Being uplifted by reminders of how wonderful Hong Kong is by way of a hike from Shui Long Wo to Sham Chung (Photo-essay)

More political oppression (e.g., threats to disqualify elected pro-democracy district councillors, guilty verdicts and prison sentences looming for pro-democracy figures like 82-year-old Martin Lee, 73-year old Margaret Ng along with fellow 73-year-old Jimmy Lai) is in the air again in Hong Kong. But spending hour upon hour doom-scrolling in my apartment (and getting agitated about such as the ridiculousness of the recently announced Hong Kong Annual Budget) is not going to help those being persecuted as well as me.

 

So off I went into the Hong Kong countryside once more to remind myself that the Big Lychee is a beautiful place and that I really f**king love it. And, honestly, when you get off the bus near a trailhead and pretty much almost immediately feel nature's embrace, one's spirit does quickly lift.  Call it living in the moment. Credit "forest bathing". But a hike out in the Hong Kong countryside really does do wonders for my psychological health -- and presumably also is beneficial for my physical well-being...

 

The view to be had a stone's throw away from 

the bus stop at Shui Long Wo

 

Floating fish farms in Three Fathoms Cove (Kei Ling Ha Hoi)

 

A reminder that this was a Chinese New Year hike :)

 

A view that takes in mangroves by the water's edge

as well as the surrounding green hills

 

Click on the above image for a panoramic view of sand, blue water,

blue-greenish hills and mountains, and a beautifully bright blue sky!

 

It never ceases to amaze me that one can round a corner in 

Hong Kong and suddenly enter an idyllic space like Sham Chung :) 

 

Another panoramic view to be had -- this one of the idyllic

spot that is Sham Chung

 

Rather than hike out of there, the friend I was with 

and I made sure to time our excursion so that we'd 

be able to catch the infrequent kaito from the nearby pier :)

The Way We Keep Dancing shows what Hong Kongers want to keep being (Film review)

 

Poster for the first film I saw in a cinema in 2021

 

The Way We Keep Dancing (Hong Kong, 2020)

- Adam Wong, director and scriptwriter

- Starring: Cherry Ngan, Heyo Fok, Babyjohn Choi, Lokman Yeung, Lydia Lau

 

Back in 2013, director-scriptwriter Adam Wong scored the biggest hit of his career to date with The Way We Dance, a dance-infused coming-of-age romantic drama that also made stars out of leads Cherry Ngan and Babyjohn Choi.  Now this trio have reunited with some other cast and crew members from that film for another hip hop-heavy offering whose English title clearly alludes to the earlier movie (and whose Chinese title (狂舞派3) makes the connection even more explicit). 

 

A sign of the whimsy that pervades this project though is that, while there was indeed a 狂舞派 (i.e., The Way We Dance), there actually never was a 狂舞派2.  But because Adam Wong believes that sequels tend to disappoint, he decided to just go straight from 1 to 3 with regards to the films' titles!  By a similar token, even while The Way We Keep Dancing makes use of the conceit that certain of the movie's characters had actually starred in The Way We Dance, this film -- which seeks to address real world issues rather than just regular movie ones -- is actually a fictional feature rather than a documentary.  

 

Should all this sound too confusing or complicated, just know this: Cherry Ngan's character in The Way We Keep Dancing is named Hana (not Cherry Ngan or, for that matter, Fleur -- the name of the character she played in The Way We Dance).  An up-and-coming artiste in the Hong Kong entertainment world, she looks to have a brighter future than her friends (including boyfriend Dave (Lokman Yeung) and Milk Tea (Lydia Lau)) but envies their being better dancers in real life than her.  And although her agent reckons she ought to separate herself from her "gang", Hana tries to help them out professionally by getting them involved with the projects she gets hired to front: be it a commercial for a consumer product or what amounts to putting the gloss in the gentrification of their home area -- called the Kowloon Industrial District in the film (but recognizably real life Kwun Tong). 

 

Fairly naive and soft-hearted, Hana lacks the out-and-out business focus and drive of Leung (Babyjohn Choi), a well-known Youtuber who some of his peers are inclined to look upon as being insincere to his friends as well as his art, even while also lacking the artistic edge and idealism of rapper Heyo (played by his namesake, Heyo Fok).  And, at one level, The Way We Keep Dancing centers on the push-pull that she feels -- and the audience through her -- between the imperative to make money, and be true to oneself and one's art.     

If truth be told, there's really not much doubt as to which side Hana and her friends will end up; and this even without factoring in the peer pressure and communal hostility that ensues after it is realized that the "Dance Street" promotion that Hana and Co. got involved in was being used to mask the destruction of their neighborhood by developers that Hong Kongers will see much resemblance to real-life villains such as the quasi-government Urban Renewal Authority.  Consequently, the film's soul-searching scenes lack a genuine sense of tension and certain of these sections of the movie can feel overly lengthy as well as indulgent.  

 

At the same time though, it's clear enough that Adam Wong has a lot that he wants to say and make a stand about.  And Heyo's rap numbers actually are worth listening to -- not only for the hypnotic rhythms and sounds but also the sincere substantive content; with the climactic rap number being particularly powerful and emotionally cathartic.  (On a film note: he may not have top billing but Heyo Fok is the (break-out) star of this show.)  

 

At a time when Hong Kongers feel so much pressure to "face reality" and give up on many of their beliefs and goals, it is admirable to see a Hong Kong film that trumpets people's determination to hold on to their ideals and principles.  Something else that I appreciate is how much love for the local community flows through The Way We Keep Dancing.  Those who don't know Hong Kong may not believe that a movie centering around a community of hip hop artistes can be very Hong Kong.  But those who do will know this is so when taking in this film that also would be well named if it was entitled "The Way We Want to Keep Being".    

 

My rating for this film: 8.0

The sun's setting quickly on RTHK, and Hong Kong's press freedoms in general

  

Sunset in Hong Kong

 

Even if nothing else, it's quite the dramatic sight

 

There's a Hong Kong blog I've been reading for some years now called Big Lychee, Various Sectors.  Early on, I reckoned the blogger behind it was being overly cynical in subtitling it: "Watching the sun set, little by little, on Asia's greatest city – with a dash of Hemlock".  But these days, the "watching the sun set... on Asia's greatest city" rings way too true and one wonders how soon it will be before Hong Kong ceases to be a place that that blogger and I hold in high regard.  

 

The latest blow to Hong Kong comes by way of the government's trumpeting yesterday that Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is going to be "reformed".  To be sure, the public broadcaster has been under siege for some time now.  This should be apparent from the treatment meted out to RTHK reporter Nabela Qoser and program producer Bao Choy alone.  But things really hit home yesterday with the announcement of the replacement of its head, veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing, with career bureaucrat Patrick Li Pak-chuen. 

 

It seems that even his shouldering responsibility for scrapping RTHK's relay of the BBC World Service and pull a weekly Chinese-language BBC programme was not enough to save Leung's head from going on the chopping block six months before his present contract was due to expire.  (RTHK pulling the plug on its BBC broadcasts following China banning the British public broadcaster's broadcasts in Mainland China on the eve of Chinese New Year was seen as shocking and worrying since Hong Kong supposedly has a high degree of autonomy if one were to believe that "One country, two systems" is still in place.)  

 

And for those who wonder how long more RTHK can retain the editorial independence that its charter officially guarantees: it's very much worth noting that, as far as Programme Staff Union is concerned, that already may have been lost yesterday.  

I know Hong Kongers upset by HSBC and Cathay Pacific kowtowing to the authorities by doing such as freezing the bank accounts of pro-democracy organizations and individuals (HSBC) and sacking "yellow" staff (Cathay Pacific). And it hurt me so much that the MTR began collaborating with the police (in prematurely stopping service to key stations before -- not just after -- approved protest marches, ferrying riot police from station to station, closing stations to let riot police rest inside them, and allowing riot police to attack people inside the stations, etc.).

I also have been upset by seeing supposedly neutral press increasingly toeing the government line along with the attacks on openly pro-democracy media (the latter physically during protests but in other ways as well in the past year or so). And what is happening to RTHK is especially horrific because it is both of them combined: the destruction of a respected, even beloved, Hong Kong institution; and the further emasculation of Hong Kong's press freedoms.

 

For the record (and quoting from the Reuters piece re RTHK):-

The only independent, publicly funded media outlet on Chinese soil, Radio Television Hong Kong was founded in 1928 and is sometimes compared to the British Broadcasting Corporation. Its charter guarantees it editorial independence.

It angered Hong Kong’s government, the police, and Beijing with its coverage of 2019 anti-government protests that shook the Asian financial hub, including several investigations that sparked widespread criticism of authorities...

Something else also worth noting: "Hong Kong’s ranking fell to 80 in the global press freedom index of Reporters Without Borders in 2020, from 18 in 2002 (just one position below the USA). China ranks 177th."  So yes, it has far to fall before it gets to the level of (Mainland) China.  But, truth be told, it's already fallen far further from grace than many of us are comfortable with.

Who'd want to be in Jimmy Lai's shoes, and be Carrie Lai, period?

How long more will Apple Daily be a part of the 

Hong Kong (media) scene?

 

I fear that soon, this pro-democracy newspaper will be 

no more (and not because it's sold out either) :(

It's been a terrible past few days for Jimmy Lai.  This past Tuesday saw him appear in court together with eight other pro-democracy figures charged with having organized and/or taken part in an "illegal assembly" back on August 18th, 2019.  Scheduled to run through to March, the trial continued into yesterday; during which the defence encountered a setback after the presiding judge announced that she was refusing to admit a report prepared by British policing expert Clifford Stott as evidence for the defendants and also was refusing to entertain the defence’s application to summon the social psychology scholar to testify in court via videoconferencing.    

 

That same day, the media mogul was arrested once more under the security law and charged along with a 29-year-old paralegal, Chan Tze-wah, who worked for him: this time for their alleged involvement in assisting activist Andy Li in his bid to escape to Taiwan in August last year (which, tragically, was unsuccessful).  I feel for Chan Tze-wah but I really feel for Jimmy Lai; this not least because the number of charges levelled against him really have hit dizzying levels.    

 

More and more, it seems that the powers that be (be it in Hong Kong or over in Beijing, or both) have a personal vendetta against Hong Kong's most -- and only -- openly pro-democracy tycoon.  And one is moved to wonder if the likes of Jimmy Lai (age 73 years) and Joshua Wong (age 24 years) are ever going to be able to get out of prison in their lifetime -- what with so many charges having been slapped against them to date. 

 

Add to this the not insignificant matter of the self-made billionaire already having spent quite a bit of time behind bars despite not actually having been found guilty (thus far) of any crimes for which he has been charged and his situation really does feel particularly unfair.  Speaking of which: he was denied bail once again today for his first national security law charge; with one lawyer on Twitter speaking for many with his statement that "If Jimmy Lai can't satisfy an NSL judge to grant bail, then nobody ever will. Simple as that."

The long-time pro-democracy advocate is on the record as stating that: "Even with handcuffs, I feel at peace" and that he is willing to sacrifice for Hong Kong.  Hailing originally from Mainland China, Jimmy Lai undoubtedly knew the kind and amount of pressure and oppression the authorities can exert on an individual.  Even so, knowing is one thing and experiencing another -- and watching it all happen to a loved one is something else altogether.  There are reports that his family and friends burst into tears as he signalled his love for them as he was escorted out of court this afternoon.  Who can blame them for being upset by the injustice along with his sacrifice?  

On a more positive note: Hong Kong recorded single digit daily Wuhan coronavirus figures once again today and its coronavirus vaccine innoculation drive is set to begin before the end of this month.  More re the latter: following the news that the government has decided to go ahead and approve the Sinovac vaccine, Carrie Lam went on the record that this will be the one that she personally is going for.  

 

She undoubtedly stated this to try to boost public confidence in the Mainland Chinese vaccine whose efficacy stats have left some people doubting whether it's worth taking.  Here's the thing though: she really ought to boost public confidence in her first!  We are talking, after all, about Hong Kong's most unpopular Chief Executive ever by a long chalk: whose current "no confidence" rating stands at 70% and net approval at -52%!  (Note: I'm not insulting her -- something the government is reportedly seeking to make illegal! -- here; merely stating the facts!)       

Can't keep the worries away on the fifth day of Chinese New Year :(

 

That time of the year to spot these seasonal flowers

 

I hope to be able to see Chinese New Year flowers 

in Hong Kong next year too...

 

It's just the fifth day of Chinese New Year and I wish I could hold on to the holiday mood for a little while longer.  But although this festive period traditionally lasts for 15 days, there are too many reasons to not feel super cheery in Hong Kong once more.

 

To be sure, the lockdowns that were put on hold over the festive period have not resumed (at least not tonight).  Also, Hong Kong has now seen two consecutive days of single digit new Wuhan coronavirus cases (of 8 (two of which are imported) today and 9 (five of them imported) yesterday) -- and confirmation that a number of social distancing measures will be eased or lifted starting from Thursday.

 

But there are people who fear that this decision is premature; this especially since the recent low reported new numbers may be due in part to private clinics being closed during the first few days of the Lunar New Year and local people generally being reluctant to go see a doctor during this period, and there observably has been quite a bit of family and other get-togethers taking place over the holidays.  (With regards to the last: I definitely did see large groups out hiking together in the past few days and also could hear lots of people visiting the homes of some of my neighbors too.)

 

Other sources of worries for Hong Kongers include the distrusted healthcode tracing app (which many people in Hong Kong still have not downloaded or have bought new SIM cards and burner phones for), the rushed emergency approval of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine (that saw Sinovac -- whose reported efficacy has been worryingly low -- being exempted from having to publish clinical data in medical journals) and -- yes, now we're getting to strictly political territory -- a proposed amendment to the Immigration Ordinance that would give “apparently unfettered power” to the immigration director to stop anyone from leaving Hong Kong.  

 

Oh, and the trial of nine of the fifteen pro-democracy figures arrested back in April last year (including now 82-year-old Martin Lee, Margaret Ng and Jimmy Lai) began today.  In the prelude to it, there was quite the hoo-ha over the appointment of a British QC -- so much so that David Perry eventually bowed to international outrage and changed his mind about taking the government's case.  But while there appeared to be less focus on who the presiding judge would be, the discovery today that it is Amanda Woodcock will surely have caused some worries since: her track record with regards to cases involving protestors (see examples here and here)  is not encouraging; and it also is worth noting that she is a designated National Security Judge.        

 

One wonders if the identity of the presiding judge played some factor in Au Nok-hin having chosen to pleaded guilty of the charges of organising and participating in an unauthorized assembly on August 18th, 2019, and Leung Yiu-chung opting to plead guilty to taking part in the protest that was supposed to take place in Victoria Park but spilled over into the streets because it attracted far more people (an estimated 1.7 million) than the stated venue had a capacity for (despite the weather that day being not at all ideal).  At the same time, it is worth noting that the other seven defendants indeed maintain their innocence; with Lee Cheuk-yan and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung further making clear that they consider their prosecution to be political persecution since peaceful assembly should not be considered a crime.     

 

Adding to Hong Kongers' worries: the sense that the space for freedom of expression is shrinking fast. In her Al-Jazeera piece, journalist-educator Yuen Chan reported the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Lokman Tsui worrying "about the future of the free internet in Hong Kong. “The [National Security Law] has been used and abused offline to silence dissent,” he says, “and the fear is that the NSL will now be used to silence speech online too.”"

 

She goes on to state the following: "This would deal a serious blow to a city that has been watching its freedoms erode at a frightening pace. For Chris Yeung, the chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the free internet, freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary, are the “ultimate test” of Hong Kong’s survival as a city that is still recognisable as Hong Kong."  And left unsaid but very much in the air is the worry that, in the not too distant future, Hong Kong will indeed no longer be recognizably the city many of us know and have loved.  :(       

Loving Hong Kong on Valentine's Day, the first day of Chinese New Year and when out hiking! (Photo-essay)

This Valentine's Day post is dedicated to the great love of my life: Hong Kong.  As I've told many a friend: every other place in the world I went to live in, it was for school or work.  Hong Kong is the one place in the world where I decided I wanted to move to and then did what was necessary (e.g., find a job) that would allow me to do so.   

 

Something else I've shared with many a friend is that I fell in love with Hong Kong via Hong Kong movies but, after moving to the Big Lychee, I got to loving Hong Kong even more by way of exploring the territory by hiking in its countryside as well as walking about in the city.  And going on a hike was what I spent the afternoon of the 1st day of Chinese New Year.  

 

More specifically, I went back along the High Junk Peak Country Trail with a friend in on what was a close to perfect day weather-wise: i.e., the sun was shining, the sky bright blue, the temperatures temperate (sweatshirt needed in the shade; t-shirt okay enough in the sunshine), and the air refreshing. And, as the following photos should show, the day also was blessed with beautifully high visibility... :)

 

Way bluer skies and higher visibility than the first time

I hiked the High Junk Peak Country Trail more than 10 years ago

 

Looking westwards to Tseung Kwan O and far beyond

 

A part of Hong Kong I've yet to set foot on but would love

to at some point: the Ninepin Island Group

 

I remembered the trail pretty well but forgot that

there's a section in the middle where one walks down

several meters before ascending to higher ground again!

 

It would be criminal to go up Tin Ha Shan without pausing 

every once in a while to look back and drink in the views :)

 

The views to be had from atop Tin Ha Shan aren't half bad either

(and include sightings of Tung Lung Chau)!

 

Yet another plateau I love in Hong Kong: that of Tin Ha Shan's

 

If the descent down it was less hairy (and yes, descents often 

freak me out more than ascents), I'd visit Tin Ha Shan more often! ;S

Venting away on the eve of the lunar new year of the cow (or ox)!

 

May yellow turn to gold in the year of the cow (or ox)! :b

 

Not too long from now, it'll be a new lunar year; with that of the cow (or ox) replacing that of the rat (or mouse).  It would be great if the new lunar year brings better tidings for Hong Kong and the world at large.  I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this past year has been pretty awful -- with billions of people having to deal not only with a previously unknown coronavirus but also major political problems.

 

Since one isn't supposed to start of a new year with gripes and pessimism, let me go ahead and vent in the short time that's left before the lunar new year (celebrated by ethnic Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Koreans, etc.) comes along.  (Of course, I should be further cleaning up my apartment but, truly, I've spent quite a bit of time doing that already today!)  So, without further ado:-  

 

Hong Kong reported 21 new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus today.   It's four more than the 17 new cases reported yesterday but Carrie Lam promised two days ago that there won't be any ambush lockdowns, or "restriction-testing declarations" on the eve of the Lunar New Year and  the ensuing holiday period.  (Apparently, the coronavirus goes on vacation during this time the way that Chinese people do.  Either that or they really aren't a much needed public health measure after all.)

 

As it so happened, last night also didn't see any enforced lockdowns, "ambush-style" or otherwise: the first since January 23rd that this was the case.   Also yesterday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan announced that "social-distancing rules will be eased after the Lunar New Year break, with the extension of dine-in services at restaurants till 10pm and reopening of venues such as gyms and beauty parlours". And museums and cinemas (woo hoo!).

 

Good news?  Except that there are certain catches that come with those rules easing. Among them: "All [restaurant] staff will have to be tested for Covid every 14 days, and patrons will have to use the LeaveHomeSafe tracing app or have their personal information recorded." (The last bit in recognition of the fact that not everyone in Hong Kong has a smartphone still!)

 

In short: a bit of freedom will return, albeit accompanied by extra surveillance. And I hate to be a Cassandra but announcing the easing of social distancing restrictions ahead of the Lunar New Year period is only going to get certain people feeling that they can gather more, and in larger groups, in homes and other locales (e.g., private clubs, including those dance clubs linked to the start of the current, fourth wave) which thus far have not been subjected to gathering restrictions. 

 

Of course I hope I'm wrong about this and that people will behave responsibly and considerately.  But I already saw quite a bit of over-crowding today, notably at wet markets (something to be expected since people have to get groceries for tonight -- since restaurants aren't allowed to be open, and many customarily close anyway so that the staff can have reunion dinners with their families -- and the next few days)! 

 

So... happy days over the festive period and then we all pay for it with further restrictions and surveillance in the days, weeks and months after?  And, actually, the griping about these new regulations have already begun.  (Surprise, surprise -- not!)   A restaurant chain owner has questioned whether Hong Kong's coronviarus testing capacity can handle the regular checks of some 300,000 catering sector workers.  Meanwhile, the president of the Federation of Restaurants worries that the requirement that customers use the government's LeaveHomeSafe app could lead to conflict between customers and restaurant staff.     

 

The reluctance of people to use that app can be seen by there having been just about 500,000 downloads of that government tracing app (accounting for around only six percent of the local population) to date.  And honestly, can you blame those who don't trust the Hong Kong government?  

In an ideal world, we would trust the government and the police, and they would trust the people.  But while there may indeed have been such a time in Hong Kong, that, alas, is no longer the case -- and as much as I wish this would change in the coming year of the ox/cow, I don't see that happening as surely as a deer is not a horse.