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My Hong Kong is a bi-weekly column by Luisa Tam that looks at the quaint and quirky traditions of Hong Kong from an unusual perspective and provides a unique insight to help readers expand their understanding of the local culture. It also explores how this global city deals with challenges in order to reinvent itself and stay relevant.
- Hong Kong’s official attitude towards gender diversity and equality tarnishes its reputation as a welcoming tourist hub in the eyes of many
- By embracing inclusivity and respecting people’s identities and genders, Hong Kong would reap the benefits, and could even become a diversity hub
We should welcome a revitalisation of Hong Kong’s Flower Market – but it must be done right. At first glance, plans for its redevelopment don’t preserve its culture or align with the joyful chaos of Mong Kok.
The Chubby Hearts art project was started in the UK by designer Anya Hindmarch. The Hong Kong edition drew criticism, but it has brought joy and laughter to the city, and we need more projects like it.
There is much to reflect on after the Inter Miami vs Hong Kong Team fiasco, such as how David Beckham could have averted a PR disaster, Hong Kong fans’ behaviour, and what the government can learn.
Hong Kong needs new ideas to attract tourists after underwhelming campaigns like ‘Night Vibes’. The success of Harbin, mainland China’s ice capital, offers valuable pointers.
By combining history, technology and entertainment, ‘time travel’ tourism could rejuvenate Hong Kong’s travel industry by attracting a range of visitors seeking unique and immersive experiences.
The government needs to adopt a more comprehensive approach that goes far beyond the promised US$2,500 cash handout to new parents if it wants to truly foster a baby boom in Hong Kong.
Foreign talent enhances Hong Kong’s competitiveness and expatriates enrich the social fabric and contribute to a more cosmopolitan environment – all crucial to us maintaining our international status.
Hong Kong’s new ‘Night Vibes Hong Kong’ campaign should focus on revitalising places like the Temple Street Night Market and Ladies’ Market if it is to attract locals and tourists alike.
Donnie Yen’s stand-out appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4 is an excellent opportunity to raise Hong Kong’s global prominence, and the city’s government must step up to take it.
Forget ‘Hello Hong Kong’, we risk being labelled ‘Heartless Hong Kong’ after the recent street hawker case, which really isn’t fair to our mostly hospitable and welcoming people.
From the ‘Hello Hong Kong’ campaign’s free air tickets to the need to ‘grab’ talent from elsewhere, Hong Kong seems desperate – and that’s ugly. We must focus on why we are unique.
The city needs someone to identify what is unique about the Hong Kong experience and spread that message to visitors through genuine interactions. And I’ve got some ideas for them.
A spike in eateries selling two-dish-rice boxes is reminiscent of the 1950s when open-air food stalls helped Hong Kong’s poor survive. Are we witnessing a return to widespread poverty?
Fans of the Samurai Blue have been filling rubbish bags with theirs and others’ trash after World Cup matches in Qatar. Hong Kong people could learn from them.
The group, who had to eat meal boxes for three days of a four-day trip and still described it as ‘very good’, should be showered with free air tickets and future hotel accommodation.
The two-dish-rice box, beloved by Hong Kong residents and, lately, diplomats alike, is an icon of the city – it should be declared part of our intangible cultural heritage.
The fight for tourist dollars is heating up as people embark on post-Covid travel, and while Hong Kong is a more exciting destination than Singapore, it isn’t as welcoming. It’s time for residents to make a change.
Hong Kong is being stripped of its distinctive culture and character as more iconic local restaurants and dai pai dongs shut down. The government needs to do more to help them.
The ease with which victims of Hong Kong’s human-trafficking scandal – the ‘sold piglets’, a term that dates back to the Qing dynasty – were conned hints at a city in turmoil.
Your Hungry Ghost Festival survival guide: picking up an unclaimed umbrella, standing under a bus shelter at night and tapping someone on the shoulder are among the many things to avoid from now till August 26.
As we bid farewell to Happy Cake Shop in Wan Chai, remember there are still a good handful of these traditional bakeries around – so patronise them.
Hong Kong people should retake ownership of the phrase ‘Hong Kong, add oil’ – after years of Covid-19 and economic downturn, the city needs to add oil as well as peace and love.
In Chinese culture, red is a lucky colour, so maximise your Lunar New Year fortune by wearing red, giving out lucky red packets and wishing everyone kung hei fat choi.
In cities home to large overseas Chinese communities, Cantonese should be about more than just cultural preservation and should be integrated into their infrastructure.
Mandarin may have 10 times as many speakers but Cantonese is a one-of-a-kind linguistic art form, a cult Chinese language, and in no danger of an imminent demise.
Hong Kong’s beloved Anita Mui died 18 years ago, but her spirit lives on in the city and among her fans. Her rags-to-riches story is told in the recently released biopic Anita.
The brouhaha over Hong Kong-based Fok Hing Gin’s name in the UK highlights a lack of cultural awareness about a word that means ‘fortune’ or ‘good luck’ in Chinese.
Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tracking app has many concerned about their personal data, and some are trying to get round the technology ... by using more technology.
No city in the world looks forward more to being struck by a big storm than Hong Kong. They often mean an extra day off – to shop, eat, go to a movie or binge-watch K-dramas.
