A Japanese anime with arresting visuals and an Italian film with a whole lot of dialogue! (Film reviews)

  

Moments before the beginning of a Hong Kong 

International Film Festival screening

 

The Last Blossom (Japan, 2025)

- Baku Kinoshita, director and co-scriptwriter (with Kazuya Konomoto)

- Voice actors: Kaoru Kobayashi, Junki Tozuka, Pierre Taki, Hikari Mitsushima, Yoshiko Miyazaki

- Part of the HKIFF's Animation Unlimited program  

 

For those people who still think that anime is just for children: check out The Last Blossom.  Okay, yes, it has a child character (Kensuke is voiced by 30-something-year old Natsuki Hanae) and even a talking flower (voiced by Pierre Taki).  But this truly is a mature dramatic work about an elderly, dying yakuza serving a life sentence looking back at his life and reflecting in particular on the phase of his life back in the 1980s when he lived with the love of his life, devoted single mother Nana. 

 

Such is the length of the time line of The Last Blossom's story that both lead character Minoru and Nana are voiced by not one but two people; with Kaoru Kobayashi supplying Minoru's younger voice, Junki Tozuka his older one, Hikari Mitsushima voicing Nana in the 1980s and Yoshiko Miyazaki in the 21st century.  Yet I must confess that I only realised this when looking at the film credits!

 

Meanwhile, the Housenka flower is voiced by only one actor despite it appearing in flashback scenes taking place in the 1980s (when it was growing in the garden of the house that Minoru, Nana (who he chose not to marry so as to ensure that she would be unsaddled with yazuka connections) and her son Kensuke lived) and as a potted plant in Minoru's prison cell that Minoru talks to in the early 21st century period.  (More than incidentally: the audience of The Last Romance is informed that young and dying humans can hear the Housenka flower's utterances.  Also, people who are seriously ill (who may recover rather than die).)  

 

Such fancifulness is the exception rather than the rule in this sombre, evenly paced film that poignantly details a long, deep love and what Minoru was willing to do for the woman he loved, and also the sacrifices that he made not only for her but also Kensuke -- who Nana had accused Minoru of not thought of as his son -- and his yakusa boss/"older brother".  But director Kinoshita also is to be credited for making sure there is beauty in what would otherwise be an overly sad work: visually, including via a hanami fireworks display one festive evening; and with music, notably via inspired use of the classic Stand By Me tune.    

 

Beautifully rendered throughout, The Last Blossom is visually impressive.  But what makes it a thoroughly as well as quietly absorbing watch is its touching story revolving around a taciturn yet very understandable main character -- filled with regret but also imbued with a stubborn belief that defeat can be turned into victory in the final stretch with just one great move -- that tugs at the heart.

 

My rating for this film: 8.0 

 

Year One (Italy, 1974) 

- Roberto Rossellini, director and co-scriptwriter (with Marcella Mariani and Luciano Scaffa)

- Starring: Luigi Vannucchi 

- Part of the HKIFF's Gala Presentation program 

 

This Roberto Rossellini film was the opening film of the inaugural Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1977.  I imagine that it was very well received since the 4K restoration of it was chosen to be screened at the 50th edition of the fest; and got a far better audience reaction than that at the screening I attended, which saw a few walkouts and also people dozing off midway through the movie!

 

Early on in this neorealist work, its main character, real life Italian politician-statesman Alcide De Gasperi -- a leader of the Christian Democracy party who served as the country's prime minister from December 1945 to August 1953, passing away just one year later -- states that he prefers dialogue to monologue.  If only that was so too for Roberto Rossellini, in whose film De Gasperi (as played by Luigi Vannucchi) talks and talks and talks... at great length, and mainly at, rather than to, other people in an efforts to preserve a fragile democracy and turn a country divided and in shambles into one that could offer more to its people!

 

Year One mainly consists of three type of scenes.  The type that features the most has De Gasperi speaking in whole paragraphs -- expounding really -- without much pause, mainly about weighty, political issues, and prompting me to idly wonder how the actor was able to do so without his mouth turning dry and his needing to drink some water!  The second type features a Greek chorus or so featuring either the chattering class idly chatting in what looks like a bar situation or fellow politicians in serious discussion over political moves by various figures. 

 

And then there's which this incredibly talky film opened with, and I wish there had been more of: scenes with far more action than dialogue, and which I honestly think conveyed so much more with images than all the words coming out of De Gasperi's mouth did.  Including a dramatic World War II bombing scene; another of the terrible aftermath of bombs hitting a village; another showing Rome under Nazi occupation; a fourth showing Rome in the ecstatic moments after its liberation by Allied forces; and a fifth of frenzied rival political campaigning in the first post-war years.

 

I am sure people who with greater knowledge of Alcide De Gasperi and Italy in general would get far more out of Year One than the likes of me.  But, look: I knew about as little about Ghost Elephants before watching Werner Herzog's film about the search of them or Lebanon before viewing Lana Daher's Do You Love Me; and yet found them far more to my liking!  Also, it's not often that I come out a movie thinking its story might have been better served as a book or even as a radio show.  Or, at the very least, that it really would have been more effective in communicating its entirely serious messages with far less talk, however impassioned, and more action!

 

My rating for the film: 5.0  

Two very different documentaries viewed at the 2026 Hong Kong International Film Festival (Film reviews)

  

Advertising for the 50th Hong Kong 

International Film Festival seen around town

 

Ghost Elephants (USA, 2025)

- Werner Herzog, director-scriptwriter 

- Part of the HKIFF's The Masters program 

 

Some years ago, I was talking to a film programmer about what films are fine to be viewed on a small screen and what needs to be seen on a big one.  At the time, I thought that documentaries and domestic dramas didn't lose as much when viewed on home video than blockbuster epics.  He begged to differ, stating that all films have are best seen on a big screen since that's where they were made to be screened by filmmakers.

 

Over the years, I came to his way of thinking.  And particularly appreciate it when I get to view a film on the truly big screen at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's 1,734-seater Grand Theatre -- as was the case with Werner Herzog's documentary about the epic journey undertaken in search of an elusive herd of elephants in Angola's hauntingly beautiful as well as ecologically very important Bié (aka Central) Plateau.

 

As is expected of a work by Herzog, Ghost Elephants is not a conventional documentary.  (Though having said this, as a friend noted, it is one of the veteran German auteur's more conventional offerings.)  This particularly so in his injecting and emphasising mystical elements -- by way of the San people (popularly referred to as "Bushmen") whose tracking skills can seem close to supernatural and also a local king's recounting of an ancestral legend involving an elephant that shed its skin -- to his documentation of what's effectively a scientific expedition led by zoologist-conservationist Dr Steve Boyes in search of what could well be currently the largest land animals on the planet and maybe even a previously undocumented elephant sub-species.

 

Something that can be endearing about Herzog is how so much seems to fascinate him.  In Ghost Elephants, it's not just the titular subjects but those who go in search of it, and the peoples of the foreign land that he encounters along the way.  And while the sight of the elephants are hard to ignore when they appear on screen, the Bié plateau along with other views of the African landscape are exquisitely filmed too, and come across as characters in their own right with parts to play in the story being told.

 

Speaking of story: along with the documentation of a magnificent scientific obsession (on the part of Steve Boyes) and the wonders of nature, Ghost Elephants also tell of humans' inhumanity in the treatment of Mother Nature; pointing out that casualties of Angola's so-called "civil war" included wildlife as well humans, and showing archival footage of a 1960s-era elephant hunt that involved shooting at them from a helicopter.  

 

Which has me thinking it's a curious, and lamentable, omission on Herzog's part that he didn't mention in the documentary that the Bié plateau was, as per the Wikipedia entry on it, "deeply affected by slavery, with estimates of as much as half the local population being enslaved in the mid-1800s".  Perhaps it will be the subject of a follow-up work from the filmmaker?  Though, to judge from what one sees in the film, the chances are higher that he will return to Africa to make a work focused on the San people, who he confessed out loud in Ghost Elephants to finding it hard to not over-romanticise!

 

My rating for the film: 7.0 

 

Do You Love Me (Lebanon-France-Germany, 2025) 

- Lana Daher, director and co-scriptwriter (along with Qutaiba Barhamji)

- Part of the HKIFF's Reality Bites program 

 

In the first few minutes of her documentary, Lebanese filmmaker Lana Daher explictly informs the audience of Do You Love Me that this work will not show events taking place in chronological order and that the effect may be disorientating -- but if so, it's on purpose.  What she didn't state in the work itself -- but I think should be clear by way of a look at the offering's title -- is that this also is a film that works best if the viewer engages with it emotionally as well as intellectually.

 

Clearly a labour of love by someone who loves Lebanon, Do You Love Me presents a history of a nation with no national archive by selecting from, and splicing, images and sounds from more than 20,000 hours of audiovisual footage spanning some 70 years.  Seven years in the making, this 75 minute work incorporates news and feature film clips, TV programmes, home videos, personal photographs in an initially dizzying and altogether ingenious way.

 

Through the eyes, ears and work of Lebanese people of various ethnicities, religions, ages and so on, we see the country's complexity, beauty, problems, horrors and humanity.  Viewers are treated to scenes of everyday life, scenes of violence, and even scenes of violence that, tragically, have become everyday.  (And yes, I am aware of what's happening to, and in, Lebanon currently.  Which makes it all the more important that Do You Love Me was made, and bittersweet to view.)

 

Like it does in the country of some 5 million people, Beirut -- where approximately half of the people live -- looms large in the film.  Director Daher does not hide that this city that's the 16th largest in the Arab world is socioculturally divided along religious lines but also shows both the Christian and Muslim sides, in joyous as well as unhappy scenes, and always with humanity.

 

Although it effectively begins with scenes of the sea, it's the sense of humanity that overwhelmingly courses through Do You Love Me.  Mesmerising and increasingly hypnotic, the choices of visuals and music are masterful.  And while I admittedly came away from this work still not knowing enough of Lebanon to love it, I must say that I do feel that I learnt enough to respect the people of Lebanon and feel that they deserve better, including more peaceful and good times than they are currently facing as well as have faced over the years and decades.  

 

My rating for this film: 8.0.    

Thinking about Hong Kong's political prisoners, and Glory to Hong Kong, on Midwinter Solstice

Sesame-filled glutinous rice balls in ginger sauce -- a dish

I ate last night but can imagine many people opting to eat tonight :)
 

It's the Winter (or Midwinter) Solstice today -- and many people are celebrating it with family and loved ones; with some shops closing earlier than usual to allow staff to do so and some restaurants not offering dinner service to enable their staff to have the evening off.  Which is why, I guess, my thoughts turn to the Hong Kongers in exile who are not able to do the same -- and, also, Hong Kong's political prisoners, of which there really are far too many for comfort; and with their numbers increased this week too.

 

Jimmy Lai was the Hong Kong political prisoner who dominated the news today -- thanks to the judges presiding over his national security law trial having upheld a sedition charge against him today following the defence’s argument that the charge was laid after a six-month statute of limitations had expired.  Sad but true: this was not exactly unexpected.  

 

As Samuel Bickett, who has had first hand experience of the brand of "justice" dished out by Esther Toh, one of the three judges presiding over Jimmy Lai's national security law trial, Tweeted: "In case anyone still had doubts—this is a pretty clear indicator of how the next few months of Jimmy Lai’s trial are going to go for the defense."  That is, there's not much that's going to be allowed to go the defence's way.

 

Jimmy Lai, for those who didn't realize, has now spent over 1,000 days behind bars -- the majority (if not all) in solitary confinement.   Another reminder: "Prolonged solitary confinement is a form of torture (according to the UN Mandela Rules)".  And yet that is what the former media mogul has been subjected to by the authorities here in Hong Kong.

 

Another Hong Kong political prisoner currently in solitary confinement is lawyer-activist Chow Hang-tung.  Incredibly, the apparent reason for her latest spell in isolation is that she had received "too many letters".  Yesterday also saw her latest application for bail ahead of her national security law trial being denied, with the judge saying that it's because it can't be guaranteed that she won't be a national security threat.  

 

A reminder: this is the Chow Hang-tung who's a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and recently awarded a human rights prize by the foreign ministries of France and Germany that "honours“civil society’s commitment to human dignity and the inalienable human rights of all people”". What kind of government would consider her a national security threat? I leave you to be the judge on that.

Yesterday also saw the addition of (at least) one more name to the shocking lengthy list of Hong Kong political prisoners. Marilyn Tang, the sister-in-law of jailed activist Lee Cheuk-yan, was given six months in prison for ‘perverting the course of justice’ after she pleaded guilty to removing electronic devices from her sister, Elizabeth Tang’s home following Lee Cheuk-yan's wife's arrest this past March under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

 

Here's the thing: Marilyn Tang did admit to having visited Elizabeth Tang's apartment and removed her sister’s phone and laptop, which was potential evidence. But the fact of the matter is that the police later found no evidence she had tampered with the devices, nor found anything incriminating on them. Yet she's been sent to prison -- for SIX MONTHS -- nonetheless!

Meanwhile, it feels like Hong Kong dodged a bullet earlier this week -- or, rather, to mix metaphors, kicked it a couple of months down the road to February 24th. I'm referring here to the Hong Kong government's appeal against a lower court's rejection of its proposed Glory to Hong Kong injunction that seeks to ban the dissemination of the 2019 protest anthem online, including via Youtube videos.

 

On Tuesday, the Appeals Court judges hearing the appeal decided they would need more time to hear the government’s arguments rather than make a judgement about it. From what was heard though, here's the government's case for the injunction in a nutshell appears to be that the song "amounted to a “weapon” for people to threaten the authorities".

 

Think about this for a minute (or more): this is a SONG we are talking about. But, then, the Hong Kong government has previous with regards to thinking that things most rational, sane people don't consider to be weapons to be so. Remember their saying this about umbrellas (starting from as far back as 2014)?  Also, remember the case of the female protestor arrested and convicted of assaulting a police officer with HER BREASTS?!

 

Back to the Glory to Hong Kong case: here's a reminder that the injunction application was rejected by High Court judge Anthony Chan in July   On Tuesday, "Acting as “a friend of the court” – someone who is not involved in a legal case, but who assists a court by offering information or insight – Senior Counsel Abraham Chan described the injunction pursued by the government as “unprecedented" and pointed out that "the song itself was not illegal, and there was no evidence that an injunction would help internet service providers remove the song if the publisher’s intent was unclear".  

 

"Chan also asked the court to consider provisions in the security law which stipulate that human rights and freedom must be protected."  One can but hope against hope that it does. And consequently reject the government's appeal come February 24th. Otherwise, I fear that yet another level of Pandora's Box will be opened; one that will lead to Youtube (and its parent company, Google) deciding to stop its services in Hong Kong -- something which it did in Mainland China years ago -- and, in the process, make it even more difficult for people here to stay connected to friends and family members living elsewhere in the world.

Band Four offers up much music, and love -- including for Hong Kong (Film review)

  

The poster for Band Four which 

features the Lion Rock on it

 

Band Four (Hong Kong, 2023)

- Mo Lai Yan-chi, director and scriptwriter

- Starring: Kay Tse, Teddy Robin Kwan, Anna HissbuR, Rondi Chan

 

More than 10 Hong Kong movies were screened at the 2023 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (which opened on October 13th).  Despite having local distributors with the connections to the fest's co-presenters, Band Four was not among the HKAFF's offerings.  This can be seen as a sign that the film was not considered fest worthy.  Coupled with its theatrical release date taking place in the first week that the fest was taking place, I think it got deprived of a good percentage of its potential audience!

 

For my part, I only turned my attention to this movie after the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival officially concluded (on November 12th).  By this time, Band Four had ended its run in one of the cinemas I usually like to go to -- but, fortunately, was still playing in some other venues around town.  I say "fortunately" because: yes, having finally done so, I genuinely am glad that I caught this cinematic offering that its co-producer (and leading man), Teddy Robin Kwan, revealed had been eight years in the making due to difficulties in finding investors willing to take a chance on a musical drama.    

 

Band Four stars Cantopop singer Kay Tse as Kat, a singer, composer, band leader and parental figure to a drums obsessed preteen named Riley (played by Rondi Chan).  Early on in the film, she loses her beloved mother to cancer.  And it's only after her funeral that her father, King (portrayed by entertainment veteran Teddy Robin Kwan), turns up -- late -- and with a step-sister (Matilda; played by indie music singer Anna HissbuR, making her film debut) that Kat didn't know that she had.           

 

Gradually, the story of the fractured family gets revealed; and involves King having abandoned Kat and her mother, his band, music, and Hong Kong years before -- and moved across the Hong Kong-Mainland China border for a life as a cook that didn't seem all that happy either.  Now he's back in Hong Kong though -- and also determined to be back in Kat's life.  And thanks to Kat never having changed the lock of their apartment, he's moved back in -- with Matilda in tow -- and over Kat's objection. (Riley seemed sanguine about it though!)

 

Family drama is just one thing that Kat has to deal with.  Another is her band falling apart.  And then's the matter hinted at early on: of her having inherited a certain delibitating disease from her mother.  Clearly, fortune has not smiled much on Kat.    

Still, she not only soldiers on but also has been blessed in certain ways: with a love of music and talent for making it.  And Riley, who shares her love of music and talent for making it in spades.  (Rondi Chan, another individual making his feature film debut, holds his own among the established likes of Kay Tse and Teddy Robin Kwan.  And Anna HissbuR is quietly charismatic in a role that is the least showy of Band Four's main quartet.)

 

Speaking of love: this is a movie whose makers clearly really f**king love Hong Kong (and clearly express it in the film's theme song, If You Don't Remember).  And while you don't have to be a lover of the local music scene to love Band Four, you'll not only be able to enjoy its musical component more but, also, the presence in its cast of such as record producer-singer-songwriter Hanjin Tan, singer-songwriter Manson Cheung (AKA Mansonvibes), theatre actor-composer-musician Chu Pak-him  and violinist Choi Tsz-ching if you do!

My rating for this film: 7.5

The English translation of the lyrics of If You Don't Remember (the theme song of Band Four)

 

Band Four's Facebook profile photo

 

Earlier this week, I viewed a Hong Kong movie entitled Band Four.  I liked it quite a bit and plan to write a review for it (and In Broad Daylight, another Hong Kong film currently playing in local cinemas) at some point in the near future.  

 

For now though, I'd like to draw your attention to the music video (available to view and listen to over on Youtube) of its theme song, If You Don't Remember (sung by Kay Tse), and its lyrics -- which I think will resonate for people who really f**king love Hong Kong; and whose English translation (by the film's English subtitlers, Joanna Lee and Ken Smith) I'm sharing here:  

This most beloved place, every inch is filled with memories.

The vibrant and the peaceful nights have left countless trails.

Your image that fills my eye shall etch into my memory.

You and I are here. Our song will play indefinitely.

As thinking halts, memory cannot help but fade.

Melody carries meaning.

Music pays tribute.

My mind will have a place.

This place will have a key.

Like a cryptic dialogue.

Even if all memories are lost,

Bits of you cannot be forgotten.

Even if beats are lost, harmonies will continue to resonate.

Traverse every road,

every coast, every daybreak.

Even for an insignificant speck in the crowd,

every second is wondrous. I will treasure the present.

My growing love for you shines like the sun and the moon.

Neon lights are vibrant. Nathan Road is splendid.

Sunrise in a wild country. Midnight in a bustling city.

Cherish every morning. Savour every tune.

Smiling wherever you go

is profound wisdom.

Checking out the Miss You Much Leslie and other film related exhibitions at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (Photo-essay)

It's been years since I visited the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.  After finally doing so earlier this week, I regret not having done so months earlier; this especially so since if I had done so just a little more than a month ago, I'd have been able to catch the Out of Thin Air: Hong Kong Film Art and Costumes special exhibition which ran for four months.  And having missed out on that, I was determined not to also miss out on viewing the Miss You Much Leslie special exhibition commemorating this year having been the 20th year of superstar singer-actor Leslie Cheung's passing (which is scheduled to end this upcoming Monday (October 9th).  

 

As it so happened, when I went to the museum, I found some nice surprises!  Firstly, entrance to the museum's currently free! (I recall it previously being HK$10 for general admissions and HK$25 for special exhibitions, like the one on Monet back in 2016 and that on the works of Studio Ghibli back in 2014.)  Secondly, I found that a number of the museum's other exhibitions have film connections too.  

 

For the record: they don't only include the special exhibition on Bruce Lee and the installation in the Jin Yong Gallery (which I had already seen on a previous visit) but also a special display on Kwan Tak-hing (which opened in May 2021) and the new Hong Kong Pop 60+   permanent exhibition on Hong Kong popular culture from 1945 to the early 2000s (which, as far as I could see, went up to at least 2018, since I saw clips in it from Still Human)...

Outside the Miss You Much Leslie exhibition space

 

Many of the costumes and photos in the exhibition got me

(fondly) recalling attending a Leslie Cheung concert

in Atlantic so many years ago now...

 

Really miss you much, Leslie :S

 

Before Leslie, there was Bruce Lee -- and yes, I must say 

I was surprised to see the colors used (t)here since

they are associated with Hong Kong pro-democracy protests

(along with Bruce Lee's famous "Be water" quote)!

 

And before Bruce Lee, there was 

martial artist-film star Kwan Tak-hing

 

Bruce Lee's image also is on the front of the Hong Kong Pop 60+

exhibition (and the exhibition also features Leslie Cheung content)

 

A display in the music section of the exhibition (Photography 

was not allowed for copyright reasons in the film section :( )

 

What with many Hong Kong entertainers dabbling in more than

one field though, the music section still had film connections

(E.g., that white gown was worn by superstar singer-actress 

Anita Mui, the subject of the 2021 Anita biopic)

When Typhoon Saola was still a T8 (Photo-essay)

As the Dinah Washington song which I first heard in Chungking Express goes: "What a difference a day makes."  When I went to bed last night, the T10 signal was in place in Hong Kong.  But Typhoon Saola has moved far away enough from the city that only a T1 signal is currently effect.

 

Actually, when I woke up this morning, the T10 signal had already downgraded to a T8.  And even though it stayed at T8 up until late in the afternoon, the weather was calm for much of today; with little wind and not that much rain encountered when I went out for a walk along the Victoria Harbourfront after having been cooped up for some 36 hours in my apartment, and the only signs that there was still a typhoon in the area being the darkened skies and clouds that looked menacing but actually weren't anymore!

 

Five years ago, I also had walked along the section of the Victoria Harbourfront -- and had seen more signs of destruction in the aftermath of Severe Typhoon Mangkhut's visit.  I guess it's as expected -- since, as the account known as Waterfront Runner pointed out over on Twitter, Saola was actually smaller (even while being more intense) than Mangkhut!

 

Even while the T8 signal was up, some boats had decided

the waters were calm enough to leave the typhoon shelter

 

Still, it also was the case that a number of boats

were content to remain anchored at the

Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter

 

Something I had previously noted in the aftermath of

Typhoon Mangkhut: there suddenly be a lot of dragonflies about!

 

And while I didn't see any boats sunk by the typhoon this time around,

I did spot typhoon damage on land such as this tilted over guard box!

 

A man bailing water out of his dinghy

 

Broken bits of decorative panels scattered a section 

of the path along the harbourfront

 

A helicopter coming into land in T8 conditions which

presumably had flown over from an Outlying Island

with a patient bound for a Hong Kong Island hospital

One of the tree casualities of the typhoon -- but, honestly, there 

really wasn't that much typhoon damage that I could see (and report)! :)

Artistic, food and music matters that are (negatively) affected by politics

A highly prized (and ultra delicious) portion of sushi

whose otoro came from Shiogama

Last week was the first week in a long while when I didn't blog (much) at all about politics and instead, waxed lyrical about an old Hong Kong movie, a supermoon and beautiful Hong Kong sunsets.  Sadly, the first blog post of this new week is going to address matters affected by politics -- though they pertain too to art, food and music: the kind of subjects that, ideally, (also) would bring happiness and satisfaction into one's life rather than anger and frustration.

 

The first of these involves a locale in London rather than Hong Kong.  But what's been happening over at Brick Lane in the past 48 hours or so brings to mind what happened to the Lennon Walls in Hong Kong: involving the destruction of creative spaces by pro-Beijingers, a reaction to it by those who appreciate and wish to exercise free speech and expression, the authorities (specifically the city council in the case of Brick Lane) stepping in -- and the creative process happening again (hopefully without further destruction at Brick Lane -- something that sadly has not been the case in Hong Kong).    

 

The second involves Hong Kong's stated plan to ban seafood from 10 different Japanese prefectures after water used for cooling the Fukushima nuclear power station is released into the sea near it.  More specifically, despite more than one person having pointed out that the Hong Kong government is being hypocritical in its complaint about the Fukushima wastewater (and Beijing's too for that matter), it has not indicated that it will change its stated plan of action.  

 

And since it now looks like the Fukushima nuclear station will begin begin releasing its wastewater as soon as the end of this month, it means that Hong Kongers will soon stop being to enjoy delicacies such as Miyagi oysters and tuna from Shiogama.  Also, if the ban is also on products that involve inland water in their production -- as might be the case since the 10 Japanese prefectures on the list include landlocked ones! -- maybe even sake and beer?!  Now that would really seem unscientific!  And for the record: a number of the listed prefectures (including Nagano, Niigata and Ibaraki) are home to highly regarded sake breweries (such as those which brew Wataribune and Masumi sake!) while Saitama is home to the famous Coedo beer!

Adding to this troubling trifecta is the not unexpected -- but still upsetting -- news that the Hong Kong government has launched a bid to appeal against the High Court’s rejection of its attempt to ban pro-democracy protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong.  This not even two weeks after the High Court rejected its application for an injunction to block the dissemination online of popular pro-democracy anthem, Glory to Hong Kong.

 

Over on Twitter (yes, I still don't think of it as X!), Ming Pao's Alvin Lum noted that "Leave to appeal from the same judge is required before matter heads to the Court of Appeal".  Things being the way they are in Hong Kong, I wouldn't be surprised if the judge gives that "leave to appeal" -- and for his decision to be overturned at the Court of Appeal.  But I also have been pleasantly surprised by some pushbacks along the way.  

 

So, well, hope springs eternal.  Or as the proverbial "they" say: Expect the worst but hope for the best (or, at least, some good to happen at least every once in a while -- because, well, if one doesn't do that, than one might just want to give up, on the fight, Hong Kong and even life itself)! :S

The Hong Kong government doesn't always get its way -- in Hong Kong, never mind other parts of the world!

  

Hong Kong in 2023: still really beautiful but also far more

repressive (and under surveillance) than many of us would like

 

Yesterday saw two interesting decisions made involving Hong Kong.  The first, made half a world away over in the U.S.A., involved that country's government announcing that it would not be extending an invitation to Hong Kong’s chief executive to visit San Francisco during November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.  As the report on this in The Guardian stated: "John Lee, Hong Kong's top official, was placed under US sanctions in 2020 because of his role in implementing what Washington deems a “draconian” national security law when he was the city’s security secretary."  

 

For those who need reminding: China imposed its national security law on Hong Kong on June 30th, 2020. And although John Lee only became Hong Kong's Chief Executive on July 1st, 2022, he was the Chief Secretary in Carrie Lam's administration (i.e., her deputy between June 25th, 2021 to April 7th, 2022) and Secretary for Security (between July 1st, 2017 and June 25th, 2021) prior to that.

 

Put another way: John Lee occupied a senior role in the Hong Kong government when what's sometimes referred to as "Hong Kong's second handover" occured and, also, in 2019, when Carrie Lam  attempted to introduce an extradition bill that led millions of people to take to the streets in protest for much of that year and into 2020 too. Oh, and before that, he was the chief of police -- and, in 2014, when the Umbrella Movement came into being thanks in no small part to the police firing tear gas onto unarmed Hong Kongers, Undersecretary for Security under Leung Chun-ying!

 

Back to The Guardian article:"In its 2020 designation of Lee, the US treasury department said he had been involved in the “coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning” of people in the Chinese autonomous city who had protested against the national security law.  A state department spokesperson said the participation of all delegations in Apec events will be “in accordance with US laws and regulations and on the basis of the spirit and principles” of the organisation."

 

And that's that -- or is it?  Because the Hong Kong government doesn't want to accept that decision; stating that "The US should “fulfil its duty as the host” and invite Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco"!  

 

Here's the thing though: the Hong Kong government doesn't always get what it wants.  Even in Hong Kong itself.  Witness the second interesting decision of note that was reached and announced yesterday -- involving the injunction it has sought to block the dissemination online of popular pro-democracy anthem, Glory to Hong Kong.  After delays (the first hearing date for this application was back on June 12th (of this year)) and a change in presiding judge (after the first one, Wilson Chan, got involved in a plagiarism scandal!), judge Anthony Chan ruled against the Hong Kong government in a landmark decision!

 

As noted in an AP article: "The development was a setback for Hong Kong leaders who are trying to crush a pro-democracy movement.  They have been embarrassed when Glory to Hong Kong — written during mass protests against the government in 2019 — was mistakenly played at international sporting events instead of China’s national anthem, March of the Volunteers."

 

This development and news was greeted with surprise and also relief by many, including those, like me, who feared that the granting of the injunction would push Google, and other internet platforms and companies to pull out of Hong Kong -- and, in so doing, cause the Great Firewall of China to encircle the territory.  To Eric Lai, visiting researcher of King’s College London’s School of Law, "[t]he ruling reflects that the court still wants to defend the integrity of the city’s legal system".

 

To be sure, there is a sense among many that the respite may only be temporary as, frankly, the Hong Kong government still has many weapons up its sleeve.  As the AP article goes on to note, "some analysts cautioned [that] the court’s decision on Friday does not mean that foreign tech giants can from now on let down their guard in Hong Kong, and said that political challenges surrounding their operations in the financial hub still linger."  

 

Some quotes from George Chen, former head of public policy for Greater China at Meta, sum up what lies ahead.  “Now the ball is back to the government but it doesn’t mean platforms can relax”.  Also: since "the city is now a “highly political place", Friday's development "may feel more like Season 1 of a long series”.   

 

So it'd be good for people who care about what's happening to and in Hong Kong (if not for itself, then for what it portends for the rest of the world) to stay tuned rather than tune out, thinking it's all over!  All in all, I think it worth pointing out that the Hong Kong story actually is far from over and, also, is not always as predictable as some people are too inclined to think it is!