Multimedia

In recent years, the lines between mainstream and alternative media and professional and citizen journalists have become increasingly blurred. The recent Umbrella Movement saw many citizen journalists on the frontline, filing up-to-the-minute reports for various online media. Varsity caught up with some of them.

Mong Kok's Sino Centre was once a place of pilgrimmage for fans of Cantopop and local movie stars. In its heyday, fans used to queue up for hours to buy laminated photos of their idols. But those days are gone, and Sino Centre is now a repository of collective memories for a generation of Hongkongers.

Oyster farming has been practiced in Hong Kong for 200 years, but in recent years pollution and competition from imported oysters has seen a decline in demand for locally raised oysters. Still, as Varsity finds out, Hong Kong's oyster farmers have tapped a growing appetite for Hong Kong oysters in the Mainland.

If the catwalks, advertisements and spreads in glossy magazines were anything to go by, you would think fashion was solely the preserve of the tall and thin. This mentality is often reflected in the lack of larger sizes on the rails in stores. Varsity meets the fashionistas who proudly proclaim that one size does NOT fit all!

Urban development may seem to have killed off agriculture in Hong Kong, but, hydroponics and aquaponics are emerging as alternative farming methods which could revive local agriculture.

Private cars dominate Hong Kong’s major roads and parking spaces are in high demand, especially in commercial and tourist districts like Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Government plans to demolish some major carparks in these areas will not only affect drivers but also change the overall traffic environment.

The intellectually disabled age more quickly than other people. This means they need services aimed at the elderly before they are officially entitled to it. Activists are campaigning to redefine old age for this group, so that they too can enjoy social benefits for the elderly.

Hong Kong faces an aging population and a shrinking workforce, yet many women are deterred from rejoining the workforce and families put off having children, due to the lack of affordable and accessible childcare services. Varsity meets some of the mothers struggling to strike a balance between working and looking after their children.

As more and more schools choose to teach Chinese in Putonghua, many local teachers and teachers-to-be fear they will be passed over for teachers who speak Putonghua as their mother tongue. There are signs that some schools would rather hire native Putonghua speakers to teach Chinese even if they have no university training in Chinese language. But should this really be a criterion for picking Chinese teachers?

Varsity meets the motorists and bikers who go to extraordinary lengths – including possible brushes with the law - to modify the form and function of their cars and bikes.