Two years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, but it is far from over. The raging fifth wave of Omicron hits Hong Kong badly. Our city has already reached a grim milestone as over 1 million coronavirus cases have been reported. But life still has to go on, people from all walks of life are all trying their best to live with Omicron.
Our Periscope section explores how students put virtual platforms to a good use and help them to focus their studies amid the pandemic. Mainland and international students have also tried hard to keep their study on track through online classes while struggling to find their way back home under the lockdown policies in different places. Private tutors have been playing a pivotal role since the Omicron outbreak as parents have depended on them to take care of their children when physical classes were suspended.
Students were not the only ones who suffered, some foreign domestic helpers were sacked by their employers after testing positive. In our People section, our reporter interviews an Australian priest in Hong Kong who lends a helping hand to these workers during the pandemic. A Hong Kong rope skipping world champion also talks to Varsity about how to keep his rope skipping passion alive even physical competitions and training classes have been cancelled.
It takes courage to live with uncertainty, especially when all you could see is a gloomy future – in this issue, Varsity also examines how university students strive to keep their voices to be heard when most student unions have been diminished under the pressure of school administration.
We also follow other interesting topics in this issue of Varsity, from the downside of online self-diagnosis to the impact of video games restrictions on youngsters in China.
Don’t let the wave drift you away. Keep a cool head to calm the wave. We wish all the best for everyone. Have an enjoyable read!
A young Hong Kong chef and YouTuber pursues her culinary career in the UK.
Carrie Lock
As the only Hong Kong chef working at a boarding school in Cambridge, Catharine Leung impresses students with her Hong Kong cuisine – stir-fried rice noodles with beef and fried squid with salt and pepper. These have become the most popular dishes among students.
“A six-year-old pupil from Hong Kong said to me, nearly in tears, that stir-fried rice noodles with beef and fried squid with salt and pepper are his favourites. The dishes reminded him of home,” the chef in her 30s says.
“I am responsible for offering Asian cuisine such as sushi, spring rolls and custard buns,” she adds.
Leung’s work schedule starts at 7am. She joins her British and American colleagues to wash dishes, prepare ingredients and cook meals.
“Lunch time is the peak hour. Serving 800 people in two hours is as chaotic as being in a war. When it comes to dinner, we can relax a bit as we only provide meals for 200 students who live on campus,” she says. She gets off work at 3pm, after finishing dinner preparation.
Catharine Leung is making dumplings for students at boarding school. (Photo Courtesy of Catharine Leung)
Other chefs sometimes ask Leung to teach them how to cook Hong Kong dishes. “My British colleagues can now cook rice, sweet and sour pork and fried squid with salt and pepper,” she says.
She also learns how to cook Western cuisine like fish and chips and lasagna from her colleagues.
The chef thinks it is easy to cook Asian cuisine in the UK as more and more Asian food ingredients are available in supermarkets.
“If I cannot find a certain ingredient, I will seek for a substitute. I use my creativity when I have to cook classic Hong Kong dishes like turnip cake,” she says.
Chinese sausage, a main ingredient in cooking turnip cake, is difficult to find abroad. In one of her YouTube videos, Leung suggests replacing it by Kabanos, a Polish dried sausage which is easier to find in supermarkets.
Her love for cooking started while she was studying for a Master programme in media management in the UK in 2014.
“I fell in love with cooking, as I had to cook for myself every day in order to save money,” she says.
But she had never thought of turning her interest into a career. She returned to Hong Kong and continued to work as a documentary director after graduation. It was until 2017, a backpacking trip to Europe brought her back to cooking again.
“I served green curry for 100 guests at a wedding held in a resort in Black Forest, Germany. They loved it so much that they even came to the kitchen and told me how much they loved my food,” she says.
“The joy of cooking is similar to filming. I feel motivated when people praise my cooking and I feel the same when the audience like my films,” she says. Their positive feedback boosted her confidence to pursue her dream as a chef in Europe.
Leung flew to Britain in 2019 with a working holiday visa from Hong Kong and has been living in Cambridge ever since.
While working as a full-time chef at the boarding school, Leung opened her food stall “Ely Bubble Tea” in March 2020, selling Hong Kong street food – bubble tea and egg waffles in Cambridge town.
Though her stall only operated on weekends, her food still attracted some supporters. “Not many local residents knew what bubble tea and egg waffles were when I first opened my stall. After a year, I got customers visiting my stall regularly,” Leung says.
“The happiest thing about opening a food stall is chatting with my customers about what is happening in Hong Kong. Many of them care about our city,” she adds.
Leung’s food stall was temporarily closed in September 2021 as she needed to take a rest. But she says she will reopen her stall in the future.
Now, she continues working as a full-time chef on weekdays. At the same time, she is also a YouTuber.
Bubble tea and egg waffle offered at “Ely Bubble Tea”. (Photo Courtesy of Catharine Leung)
From Apple Daily to YouTube
Leung’s channel BackpaCooking (廚職背遊 梁芷靈), which was launched a year ago, has about 121,000 subscribers of which many are new Hong Kong migrants in the UK. She usually films videos about cooking, grocery shopping and the life of Hong Kong migrants.
In 2021, Britain rolled out the BNO visa scheme for eligible Hongkongers, offering a pathway to citizenship in response to Beijing’s imposition of national security law.
A total of 103,900 Hongkongers have applied for resettlement in Britain in the first year of the scheme, according to recent figures released by the UK’s Home Office.
“Some followers in Hong Kong left comments saying they are very upset about what is happening in Hong Kong but they feel better after watching my videos. Their comments motivate me to post more videos about life in the UK on YouTube,” Leung says.
“I inbox strangers such as political activist Finn Lau to ask for interviews. To build trust with them, I have to tell them my story angle and interview questions in detail,” she says.
Her videos also cover topics like grocery shopping and starting a catering business in the UK. The chef also teaches people how to cook Asian cuisine, especially Hong Kong dishes such as steamed eggs and Cantonese poached chicken.
She spends most of her weekends and holidays doing interviews and filming. “Video editing is the most exhausting part. I spent countless nights after work doing editing,” she says.
Before launching her own channel, she collaborated with Apple Daily to produce news videos about British people’s attitude towards immigrants from Hong Kong and life of Hongkongers in the UK until the sudden closure of the media outlet in 2021.
“I was shocked. An important media outlet just disappeared in a day. Some voices could not be heard if there are fewer media outlets. So I decided to continue producing stories by setting up my own YouTube channel,” Leung says.
“Some voices could not be heard if there are fewer media outlets. So I decided to continue producing stories by setting up my own YouTube channel,” Leung says.
Catharine Leung travels around the UK and films her Youtube videos. (Photo Courtesy of Catharine Leung)
Tips for Hongkongers Who Want to Leave
Leung has already lived in Britain for two and a half years. The stressful environment in Hong Kong is what caused her to leave.
“Life in Britain is relatively simple and peaceful. I also feel free here. I enjoy the freedom of speech as I can freely voice out my opinion on things that I do not like, such as unfairness in the workplace,” she says.
Still, moving to a foreign place is not easy. It was a big challenge for Leung to find herself a home when she first arrived in Britain in August 2019.
“It is difficult to rent a house when you are fresh off the boat. I had to provide an employment reference but I was jobless at that time. So I stayed at my friend’s place for a month till I found my first job as a kitchen porter in Cambridge. I stayed there for three months,” Leung says.
“Working as a kitchen porter was demanding for me. I had to clean dishes, dump the garbage and do labouring,” she says, given that she had never worked as a blue-collar worker before.
Since the living pace and culture are very different between Hong Kong and the UK, she says having an open-minded heart is the key to adapting to a new life.
“Do not use the same mindset you have in Hong Kong when you are in the UK. Try to embrace their cultures and ways of life,” she says.
More students choose to use virtual study platforms.
Karmen Yip
University student Anjelica Yeung Ka-yan has been studying on Discord, an instant messaging and digital distribution platform since December 2021, as physical study rooms have been closed due to the pandemic. She now studies two to three hours every day on the study platform.
Yeung started using the virtual study platform after she failed to focus on her studies at home during the pandemic.
“It is hard to create a learning atmosphere alone at home. I also lack self-discipline and easily get distracted by my iPhone,” the psychology major student says.
“Virtual study rooms help create a better learning atmosphere. I can see everyone focusing on their studies. Some highlight textbooks and some take notes on their iPads. I feel like being monitored by others. Others in the virtual study room can see if I am focusing on my study. This forces me to stay focused,” the 19-year-old student explains.
“Others in the virtual study room can see if I am focusing on my study. This forces me to stay focused.”
Yeung points out virtual study platforms have user-friendly interfaces with different functions such as subject channels where she can connect with students around the world who are studying the same subject.
“I can ask for help by typing questions in my subject channel. Other students who are online then respond to me and explain how to get to answers by showing reasons and logic behind,” she says.
“I can always find someone productive in a virtual study room. Students from all over the world study on the virtual platform 24/7. I can also set up a private virtual study room to study with my friends despite strict quarantine measurements in real life,” the university freshman adds.
“I can also set up a private virtual study room to study with my friends despite strict quarantine measurements in real life.”
Similar to Yeung, master student Shirley Ooi Yee-shyen is often distracted by social media apps like Instagram when doing self-study.
“When the pandemic hit, I messed up my own routine. I used to sleep from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. But isolation wrecked my daily schedule, and I went to bed at 4 a.m…I lost motivation and life became dull. That was when I started to study with my friends on Zoom,” the student from Université Grenoble Alpes says.
Ooi now spends an average of five hours a day on the virtual study platform.
“I turn on my webcam or share my screen sometimes so that others can check on what I am doing when I study on the platform,” she says.
“If my friends find that I have been away from my desk for too long or if they see me scrolling my phone, they will remind me to get back to my study. I will feel guilty and get back to work. The platform also has a system that tracks how many hours I study and users are ranked on the Study Leaderboard based on their study hours,” the chemistry student explains.
Ooi thinks the leaderboard motivates her to study harder and pushes her to finish at least one school task a day on the virtual study platform with her friends. But she also warns users not to stay online for too long for the sake of being on top of the leaderboard, as that is harmful to their mental health.
Shirley Ooi Yee-shyen uses a virtual study platform that tracks the number of study hours and provides users with their study statistics.
To help himself focus on his study, Nadir Matti took one step further. He founded a virtual study platform, Study Together, in July 2019.
Matti created the platform with a website and a discord server.
“The discord server reminds you to refresh your study goal every two hours. For example, your goal for this session is to finish reading 50 pages. After two hours, you will receive a notification reminding you of your goal and ask you to input the next goal. This pushes students to make progress,” he says.
Nadir Matti’s discord study server reminds users of their study goals every two hours.
Compared to studying at a library, Matti says it is way more comfortable and easier to study at home.
“When you go to a library, you have to spend time packing your bag and commuting. There are also concerns like if there are comfortable and enough seats in the library, and the opening hours of the library. With the virtual study platform, students can just turn on their laptops and start doing self-study with others,” the founder explains.
“At home, you have the perfect study environment that is all set-up. If you are a night owl and want to study at 3 a.m., you can still use online study rooms to stay focused,” Matti says.
The number of members joining Nadir Matti’s discord study server has increased during the pandemic. (Photo Courtesy of Nadir Matti)
Psychology scholar Dr. Alex Chan Chi-keung, associate professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, says more students choose virtual study platforms for interaction and interconnectedness.
“Through these platforms, students are motivated to focus on their study and can build friendships with others. By motivating and reminding each other of their study goals, it keeps them going,” he explains.
“By motivating and reminding each other of their study goals, it keeps them going.”
Chan says studying virtually as a group triggers group flow, a phenomenon that occurs when a group of people want to reach a team goal together.
“Group flow leads to improved performance and increases productivity,” he says.
Apart from that, Chan says students can find the most suitable study method by discussing different study skills with other students in chat rooms.
But he says virtual study platforms are not for everyone.
“If a user has poor self-discipline or has no clear study goals, the user can be sidetracked from their work and get distracted easily. Too much information flow on the platform also affects their focus,” he says.
Chan adds some students focus too much on comparing themselves with others and that causes pressure. He also warns cyber bullying on virtual platforms can lead to psychological problems like depression.
An Australian priest provides help for Hong Kong’s needy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iris Jiang
Australian priest John Wotherspoon lends a helping hand to foreign domestic helpers who have been sacked by their employers after testing positive for the coronavirus during the Omicron outbreak in Hong Kong.
“We have had more than 100 cases of homeless domestic helpers. Some cried when they came to our organisation. I was so upset by their suffering,” says Father Wotherspoon, who is also a co-founder of MercyHK, an NGO he set up with his friends in 2016.
He says one migrant worker slept in a car for 30 hours, and some stayed at the Hong Kong International Airport for three days when the weather was cold in late February. “Some of them were not accepted by boarding houses and others had trouble getting on the planes to their home countries because of COVID,” the Catholic priest says.
He also says that homeless cases have been mostly referred to his organisation by HELP for Domestic Workers, a concern group which also helps domestic workers in Hong Kong.
“We have five centres accommodating more than 100 domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines. They are provided with three meals a day,” Father Wotherspoon says in a virtual interview with Varsity on his smartphone while checking on domestic helpers to see whether they had enough food.
The priest at one stage worked 16 hours a day helping domestic helpers affected by the pandemic.
“These workers would have been on the street if nobody helped them. I have three needles and I will be careful,” says the 75-year-old, referring to the three doses of vaccines he has taken, despite the risky nature of his work. He has been assisted by a team of volunteers.
Temple Street Father
Having served the poor in Hong Kong for over 30 years, Father Wotherspoon can speak fluent Cantonese.
Dubbed as “Temple Street Father”, the Australian priest from Brisbane who came to Hong Kong in 1985 because his congregation needed more personnel.
“We have been helping homeless people, McRefugees (homeless people who stay overnight in McDonald’s) and ex-prisoners, now we are assisting COVID-19 patients as well,” he says.
Living in a subdivided flat in Yau Ma Tei, he says: “It has been a very happy experience,” which also brings him a lot of practical advantages.
“I like to live in a simple small room in the midst of poor people… I do not have to commute to work and am always available to people seeking my help,” he adds.
Apart from helping the needy, Father Wotherspoon updates his blog titled “A Voice for the Poor” every day. The blog has content ranging from prayers and the Bible to the latest situation of the homeless and links to news reports.
Father John Wotherspoon updates his website “A Voice for the Poor” every day. (Photo Courtesy of Father John Wotherspoon)
Donations have flooded his bank account after his work has been reported by the media.
“I didn’t ask for money, but donations have just kept coming. I am very lucky that more people are learning about our work and are willing to help us,” he says.
It allows Father Wotherspoon to employ a full-time social worker to help look after the homeless and two part time ones to look after drug addicts since November 2021.
Serving the poor in China
Apart from spending time helping the needy in Hong Kong, Father Wotherspoon also served in China.
He worked at an international school in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, as an English teacher from 2001 to 2008.
“I used my salaries to help migrant workers in the local area. There were a lot of migrant workers from Guizhou and many of them could not afford the cost of seeing a doctor,” says the priest, adding that there were a lot of migrant workers from Guizhou.
He has strong interest in Asia as he studied Chinese History at Monash University in Australia.
“I always think of China as the most important part of Asia. When I came to Hong Kong, I dreamt of working in China someday,” the priest says.
He also voluntarily taught poor children English in the nearby area. “I taught students from all levels. It was very enjoyable,” he smiles.
When he returned to Hong Kong in 2008, his main job was to help prisoners, drug mules and drug addicts.
“We just respond to the needy. Wherever someone needs help, my group tries to do something…The most important thing is to treat people with respect and care,” says Father Wotherspoon.
Home is where the heart belongs
About 242,000 residents have left Hong Kong since 2020, according to the figure from the Census and Statistics Department. While Hongkongers are leaving the city because of the introduction of the National Security Law and strict government COVID restrictions, Father Wotherspoon says he belongs to Hong Kong.
“For me, Australia is just a holiday place. Helping people in Hong Kong is more important…My family in Australia has always been supportive and they are very happy with what I’m doing” he says.
He believes that the world needs more people to care about the disadvantaged. “No matter what you do, if you can devote part of your time to helping people, you will be much happier,” he says.
CUHK students criticise their university’s new criteria of selecting student representatives.
Leopold Chen
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) launched open recruitment of student representatives in the tertiary education institution’s committees earlier this year.
The move came nearly a year after the last cabinet of the Student Union of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUSU) resigned in March 2021.
The selection criteria for the representatives consist of staff recommendation, relevant experience, reasons for application and academic performance, according to an email sent to all students from the university’s Office of Student Affairs (OSA) on January 19, 2022.
Among them, a recommendation by a full-time CUHK staff takes up to 40 per cent of the score.
A nomination panel consisting of members from “student-related units”, colleges and “related Committees” will also screen the applications. But CUHK does not indicate what kind of organisations count as “student-related units” or “related Committees” in the announcement.
“Respective committees reserve the right to have final decision upon the nomination/appointment of the student nominee(s),” reads the announcement.
According to the email, the application period originally ends on February 10, 2022. But CUHK extended the recruitment exercise to March 21 after it had not received enough applications.
Among the 25 university committees open for recruitment, representatives in 24 of them used to be recruited by the CUSU, whose cabinet was elected by all CUHK students.
The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) of CUHK is now in charge of recruiting student representatives for the university’s various committees after the CUSU dissolved.
Peter Chan*, formerly a member of the CUSU Council, criticises the selection system for lacking representativeness.
“It is quite funny. Passion is more important than ability or recommendation when selecting a student representative. One’s ability cannot simply be measured by recommendation or academic performance such as grade point average (GPA),” he says.
“The representativeness is inevitably lower. Representatives’ power is now granted by the university administration. But in the past, it was granted by the CUSU, an organisation elected by and representing all CUHK students,” he adds.
“Now all the university’s decisions seem to come out of the blue. We used to say that the student union is a messenger. Now that messenger is gone,” Chan says.
The CUSU is one of the many university student unions in Hong Kong that have been dissolved or become defunct since July 2021.
In July 2021, the University of Hong Kong announced that it would not recognise the status of its student union.
The Education University of Hong Kong made a similar decision in January 2022, further ruling that the student union’s HK$9 million deposit will be placed under the “temporary care” of the university.
The City University of Hong Kong required its student union to vacate its premises by February 14, 2022. The student union held a “farewell ceremony” on campus that day. The police stated on February 20 that the event may have breached the National Security Law as seditious slogans were displayed, adding that its National Security Department has been investigating the case.
The Student Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUSU) dissolved on October 7, 2021, citing the dilemma between legal risks and complying with the university’s demand.
Status of Student Unions in Eight UGC-funded Universities in Hong Kong
University
Status
Latest update on social media (as of April 16)
The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
The status of HKUSU had not been recognised by the university since July 13, 2021. It moved out of its premises completely on July 21, 2021.
July 5, 2021
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
The cabinet term was forced to end after six members were disciplinarily sanctioned in January 2021 over an “unapproved” memorial event for Chow Tsz-lok, a 22-year-old HKUST student who died amid the 2019 protest. No new cabinet stepped in until February 2022.
March 2, 2022
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
The student union announced its dissolution on October 7, 2021. It has been defuncted since then.
October 7, 2021
City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
The student union vacated its premises on February 14 as required by the university. The police’s National Security Department is investigating the student union’s alleged breaching of the National Security Law. On April 11, the university sent emails to at least 30 students, who are in connection with a farewell ceremony for the student union, demanding them to respond to the university on whether they have committed the alleged wrongdoings listed in the email including breaching the disease control and prevention terms and the section 9 of colonial-era Crimes Ordinance.
March 1, 2022
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
The university administration has stopped recognising the status of the student union, suspended all support for the body, and demanded that the student union move out from their premises by July 15, 2022. Previously, members of the student union voted in against of signing the Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC), which allows the student union to bear the name of “The Hong Kong Polytechnic University”, but also granted the university administration the power to interfere with the affairs of the student union.
April 15, 2022
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Operating under a provisional committee due to a lack of proposed cabinets for two consecutive years.
April 12, 2022
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)
The university announced that it will not recognise the status of the student union on January 20, 2022. The student union’s deposit is under the “temporary care” of the university.
Not Available
Lingnan University (LU)
In December 2021, the university said that the membership size of the student union is too small to be representative and it may stop acknowledging the status of the student union. A new representative council of the student union came to office on March 2, 2022.
April 4, 2022
*All universities but HKUST have stopped collecting member fees on behalf of the student unions
Students Go, Administrators Come
The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) of CUHK has taken over the student union after its dissolution on October 7, 2021.
Founded in January 2022 and initiated by a group of students, the CUHK Students’ Joint Platform (SJP) is a platform to discuss school affairs when the CUSU is defunct.
The organisation is composed of more than 20 student organisations, most of which were affiliated with the CUSU in the past.
The organisation collects opinions from students, holds sessions for students to discuss school affairs, such as mandatory vaccination in the university and student organisations’ registration under the OSA, and acts as student representatives to negotiate with the university administration.
Silva Lam*, a member of the standing executive committee of the SJP, thinks the OSA cannot replace the CUSU.
“The OSA does not even have the full list of student societies and needs to ask us for it. They do not know whom to approach to explain the situation. I do not think they can handle the aftermath brought by the dissolution of CUSU within a year,” she says.
The SJP executive committee member also expresses disapproval to the new student representatives recruitment system.
“I think the system is weird. Being good at studying or having a good relationship with university staff does not mean being a good representative. Some students, especially freshmen who do not know the staff well but want to get involved in student affairs, may be filtered out by the system.”
Lam says some helpers of the SJP took part in the student representative recruitment.
“Although they understand the influence of student representatives is very limited, they still think it is a way to express the opinion of students,” she says.
The SJP has now proposed a framework for a new CUSU if there will be any. The blueprint will allow student societies to have a bigger say in all affairs.
Responses from Administrations and Authorities
Responding to Varsity’s enquiry, CUHK says it acknowledges the constitution of the CUSU is in place and will welcome a new student organisation “that upholds CUSU’s tradition in serving not only the student community but also society more broadly.”
The university adds that it believes participation in student organisations and “a prominent student voice” are important in students’ university life and it will ensure these activities are well supported.
The head of the CUHK OSA, also known as the University Dean of Students, has not responded to Varsity’s request for comments.
The Education Bureau says the government respects universities’ autonomy over student affairs in a written reply.
“At the same time, the Government requests universities to uphold good governance and accountability to the public, while their operations should comply with the law and meet the interests of the university community as well as the community at large,” it reads.
Female gamers in China look for love in the cyberworld.
Fiona Dongye
University student Li Xinyi has been in love with her virtual lover Li Zeyan, who is a character of an otome game, Mr Love: Queen’s Choice, for more than three years.
Li Zeyan is 28 years old and 183cm tall. He is the president of Huarui Group, which is the largest business group in the fictional world.
Li Zeyan, Li Xinyi’s virtual boyfriend
“My virtual boyfriend is handsome, gentle, strong and warm. He makes me feel that I am loved and cared for. The most important thing is I know he only loves me. No matter what happens, he always trusts me and supports me. When I feel upset, I just play the game and his words always comfort me,” Li says.
Li plays the game whenever she is free. “I live in a fantasy every day. I feel like I am really in a relationship when I play the game. I can chat with him, and I can call and date him,” the 19-year-old gamer, who never has a boyfriend in real world, says.
Otome game is a type of story-based game in which female gamers develop romantic relationship with male characters in the game. It originated in Japan in 1994 and was first launched in China in 2002.
Mr Love: Queen’s Choice is one of the most popular otome games in China. Its download volume has reached 7.1 million within a month after its launch in 2017. The number of daily active users has reached more than 2 million. The monthly turnover in the first month of the game’s listing was around US $48 million, according to Aurora Mobile, a mobile big data service platform in 2018.
“I am an introvert and suffer from depression. I have always had hard time building intimate relationship with others. I know these characters in the game are all virtual, and I cannot have physical contact with them. But I think their physical presence is not that important, as long as I feel that I am being cared for,” Li says.
Li finds peripherals related to her virtual boyfriend such as love letters and necklace attractive too.
Necklace related to Li Zeyan (Photo courtesy of Li Xinyi)
“My virtual boyfriend has his own social media account in which I can check his updates every day. He even makes a phone call to me on my birthday and during holidays. I know the call is made by the game company, but it sounds real,” she says.
Although Li is a student with no income, she has spent nearly RMB ¥30,000 (US $4,740) to top up the game.
“When I was in high school, I even skipped meals to save money. I used the money given by my parents to top up the game,” Li recalls.
Another otome game fan Wang Yujie, who has a boyfriend in real life, still finds virtual boyfriends attractive.
Wang has the same favorite game as Li, which is Mr Love: Queen’s Choice.
“I used to think of my favorite character in the game as my boyfriend. Now I have a boyfriend in real life. But I still play otome games for fun,” Wang says.
But Wang says it is difficult to say whether having a boyfriend in real life is better than a virtual one.
“The male characters in the game are perfect. They never make mistakes and ignore my feelings. But a real partner can have physical interaction with me. A virtual boyfriend cannot,” she adds.
Wang says otome game used to give her comfort. “I used to think I could not find anyone whom I could trust. So I would rather choose a virtual one,” she says.
Annie Tang, a planner of a popular otome game with over 15 million downloads, says they design games to make female players fall in love with characters in their games.
“Male characters are designed to be attractive and considerate. This makes players feel loved and gradually becomes dependent on the character,” Tang says.
Tang says game companies also create peripherals such as pendants, notebooks, dolls, and even wedding dress so that players can build connections with their virtual lovers in the real world.
“It may sound cruel, but in my view, all virtual characters are just models and codes. Those peripherals are just tools for making money,” Tang says.
Anthony Fung Ying-him, professor from the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong says otome game can satisfy female players’ emotional needs.
“Most virtual games are designed for male players. This kind of game (otome game) is specially developed for girls. From a business angle, a new group of players has been created, so the game company’s earning power is stronger,” Fung says.
He points out that people prefer finding a partner in the virtual world under strong time and space constraints.
“High school students spend a lot of time studying, and college time is short, making it difficult for young people to find lovers. Many young people also do not like blind dates. This game gives them new possibility to find a partner,” Fung says.
Variety shows producers want to make Hong Kong laugh again.
Jenny Lam
Having endeavored in the TV industry for almost 20 years, Janet Lam Man-ching, a variety show supervisor of ViuTV never gets bored with her job.
“The pay has always been low in this industry and this will not change in the near future. What keeps us all going on is our passion. We really love what we do,” the journalism major student says.
Inspired by her liberal studies teacher, Lam started her career as a production assistant for children’s television series in Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) in 2004.
“Working in the TV industry may not be my childhood dream. But I have always loved watching TV. My favourite show at that time was Flash Fax (閃電傳真機), a children’s programme. When I was a child, I watched TV every day right after school, starting from 4 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. news reports,” the 40-year-old TV supervisor says.
Having worked as a production assistant for two years, she was then promoted as a research writer for the infotainment section and took part in productions of programmes such as Pleasure and Leisure (都市閒情), Muscle Ranking (筋肉擂台) and so on.
After working at TVB for seven years, Lam was recruited by a creative director in Now TV to be a senior research writer. As Now TV and ViuTV are both under their parent company PCCW, she was then assigned to work as a variety show supervisor in ViuTV and continue to pursue her TV dream.
Lam and her crew have so far produced and written 15 shows for ViuTV in the past seven years, including cooking and traveling programmes.
Among her works, Be ON Game (膠戰), which debuted in 2020, is one of the most popular shows she produced. The show features famous pop stars like Edan Lui Cheuk-on, a member of local boyband Mirror. The second season was released in 2021 and the viewership rating for the first episode is 3.9, which means approximately 255,000 views, according to CSM Media Research.
“My team and I want to make people laugh when they watch our shows in times of distress. I think watching artists being tasked to perform missions such as playing basketball with superpowers is quite funny,” Lam says.
“My team and I want to make people laugh when they watch our shows in times of distress,” Lam says.
“Brainstorming for game ideas is the toughest part of the production. It took us three months to transform an idea into a real game. We kept watching the playback of game trials and throwing out new ideas to modify our plans,” Lam says.
“It is especially stressful and tough when we still have to manage three to four shows at the same time,” she adds.
Members of a production team reviewing an edited episode of a TV show.
A post-production staff is editing an episode of Be ON game(膠戰) in a studio.
While brainstorming for new game ideas is difficult, Lam says editing is also not easy.
“The amount of time for editing one episode of a variety show is three times more than other kinds of TV programme like drama series. We have to do sound effects and animation for every few seconds. It takes almost 10 days to edit one episode,” Lam says.
“Efforts made by my postproduction team might not be seen by the audience. But I hope the audience can really appreciate their hard work,” she adds.
Though Lam and her team have to spend more time on producing variety shows, they are not rewarded with attractive salaries in return.
“We dedicated ourselves to every programme. But the work might not always be welcomed by the audience. I know our work is not perfect, but I am glad that we have done our best in every show we produced,” she adds.
Lam admits that she always questions whether she should stay in the industry, and she decides to soldier on.
“If there are any ideas in my mind that have not been filmed as a programme, I will stay and continue my work. I hope the Hong Kong audience can be more supportive of our work and give us time to grow,” she says.
Janet Lam Man-ching (left) and Lee Wang-tat (right) have poured in their heart and soul for their TV dreams.
Bringing laughter
Her partner Lee Wang-tat shares Lam’s TV dream. He has also devoted almost 20 years working in the television industry to make his dreams come true.
The 39-year-old producer stepped into the entertainment industry as a production assistant for non-drama programmes in TVB once he finished his journalism degree at Chu Hai College of Higher Education in 2005.
His interest in movies paved his way to start a career in the entertainment industry. “I have always loved watching movies when I was young. The visuals fascinate me a lot,” he says.
But his passion for the TV industry has taken a toll on his family life.
Lee had to work for almost 19 hours per day when he was a production assistant. “I couldn’t meet with my family for almost a month. I had to finish my work quickly and could only take a nap whenever I had a break in my hectic schedule,” he recalls.
“As a production assistant, I had to do a lot of filming and video editing. The training has made me grow rapidly. I learnt how to tell a story in a more comprehensive way,” he says.
Lee says his hard work pays off eventually.
“If you are willing to work hard, it will take four to five years to get a promotion to a director level,” he says.
Lee has worked in different TV stations throughout his career. He was promoted as a director in the Asia Television Limited in 2011 and the Hong Kong Television Network Limited (HKTV) a year later.
As HKTV struggled to receive a free-to-air television licence from the government in 2013, he resorted to getting into Now TV as a producer in 2014.
Lee directed 14 shows and produced six programmes over his seven years in ViuTV, such as Travel with Rivals (跟住矛盾去旅行) and Talker: Helmet Intercom (又要威 又要戴頭盔).
Inspired by ERROR TV (ERROR自救TV), a reality show featuring another boy band Error, and their manager Ahfa Wong Wai-kwan, he thinks that variety shows can have an impact on society by bringing laughter and entertainment. The thought of producing Be ON Game came into his mind in 2020.
He and his partner both agreed that there is no formula for success in producing variety shows.
“We keep monitoring the audience’s reaction and figure out their preferences. We must have faith in our team and their judgment when filming variety shows,” Lee says.
Compared to other countries like Korea and Japan, Hong Kong’s variety shows are not as popular and well-known around the world.
“Producing shows in Cantonese may limit the range of our audience but this actually represents our culture. What we can do now is to do our best and let our work speak for itself,” Lee says.
The job nature of the entertainment industry might be appealing to many, yet being underpaid is also daunting.
“I believe everyone in this industry constantly doubts whether they should continue their work, given the low income and heavy workload from time to time,” Lee says, who is going to migrate to Japan with his family later due to personal reasons.
“Producing a show brings a sense of satisfaction, which overweighs all hard work and time we paid, especially when a programme can provoke and impact the audience,” he adds.
Support from family and friends, having more rest and taking Panadol are the keys to surviving the COVID-19 Omicron variant as four of our university students share their ordeal in fighting against the highly infectious virus.
The city has reported more than 650,000 COVID-19 infections and about 4,600 deaths
to date. More than 90 per cent of the population have had at least one dose of vaccine and most of the fatalities are among unvaccinated senior citizens, according to government data.
Four university students who had two doses of BioNTech vaccine in 2021 and tested positive in February say people should stay calm as they share their stories on surviving Omicron.
Jason Lee tested positive on February 16 and negative on February 26.
Jason Lee had a fever on February 16 so he did a quick test at home and the result was positive.
After joining a gathering on February 13, he and his group of friends were all infected with Omicron. He suffered from fever, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose and cough.
“The first week was tough. I took Panadol and slept more than ten hours every day. It was terrible to have a sore throat. It was painful whenever I swallowed,” Lee says.
“I kept taking Panadol and got better five days later. I tried my best to finish my schoolwork, but I was too sick to take a mid-term test. The school granted me an exemption and will grade me with another test,” he adds.
Lee’s mother also fell ill two days later and suffered from a cough while his brother stayed negative as the family tried to have minimal contact with each other.
“I had meals in my room. My mother and brother also ate in their own rooms. We wore masks when we went to the toilet, kitchen and living room,” Lee says.
Lee feels thankful that a friend of his dropped a testing kit at his doorstep. “My mother needed to do a test so that she could apply for paid leave, or else she would have to claim her leave as annual leave,” he says. His mother works in a school and his brother is an office worker.
“Thanks to my friend…he brought me food and daily necessities when my mom and I were sick. We ordered takeaway food sometimes, as I did not want to bother my friend all the time,” he says.
After waiting for almost 10 days, he received a text message from the Centre for Health Protection on February 26 and was surprised at the ‘indeterminate’ result.
“We did not receive any phone calls from any government department after the message. We tried calling a phone number we found in the government text message, but the line was always busy,” he says.
Though tested negative on February 26 at home, Lee has been staying home ever since his recovery. “I do not want to be infected again. I just want to be safe,” he says.
Lee kept chatting with his friends to get rid of his loneliness when staying at home. “It is really unusual for me to not see my friends for weeks. I think chatting with friends and sleeping really help me get through Omicron,” he adds.
Jason Lee received a message from the Centre for Health Protection informing him that his result was indeterminate in February. (Photo courtesy of Jason Lee)
Christy Chan tested positive on February 15 and negative on February 27.
Christy Chan tested positive preliminarily after a few infection cases were reported in her dormitory on campus on February 15.
Suffering from a fever on February 14, Chan had symptoms of cough and having phlegm.
She was not allowed to use shared facilities such as the toilet and kitchen and she could not have shower or dinner outside her own room. Her room was also disinfected by the university.
“After taking Panadol and vitamin C for two to three days, I felt much better. I felt terrible when I had a fever on the first day. But once the fever was gone, I felt fine,” she says.
She was sent to another dormitory with a private toilet to do quarantine for seven days. “The room was like a hotel room. It had a heater, new bed sheet and pillow prepared for me. The staff provided me with toilet paper and towels,” she says.
She reported her case to the government a day later on February 16 and received a government text message on February 19, telling her to wait for their call. “My symptoms were gone when I received a call from the Centre for Health Protection. The caller asked for my address only and there were no further questions,” she says.
During her seven-day quarantine, her mother brought food and daily necessities to her university and a staff delivered them to her room. “My family was pretty calm about the whole situation. They did not seem to worry,” Chan says.
On February 26, Chan received a package with a testing kit, a thermometer and a handbook of personal hygiene from the Centre for Health Protection.
“More and more people have been infected, so it has become less of a big deal. People do not need to panic and go to the hospital if their symptoms are mild,” she says.
Christy Chan stayed in this room for quarantine for seven days. (Photo courtesy of Christy Chan)
Meals were provided to Christy Chan when she was under quarantine on campus. (Photo courtesy of Christy Chan)
Jade Cheung tested positive on February 21 and negative on February 27.
Jade Cheung did a quick test at home and tested positive on February 21 after suffering from a sore throat and a runny nose for two days.
She suspected that she was infected when she bid farewell to her friend at the airport on February 19. “I did not take off my mask. I still do not know how I was infected,” she says.
“I just took some Panadol and slept more than eight hours a day when I was sick. I felt better four days later,” she adds.
On February 25, Cheung went to a community testing centre in the North district after her symptoms were gone.
“The queue was short with only a few people. After two days, I received a text message saying that my result was positive. My family including my father, my mother, my sister and my brother were all negative. So they went on with their lives and went back to work,” she says.
“While I was in quarantine, I watched Youtube and played mobile phone games. Sometimes I did revision for my tests. It was just like every other day. A relative tested positive in early February so my family had some experience dealing with this and they were all very calm when I fell ill,” she adds.
“A relative has two flats so I stayed at one of them for quarantine. I had to attend online classes with my mobile data but the network was unstable. Despite the trouble, I managed to get on with my study,” she says.
Her mother brought her food and other daily necessities. She also cooked meals and ordered takeaway food sometimes.
On 29 February, she went to a community centre to do another test and received a message saying her result was negative two days later.
“We are on our own now. There are too many cases and the government cannot provide support to everyone. It is important to have testing kits and Panadol at home. We need to equip ourselves and get ready for a rainy day,” she says.
Jade Cheung received a message from the Centre for Health Protection informing her that her result was positive on February 26. (Photo courtesy of Jade Cheung)
Mary Wong tested positive on February 17 and negative on February 26.
Mary Wong tested positive at home on February 17 after hanging out with a friend who later also caught Omicron. Suffering from mild symptoms like cough, she stayed in her room after testing positive.
“I cleaned the toilet after using it. I had meals in my own room and my family had meals in the living room. My family asked me to wear a mask even when I was in my bedroom alone,” Wong says.
“My sister had to move out of our bedroom so that I could quarantine myself. Though I was ill, I was quite happy that I could have some ‘me-time’,” she adds.
On February 17, she sent a specimen to the government for a test. None in her family was infected but her family could not go to work because she tested positive.
“My family needed a proof from the government for paid leave, so they kept asking me when I would have my test result and even asked me to do more tests. They seemed to blame everything on me and thought I was very troublesome,” she says.
“I was annoyed when they yelled at me for not wearing a mask. So I got into quarrels with them more often,” she adds.
After taking Panadol and sleeping ten hours a day, she felt better five days later. She received a government message informing her that her result was negative on February 26.
“My family still forced me to stay in my own room and wear a mask all the time even after I tested negative because they were afraid I might still be sick,” she says.
“I do not think my health is affected by Omicron and my family just overacted. People really do not have to panic. It was like a flu to me,” she says.
Wang Ziqiang, a 54-year-old businessman, has been paying an annual deposit of RMB ¥100,000 (US $15,740) for an 85-square-metre room in an elderly home in Zhejiang province since 2019.
In total, he has to pay RMB ¥1.5 million (US $15,740) in 15 years before he and his wife can live there when they are in their 60s.
“I made the payment for my mom, who is now in her 70s. But she refuses to move in. So I decided to change the plan for myself and my wife,” Wang says.
“I thought it would be good for my mom and my wife. My wife keeps saying she is tired of taking care of both my mom and two children. My younger daughter is just seven,” he adds.
The nursing home which Wang and his wife plan to move in is still under construction. He might have to settle other payment which is now unknown to him in the future.
Wang says the institution provides medical service, housekeeping service, and catering service, but charges of these services are not confirmed yet. “I also have to pay for other services my wife and I need in the future,” Wang says.
Despite all the uncertainties, Wang still considers spending his retirement life in a nursing home a good idea.
“I think it is worth it. The fee will be higher if I want these services at home. It is difficult to hire a good domestic helper, and expensive to hire medical professionals to work at home. I do not want to burden my children,” he says.
“It is difficult to hire a good domestic helper, and expensive to hire medical professionals to work at home. I do not want to burden my children.”
There were more than 260 million aged over 60 in China, accounting for 20 per cent of the whole population, while the birth rate was less than one per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics in 2020.
By the end of 2020, there were 38,000 nursing homes for the elderly in China, marking an increase of over 37 percent since 2015, while the number of beds jumped by 7.3 per cent reaching 8.24 million, according to Li Jiheng, minister of civil affairs, who attended a press conference in February 2021.
“It is highly likely that my children will have to take care of at least three elderlies. One of my children will have to take care of me and another will take care of my wife. They also have to take care of their future parents-in-law, Wang says.
Mike Chen, a senior manager of a nursing home for old people from well-off families in Xiaying, Ningbo, says living in nursing homes that offer quality services is quite a popular choice for elderlies from affluent families like Wang’s.
“Our rooms were rented out quickly. As there have been more incidents about conflicts and tragedies involving families and their domestic helpers who are hired to take care of the elderly reported in the press, many families have started looking for alternative retirement living options,” says Chen, who has eight years of experience in the elderly care industry.
“As there have been more incidents about conflicts and tragedies involving families and their domestic helpers who are hired to take care of the elderly reported in the press, many families have started looking for alternative retirement living options.”
The nursing home Chen works at has a building in the complex with all kinds of medical facilities prepared for clients with serious illness. “Many families cannot take care of their loved ones with serious illness, and we have a team of medical professionals who can help them,” he says.
Chen says a contract is signed between the nursing home and clients. “We guarantee our clients can live here until they pass away. Their children can also live here as long as we have the capacity to provide them the service,” he adds.
When asked how nursing homes can fulfil all their promises for their clients who have to start paying more than a million before they can move in, Chen remains silent.
Kong Xianglai, a lecturer teaching economy at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, points out that the ageing population in China has created business opportunities for this kind of nursing home.
“There are some problems in the system, such as the payment method. But we still see nursing homes flourishing, showing that there is a strong demand for such service,” Kong explains.
“The well-off families can afford high-quality service. They, in this case, can be considered as the demands, and institutions like these nursing homes offering quality service can meet their demands. They form a perfect economy,” says Kong, who does research on elderly population.
Kong says sending parents to nursing homes does not necessarily imply that their children do not love them.
“This kind of love can be understood in two ways. On one hand, children want their parents to have better service and care. On the other hand, parents want to move in so that they will not burden their children. It is almost impossible to ask a working middle-aged person to give up everything in his life to only take care of his parents,” Kong says.
But Kong thinks the ageing population should not be considered a problem. “People often view elderly people as burdens. They are old, but it does not mean they have no value. Actually, many elderly people can continue to work,” Kong says.
“People often view elderly people as burdens. They are old, but it does not mean they have no value. Actually, many elderly people can continue to work.”
Currently, the retirement age in China for men is 60 while for women is 50. The government is exploring the possibility of extending the age to 65.
“Elderly people are being stereotyped. If more jobs can be provided for them so that they can live on their own, the problem of the ageing population in China might be alleviated,” he says.
Edited by Kajal Aidasani Sub-edited by Leung Pak-hei
Calligraphy therapist Kwan Man-lung comforts troubled souls with his writing.
Enya So
Calligraphy artist Kwan Man-lung plays the role of a therapist by comforting troubled souls with his magic brush.
In 2021, Kwan helped a woman who shared her story about having a miscarriage and suffering from depression at a calligraphy event.
“I wrote ‘We trust that destiny will bring us a better life’ with my brush to encourage her at the event. The woman found strength in my calligraphy. She later was pregnant again with a baby girl. She visited me to tell me about the good news after a few months,” he recalls.
“I feel touched when people share their thoughts with me and find warmth from my calligraphy. I hope my art can bring happiness to others. This is a mission I am committed to,” he says.
“I feel touched when people share their thoughts with me and find warmth from my calligraphy. I hope my art can bring happiness to others. This is a mission I am committed to.”
Kwan usually categorises people with different kinds of worries in folders in his mind to help others efficiently.
“Relationship problems are saved in one spot in my brain and workplace problems are stored in another folder. I take ideas out when I need them,” he says.
“When someone shares his or her worries with me, I am all ears and I give them advice sometimes by thinking in his or her shoes to understand them. This gives me ideas when I am writing calligraphy for them,” he adds.
Kwan mostly writes encouraging messages for others with his calligraphy such as: “Believe that everything is the best arrangement” and “Never forget why you started and there will be reward. There is always light for us”.
“Stay Healthy and Happy” and “We will get over the situation in this year” written by Kwan Man-lung
“The most important elements in my calligraphy are humour and memes that can help those with worries to relax and stay positive,” he says.
Kwan thinks calligraphy is the combination and variation of Chinese characters. He was inspired by Japanese and Chinese calligraphy that he absorbed their characteristics to create his own calligraphy.
The Career of Therapist
Kwan develops different calligraphy styles and fonts style by finding inspiration from anime, games, Japanese music, Cantopop and films by Wong Kar-wai. They also help him to think of what kind of painting to go with his calligraphy.
“Writing and drawing are my hobbies. When I was in secondary school, I usually helped to create artistic fonts and design backdrops and posters,” Kwan says.
The 34-year-old artist has been working as a full-time calligraphy artist with the name Dark. Kenjamin since the end of 2015. Kwan says the nickname means driving away darkness in everyone’s heart.
“My motto is ‘practice makes better, but not perfect’. So through consistent practice, I wish to transform my own and others’ negative vibes and worries into my creative calligraphy which can bring comforts to my clients,” he says.
“Black is the colour that I use most frequently to express my emotions and the colour I am most familiar with,” he adds.
Before being a full-time calligraphy artist, Kwan tried working as an office clerk, a salesman and a shop assistant.
Now he sets up stalls in marketplaces to sell calligraphy writings, designs Chinese fonts for company brands and advertisements and organises talks and workshops about calligraphy to make a living.
“My income depends on how many calligraphy projects I have every month. It is quite unstable. The pandemic makes it more difficult to host workshops and sharing sessions,” he says.
“Most events such as the Lunar New Year Fair and company annual events have been cancelled because of the pandemic. I used to write spring couplets at these events. But these events have been either cancelled or reduced in scale because of budget cuts and the pandemic,” he says.
Kwan Man-lung holding his piece of calligraphy “Good luck on everything”
Future of Calligraphy
Kwan thinks financial support is not the only way to show appreciation of art creation. He also values the interaction with people sharing worries with him during calligraphy promotion.
“Some people simply buy my calligraphy artwork without talking to me. Sharing ideas is important for promoting art and creating art,” he says.
“Sharing ideas is important for promoting art and creating art.”
Kwan hopes more people can learn about calligraphy so that it can be shared and developed in other parts of the world.
“There are many passionate calligraphy artists in Hong Kong. I hope more people can appreciate their artwork and show support to their works,” he says.
