Lifestyle

Lau Shui-shum has been farming for decades, and she used to have to wake up at 1a.m. to harvest and take her crops to market, where she would have little bargaining power. Now thanks to the growing movement of community markets, more Hongkongers are finding out about local agriculture and demanding it.

History is not something we only learn about in textbooks. There are many local enthusiasts who study history through collecting various historical tangibles, such as old maps, revenue stamps and photographs. Varsity meets the collectors, restorers and archivists who can help us understand how the past has shaped our city today.

Lego has been a popular toy for generations of children. Its manufacturer and fans say the bricks encourage creativity. But more and more Lego products are now theme and even gender specific – some are based on blockbuster entertainment franchises. Does this hinder children’s creativity?

In the 1970s and 1980s, the annual Miss Hong Kong Pageant was one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. But with the rise of sensationalist tabloid-style media, changes in Hongkongers’ lifestyles and the status of women, the competition and the idea of beauty queens can seem like old-fashioned.

From schoolchildren to celebrities to presidents, anyone with a smartphone can and does take selfies these days. Some people go to extreme lengths and exotic locations, such as from high altitude and even space, to make their selfies more creative and unique. Varsity looks at selfie culture and the different reasons people have to snap their own images.

When others bunker down with instant noodles and television updates at home, Hong Kong's weather geeks put on their waterproof clothing, grab their wind meters and rush out to chase the storm. But there is also more to metereology than just typhoons. Varsity meets the amateur meteorologists who form Hong Kong's weather underground.

They have roots in the Philippines, India and Brazil but they are all Hong Kongers, and they are rapping about life in the city. Varsity meets members of the multicultural hip hop outfit Dope Boy and hear how rap helps them to break down cultural barriers

Living in a city with traditional gender norms, cross-dressing is prone to misunderstanding and controversy. For many corss-dressers, wearing the clothes of the opposite sex is a way of expressing their individuality and is not neccessarily related to sexual orientation.

Performance art has been around in Hong Kong since the mid 1970s but many members of the public are probably still baffled by what it means. Although you may not be familiar with the concepts and theories of performance art, you have probably seen it at protests and social events as the city's performance artists are doing more and more political works.

Food writers and restaurant reviewers are some of the most envied people in the media, especially in food-crazy Hong Kong. These jobs were once the preserve of the expert and the famous, but with the advent of food blogging, anyone with a love of food and an internet connection can be a food writer. Varsity meets some of the city's leading food bloggers and traditional food critics.