Perfect I’mperfection

March 18, 2014

Because flawed mugs can be beautiful too

By Mavis Wong

We live in an age filled with discontent where people not only complain about others, but also themselves. You often hear people say, “I’m too fat”, “I have too many freckles”, “my skin isn’t good enough.”

Not only do we want our appearance to be perfect, but we also want the things we buy to be the best. We search for the best pair of jeans and the best pair of shoes. We look for headphones with the best sound quality and smartphones with the best looks and functions. And before we are willing to pay for something, we scrutinise it for the slightest trace of imperfection. But in doing so, are we just wasting our time and effort to satisfy an ideal perception of what constitutes perfection?

Founders and designers of CoDesign Eddy Yu Chi-kong and Lam Wai-hung are not chasing perfection. They launched I’MPERFECT, a line of products which were once seen as imperfect. The range includes mugs, pencils and notebooks. By taking the word “Imperfect” and inserting an apostrophe between the letters “I” and “m”, Yu and Lam have turned “Imperfect” into “I’m perfect”. They aim to encourage consumers to embrace and appreciate imperfection.

The idea popped up after a trip to a ceramics factory in mainland China. They realised that in the ceramics manufacturing industry, around 15 per cent of products are regarded as defective and are thrown away in every batch. If workers see as many as one black spot on any of the ceramic mugs, the mugs go straight into the dumpster. Outside the factory building, Yu and Lam saw a slogan that said, “Striving for Perfection” and they felt an immense urge to change the deeply entrenched idea that imperfection should not be tolerated.

The two designers collected mugs from the manufacturer and created designs that magnify the tiny spots that were thought to be defects. Instead of covering up the spots with elaborate designs, I’MPERFECT circled them and put the word “perfect” beside them. The designers made the imperfection the selling point of the mugs and transformed the mugs into something with a deeper meaning and more educational value. “The so-called imperfection can be something that makes us special… It itself might not be either good or bad,” Lam says. “We only think it is bad because we judge it with our own values and perceptions.”

As each mug has defects of its own, designers at I’MPERFECT continue to emphasise the “imperfection” and turn it into part of its uniqueness. The mugs come in various sizes and each one is unique. Even though most people would think that a good ceramic mug should be smooth, shiny and symmetrical, the I’MPERFECT project transforms the worthless into the priceless, and conveys the message that imperfection is natural, subjective and conditional. Also by giving these once-worthless mugs another chance, the project has conserved resources and achieved “upcycling” in creating products of higher value.

“Ultimately, we want to promote the message that it is okay to be imperfect,” Yu says.

I’MPERFECT ceramic mugs are available at any Café 330 location.

For information on other products and activities powered by I’MPERFECT, please visit www.i-mperfect.org and www.facebook.com/imperfectX.

Go get yourself a mugful of imperfection today!

Edited by Natalie Tsoi and Esther Leung

The Company of Books

March 18, 2014

A place to read and reflect in the city

By Donna Shiu

Step into The Coming Society bookstore in Wan Chai and you will find yourself in a cozy space with walls of books, artworks, photographs and posters. Tall wooden bookcases are packed with second-hand books and in the corner, a smaller one is lined with glasses, teacups and teapots. You can pick whichever book you like, grab a cup of hot tea, prop yourself up on the couch or one of the padded chairs and start reading.

Daniel Lee and Chen Ho-lok, graduates from the Department of Philosophy of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, founded The Coming Society in 2011 with the hope of stimulating discussion.

The bookstore carries books of literature, the arts, dance, philosophy, sociology and gender studies. Lee and Chen want to provide local readers with alternative choices because they think certain types of knowledge are dominating Hong Kong’s education system.

The Coming Society is a valuable resource for readers to gain types of knowledge they have not encountered in school. “Although our influence is limited, as long as it exists, it won’t be completely dominated by certain voices [in the society],” Chen says.

The pair choose and arrange every book in The Coming Society, all of which come second-hand from people who have donated or sold them. Chen stresses their vision is not based on the idea of recycling but on their concept of what knowledge is. “Because we are not the Salvation Army or a charity organisation, we don’t want people to see us as a dump,” Chen says.

They had struggled over whether to sell works of popular fiction and leisure books to make more profit but they decided against it because they know that customers will only go to large-scale bookstores for the mainstream books. “As a small bookstore, we need to build up a unique image and a specific collection of books, so that target customers will come to us when they are searching for these particular kinds of books,” he says.

Apart from selling books, The Coming Society holds book launches, talks, mini-concerts and movie screenings on a weekly basis for people interested in social affairs, art and culture. It also provides space to any non-profit-making organisation to hold events involving discussions on social issues, book-sharing, art and culture for free. Blues Night is a free monthly event where several musicians give impromptu performances to a small audience.

Chen says it is hard for an independent bookstore to balance the books given the high rent. They moved from Sheung Wan to Wan Chai last September due to the unaffordable rent but the possibility of closure looms large. Chen, however, is philosophical about the threat. Bookstores in Hong Kong, he says, are closing all the time but the influence The Coming Society has on people will outweigh the lifespan of the bookstore.

If you want to read books outside the mainstream and attend cultural performances or talks, check out The Coming Society at 2/F Foo Tak Building, 365 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai. You can also visit www.thecomingsociety.wordpress.com, or call 24677300.

Edited by Natalie Tsoi and Esther Leung

The Behind-the-scenes Heroes of Hong Kong TV and Movies

January 6, 2014

The dangerous work practice of stuntmen in Hong Kong

Reporters: James Fung, Silvia Li, Frances Sit

Editor: Amy Leung

Lives of stuntmen remain a mystery to people outside the film production industry. The cool actions and seemingly impossible stunts performed by your favourite actors are the efforts of these stuntmen who put their lives on the line every day. Varsity looks into the secret industry and the joys and pains of being a stuntman.

A perfect somersault. A car flying through a truck full of coke cans. A car tumbling down the hills. Stuntmen are employed in film and television productions to perform acts that may be risky to regular actors like falling from great heights, crashing cars and fighting.

During the heyday of Hong Kong movies in the 1980s, stuntmen like Yick Tin Hung were highly sought after by directors. The jobs kept coming. In the 1990s, the industry fell into decline. Yick turned to the American market where he saw the huge differences between the working conditions and benefits of Hong Kong stuntmen and their American counterparts.

In the US, stuntmen are full-time employees protected by unions and receive stable weekly incomes plus bonuses from box office earnings. There are even stuntman schools to train would-be stuntmen. In Hong Kong, stuntmen have to work as part-time and enjoy few benefits.

Stuntmen often perform risky acts that put their lives in danger. During Yick’s time, they often performed stunts without any protection, leading to many injuries and even deaths. Former car stuntman Bobby Szeto Chi-keung pulled daring acts that caused him bodily harm and even left him unconscious for a week. Ironically, Szeto lost both of his legs in a traffic accident when he was working as a part-time coach driver. He now owns a restaurant and mends wheelchairs.

Despite the dangerous and risky nature of the job, stuntmen are rarely insured. Only foreign insurance companies will insure them and stuntmen do not even think of applying for insurance.

But the laid-back attitude to safety may be changing now. Gobi Ng Hoi-tong, a car stuntman of the new generation, says the dangerous working environment is a problem of the last generation. As a car stuntman and stunt instructor of the well-known Chin Ka Lok Stunt Team, Ng choreographs safer and more accurate stunts using wires and tracks to guide the crashes. He makes sure safety is a priority in the planning of every stunt.

Ng says the perception that stuntmen risk their lives every time they go to work is becoming more of a misunderstanding than the truth. Stunts are becoming safer, although safety can never be fully guaranteed.

Yet, it is this uncertainty that brings stuntmen the greatest satisfaction. When they do take a risk, they are taking it for a second of glory and a moment of satisfaction.

Building a City without Walls

January 6, 2014

Ethnic minority construction workers career prospects hampered by language barrier and discrimination

Reporters: Cindy Ng & Jeff Wong

Editor: Viola Yeh

The government’s proposal to import more foreign workers to ease the labour shortage in the construction industry is being debated within the community. But meanwhile, Hong Kong’s own ethnic minorities are being denied the chance to advance in the industry due to discrimination and language problems.

According to the 2011 Population Census thematic report on ethnic minorities, 42 per cent of Hong Kong’s Nepalese and 36 per cent of its Pakistani population engage in “non-skilled occupations”, compared with 15 per cent of the total Hong Kong population. A high proportion of local ethnic minorities residents are employed in the construction industry.

Rai Lal Chandra, aged 41, is a Hong Kong born Nepali who has worked as a general labourer for over a decade. He says that while contracts guarantee the same pay for local Chinese and ethnic minorities doing the same job, Nepalese workers are treated unfavorably in terms of overtime payment and sick leave. Rai says inequality stems from the ethnic minorities’ lack of Chinese and English language skills, which affects their understanding of the terms of their contracts.

Rai Adhijiha, another Nepali, works underground in tunnels. In his workplace, ethnic minority workers make up 40 per cent of the workforce. Rai Adhijiha says the working environment is uncomfortable and dangerous, injuries are common. Ethnic minority workers often have to do more dangerous work, he says, because they are not organized and do not have a voice.

Some ethnic minority workers are keen to advance in the industry, by becoming skilled workers or construction supervisors. However, it is a difficult goal to achieve. Jason Singh, now a junior construction supervisor, had a tough time studying for his supervisor diploma.

Singh, an ethnic Indian, was born in Hong Kong and can speak fluent Cantonese. However, he never received any formal Chinese education and this became a big obstacle when he enrolled on the two-year diploma course offered by the Construction Industry Council. Money was another problem – although Singh received a stipend from the CIC subsidy, he still needed to borrow loans and work part-time to support his family.

Dorothy Lee Ching-man, supervisor of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Workers, says most CIC skill enhancement courses are taught in Cantonese and interpreters are only provided when there are five to six ethnic minorities in a class of twenty.

But Charles Wong, the training director of the Construction Industry Council says the council has already done a lot to help the ethnic minorities. He points out that although a threshold of non-Chinese speakers is required, the CIC does provide free interpretation services when the minimum number is met. What is more, the CIC provides English lessons for the two most sought-after courses – metal scaffolding and welding.

Wong acknowledges that insufficient publicity and promotion for CIC courses, and difficulties with translations might contribute to the low enrolment rate of ethnic minority students on the courses. But he also believes the relatively passive attitude of ethnic minority workers is a factor.

Members of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority communities are already working in the construction industry. With appropriate training, they can take up more skilled jobs and management positions. Given growing concerns about the human resources deficit in Hong Kong, the government and the community should explore how to help them achieve their potential in the workplace.

The last letter-writers of Yau Ma Tei

January 6, 2014

Scribes specializing in writing and translating documents into English soldier away in declining trade

Reporters: Louie Cheng, Tommy Lee, Cherry Wong

Editor: Vivian Ng

Just a few feet away from the bustling main street in Yau Ma Tei, around 10 stall owners in Jade Market still practice a trade that stretches back to the early days of Hong Kong’s British colonial history. Known as “public secretaries” or “letter guys”, they write letters and legal documents and fill in tax returns.

Before the first phase of compulsory free education was introduced in 1971, many people in Hong Kong were illiterate due to wars and poverty. Letter writers performed an important role in drafting official and legal documents. As English was the only official language before 1974, letter writers had to be literate in English and many were retired civil servants, police officers, school principals or teachers.

Between the 1950’s to 1970’s, many letter writers gathered around at the “Red Brick House” at Yunnan Lane, on Shanghai Street, in Yau Ma Tei. Many of their customers were lower middle class – there were construction workers, hawkers and even bar and club hostesses.

As the district underwent development, the letter writers have relocated twice already and are due to move again when the construction of Central Kowloon route begins in 2015.

Chinese became an official language in 1974 and the primacy of English has waned since the handover in 1997. More than 93 per cent of the population is literate and some are even filing their taxes online. The letter writers’ trade is becoming obsolete. The government stopped issuing new licences to letter writers long ago and those who are still working are few and aging. Although they insist they will carry on after their stalls are relocated, it is only a matter of time before their trade disappears altogether.

The Perfect Mix

January 6, 2014

Multi-cultural primary school students learn in globalized classrooms

Reporters: Emily Chung, Natalie Tsoi, Vanessa Cheung

Editor: Sandy Ho

When you step into the colorful campus filled with happy children of seventeen nationalities conversing in perfect English, it is easy to mistake Catholic Mission School, or CMS, for yet another international school in Central. However, this is in fact a government-subsidised primary school.

It began in 2011 when the school was threatened with closure under the Education Bureau’s School Closure Policy due to an insufficient number of pupils. The school’s Principal, Fung Suk-kai noticed there was a strong demand for education for expatriate children in the area.

Fung decided to internationalise the school and set about to introduce a School-based International Curriculum. The curriculum combines elements of the Education Bureau’s Hong Kong Primary Curriculum and teaching materials devised by the school.

The new curriculum focuses on global knowledge. For example, in general studies, students not only learn about the meaning of the national flag of the People’s Republic of China, but also the flags of other countries such as Turkey and Denmark.

Before implementing the new curriculum, CMS had already admitted some expatriate students but as the main medium of teaching was Chinese, the proportion of expatriate students was relatively small. Under the new curriculum, General studies and Mathematics are taught in English, whereas both Chinese and English are used in subjects such as Art and Religious Studies.

Chinese is taught in Mandarin and students are allocated to different groups according to their abilities in Chinese lessons. In the Chinese beginners’ class for non-Chinese students, teaching is supplemented with English and emphasizes pinyin and vocabulary for daily life.

Despite the initial deficit, Fung expects non-Chinese students to have reached a similar Chinese level by the time they graduate from CMS. “We hope our non-Chinese students will be able to go to local Band 1 Secondary Schools, not just international schools,” says Fung.

In CMS, expatriate parents see the opportunity for their children to integrate in Hong Kong society. Charlotte de Carpenter transferred her daughter earlier this year from an international school in Discovery Bay to CMS. Although her daughter learned Mandarin at the international school, the Mandarin classes were limited to three hours per week. In CMS, her daughter learns Mandarin for six hours per week. de Carpenter believes CMS provides her daughter with exposure to local culture that might otherwise be out of her reach.

For their part, local parents are drawn to CMS’ international and relaxed environment, which is similar to that of an international school, but without the high cost. Iris Lee, whose child was admitted to CMS through Central Allocation, thinks her child can improve on his English and communication skills in the multi-cultural environment. ‘There are a lot of group activities and he needs to cooperate with children of different nationalities.’ says Lee.

Villages without Water

January 6, 2014

In Hong Kong there are people living without treated tap water.

Reporters: Joyce Cheng, Tracy Chan, Charlene Kwan

Editors: Matthew Leung, Lindy Wong

Hong Kong is an affluent city with well-developed infrastructure and public facilities. Its residents can access clean water easily and cheaply. So, it is difficult to imagine that there are still some people living without clean tap water.

According to the Water Supplies Department, 99.9 per cent of the population has tap water, but around 625 people live in 24 villages without treated tap water. These include Tai Long Village on Lantau Island and Sam Nga Shui Village in Tai O.

The government has refused to provide treated water to Tai Long Village though residents have been demanding it for more than 20 years. Villagers mostly rely on water from the mountain. When the weather is bad, they say the water is barely drinkable. Ho Shu Loi, the representative of the Tai Long Village, has written letters to the government but the answer is still no, on the grounds that it is not cost-effective because there are too few residents.

Island Club is the only business in the village. Autie Bing, the owner, says sometimes she has to buy water from Cheung Chau. She has bought filters that cost more than ten thousand dollars.

Villagers in Tai O’s Sham Nga Shui Village face similar problems. One expatriate resident, who has lived there for 15 years, says life is very challenging during bad weather. He says construction work is being undertaken by the Water Supplies Department to bring water to Tai O. As his house is near the pipes, he does not understand why the government is refusing to connect him to the mains. The Water Supplies Department says that given its sparse population of about 25, the per capita capital for extension of the water supply system to this village would be high.

Meanwhile, in Ta Tit Yan Village in Tai Po, the villagers demands for treated water was finally granted in 2011. It has a population of 174. Chan Siu Kuen, Tai Po District Councilor, says the water supply has brought big changes to the village. More houses are being built because more people are moving back to the area.

This case is unusual because the government shelved its plan to provide “Water Supply to Remaining Remote Villages in the New Territories” in 2003. The plan was suspended due to concerns about the cost-effectiveness. But as Islands District Council member Bill Tang Ka-piu points out, some villages in the Southern District have been given treated water supply. The Government has commenced an engineering design for the treated water supply system for Tung Ah, Tung Ah Pui, Ngan Hang and Lan Nai Wan villages. The construction works are anticipated to commence in 2014 for completion in 2016. It says that criteria including population, water consumption amount, availability of other water sources, the raw water quality and the per capital cost for extension of the water supply system etc. All these criteria have to be taken into account and weighed appropriately in each application based on its own merit.

Hong Kong’s ‘Drifting’ Mainlanders

January 6, 2014

Gang piao reflect on life in Hong Kong as cultural inbetweeners.

Reporters: Hilda Lee, Katrina Lee, Elaine Tsang

Editors: Thee Lui, Nicole Chan

The number of Mainlanders who study and work in Hong Kong risen steadily over the last ten years

In 2003, the Immigration Department issued around 1500 visas to mainland students. Today, the annual figure stands at around 13,000. The number of those who stay to work in Hong Kong has also grown, after a policy allowing non-local fresh graduates to apply for a one-year visa extension to search for jobs was introduced in 2008.

These mainland graduates are often called gang piao, meaning “Hong Kong drifters”. The term evokes wanderers in a strange land. So, what drives them to drift to this unfamiliar city?

Some are attracted to the comprehensive legal system, values like fairness, justice and freedom. Others are drawn by Hong Kong’s image as an international city and by its economic prosperity.

But settling in and making a home in Hong Kong is not always easy. Gang piao have to master Cantonese if they want to communicate freely with locals. They need to learn about cultural differences in lifestyles, attitudes and values if they want to blend in.

That is exactly what some of them have done. For instance, Quan Xixi, a 24 year-old graduate who is now working as a journalist for an international news organization, has immersed herself in the language and in popular culture of Hong Kong. Grace Li, a 25 year-old who works in public relations, has surrounded herself with local Hong Kong friends.

However, Paul Chen, who runs an apps company here, does not see a need to mix with the locals or integrate with Hong Kong society. The 26 year-old Chen may appreciate Hong Kong’s systems, such as its legal system and level playing field but he does not feel he has much in common with Hong Kongers. Despite this, Chen says the question of his identity is not so clear-cut.

It may be even less so for 25 year-old graduate student Li Miao. Li says he has been changed by Hong Kong and its freedoms, so much so that he often does not know what to answer when asked if he identifies as a Hong Konger or a Mainlander in surveys.

As they drift in the city, gang piao often find themselves inhabiting the space in between. They may share similar lifestyles and values as their locally raised counterparts, but they are also bound by culture and values of their upbringing in the Mainland.

Room for More and Better Hostel Rooms

January 6, 2014

Travellers have limited options for decent budget accommodation in Hong Kong

Reporters: Yoyo Chan, Rachel Cheung, Sharon Lee

Editors: Caleb Ho, Stephanie Cheng

According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the number of visitors staying overnight in Hong Kong rose by 15.7 per cent in 2013, compared with 2012. The hotel room occupancy rate of Hong Kong reached 86 per cent in 2013, exceeding that of other popular tourists’ cities such as New York, Paris and Singapore. Many are worried that the influx of tourists exceeds the city’s capacity to accommodate them.

Homestays have become increasingly popular worldwide but residential buildings in Hong Kong cannot be rented out for non-domestic use, so they are illegal here. The owner of a flat being used as a homestay can be punished by a fine of HKD 200,000 and imprisonment for two years if convicted.

Despite that, more than 1000 home owners in Hong Kong have offered their apartments on https://www.airbnb.com/ , a popular United States based website for tourists to book accommodation in cities around the world. The average price is around HKD 800 per night. Even though the rentals are offered without any license, users can assess their quality through users’ reviews.

Another option for budget travelers is youth hostels. Varsity visited three youth hostels operated by the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) in Hong Kong, Sze Lok Yuen Hostel in Tai Mo Shan, Jockey Club Mt. Davis Youth Hostel in Pok Fu Lam and Bradbury Jockey Club Youth Hostel in Tai Mei Tuk. The three hostels were built in the early 1980s, but only one, the Jockey Club Mount Davis Youth Hostel has been renovated. Facilities at the hostels visited were rather basic, with no Wi-fi connection or digital network coverage.

The YHA says it is addressing these issues but it takes considerable time and a lot of money to do so.

With growing needs for accommodation, the government needs to plan ahead to make sure the expected demand is met.

December 2013 – Hong Kong’s Mental Health Woes

December 6, 2013

Mental illness strikes one in three people in Hong Kong, yet it is often either hidden or sensationalised. People with mental health problems suffer from social stigma and a lack of psychiatric and social services.

The December issue of Varsity looks at some of the issues surrounding mental health in Hong Kong:

Hong Kong lags behind other developed economies when it comes to the provision of pyschiatric services and other forms of care for people with mental health problems. We find out how this affects the lives of those with mental illness.

The elderly are particularly susceptible to mental health problems, of both physiological and psychological nature, yet their problems are often overlooked. We hear how this can have disastrous consequences.

Research shows that family members are vital in the recovery of people with mental illness. Yet carers of people with mental illness are often under great emotional and psychological pressure themselves, with few public resources to support them. We ask, who cares for the carers?