Struggling Rice Farmers Amid Drought

November 25, 2023

Due to drought, Thailand rice farmers have experienced a severe decline in rice production.

By Nutcha Hunsanimitkul

Amphorn Yousuphap suffered a harvest loss due to a severe drought in 2023, which she says is the worst in eight years.

“My rice yield dropped by almost 50%. I used to get 1 tonne of rice per 1 Rai (1,600 square metres), but I only had 0.6 tons this year,” she says.

Yousuphap owns 30 Rai (48,000 square metres) of paddy fields in Nakhon Sawan, 237 kilometres from Bangkok, where most of the areas are lowlands. Agriculture takes up 34% of the city’s GPP (Gross Provincial Product).

*Yousuphap’s rice farm in Nakhon Sawa turned withered because a lack of rainfall. (Photo Courtesy of Amphorn Yousuphap)*

“This year was the worst in eight years. I had to give up growing anything on almost half of my farmland because there wasn’t enough water,” the 35-year-old woman says.

“Even though I tried to drill a well, it just didn’t make any difference,” she adds.

Another farmer, Lek Soongchareun, 60, is also affected by the severe drought.

“Over ฿42,000 baht (US $1,159) was lost. I have to plough down the withered rice and spend an additional ฿16,800 baht (US $464) to buy new grains for replanting,” he says.

Due to a lack of rain in early 2023, Soongchareun’s rice farm turned brown and wilted. He had to sow again in late July and waited for another crop to grow as he lost the first batch.

“I have to sell my rice even if it is not mature enough because I have to race against time,” Soongcharuen, who has been growing rice for 40 years, says.

Even though the government supplied water to farmers during the drought, it was insufficient to cover all households in Loburi, which is 151 kilometres from Bangkok, where farming is the primary source of people’s income.

“Some water had to be reserved for domestic use. It was way more challenging than last year,” he says.

In the first half of 2023, only 43.30 millimetres of rainfall were recorded which is 39% less than usual. More than 700 millimetres of annual rainfall were reported in the past two years, according to Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources.

*A comparison of rainfall between 2022 and 2023. (Photo Courtesy of Thai Meteorological Department)*

The Thai Meteorological Department says that El Nino, a weather phenomenon that leads to droughts, caused a 3.2% drop in rice harvests this year.

More than 4.9 million households in Thailand were farming rice and produced over 26.7 tons of rice in 2022, according to the Office of Agricultural Economics. Rice exports also contribute around ฿138,000 million baht (US $3.87 million) to the country, accounting for more than 1% of the national income.

While Thai farmers struggle to cope with the drought and harvest losses, the price of Thai rice has soared after India stopped exporting rice.

“My earnings were roughly the same as last year. Despite the harvest dropping by half, I can sell the rice for ฿11,300 baht (US $312) per ton. The price of rice has almost doubled compared with last year,” Yhusuphraw says.

*Nakasit Oonjit and the New Theory Agriculture Assocaition’s member with Thai rice products. (Photo Courtesy of Nakasit Oonjit)*

In late July 2023, India imposed restrictions on grain exports to manage domestic prices and ensure food security, resulting in a global increase in rice prices. The price of white Thai rice also went up by almost 15% to reach US $645 per ton, the highest record in 10 years, according to the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations.

Vietnamese rice prices also climbed by 21% after India’s ban, increasing from US $504 per ton to US $614.3 per ton in a single month, while the price of rice from Pakistan shot up by 12% to reach US $579.8 per ton.

Speaking in an interview with THANTALK, a Thai news TV programme, Associate Professor Somporn Isvilanonda of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Kasetsart University predicts that farmers will face another challenging year as the impact of El Nino is expected to be more significant.

“Although it rained more in Thailand this July and many dams have been refilled, it might not be enough to offset a further delay and severe reduction of rainfall during the next cultivation season,” Isvilanonda says.

“Thai rice productivity in 2024 might shrink to half of this year. Some of the harvested rice should be stored to compensate for the losses this year and stabilise the global rice price,” he says.

Srettha Thavisin took office and formed a new government in Thailand in late August. The administration is still working on its blueprint for handling drought issues and providing financial support for rice farmers.

“We were usually subsidised for harvest losses, but I am not sure about this government. They have not made any announcements yet,” Soongchareun says.

Sub-edited by Kossy Chen

Hidden History in the Textbook

November 18, 2023

Brutal aspects of the invasions of Korea and China have been omitted in Japan’s history education about World War II.

By Charlotte Wu in Nagasaki

Edward Vickers, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice, and Global Citizenship, was shocked by residents’ ignorance when he tried to find a way to the Oka Masaharu Peace Memorial Nagasaki Museum.

Staff in the tourist information at Nagasaki station had no idea about the whereabouts of the private museum covering war crimes committed by the Japanese army during World War II. Eager to help, one of the staff members was stunned when Google Maps on her phone showed the site was merely five minutes’ walk from the station.

The museum is not listed in the Nagasaki official guidebook. But the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, a government-funded museum focusing on depicting Nagasaki’s suffering after the atomic bomb attack, is included.

“Private museums can tell whatever stories they want to tell. But as they are operating outside the public system with no government recognition, it is also challenging the mainstream story of the war. It is going to struggle to publicise itself and find itself marginalised within Japan,” says Vickers, an Asian Studies professor at Kyushu University.

Established in 1995, the Oka Masaharu Peace Memorial Nagasaki Museum exhibits war-time textbooks, photographs, and newspaper articles, mainly about the treatment about Chinese and Korean prisoners of war (POWs).

Upon entering the museum, visitors can find a simulated coal mine depicting the working conditions of the POWs, including maps showing places of origin of Chinese and Korean peasants who were forced to labour in Japan.

The second floor displays exhibits related to recruiting Chinese and Korean labourers, comfort women, and the Nanjing massacre.

“In creating the exhibition, we aimed to convey accurate facts about the Japanese invasion and understand the pain of those who were affected,” the museum’s website reads.

“The horrors of war and the atomic bomb will always be deeply engraved in our hearts, and we must never let them fade away. However, we must keep in mind that the cause of this tragic outcome was Japan’s brutal invasion of Asia,” it says.

*Photos of Japan invading China, massacring and piling corpses in pits*.

“This humbler museum offers a more nuanced version of history–its exhibits, news clippings and historical documentations cover Japanese armies’ brutality in Asia, especially forced labourers from China and Korea, and comfort women captured in Asia,” says Florence Ng, a visitor to the private museum.

Ng, a former reporter and now an interpreter, adds that the exhibits help her understand why the United States decided to drop an atomic bomb, despite knowing the impact of the bombing.

“The well-documented bad deeds performed by the Japanese imperial armies showed another side of history that is not told in mainstream Japan,” she says.

In response to the exclusion of the Oka Masaharu Peace Memorial Nagasaki Museum in the Nagasaki official guidebook, Discover Nagasaki, the official tourism association of the city replied there is a limit to the amount of information that can be published in the map.

“Popular places are prioritised to be listed, including those with the highest number of current visits and inquiries, and those with a high level of recognition as tourist destinations,” the association says in a written statement.

*Discover Nagasaki website only focus on museums related to the atomic bombing during World War II. (Screenshot via Discover Nagasaki)*

The country’s history education, however, is trying to hide war crimes committed by the Japanese army, which the private museum tries to reveal to people with its limited resources.

According to the high school textbook syllabus of Japanese History published by Yamakawa Shuppansha, a Japanese history and geography textbooks publisher, the learning points of the Second World War chapter include the Pacific War and the complete collapse of people’s lives. But Japanese war crimes are omitted.

Vickers states it is an undeniable fact that the Japanese civilians suffered in the war with over 80 percent of the buildings flattened.

“The problem is what is left out. It is not the whole story,” he says.

“What the government is doing is not telling outright lies, but they are emphasizing just one part of the war experience,” he adds. “In textbooks, atomic bombs with pictures of the destruction are usually given a double-page spread, with little information on the Southeast Asia invasion.”

According to Vickers, textbooks in Japan are published by private companies, while the government has a committee that vets the textbooks and decides which ones to put on an approved list to be used in education.

“It’s a devious way of covering up what was a massive atrocity committed by the Japanese army,” he says, adding that some local students have no knowledge about Japanese war crime incidents like the Nanjing Massacre.

Teaching politics of history education in Asian society, he observes students are shocked when he mentions how political history education is.

“Such a concept is new to my students. A lot of them had taken it [history education] for granted, thinking that the version of history they learn and portrayed in textbooks is the truth,” he says.

“The idea that history is always being twisted by people in particular agendas is what happens in their history education, and this is something shocking for them,” he adds.

The professor recalls an incident of how Japanese war crimes are being suppressed in society.

“There was a small conference about comfort women organized by the Korean YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) in Tokyo five to six years ago. Right-wing demonstrators picketed it and created a disturbance, trying to prevent the conference from proceeding,” he says.

In October 2023, the Oka Masaharu Museum was temporarily closed down due to alleged sexual violence committed by peace activist Oka Masaharu, whom the museum is named after.

Edited by Leopold Chen
Sub-edited by Tessa Yau

Date Virtual Boyfriend in Real Life

November 17, 2023

Mainland Chinese girls pay to date other girls dressed up like virtual boyfriends in mobile games.

By Cynthia Hu

University student Yu Xiao wants to meet up with her virtual boyfriend Even Lu Chen (陸沉), who is an online game character, so much that she has paid ¥300 (US $41.04) for a date with a female cosplayer dressing up like him.

“We call this activity the Cos Commission. It means finding cosplayers in real life to play the role of online game characters and having physical dates with them as lovers,” the 20-year-old student says.

“ The cosplayer is the soul carrier of my virtual lover, bringing my favourite online game character into life. Lu Chen really came to my world for one day when I hired a cosplayer to act like him,” Xiao says.

*Xiao Yu take photos while dating. (Photo courtesy of Xiao Yu)*

“I like Lu Chen because he is gentle and powerful. In the game, he often encourages me by saying: ‘I believe my little girl will definitely achieve her goals.’ He gives me a lot of strength and makes me become more confident,” Xiao adds.

Xiao held hands, hugged and chatted with her “lover” when they went out for a date.

“We spent a day together like couples. We took a lot of photos together. I tried on a wedding dress and the cosplayer gave me a marriage proposal ceremony,” Xiao recalls.

*Xiao Yu and cosplayer dressing up like Lu Chen take a sweet wedding photo together*. (Photo courtesy of Xiao Yu)

Xiao paid ¥300 (US $41.04) for a date which lasted for seven hours.

“I think it’s very worthwhile, and I think this price is much lower than the average price,” Xiao adds.

Xiao tends to find a female to cosplay Lu Chen.

“There is a significant difference in thinking between men and women. I would find it difficult to approach him if a man cosplayed Lu Chen. I don’t think men can understand what we want to get from Lu Chen and fully interpret his role,” she says.

Xiao’s dream lover, Lu Chen, 26, is one of the male characters featured in an online game “Light and Night” – an interactive role-playing mobile game which allows players to date five male characters. Lu plays the role of an heir of a prominent family and serves as the CEO of Wanzhen Company, running a fashion design business.

In the game, Lu has brown hair and often appears as a gentleman, wearing a stylish suit and glasses. Portrayed as a refined, mature and successful businessman, Lu is popular among young female game players in China.

The online game character “Light and Night Lu Chen” has 1.282 million followers on Weibo, which is one of the most popular social media platforms in China.

*Light and Night Lu Chen has 1.282 million followers. (Screenshot via Weibo)*

Fans of Lu Chen post their thoughts and feelings towards the character in a fans community. They also recreate and publish stories on Weibo, fantasising themselves flirting and dating with the online game character.

The hashtag related to Cos Commission has 200 million views on another Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, which has 1.08 billion downloads. Girls who have dated cosplayers role-playing their favourite game characters, discuss their experiences and share interesting stories. Similarly, cosplayers post their own photos and pricing for dating services.

During a search on XiaoHongshu, the reporter discovered that the dating service costs between RMB ¥20 (US $2.75) and RMB ¥150(US $13.75) per hour. Consumers cover all expenses during the appointment.

While Xiao spends money looking for cosplayers, some make money by dressing up as online game characters and having dates with girls.

With a tall built figure of 168 cm and weighing 48 kg, Yu Zhi, 20, from Shanxi Province, has been doing cosplay and offering dating services for more than four months.

“I use heightening insoles to make myself taller, say up to 175-178 cm. Apart from this, my body shape is similar to the characters I play. I spend half an hour doing makeup and dressing up before a date,” she says.

“I now charge RMB ¥300 (US $41.04) a day. Considering the time for makeup and transportation, I work approximately 10-12 hours for one date. I think this price is affordable for girls who want to date their dream lover by having me dressing up as their boyfriends. The pay is good for me too,” the undergraduate student, who did her first paid date in July 2023, says.

Yu usually checks her wig, clothing, and cosmetic contact lenses a day before ‘dating’ to make sure all props are in perfect condition.

“I cosplay different kinds of characters. They all have their unique clothing, different colors of eyes and hair, so I need to prepare,” Yu says.

“I usually spend more time on eye makeup to better fit the character,” Yu adds.

*Yu Zhi shares her cosplay photo in social media*. (Photo courtesy of Yu Zhi)

Yu only dates girls who live in her own city to save commuting time.

“Due to time concerns, I only consider dating requests from girls who live in my city, ”she says.

Yu believes that she can play a perfect role to satisfy her customers.

“I have had a boyfriend before, so I know better what the girls need and what to do as a ‘boyfriend’ in a romantic relationship. I know which details girls are more likely to be moved by, and how to provide emotional value to them, such as praising their clothing and hair,” she says.

“As a girl, I know how to respond to them to make them feel better. I will hug them for a long time at the beginning and end of the date,” she adds.

Professor Hui Chin-ming from the Psychology Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong points out that people cannot buy a relationship.

“This relationship is unhealthy if people think they can buy it. While people fall in love with virtual lovers, it may mean they are lonely and lack friends. That is why they develop relationships with virtual lovers,” he says.

Hui points out that the Cos Commission may affect young people’s views on how they pick companions in the future.

“People have to be accountable for their partner and take responsibility in a relationship. If they form the concept of not being responsible for their partner’s needs, it will be difficult for them to establish relationships with others in the future.”

He also pointed out that staying single is a growing trend.

“With the increasing cost of living and the comfort they can get from social media, people become more self-centred and only care more about themselves, but not others. It reflects the trend of individualism,” he says.

“But for those who are single and unhappy, we need to take care of them and provide support to them. Virtual relationships may demotivate them from building a real relationship. So we should encourage them to reach out and meet more people in real life,” he adds.

Edited by Tessa Yau
Sub-edited by Christine Tang

The Truth. Far away, nearby.

November 17, 2023

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and the Oka Masaharu Memorial Nagasaki Peace Museum, which are just a five-minute walk away from each other, tell different stories of Japan during World War II.

By Lorraine Chiang in Nagasaki

At the heart of Nagasaki, a Japanese city hit by an atomic bomb in the last century, stand two museums showcasing the history of the Second World War with striking differences.

The government-funded Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is a formidable white structure with carefully curated exhibits placed inside glass casings.

“History is often written by the victors. This is clearly illustrated by the different interpretations of the atrocities of the Second World War by the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and the Oka Masaharu Museum,” says Florence Ng, a visitor of the two museums.

Opened in 2003, the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum hosts a memorial hall commemorating the victims of the atomic bombing that devastated the city and helped end the Second World War in 1945. But war crimes committed by the country are not mentioned.

*Part of the damaged church is displayed at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.*

“In the official museum, you can see debris from fallen churches and structures, as well as horrific photos and oral history recordings of the civilians injured by the atomic bombs,” Ng says.

“It evokes a sense of anger against the US and empathy towards the civilians in Japan, and it depicts Japan as the innocent victim,” Ng adds.

*A soldier’s bloodstained uniform showing the impact of the atomic bomb is displayed at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.*

A five-minute walk away from the museum is the Oka Masaharu Memorial Nagasaki Peace Museum. Small and private, it contains exhibits about the causes of the war and the war crimes committed by Japan during the Second World War.

Opening in 1995, the museum shows the meagre portions of food provided for soldiers recruited in China, testimonies from comfort women about their suffering, photos of bodies lying on a bombed bridge in the Nanjing Massacre, and more.

*Photos of comfort women and Japanese soldiers are displayed at Oka Masaharu.*

The private museum is also run at a much lower cost. Photos are hung on the walls with yellowing tapes. Only a few are displayed with captions, which are available only in Japanese. Printed sources, such as reports of comfort women, have been flipped through so many times that the pages are immensely wrinkled.

Edward Vickers,the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice, and Global Citizenship, says the public museum is trying to highlight the suffering of Japanese civilians and the fact that Japan is the only country to have suffered an atomic bomb attack.

“Often, people in Korea or China see the history Japan presents as a pack of lies. But it is a fact that Japanese civilians suffered greatly, particularly in the last year or so of the war,” the Kyushu University professor says.

“Japanese cities were completely flattened and destroyed. The bombing that Japan experienced, in terms of its destructiveness, was even worse than Germany’s. Almost all major Japanese cities were levelled, killing hundreds of thousands of people,” Vickers notes.

The professor adds that although the version of history presented by the Japanese government is true, the problem lies in what is left unsaid.

“Most Japanese are not aware of the full horror of what the Japanese army did in China and Southeast Asia,” he says.

According to Vickers, the Japanese government stated the Japanese army was defending Asia from the “evil imperialist West” and that invaded countries were grateful for the Japanese aggression.

Acknowledging that the Japanese people could still learn the other side of history, Vickers argues that they would have to make an effort to do so, as it is not covered in schools, museums, or by mainstream media.

Meanwhile, Germany, as imperial Japan’s wartime ally, allows a much more open discussion about the war and the Nazi era than Japan with its war in East Asia, according to Vickers.

Accounting for the difference, Vickers found the strength of democracy to be a major factor.

“Denazification went a lot further in Germany than similar processes in Japan,” he says.

“In Japan, democratisation was much more limited. They had elections but the same party always wins. Media freedom is also constrained,” he adds.

Joost Schokkenbroek, former director of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum and current museum studies professor at the University of Hong Kong, says the different narratives adopted by different museums could be caused by political reasons.

*Photo of Professor Joost Schokkenbroek (Photo courtesy of Professor Joost Schokkenbroek)*

Schokkenbroek finds it crucial to present a nuanced version of events, as museums are seen as the most trustworthy source in terms of knowledge and narratives.

“There is no proper way to interpret history,” the professor adds.

Citing Canada as an example, Schokkenbroek says the country’s museums only revealed in recent years a history of its indigenous population that were systematically oppressed. They were banned from speaking their own language or displaying their arts.

Giving the oppressed a voice and involving them in museum curation could be a way out to ensure that their viewpoints are seen.

Schokkenbroek finds that many people are not tempted to go to museums because their contents seem irrelevant to current issues.

“It is important for museums to not only focus on beautiful artefacts, exhibitions or letterings, but to keep up with the times by addressing the concerns of young people,” he says.

Edited by Leopold Chen
Sub-edited by Amelie Yeung

Human Friends, Not Gambling Tools

November 17, 2023

Trained as racers, greyhounds are living new lives after adoption.

By Hannah Tang

Ban Ban, a nine-year-old male greyhound that was once forced to run with hundreds of other greyhounds at Macau’s dog-racing track, now enjoys leisurely strolling in Hong Kong.

“Ban Ban loves to walk slowly instead of running and spends most of the time sleeping,” says Moona Yue, who rescued it following the forced closure of Yut Yuen Canidrome, a greyhound racing stadium, five years ago.

The once-legal dog-racing track in Asia closed in 2018 after a lengthy international campaign spotlighting its poor animal welfare practices.

The 50-year-old dog-racing track has left 532 greyhounds inside after its closure.

Out of them, 15 died of poor health conditions, while 517 were eventually rehomed by the Macau-based animal rights group, Anima.

One of the fortunate greyhounds to find a home was Ban Ban, who now lives in Hong Kong with Yue and her husband, Ethan Yau.

Yue recalled that Ban Ban used to shake whenever someone approached it in the beginning.

“Ban Ban was new to living with humans, but it has changed a lot throughout the years and is doing great now,” Yue adds.

*A photoshoot of Ban Ban. (Photo Courtesy of Ethan Yau)*

Being a pet groomer with eight years of experience, Yue knows what kind of care a frightened dog like Ban Ban needs.

After overcoming all the hurdles, Ban Ban can finally sleep soundly and walk at its own pace. “It now exposes its belly while sleeping as it feels safe,” she says.

“We have been walking Ban Ban to the park next to our estate at midnight since its arrival. Because it is quiet, Ban Ban could relax and take time to get familiar with the outside world,” Yue continues.

The couple have spent months building a bond with Ban Ban, not to mention the time it took to help it adjust to its new home years ago.

Like many other greyhounds, Ban Ban was diagnosed with health issues shortly after leaving the canidrome.

“We used to go to Macau three to four times a month when Ban Ban could not leave the place due to skin and liver issues,” Yau says.

They waited for more than three months for Ban Ban, during which it had to undergo numerous blood tests, vaccinations, and paperwork to comply with Hong Kong’s pet entry policy in 2018.

“It was not an easy journey, but we wanted to save at least one of the dogs,” Yau says.

Goodtime, an eight-year-old greyhound, was another dog saved from the canidrome.

*Rainie Chio celebrated Goodtime’s eighth birthday this year. (Photo Courtesy of Rainie Chio)*

It is living a new life away from the racing track after being brought home by Rainie Chio in November 2018.

Growing up in Macau, Chio has loved animals since she was young. She often helps take care of others’ pets and found that she loves greyhounds the most.

“I knew Goodtime was the one when I first saw him. It is friendly, gentle, and gets along so well with everybody,” she says.

*Rainie Chio adopted Goodtime at the Anima Macau five years ago. (Photo Courtesy of Rainie Chio)*

Chio shares that many pedestrians are scared of Goodtime during their daily walks together.

“The pedestrians think it would bite and attack humans,” Chio says, noting the prejudice against greyhounds.

“No doubt there are negative perceptions towards greyhounds as they are huge and were trained as racers and chasers,” Chio adds.

She thinks that dog racing has rewarded greyhounds with nothing but a fierce image.

“I am glad that dog racing competitions no longer exist in Macau,” Chio says, pointing out that dogs lived in an inhumane environment in the canidrome, suffering from insurmountable pain and distress due to illnesses, injuries, and doping that boosts their speed.

According to Zoe Tang, the president of the Board of Directors at Anima, many racing dogs were mistreated in racing kennels and were often kept in small and cramped cages.

“They often suffered serious injuries while racing, such as broken bones and torn muscles. After retiring from racing, they were ultimately euthanized,” Tang says.

“Greyhounds are born to be a friendly breed. Being affectionate and gentle, the adopted ones are loved by their new homes,” she says.

But Tang explains that it is impossible to find homes for all the dogs in the industry due to overbreeding, leaving healthy ones homeless or euthanised.

“All of them deserve a chance to live,” Tang continues.

The Macau racing track is long gone, but problems with greyhounds in the dog racing industry are far from resolved.

Grey2k USA Worldwide, a global greyhound protection and rescue group, states that dog racing still exists in seven countries: Australia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

Edited by Amelie Yeung

Sub-edited by Kossy Chen

Manicure Service for the Elderly

November 17, 2023

Volunteers provide free manicure service for the elderly, making them feel touched.

By Nicole Li

Tang Woon-kuen gives heartfelt hugs to volunteers with teary eyes after receiving their manicure service.

“I have never experienced such happiness in my entire life. Thank you very much to all the volunteers. Thank you,” the granny says.

*Tang Woon-kuen* *is teary-eyed and gives heartfelt hugs to volunteers for their effort in providing free manicure service.*

For the 91-year-old lady who lives alone, a simple thing in life like clipping her toenails is a big challenge.

Suffering from thick toenails for more than ten years, Tang has never consulted a doctor. She just accepts that it is a part of her life.

“I never thought of tackling this problem. It is too luxurious to see a doctor just for nails,” the silver-haired lady says.

Tang finds it difficult to clip toenails by herself. “My back can’t bend over to touch my toes,” she says.

She has never fixed her nail problem until Min Zhang Xiao-min, a volunteer who helps her clip and tend her toenails with a set of manicure kits.

*Manicure kits, including nail scissors, nail clippers, nail files and an electric nail polisher are sterilized.*

She gently lifts Yang’s foot and places it on her lap. “Be careful. No hurry. Are you taking any medication now?” Min asks each time before starting to fix Tang’s nails.

Min takes extra care in cleaning and removing dirt from underneath Tang’s toenails, as they are the source of an unpleasant odour.

“If the nails are stuck with dirt, it is easy to get infected and make the elderly feel uncomfortable,” the volunteer says.

Min understands the plight of the elderly and enjoys doing voluntary manicure work. “I will be old someday. I just want to do whatever I can to help them because I understand that it is hard for the elderly to handle nail problems,” she says.

“Doing volunteer work is rewarding. It gives me a sense of accomplishment,” she adds.

*Min Zhang Xiao-min* *cleans and removes dirt underneath Tang *Woon-kuen*’s toenails*

Min learns manicure and self-healing nail techniques from Fannie Yung Ching-han, a manicure instructor at the Employees Retraining Board. She invites Min to be a volunteer for the service.

“Tang’s case isn’t the worst. There are other cases that are far more serious. That’s also why very few people join this industry, as they have to deal with smelly and dirty toenails all day long,” Yung says.

“I hope that my students can apply what they have learnt to help those in need. This also helps them further improve their skills,” she adds.

Engaged in the beauty and manicure industry for over 40 years, Yung is cautious when handling manicure services, especially when the clients are the elderly.

“We usually ask them a day in advance to provide a picture of their nails that need a manicure to get a better idea of the severity of the problem,” Yung says.

The number of elderly people in Hong Kong will rise from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million in 2046, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

SilverHub, a social enterprise that offers manicure services to the elderly, was set up in August 2022 with 15 volunteers.

Kennis Chun Yin-ping, one of the founders of the organization, hopes the service can provide more support for elderly people.

“There is a growing demand for elderly nail care services due to the rapid increase in the ageing population. The elderly, especially those who live alone, may struggle to take care of themselves,” Chun says.

“They tend to overlook the health of their fingernails or toenails. They may think it is just a bone problem, but in fact, it can be ingrown nails causing bleeding,” she adds.

The group offers two types of services: free and paid. Free services are available to those referred by social workers in community centres or elderly homes.

For the charged service, the group charges HK $250 (US $32) for either hands or feet and HK $380 (US $48) for both hands and feet.

“We have noticed that many elderly people have such needs, but not everyone can afford to pay for a service. Many nail salons charge high prices. I have seen places charging HK$1,000 (US$128),” Chun says.

“Most people learn manicure primarily for beauty purposes and do not want to treat nail problems like fungal infection, as they find it repulsive,” she explains.

Dr. Florence Fong Meng-soi, the Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, believes that the government has many concerns in policymaking.

“The government hopes to follow the principle of home-based elderly care, providing a range of services focused on the local community and their home through the Social Welfare Department,” Fong says.

Apart from the general daily services related to clothing, food, housing and transportation, there is another category known as specialized emergency services.

“The government needs to assess the imminence of the issue – Can the market fill the gap and provide services?” she points out.

Fong thinks that it is hard to define the responsibility for providing specialized services for the elderly.

“The demand can be infinite. But who is responsible for taking care of the seniors? Is it the responsibility of the family caregivers? the market? The elderly themselves? Or the government? This can be an ethical question,” she says.

Sub-edited by Kossy Chen

SEN Kid Opens Up with Football

November 17, 2023

Football helps a boy with special needs with his physical and mental development.

By Chloe Tam

Primary school pupil Kevin Chan*, who suffers from attention deficit, used to keep everything to himself instead of sharing with others. But now he is willing to tell his parents and teammates about his everyday life after joining a football programme.

“Kevin is not good at communicating with others. He never responded even when I asked him. He just kept crying, shouting and having tantrums to seek our attention. But after joining football class a few times, he started to tell me what he wants,” says Peggy Lee*, mom of Kevin.

Chan joins ‘Play to Thrive’, a three-year football programme, organised by Save the Children Hong Kong, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the protection and development of children.

Launched in June 2023, the programme aims to improve the wellbeing of children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is expected to serve 224 children this year and bring the total number of participants to 1,100 children by 2025.

“He proactively shares everything about his classes. I am very happy about the change. When I ask him a question, he now responds with a few sentences instead of just saying one word,” the mother says.

“My son now prepares his football, uniform, socks and puts them on the table one day before every football class. His smile on his sweaty face tells me he loves playing football very much,” she adds.

*The students are listening and following the coach.* *(Photo courtesy of Save the Children Hong Kong)*

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 7-year-old did not have any team activities.

“He did not seem to like it when he was three or four years old. But after attending more classes now, he starts talking and finding coaches and teammates for help to solve problems,” Lee says.

“Football is a sport that requires teamwork. The course provides a golden chance for Kevin to spend time with other kids. Competition helps him understand team spirit which he had no concept at all before. Playing football is a good way to force him to express himself more and have better anger management. Otherwise, he can’t even touch the ball and play the games,” she adds.

Carol Szeto Yan, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Hong Kong, says underprivileged families or children with special education needs are their service target. They hope that an environment of cohesion can be built.

“During the past few years, many Hong Kong children’s mental and physical health was badly affected due to the pandemic. They could not spend time with their peers and teachers. We hope the programme can improve their social emotional competence,” she says.

Savio Wong Wai-ho, an associate professor of the Department of Educational Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, points out that teamsport is beneficial to children both physically and mentally.

He elaborates on it by breaking down the word “teamsport” into “team” and “sport”.

“It is commonly known that sports can improve our physical fitness and well-being. Healthy body causes a healthy mind. For “team”, there are rules required to follow and a well-organised way to train players’ social skills,” he says.

“As a team, every player shares a common goal such as winning. There is no way but to cooperate with other teammates in order to achieve the goal. It means they have to socialise among themselves,” Wong adds.

*Name changed at request of the interviewee

Sub-edited by Eve Qiao

Two Tales of Japan in WWII – Editor’s Note

November 16, 2023

Nearly eight decades after the Second World War, a “world war” of cognition and ideology is still ongoing. While it is often said that history is composed by the victors, great efforts should be made to learn the story of the “defeated”.

Periscope section of this issue takes readers to two museums in Nagasaki, Japan, where an atomic bomb was dropped on to bring an end to the WWII. Five minutes’ walk away from each other, the museums are telling two strikingly different tales of this city. The two tales of one city during the war illustrate the unique role of museums and tricks played by careful curation that has great impact on public perception and education.

Varsity takes readers to Thailand in the Our Community section to learn how Thai farmers are struggling to mitigate the impact caused by droughts and keep up with rice production, and then to China, where outcry burst out among diners because of ubiquitous pre-made food, the industry which the government boasts as a momentum to save the communist state’s sluggish economy.

Despite the declining property market in China, Varsity learns flat prices in districts with elite schools are still popular among parents who are willing to pay high price for these purchases. Varsity reporters also investigates how children bypass the China’s rigid internet regulations to earn pocket money by speculating NBA trading cards. Also in China, Varsity examines why girls pay to date other girls dressing up like male mobile game characters rather than real boys.

Coming back to Hong Kong, Varsity finds out how Qi Gong helps to alleviate pains suffered by cancer patients, how sports help with the growth of children with special education needs, and how students and colleges react to consecutive alleged crimes happened during university orientation.

Varsity also learns the importance of civil society. A Hong Kong NGO helps elderly with manicure, and another charity helps retired race greyhound start a new life.

Enjoy your read!

Leopold Chen

Chief Editor

Empowering Children with Special Needs Through Football

November 16, 2023

001 — A coach is guiding a child to kick a football.

Football coach teaches children with special needs to build social networks and inclusive learning environments through a free football programme.

By James Cheang

Football coach Poon Kwok-kai has learnt that patience and a big heart are the keys to help children with special educational needs (SEN) when teaching them how to communicate better by learning the ball game.

“When teaching them, I have to be more patient and kind-hearted. Some of them were a bit hard to control when they first joined my class. But after getting familiar with them, I find it easier to communicate with them,” he says.

Poon joined “Play to Thrive”, a programme launched by “Save the Children Hong Kong” in June this year. It is free of charge and for children aged six to 12 years old including children with special needs such as those who are autistic.

For Poon, the event means he can promote football to children with different backgrounds, particularly to students who need more care.

“Children with special needs might not be able to fully demonstrate skills I teach them. But they try their best to do so. I have a very strong sense of gratification and satisfaction in the programme,” Poon says.

Rather than grooming children to become professional football players, “Play to Thrive” helps them build social networks, learn the importance of team spirit and manage their moods through participating in a team sport.

“The programme can also provide children with special needs an inclusive learning environment. Some students might be neglected in traditional schools. We want to help them with football so that they can learn and play together happily,” he continues.

*Poon is teaching the children to control a football (Photo courtesy of Save the Children Hong Kong).*

Poon points out football is a team sport that requires whole body movement such as feet, hands, eyes – are all essential elements in playing it. It can train children’s body flexibility and coordination and encourage children to build their own social network.

“This is not the first time I teach students with special needs. I taught a few courses before, arranged by other non-government organizations,” he says.

The experienced coach started playing football when he was a Primary Three pupil. “I used to play football with my neighbors and classmates after school. I did not receive formal training,” Poon recalls.

When Poon was 13 years old, he represented Hong Kong as one of the members of the Hong Kong Under-20 Football Representative Team in various international competitions for almost six years.

“I dreamt of becoming a professional football player. But I gave up the unrealistic dream at last,” the coach says.

Though Poon has not become a professional football player, he keeps playing football. He became a football coach in 2012.

“That is how I started my career as a professional football coach. Now I am a ‘B’ License Coach, Goalkeeper Coach (Level 1) and Futsal Coach (Level 2) of The Asia Football Confederation (The AFC),” Poon says.

*Another coach with the kids (Photo courtesy of Save the Children Hong Kong).*

“I can’t say football is the most popular sport in the world. But if I say it is the second most popular, I doubt anyone will disagree with me,” he adds.

The coach points out football can help develop children’s social skills, communication ability and master the spirit of team building.

“During training, children can encourage each other to improve together. If I encounter sudden incidents in class, I always meet the kids involved. After comforting their emotions, I try to invite them to speak up and tell me what has happened,” he says.

“If the situation worsens, social workers can help and take care of students,” he adds.

“I hope I can run these football courses to help more children. Sport can help them develop their body and mind, build interpersonal communication skills and the concept of mutual respect,” Poon says.

Sub-edited by Christine Tang

Silent invasion of pre-made food in restaurants

November 15, 2023

As the pre-made food industry expands in China, consumer concerns about food safety and quality are on the rise.

By Kamun Lai

Joy Lyu* used to suffer from an irregular heartbeat and hypothyroidism, according to her body check results in 2022. But the report this year shows her health has improved, and she only lacks vitamin D after she stopped eating out and started making her own meals.

Hypothyroidism is a disease that leads to reduced metabolism due to decreased synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones.

“I used to eat out when I worked at an internet company. The working hours lasted from 9 am to 9 pm and sometimes I had to work until early in the morning. So I usually ate fast food or take-away food and never ate on time. That took a toll on my health,” the office worker says.

Lyu now spends two hours preparing meals for the next five working days during weekends, and she has been cooking for herself for a year.

“After cooking for myself, I joined a weight loss competition in the hospital and followed their low-oil and low-salt diet recipes. I lost 20 pounds in 12 weeks,” the 33-year-old says.

*Lyu followed the recipes provided by the hospital, which featured a low-oil and low-salt diet. (Photo courtesy of Joy Lyu)*

“Why not make your own food at home, given the fact that what we eat outside is all pre-made food anyway,” says Lyu, who posts a daily homemade meal picture on social media.

Pre-made food refers to finished or semi-finished products in which ingredients have been pre-cooked and pre-cut. Pre-processed and pre-made food is packed into bags to extend its shelf life.

More and more videos revealing restaurants using pre-made packages, which are pre-cut or pre-cooked, to quickly prepare a dish in less than a minute, are being shared on social media platforms like Douyin. A video showing how packages of pre-made food are turned into dishes served at restaurants by a cook earns 6.3 million likes and 2 million comments. Comments below describe the practise as “horrible”. One of the comments, “Consumers have the right to know whether the restaurant is using pre-made food!” gains 3474 “likes”.

The cook at the restaurant is unpacking the pre-made food.
( Screenshot via Douyin)

Chinese restaurants such as Xibei, which Lyu used to visit, are also found to have been using pre-made food to serve diners, according to the China Chain Restaurant Industry Report 2022 released by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.

“That is the reason I started to prepare meals myself. The cost of a pre-made meal with few vegetables is the same as my homemade meal. I just want to have a balanced and regular diet to become healthier,” Lyu says.

*Xibei’s mobile ordering interface promises that they will serve everything in 25 minutes. (Screenshot via Xibe’s food order webpage)*

But not everyone can change their lifestyle of eating out. “My colleagues tried but failed. Some complain that their fridges are too small, as they live with roommates or family. So, they are still having takeaway food,” she says.

The “No. 1 central document,” which the Chinese government released in February, identified the development of the pre-made food industry as a key task for 2023. The market size reached RMB ¥419.6 billion (USD $57.63 billion) in 2022, growing at a rate of 21.3 per cent. The market is estimated to reach RMB ¥510 billion (USD $70.05 billion) in 2023 and rise to a trillion yuan in 2026, according to the Development Report of the Pre-made Food Industry released by the research institution of People Daily in June.

Jack Zhang*, a manager in the food industry for more than three decades, questions the product quality as the regulations for pre-made food used in restaurants are still in their infant stage.

There is no national standard for pre-made food. Guidance documents for the industry are only available in 15 provinces and cities such as Guangdong, Shandong, and Shanghai.

“People are confused about the concept of pre-made food and processed food such as sausages and baked products. The regulations of food packages used in restaurants, the so-called pre-made food, are inadequate. But processed foods have been developed for more than 20 years, and classification and standardisation have been done very well,” Zhang says.

“Young people nowadays can’t tell whether the food they are eating is pre-made food because they don’t know what the traditional flavour of Chinese cuisine is,” the food industry practitioner says.

Adjunction associate professor Leung Ka-sing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, believes the development of pre-made food has evolved due to the fast-paced lifestyle.

“Compared to previous generations, the pace of life gets much faster. In families where both husband and wife finish work at six or seven, it is difficult for them to cook for themselves,” Leung says.

“Also, the cost of freshly cooked food in a restaurant is several times higher than the cost of using pre-made food, including rent and labour,” Leung adds.

Leung points out that if pre-made food factories can get a licence to operate and follow current technological standards, there will be no difference in food safety and nutrition between pre-made food and freshly cooked food in restaurants.

“But the large-scale standardised production and low-temperature storage can cause the food to lose the unique flavour created by chemical reactions at high temperatures. So whether consumers are informed about a restaurant’s use of pre-made dishes is a matter of consumer rights,” Leung says.

The professor thinks that nowadays people generally suffer from obesity and high blood pressure due to the heavy use of oil and salt.

“The healthiest diet is still cooking by yourself because you can control your salt and oil intake,” he adds.

*Name changed at request of the interviewee

Edited by Eve Qiao
Sub-edited by Christine Tang