insulted his pupil, wealthy bank executive Mimi Wong, in public in 2004, she took him and his partner to court to demand the return of US$8 million in prepaid fees.
Language Matters | The life of the poet whose death inspired the Dragon Boat Festival myth
In exile, poet and statesman Qu Yuan wrote what is regarded as the most innovative and influential work in the history of Chinese poetry. His death inspired the myth behind the Dragon Boat Festival.
Then & Now | When it came to racial labels, Asian people gave as good as they got
Racial terms historically directed at Europeans and Eurasians in Asia ran the gamut from ghosts and devils to cow stink and ‘three-quarters of a rupee’.
Reflections | Mass slaughter long predates Israel-Gaza war; look at Chinese history
Israeli forces show a cruel disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians in Gaza in their pursuit of Hamas fighters. Non-combatants are often slaughtered in war, as China’s history shows. Is it bloodlust?
Korean ceramic art masterclass in Hong Kong to get hands on with history
The traditional Korean ceramic art form buncheong will take centre stage in Hong Kong as an artist who is breathing life into the ancient craft shows his work and teaches technique in a 3-day workshop.
When Hong Kong opened its first methadone clinic – with a caveat
At the opening of Hong Kong’s first methadone detox facility at Violet Peel Clinic in Wan Chai, in 1976, officials warned it wasn’t a cure-all and called for more ways to combat drug addiction.
Then & Now | The Chinese families who forgot their mixed-race heritage
Chinese families that conceal ethnic difference, despite appearances to the contrary, have long caused the loss of their own heritage.