Students do self-study at Disneyland.

By Flavia Zhou

Disneyland, not a library, is the best place for Chan Bai to do self-study, especially when she has to revise for examinations. 

“If I go to the library or stay at home, I study the whole day. Sometimes I am tempted to scroll with my smartphone. It is good to change the venue for my study. I can take a stroll in the theme park when I want to take a break,” the Hong Kong university student says.

After learning from a classmate that many students do self-study there, Chan bought an annual pass in October 2024, which cost her HK $1178 (US $151.74). She visited the theme park three times that month to do her study. 

“I went to the theme park alone a day before the final exam for the first time in November last year. I finished doing some revisions at that time. I only had to go through all the materials again. I wanted to revise in a more relaxing environment. The area around Grizzly Gulch is my favourite spot,” the 22-year-old student recalls.

“It took me an hour to go to the theme park. I studied from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. after lunch. Then I joined the Christmas events at 6 p.m. So it was a day of schoolwork and fun. I didn’t feel stressed even though it was exam week. I will go there again to study with my friends,” she adds.

The marketing student prefers reading class notes and PowerPoint files when doing self-study at the theme park.

“I usually sit in a spot where there are few tourists around. I can listen to Disney music playing at the park. My favourite song is Grizzly Gulch Daytime Music Loop. The whole experience is very pleasant,” she says. 

Another student Lee Jiu shares Chan’s feelings about studying at the theme park. 

“I usually go there when I have to do PowerPoint slides and project reports. It’s a very relaxing experience. But when I really have to stay very focused doing reading, then I do my study in a library,” says the 22-year-old student, who has been to the theme park for her schoolwork two times so far.

Lucky Nugget Saloon in Grizzly Gulch and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars are her favourite spots for inspiration when doing proposals. 

“I like brainstorming for new ideas for coursework. I always do roller coaster rides to scream and relax, and then inspiration bursts,” the marketing student says. 

Lee enjoys studying at Disneyland so much that she wants to work in Shanghai so that she can bring her work. 

Ming Yue, a university student majoring in statistics science, also enjoys going to the theme park to study. Her favourite spot is RC Racer in Toy Story Land. She goes to Disneyland to study once or twice a month.

“I go to Disneyland to write essays or statistical analysis reports. I like staying at a resting area near Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars and the dining area or lounge area in World of Frozen. I go there after lunch and study, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” the university student says. 

“I can finish my studies and then have fun in Disneyland. This is better than studying in a library,” Ming says.

“Seeing visitors playing at Disney doesn’t bother me. Visitors there motivated me to complete my studies faster. I usually do thrill rides after finishing my studies before returning home,” the 21-year-old adds.

Edited by Zora Yan

Sub-edited by Bliss Zhu

Protesters who joined the White Paper Movement two years ago stay silent now.

By Della Qing

University student Skylar Ho avoids news about politics and social issues in China, despite having joined the White Paper Movement protests during the COVID pandemic.

“Nowadays, I read less news related to social issues. I do not look for news to read. I only read the news when I come across stories on Instagram. Then I still read the entire report carefully,” Ho says.

“I’m about to graduate. This semester I have no class. I feel like I’m living the life of a “lonely senior”. Every day I cook for myself. I am working on my dissertation. I read books, and watch movies and TV series. I also do exercise for an hour every night,” Ho adds.

In November 2022, thousands took to the streets across China to protest against the government’s zero-COVID measures. Students from different universities in Hong Kong gathered at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus to protest. Holding white papers, students shouted slogans like “Long Live Freedom” and called for press freedom. Ho was one of them.

“I followed news about the pandemic and protests closely at that time. I read and reposted angry messages criticizing the lockdown policy in China on Instagram. I think at that time we were in a powder keg about to explode,” she recalls.

“When the protest started in different cities, I spotted many messages about young people holding white papers in the protest. We had the same feeling and our hearts were connected no matter where we were,” she adds.

Ho shares she stays silent most of the time now. 

“I’m now less passionate, brave, and idealistic than in 2022. The thought of ‘nothing can be changed’ haunts me, especially when the cost of speaking out is getting higher and higher. Considering the potential risks, I prefer to stay silent. But I’m still thinking about social issues, and I chat about these with my friends,” Ho says. 

“In China, the media is the mouthpiece of the government. I think the government is trying to edit people’s memory by preaching the fairy tale of prosperity and solidarity. They do not admit that they made tons of mistakes during the pandemic era, causing many deaths,” she sighs. 

Another postgraduate student Chloe Song, who also joined the Whiter Paper Movement protest shares Ho’s depressing feelings.

“I still remember the experience of being trapped in a lockdown in Shanghai. I felt so depressed that I couldn’t sleep all night. I cried when I was lying in my bed. It’s like I was sentenced to prison. I knew maybe someday I would be released, but I couldn’t help but dwell on the tragic fact that I was in prison,” she recalls.

Song still reads news to learn what is happening in the world.

“I think it’s understandable that Chinese media outlets remain silent on issues related to the pandemic now because they are subject to strict censorship. I think this shows there is no systematic change despite many speaking out during the White Paper Movement,” the business major student adds.

“I have been hiking with my friends in Hong Kong recently. So far, I have completed hiking MacLehose Trail. I feel that when I am walking on the trails, I seem to be closer to Hong Kong. Also, I can experience the joy of sports while doing so,” Song says.

“I talk about social issues with my friends. I think the most fortunate thing about coming to Hong Kong is that I have met some friends whom I can talk freely with,” she adds.

The 24-year-old student points out that the protest highlights the fact that the people have no say in public governance. 

“I don’t think that the zero COVID policy was lifted because of the protests. The movement failed to make changes on a national level. The social and political structure remains the same,” she sighs.

“I think leaving China is the best option, as there is no sign of change. Someone who was arrested during the White Paper Movement said to me: ‘Slaves cannot become citizens with civic awareness unless this generation of slaves fades’ after being released. This friend of mine has applied for political asylum in another country,” Song says.

Despite feeling hopeless about the future, the business major student also shares that she at least had the chance to speak up about social issues and has made friends with many like-minded people during the protest. 

“It was an unforgettable experience for me. If the movement happens again, I will still take part in it but will think twice about safety,” she says.

Another student, Finley Sun, is about to graduate and is worried about job hunting. 

“I still have a lot of things to do for my final year project and course assignments. I’m completely overwhelmed. I have no time to look for a job,” Sun says.

“I now focus on my own life. I mainly think about what to eat, when to meet my friends, when to turn in my homework, and how to plan my practice before the next running race. I still discuss social issues with friends sometimes, and I read and repost news on Instagram, but not as frequently as I did during the pandemic,” she adds.

Sun joined the protest at a Hong Kong university campus in 2022. She also held a piece of white paper in Prince Edward Station on 1st December 2022 with her friend, and they were intercepted by Hong Kong police.

“The police warned us saying we were involved in unlawful assembly. But later on, I checked the related ordinance, and I found out the law actually states the number of participants should be three or more. Obviously, we did not break the law. The police were just bluffing,” she says.

In January 2023, Chinese police officers visited her home in Mainland China looking for her. 

“But they didn’t pursue the case when they could not find me. I guess they saw my immigration record and thought I was home. After one or two weeks, my mom received a call from the police and asked her to have a chat with the officers,” Sun recalls.

“The police officers didn’t tell my mom about the details. I think they only knew my name and what I did, but they didn’t have any proof. So I just denied everything. They also did not further investigate,” she says.

“The police just took some notes and kept the arrests for 24 hours in detention. It was more like a warning. I will do it again if I am put in a similar situation. I can afford this cost, ” she says.

Sun flew to Kaohsiung and watched An Unfinished Film on December 30, 2024 alone. She cried at the end. This movie reminded her of the traumas she went through during the pandemic.

The film, directed by Lou Ye, a Chinese screenwriter and director, is a record of lockdowns that began in Wuhan in early 2020.

The film, which won the 61st Golden Horse Best Narrative Feature alongside Best Director, has not been released in China, and information about it is banned behind the Great Fire Wall in China.

“What impressed me most is that this movie is a collection of videos about the pandemic, which were posted by ordinary people and went viral online. They were deleted by authorities. At the end of the movie, there is a line saying ‘Thanks to all the people who filmed these untraced and deleted videos’,” Sun says.

Edited by Cathleena Zhu and Emma Wei

Sub-edited by Celina Lu

The Community Care Service Voucher Scheme offers seniors a new lease on life, blending care, connection, and independence.

By Belle Yip

Going to day care service three days a week, Sean Pui-kwun hopes to grow old in his own home with his family.  

“I don’t think I urgently need to live in an elderly home,” Sean says.

Once a taxi driver, Sean is now an 89-year-old retiree. He likes wandering around the community, but the strength of his legs is deteriorating gradually. Now, a 15-minute walk is his maximum.

An accident last year made Sean understand he should keep a close eye on his health. “I fell onto the ground when leaving my building. My elbows kept on bleeding that day. My wife and my daughters were frightened,” Sean recalls.

For about half a year after the accident, he needed the company of his daughters or his wife whenever he went out for a walk or lunch. “I thought I was a burden to my family,” Sean says, adding that having day care services has revived his life as his health has slowly improved.

The accident triggered his daughters to think of finding a day care centre for their father. The daughters helped Sean apply for the Community Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly (CCSV) after being advised by a social worker.

Under the CCSV scheme, elderly can obtain services such as speech therapy, personal care or rehabilitation exercises provided by government-recognised organisations. The government subsidised day care and home care services based on household income. 

Sean pays  HKD$204 for each visit to the day care centre.  His family wishes the government could subsidise more.

Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Sean spends half of the day at Woopie Club (To Kwa Wan), a daycare centre in the community.

“I can still spend some time on the streets and have dinner with my wife after the centre visit,” Sean says. 

Sean loves hanging out in the centre to stay active. “I like doing calligraphy. The centre provides me with brush and ink so I can do some practice,” he says, adding that he also likes tossing bean bags and playing cards with other elderly. 

“It’s great for socialising and making new friends. And I feel there is something I can do and long for,” Sean says.

While Sean feels happy about his time in the day care centre, other family members share his joy and that makes the family become more harmonious.

“It’s all about having more me-time,”  Sean’s wife, Li Ching, says with a smile. 

Noting that day care services reduce unnecessary arguments, Li, in her late 70s, adds, “Life feels a bit lighter that way.” 

Yan Che-kai Brian, vice case manager of Woopie Club (To Kwa Wan), says the day care centre is just like a clubhouse for the elderly.

“They can hang out with each other to enjoy their retirement life. With similar ages, they can easily make friends with each other,” Yan says. 

The centre provides lunch and muscle-training exercises. The exercise is complementary to those provided by hospitals, which help speed up rehabilitation.

He adds that activities for the elderly are tailor-designed. Seniors with similar conditions and backgrounds have similar training. The importance is to train their cognitive ability. 

“Elderly women who used to be factory workers engage in related nostalgic therapy like gardening therapy and shoelace tying,” Yan says. 

Although many elderly people in the centre love its services, the number of centres providing the day-care service dropped after the regularisation of the scheme in 2023, according to Yan.

Yan explains that most elderly and their family members still hold the traditional belief that they prefer services like meal delivery and companionship services, and they are less interested in rehabilitative activities and cognitive training at day centres. 

Dr. Fong Meng Soi Florence, senior lecturer of Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS), shares Yan’s observation. She points out that many elderly and their caretakers found the CCSV scheme too complicated. 

“They don’t know how to choose authorised service providers in the long list,” Fong says.  

Fong thinks it is important to educate caretakers. “Caretakers are the ones who make the decision,” she says. She points out the caretakers seldom study each provider when making a choice and not many social workers provide one-stop service for each case. 

As of January 2025, there are 297 Recognised Service Providers under the CCSV scheme as stated by the Social Welfare Department.  

Fong says some of the authorised providers may fail to provide services some elderly need and small-scale centres are unable to make money from admitting elderly under the scheme.

“With only five to six cases, the small-scale ones cannot bear the cost. They then turn to focus on other services that are profitable,” she says.

A survey conducted by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) reveals 16,402 elderly received CCSV until November 2024. Among them, only 68 per cent were using the service whilst the rest were not receiving any service at all. 

As announced in the latest Budget, the government will raise the number of CCSV recipients by 1,000 to 12,000 in total, involving an annual expenditure of about HK$900 million.

Fong welcomes the new move. 

 “The scheme is public service for the elderly in Hong Kong that allows them to age at home. Nothing can compare with the happiness of mingling with other elderly,” Yan says.

Edited by Celina Lu

Sub-edited by Angel Yu

Corals are disappearing all over the globe, here’s how Hong Kong’s coral coverage is being restored.

By Lunaretta Linaura

Thomas Fong, oceans conservation officer at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hong Kong, dives every month to check on the health of corals in Hoi Ha Wan, a marine park located in the countryside of Sai Kung.

Fong compares corals seen underwater to a colour chart, which is used to determine the health of corals.

“The more intense the colour, the healthier [the coral] is,” Fong says.

Coral gets its colour from algae that thrive inside the structure, which is also the coral’s primary food source. 

Without the algae, coral turns white and is more prone to disease and death. The process is known as coral bleaching and can be caused by reasons including rising water temperatures.

Coral coverage – a measure of how much of the reef surface is covered in live corals – in Tolo Harbour and Channel dropped from about 80 to under ten percent between 1980 and 1985, due to the Sha Tin and Tai Po New Town development that came with residential and industrial sewage disposal into the water, according to the WWF. 

In an attempt to bring back this abundance, the WWF started a coral restoration programme called “Reviving Our Corals” in 2023 in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to foster increased resilience of marine communities reliant on corals.

Fong explains that Hong Kong corals have a slow growth rate of one to two centimetres per year, combined with more frequent bleaching events, human intervention is key to coral recovery.

“We know that corals are not able to recover by themselves, so we need to do coral plantation as active restoration work. We hope that the next generation of corals will be able to sustain themselves,” Fong says.

Restoration works involve bringing living fragments that have broken off corals into a coral nursery, and transplanting them into the Tolo Harbour when they have grown bigger in size. Some 90 percent of the corals transplanted there have survived, according to Fong.

The WWF also holds workshops for local divers to learn how to transplant corals and conduct emergency rescue when they find a coral fragment underwater.

“We want the public to have a taste of coral restoration work and support us because coral restoration is not easily done by only a few people. We want divers to have knowledge on how to do coral restoration work in hopes they can join us and raise public awareness,” Fong says.

The last restoration workshop in 2024 received 200 sign-ups from divers within two days.

The WWF also hosts around 140 educational tours and activities for schools and other groups each year.

“For students, we want them to have a closer bond with the ocean. Here, we give them a chance for exploration by, for example, doing experiments with seawater,” Fong says.

Covering less than 0.1% of the ocean, corals are home to at least a quarter of all marine species and benefit an estimated 1 billion people, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. 

Corals also support tourism, fisheries, coastal protection, medicine, and welfare of coastal communities.

The services coral reefs provide are valued at US$2.7 trillion, according to the same 2020 report.

Due to factors such as warming waters and increased rainfall, coral bleaching has become a worldwide phenomenon.

In June 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that a new global mass coral bleaching event had started. The last mass bleaching from 2014 to 2017 left about nine percent of the world’s corals dead.

Hong Kong’s corals are no exception to this danger. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, local waters have experienced a significant five percent annual warming since 1975.

But Fong adds Hong Kong coral might have a chance to survive: “Unlike in the tropics, Hong Kong’s waters do not stay hot all the time. When the water cools, coral bleaching is reversed.”

Archireef is a Hong Kong start-up involved in coral restoration, best known for its 3D-printed tiles made out of terracotta clay.

David Michael Baker, Archireef’s co-founder, explains that the tiles is the first step to rehabilitate the seabed with living coral fragments.

“As the corals continue to expand and grow, they contribute to connecting Hong Kong’s patchy coral communities to attract more wildlife and form richer, more resilient ecosystems,” Baker says.

According to Archireef, these planted corals have started to reproduce, a sign that the restoration is effective. The company has extended its work deployment of reef tiles to the UAE, and is seeking further expansion to Southeast Asia.

Hong Kong’s Agricultural, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) points out that Hong Kong is home to a higher coral diversity than the Caribbean Sea. Local coral-rich destinations include Tung Ping Chau Marine Park, Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Bluff Island, Sharp Island and Crescent Island.

“Some of the coral communities we have are quite impressive. On a good day, there are even some patches of reef here that look even better than places I’ve seen in Indonesia or the Great Barrier Reef,” Baker says.

Baker distinguishes Hong Kong as a “hope spot”, from which the understanding and appreciation of local corals can inform a future where more resilient coral communities grow.

“Not only are there many species of coral [in Hong Kong], but in some places they’re doing quite well,” says Baker.

“We shouldn’t be thinking about amusement parks, new shopping malls, we should be thinking about what’s all around us, including these country parks, and marine parks, there’s a tremendous amount of valuable things out there that I don’t think we’re leveraging in the right way,” he adds.

*Theme picture (photo courtesy of Jason Lau/WWF-Hong Kong)

The appeals of gay erotica to young girls in China.

By Jennifer Liu

Despite Juilie Zhang’s busy study schedule, the postgraduate student reads erotic gay fiction at least four to five hours a day.

“I love reading stories about two men falling in love, overcoming difficulties together and breaking social norms. This is what I expect from love. Stories about boy-girl pairings only position women as companions assisting their male lovers in becoming successful. Women are always in a secondary position rather than the leading protagonist,” the 26-year-old girl says. 

“Also I want to take a break from books I read for studies. I just want to stay in my dormitory and read gay fiction. I even stay up late to read,” the PhD student researching in electronic science says.

Zhang often associates the stories with her own breakup experiences. After experiencing two breakups, she is reluctant to date again. She finds comfort in reading online gay fiction when she undergoes hard times.

“The kind of love described in fiction is what I expect for my own romantic relationship which I do not find in real life. These fictions also help me escape from reality,” she says.

“So I see very clearly that gay fiction is a beautiful world constructed by women. It is like heaven for lovers,” she says.

Sharing Zhang’s interest in erotic gay fiction, university student Liu Chang also spends at least five hours a day reading gay fiction online. 

“I feel so excited that I have to prevent myself from screaming when I read stories with love scenes about two boys flirting or kissing,” the 19-year-old student says. 

Liu says her favourite story is titled The Children of Fire Dancing. The story is about a top student and a thug. The two have strong feelings for each other. At first, they try to avoid seeing each other and refuse to admit the fact that they love each other and later they become a couple.

“This story showcases the great courage of two young men going against all odds just to be in love and stay together. That is very difficult in real life,” she says.

Liu seldom reads books related to her studies or other literary works in her free time.

“These gay fictions are more interesting than the readings required for my study. I spend hundreds of dollars buying textbooks, but I don’t like reading them. Most of these gay fictions are free online, and I just love reading them,” she says. 

“I am fascinated by the description of subtle and sweet interactions between characters. The writing is so good that it makes me think that the fictional plot might be real,” Liu says.

Liu has never had a boyfriend, because she is concerned about dealing with loyalty problems and having an abusive relationship.

“I am ready to live alone for the rest of my life. I would rather read gay erotica than date a boy in real life,” she adds. 

Like Liu, university student Rita Wang, 20, spends at least five hours reading gay fiction.

Wang shares that she finds descriptions of gay relationships very appealing. “Most stories are about two male lovers who have their ups and downs in their relationship. They grow wiser together after going through tough times together. I really like that,” she says.

“I feel happy when I read gay fiction, and what happens in the fiction world does not bother me at all. But if I have a real boyfriend, I might have to deal with many relationship problems. I can have a good life on my own reading gay fiction,” she adds. 

Wang says she and her friends also got to know each other because of their love for gay fiction. Now reading gay fiction has become part of her life just like eating and sleeping.

She also points out that girls do not read gay fiction just for its pornographic element.  

“The gay fictions are written by female writers who understand what girls think and like to read. When I read gay fiction, I imagine that I am one of those characters without dealing with the troubles of having a real boyfriend. This saves time and money compared to dating in real life,” she adds. 

Professor Zhang Hui at the School of Sociology and Population Studies of Renmin University of China points out women enjoy reading erotic gay fiction because the writing provides space for women to have fantasies about romance.

“Readers can escape from real life in which couples have to deal with gender inequality. They can imagine having a relationship with the same gender. Gay fictions offer a compensatory pleasure, and provide both sexual and emotional satisfaction,” Zhang says. 

“The fictions allow readers to observe emotions as a bystander, “she adds.

Zhang also points out that unlike relationships in real life, which are often bound by social expectations, these fictions only focus on emotional connections and romance between two characters. 

Edited by Lunaretta Linaura

Subedited by Celina Lu

Hong Kongers flock to movie theatres for blockbusters amid the poorest film industry performance in 13 years

By Swara Sanket Kamble

University student Oscar Seyau Tsz-wing goes to the movie theatre twice a month, and two Hong Kong blockbusters, ‘The Last Dance’ and ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ are his favourites.

“As a Hong Konger, I feel very proud of the Hong Kong movie industry. Many films featuring ordinary citizens in the city have become popular. My family and friends who don’t usually watch movies also go to the theatre to watch ‘The Last Dance’ three times,” the engineering major says.

“I really like the cinematography of Hong Kong movies and how they present elements of daily lives in the city on a big screen. I can resonate with the film and relate to emotions and struggles characters go through in films. The cinematic experience of a film is a unique feeling,” the 20-year-old student says. 

Seyau thinks it is important to preserve the city’s unique culture and Hong Kongers should support the movie industry simply by watching movies in theatres more often.

“The Last Dance” is crowned as the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong history.

The movie, based on the city’s funeral trade and family traditions, had the highest opening day for any Hong Kong film and has earned more than HK$158 million (US $15.7 million) as of February 2025.

The Last Dance becomes the 4th highest-grossing film in Hong Kong, after Avengers: Infinity War. For the first time since 2004, the Hong Kong box office surpassed Hollywood’s box office in 2024.

‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’, an action flick about the notorious Kowloon Walled City, has earned HK$105 million (US $13.5 million) and become the second-highest-grossing Chinese language of all time in Hong Kong. 

The action and martial arts elements pay homage to the long history of Hong Kong kung-fu movies. It has been put forward as Hong Kong’s entry for the category of best international feature film at the 2025 Oscars.

Associate Professor Dorothy Lau at the Academy of Film at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) believes that movies about Hong Kong are popular among moviegoers.

Citing the latest blockbuster, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, as an example, Lau says the movie creates “an environment that can make audiences recall Hong Kong in the past”.

“The fictional Kowloon Walled City in the movie mirrors what Hong Kong society was like in the past – when human relationships were very close. We can find solidarity. We can find kindness. We can find mutual help,” she says.

While some movies have an impressive performance in the box office, the city’s film industry has seen the lowest box office revenue, standing at HK$1.34 billion (US $172.5 million), since 2013. Earnings were down by 6.2 per cent when compared with the HK$1.43 billion (US $183.6 million) earned in 2023.

In 2025, during the Lunar New Year holiday, the box office revenue stood at HK$30 million, a staggering 40 per cent drop from the HK$41 million generated during the same time period in 2024.

The city has recently seen the closure of eight movie theatres across various districts, including two Golden Harvest cinemas in Kai Tak and Nam Cheong, and MCL Cinemas Plus+ Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill leaving 267 movie theatres in Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Theatres Association.

Hong Kong cinema chain Golden Harvest has reduced ticket prices to as low as HK$20 (US $2.60).

Professor Chan Ka-ming of communications at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and former film critic, believes that the pandemic has a long-lasting impact on the Hong Kong film industry. 

“Many people couldn’t go to the cinema during the pandemic, so they watched films through Netflix and Disney+. This is a global phenomenon, and their film film-watching habit has changed,” Chan says, adding that consumers are still glued to streaming services now. 

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a leading professional services firm that provides a wide range of services including audit and consulting, Hong Kong’s Over-The-Top (OTT) Video market, which includes streaming services that provide video, audio, and other media content directly to users through various devices like smartphones, has grown rapidly in the last few years, reaching HK$4.3 billion (US $557 million) in 2025. 

Subscription streaming services represent close to 84% of total OTT revenue in Hong Kong and are on course to increase to over 85% in 2028. 

Apart from the change of habit, Chan points out that room for creativity is another major factor that has affected the Hong Kong movie industry.

“We can see that the industry seems to be going downhill. In the 80s and 90s there was no intervention in the film industry. Now, the contexts have changed. The industry is very different as there are many limitations,” he says.  

Hong Kong’s legislature passed the film censorship law in 2021. The law bans films that violate China’s national security interests. Punishment for violating the law includes up to three years of imprisonment and fines of up to HK$1 million (US $128,400).

Director Norris Wong, best known for her 2023 movie ‘The Lyricist Wannabe’, says that many independent filmmakers like herself are facing difficulties such as the lack of filmmaking training and filming equipment, including high-quality cameras, and audio equipment due to budget concerns. 

“Independent filmmakers can only make low-budget films due to limited funding. Also, government regulations, like the national security law screening, are stricter now, affecting creative freedom,” she says. 

Wong believes that Hong Kong cannot go back to the good old days like the 80s due to streaming services and the passing of the 2021 bill. 

Drawing on the example of Korean entertainment, which benefits from substantial government funding, she argues that Hong Kong’s government support is crucial for the industry’s success.

The Film Development Fund has provided financial support to 100 films in the last two decades. In May 2024, the government further injected about $1.4 billion into the fund to support the industry, according to the Hong Kong Film Development Council.

“Audiences also need to support with our feet by going to cinemas to watch films,” Wong says. 

Edited by Yika Ng

Sub-edited by Angel Yu

Education Bureau advises Hk students to quell sexual desire by playing badminton.

By Cindy Lee and Daniel Koong

Playing badminton has become a code for sex in the wake of a set of government sex education teaching materials asking young boys and girls to quell sexual desire and avoid premarital sex.

The 70-page document released by the Education Bureau in August last year suggests young people should focus on study. When experiencing sexual impulses, they should go out and play badminton together in a sports hall.

It also includes a form called “My Commitment” aimed at getting “young lovers” to attest that they would exercise “self-discipline, self-control, and resistance to pornography”. 

Since then, people across the city could not resist poking fun at these suggestions that “playing badminton” has become Hong Kong’s version of “Netflix and chill”.

“Students now use terms like “playing badminton” to refer to sex. I think Hong Kong is still quite conservative when people talk about sex. Many young people have sex without really understanding what it means,” Shatin Pui Ying College form six student So Wing-fung says. 

Eighteen-year-old student Patrick Lam Paak-Hin who is also studying at Shatin Pui Ying College thinks the government rolled out the new teaching materials out of good intentions. “But they ended up being a subject of ridicule. The materials should be revised,” he says.  

“Teachers should not just explain how to use a condom but should actually demonstrate it,” Lam says. 

Form Four student Clarinda Lee Cheuk-yau from Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School finds sex education is almost nonexistent in Hong Kong education curricula. 

“Students have to seek advice elsewhere rather than learning about sex in school. I think more should be done in schools,” Lee says.

“Sex education is not properly taught in school. Teachers only mention a little about birth control preventive measures. I hope the subject can be included in the curriculum and students can have more in-depth knowledge about sex,” the 15-year-old student says. 

In August 2024, the Education Bureau launched an updated curriculum for sex education under the Citizenship, Economics, and Society, a new subject for Form One to Form Three students in Hong Kong.

Under the new teaching curriculum, sex education will be taught in Form Three in secondary school to students aged 13 to 14. It also covers advice on building a correct value system and what teenagers should do to control their sexual desires. 

Education manager of the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong Grace Lee Ming-ying points out that sex education should be introduced to children once they are born.

“The training should start when they are babies, starting from the family. Kids spend most of their time with their parents and have trust in them. Parents sharing what they believe with their children is the best way to guide them,” she says.

Lee says school time is very limited and that it is impossible to teach students everything. 

“The school schedule is very tight and there are only one or two lessons spare for sex education every year which means not much can be covered,” she adds.

Lee believes the government’s suggestion is to encourage young people to handle their sexual desires positively.

“We often encourage young people to face their sexual urges by focusing on proper communication with their partners. The most important thing is to have an open discussion and agree on healthy boundaries for intimacy,” Lee adds.

Sky Siu, the Chief Executive Officer of Mother’s Choice, notes sex is a taboo in Hong Kong, making it difficult to do sex education in schools. 

“It’s a pretty uncomfortable subject matter that most people and families don’t enjoy bringing into conversation. People need to realise that sex is a normal part of our life and our relationships,’ she says.

“When we first started our comprehensive sexuality education program, it was targeted at young girls to make sure young people have the right information so that they could make informed choices for themselves,” Siu says. 

Since its establishment in 1986, the charity organisation has helped over 54,000 young girls with crisis pregnancy.

Siu points out that the updated sex education curriculum has been much needed since it was last updated in the 1970s. 

“The curriculum has more room for improvement, but it is a promising start. We hope to see the curriculum become mandatory so that it doesn’t get lost in the difficult challenges of scheduling in an academic setting,” she says.

In a written reply, the Education Bureau says it will “continue to maintain contact with the academic sector and various relevant groups to provide and optimise sex education courses and teaching materials that meet the growth needs of primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong”.

The bureau adds that teaching materials were compiled by the School of Education and Languages of the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong, which was commissioned by the Education Bureau in 2021. The production team is composed of experienced experts and scholars, senior social workers, and teachers.