A Game for All

November 20, 2024

NGO Game On offers free sports training to underprivileged children.

By Hanne Chan

Three years ago, four passionate teenagers came together with a shared vision: to use sports as a vehicle for change.

A three-on-three basketball tournament inspired 15-year-old Owen Ng Yat-san and three others to take action.

“I felt my victory was not entirely honourable, as the opponent we beat lacked even basic equipment,” Ng says.

Ng recalls the teams he played against were incredibly talented, yet they got no basketball shoes, no jerseys, and no coaches. The stark disparity in the resources sparked Ng’s desire to make a difference.

Owen Ng gears up the participants with a quick briefing, setting the stage for a day of fun and learning.

Teaming up with his younger brother, Charlie, and friends Marcus Wang and Nick Tsang, they founded Game On, a student-led organisation offering basketball, tennis and table tennis sessions to children who lack access to equipment and facilities.

The journey was not without its challenges. As secondary school students, they do not have the resources to hold their own events, what they can do is to find community centres for venues, volunteers and participants and hold collaboration events.

“Back then I was only 13 and Charlie was 11. When we first approached different community centres for collaboration, they thought we were just kids joking around and didn’t really trust us. We got rejected quite a few times,” Ng recalls.

Despite facing rejection, their determination only grew stronger. They continued to reach out with improved proposals, eventually catching the attention of the Saint Barnabas Society and Home (St. Barnabas).

Recognising their shared mission to empower the underprivileged, St. Barnabas eagerly partnered with them to organise their first collaborative basketball event.

“After we did a few events, other community centres started to recognise who we are, and we gained their trust,” Ng adds.

Today, Game On boasts over 200 volunteers and partnerships with organisations like the YMCA and the Society for Community Organization (SoCO). They have hosted a variety of collaborative events, including basketball camp, kendama workshop and tennis day.

Volunteers in Game On are mainly youngsters aged 12 to 20. “I was hoping to offer teenagers like me a new pathway of voluntary work, through something they’re passionate about, rather than doing tasks they don’t enjoy, like handing out free lunch boxes,” Ng explains.

Participants practicing their skills by aiming at targets, guided by enthusiastic young volunteers at their side.

Their efforts have benefited thousands of children, earning Ng the Children’s Champion Youth Award 2024 from Save The Children Hong Kong — an award that recognises those who make a significant positive impact on children’s lives in Hong Kong or around the world.

One heartwarming story stands out for Ng. “There was a little boy who attended our three-week basketball camp and found his passion there… It was his first time playing basketball — he didn’t even have a ball, so I gave him mine. A year and a half later, we met him again and found out that he joined the school basketball team and already got a few trophies,” he says.

He continues, “witnessing children improve, seeing more volunteers join our mission, receiving support from various community centres and even strangers online — all of this drives us to go furthe.”

It is this unwavering passion and kindness that fuels Ng and the volunteers, who are all secondary school students, organise everything from fundraising to event logistics to persist through every obstacle.

Ng notes the group is trying to register as a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

“Right now we can’t receive monetary donations, so we are thinking about becoming an ‘actual’ NGO, to get more volunteers involved and work with international organisations,” Ng says.

Game On usually holds three to four events a month. “We mainly do the events for underprivileged kids who lack sports training resources, and kids with special education needs,” Ng says.

The organisation also reaches out to minority groups, like at a recent tennis event where new immigrants from mainland China learned basic techniques for free, helping them blend into the community.

“This is my first time playing tennis in my whole life,” says a 12-year-old participant, Wu Wan-ting.

Wu has always dreamed of playing tennis. “I’ve wanted to play tennis since I was young, but it’s kind of hard for me to try out these activities unless they’re free, so I never had the chance to try it, until I saw the Game On poster in Sheung Shui,” she says.

With excitement, she adds, “I’m really grateful that I can finally try my dream sport and make new friends!”

Volunteers do more than just teaching participants sport skills. “More importantly, we help them become passionate about the sport,” a 14-year-old volunteer Maxwell Wong says.

Volunteer Maxwell Wong demonstrating tennis techniques to participants.

Wong, who joined Game On a year ago, loves coaching. “From the first time I was invited to be a volunteer, I found that I am really passionate about it. It brings me joy to see participants motivated to challenge themselves and give their best.”

But as an English speaker, Wong finds it challenging to communicate with participants.

“Sometimes there’s a language barrier — it’s pretty hard for me to connect with kids who speak Cantonese or Putonghua. There’s a lot to learn!” he laughs.

Wong is now responsible for creating and organising the group’s tennis events. “It never gets tiring for me. It’s a really good experience that everyone should at least give it a go!” he encourages.

Wong believes anyone can volunteer with Game On. “We welcome all kinds of volunteers, as long as you come from a sports background, as long as you’re willing to be kind and help others,” he says.

Sub-edited by Iris Jiang

Illegal Photographers in Hong Kong

November 15, 2024

Mainland photographers work in Hong Kong without permit.

By Celina Lu

Mainland photographer Zhang Yaqi puts up posts about offering photography services in Hong Kong on Xiaohongshu, a widely used social media platform in mainland China, under the nickname Zhang Zhang.

Posing as a potential customer, a Varsity reporter spoke to Zhang on Xiaohongshu in September. Zhang then requested to continue the conversation with WeChat, China’s main instant messaging application, for further consultation.

“The price for shooting in Hong Kong is RMB ¥499 (US $70), which includes nine retouched photos and all raw photos,” she says in a chat.

Zhang offers portrait photography for couples who are getting their marriage certificates. She also provides portrait photography for solo customers.

She says there is no limit for photo taking time, but each shooting session usually lasts for 1.5 hours.

Zhang charges RMB ¥199 (US $28) in Shenzhen, RMB ¥300 (US $42) cheaper than in Hong Kong.

“Since I live in Shenzhen, the extra charge of RMB ¥300 (US $42) is for transportation fee,” the photographer explains.

According to Zhang’s posts on Xiaohongshu, she has already photographed two couples in Shenzhen and three couples in Hong Kong. In the comments section of her social media account, there were a number of users inquiring about the price of her photo-taking service.

The fees charged by mainland Chinese photographers range from RMB ¥300 to RMB ¥600 (US $42 to US $85) per hour, much cheaper than the usual hourly rate of RMB ¥800 to RMB ¥1500 (US $113 to US $214) charged by Hong Kong photographers per hour.

A Hong Kong photographer who prefers to be named as YY also posts on Xiaohongshu to hunt potential customers.

YY charges RMB ¥2800 (US $399) for photography services. She is a solo photographer specialising in single-portrait photography.

“If you want to confirm the shooting schedule, you need to pay half of the full fees as a deposit and settle the final payment after the shoot,” YY says.

The Hong Kong photographer says the whole shooting process lasts for two hours, and customers can get 12 retouched photos and all raw photos.

Social media posts about providing photography services in Hong Kong are widely circulated on Xiaohongshu. Some of these service providers are Hong Kong photographers, but most of them are mainland photographers who offer competitive fees.

*People taking photos on notable street in Hong Kong.*

Although this kind of post is common in Xiaohongshu, it is illegal for mainland Chinese photographers to work in Hong Kong.

The Immigration Department launched two enforcement operations against illegal workers providing photographic services in Hong Kong on August 14 and August 15, and arrested a total of three Mainland visitors suspected of engaging in illegal employment.

Officers posing themselves as customers booked photography services from these Mainland photographers. The Mainland photographers were then arrested while providing photography services in Hong Kong.

Speaking in a press conference on October 31, Senior Principal Immigration Officer So Chun-ho said in another joint operation with mainland China authorities and the Immigration Department, 97 people in Hong Kong and 104 in mainland China were arrested targeting a forgery syndicate of Hong Kong identity cards for illegal workers.

Investigators disguised themselves as delivery workers and arrested the recipients of the parcels across various locations in Hong Kong. The investigation started in May 2024 with arrests carried out in July and August.

He explained all the workers had entered Hong Kong legally as visitors. Forged identity cards were delivered to them using courier services in the city.

Investigation found most suspects worked in restaurants or as cleaners, earning between HK$500 (US$64) and HK$1,200 (US$154) a day. It is unclear if the employers know about the workers’ illegal immigration status.

Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer hiring a person who is not lawfully employable will be a fine of HKD $500,000 (US $64,342) and 10 years imprisonment.

*Announcement issued by the Immigration Department on arrest of Mainland illegal photographers.*

“Visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties,” an Immigration Department spokesman warns.

“The Immigration Department will continue to strengthen enforcement actions combating illegal employment and publicise the serious consequences of employing illegal workers to raise public awareness of the issue,” the spokesman says.

Edited by Iris Jiang

Sub-edited by Cynthia Chan

Clean Before You Dump

November 14, 2024

Most of the carton boxes in Hong Kong are dumped unwashed.

By Bliss Zhu and Suzana Li

University student Joelle Xu Jiawei drinks paper-packaged lemon tea every day. Instead of washing empty cartons for recycling, she simply dumps them into rubbish bins.

“I don’t know that I have to wash them before recycling. Even if I know, I wouldn’t do it. I think it is time-consuming to wash them. Also, I need to carry this rubbish with me until I can find somewhere to rinse it,” Xu says.

This poses a challenge to Mil Mill, the first factory in Hong Kong which recycles paper cartons into pulps.

“If someone dumps beverage cartons without cleaning it, it will make the whole bag of cartons dirty. We need to clean them before recycling,” marketing manager Gary Cheung Yik-wai says.

“And if recycling bins are too dirty, people may think that those are rubbish bins and dump something else, making it harder for us to do recycling,” Cheung says.

“Also, dirty paper cartons become smelly at collection points, particularly during summertime, attracting insects to enter these cartons, so we need additional staff to clean them,” he adds.

A Mil Mill worker is producing pulps from recycled carton boxes.

The factory hires three workers to clean these cartons before recycling them. Cheung shares that they employ housewives who want part-time jobs and some with disabilities to do cleaning duty.

“We want to promote not only recycling but equality as well,” he says.

In 2022, Hong Kong’s daily waste of Tetra Pak – the material used to make carton beverage boxes – amounted to 75 tons, which could potentially be recycled into 150,000 standard Tetra Pak milk boxes.

Hong Kong’s paper carton recovery rate was 3.85 per cent in 2022, while that of Japan reached 38.7 per cent for the same year.

“Education is the key reason why environmental awareness is much higher in Japan. Hong Kong does not pay as much attention to ecological education as Japan,” Cheung says.

“From a young age, Japanese children are taught to sort their waste into designated recycling bins. It is crucial for us to have similar initiatives in Hong Kong for sustainability education,” he adds.

The factory now offers workshops and visits to school and hosts a Recycling Bus Campus Environmental Education Activity to promote recycling.

Gary Cheung Yik-wai hosting a paper-making workshop for students.

Apart from education, the Environmental Protection Department says that the complexity of packing carton beverages hinders the progress of recycling in Hong Kong.

“Recycling of beverage cartons requires specific technologies for separation. The high recycling cost and low recycling value of beverage cartons currently limit the operating environment of the recycling trade, thus resulting in a relatively lower recycling rate,” a spokesperson of the department says in a written reply.

“We are now working at full steam on the legislative amendment exercise to introduce the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons. We estimate that the drafting of the legislation can be completed in the first quarter of 2025 and the government will introduce the bill as soon as possible,” the spokesperson adds.

Collected paper cartons are waiting for recycling in Mil Mill’s factory.

The department started planning a large-scale paper pulping plant in EcoPark, Tuen Mun in 2021. This facility is expected to commence operations in 2025. By then, Hong Kong will have the capacity to process all locally-collected beverage cartons.

The department is also expanding its community recycling network, GREEN@COMMUNITY, by increasing the number of public collection points from 500 to 800 by early 2025.

Edited by Cynthia Chan

Sub-edited by Enya So

Explore China with Monkey King

November 13, 2024

Many people visit real landmarks featured in Black Myth: Wukong.

By Zora Yan

Fascinated by the astonishing temples and mesmerizing landscapes in Black Myth: Wukong, many enthusiastic gamers make a beeline for the real-life locations featured in the blockbuster video game.

Released on August 20,2024, Black Myth: Wukong, China’s first AAA video game – an unofficial designation for premium games with large budgets and long development times, amassed a sale of 8.4 million copies in just three days.

Inspired by the classical novel Journey to the West, the action role-play game also topped the Most Played Games list on Steam, one of the largest digital distribution platforms for video games, with more than 2.2 million concurrent players, not only in China but worldwide.

“I can’t imagine that the game scenes are really so realistic that they look so close to those in the real world and I have an opportunity to visit there for free!” says Wang Changchun, a Black Myth: Wukong player.

Ten days after the game’s release, Wang took a four-hour high-speed train ride from Wuhan to visit the scenic Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Known for its towering quartzite sandstone pillars, these majestic pillars served as inspiration for the floating mountains seen in both the game and the movie Avatar.

*Wang Changchun took a picture of the famous towering quartzite sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie. (Photo courtesy of Wang Changchun)*

Through meticulous research across many provinces and cities in China, the game’s scenes extensively replicate ancient Chinese architecture, and relics not only captivate gamers but also breathe new life into China’s tourism.

Some of the landmarks featured in the game offer free entry to players who have completed specific game levels.

Wang got free tickets to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and can save RMB ¥227 (US $31.88) after showing staff at the tourist ticket office his purchase records and completion records of Black Myth: Wukong.

“While exploring Zhangjiajie, I was fortunate to have the company of wild monkeys. It felt like I had transformed into Wukong, the Monkey King, leading a loyal group of followers on my challenging journey,” he says.

After the visit, Wang posted a travel guide on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) to help more players to know the landscape depicted in the game and how to obtain free tickets.

Within a week, his post got 50,000 views and he has received many private messages and comments from other gamers telling him they also want to go.

Another game player Wang Xiaopeng earns a lifetime free visit to Lingyan Temple in Shandong, another ancient temple site that is featured in the online game after completing all the challenges in the first three parts of this game.

“When I saw on social media that the temple offers free lifetime admission tickets, I quickly finished these chapters within a week,” Wang says.

“The game is extremely difficult, and I have to spend six hours on it every day because there are so many monsters that need to be defeated,” he adds.

The breathtaking real-life scenery in Lingyan Temple surpassed his expectations and sparked his curiosity to explore other tourist destinations featured in the game.

*Wang Xiaopeng took a picture of Lingyan Temple. (Photo courtesy of Wang Xiaopeng)*

Within a month, Wang visited nine historical locations in the game in Shanxi-Qianfo Temple, Foguang Temple, Yungang Grottoes, Xuankong Temple, Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple, Chongfu Temple, Nine Dragon Wall and Hengshan Mountain.

“I feel like visiting the scenic spots one by one in the game is just like going on a journey with the game protagonist, Monkey King,” he adds.

What impressed Wang the most was Qianfo Temple where Wukong battles the final boss in the third chapter of the game. While playing, he was amazed by the colour design and intricate character carvings of the temple in the game.

“When I arrived at the actual site, I discovered that it is far more exquisite than what is shown in the game. I greatly admire how ancient people were able to carve such delicate patterns under harsh conditions!” the player says.

Wang believes that the collaboration between scenic spots and games in the tourism industry provides an excellent opportunity for more people to visit famous historical sites and personally experience the excitement beyond what games can offer.

“Following the release of Black Myth: Wukong, visitor numbers to Shandong Lingyan Temple surged by 128 percent compared to the previous year,” says Cha Tianqi, the strategy manager of Shandong Lingyan Temple Tourism Corporation.

Shandong Lingyan Temple also offers a lot of derivative products to visitors, such as gourd-shaped dolls that appear in the game, ceramic toys, and fridge magnets featuring the image of Wukong.

”We are surprised that gourd-shaped dolls were sold out within two days after going online,” Cha says.

Wei Changren, founder of btiii.com, a tourism-related financial news portal, points out the game has boosted tourism across China.

“People’s passion for the video game, and the ‘set-jetting’ tourism that the game has brought about, show people’s growing confidence in Chinese culture,” Wei says.

Edited by Molisa Meng

Sub-edited by Cynthia Chan

Long Wait for the Truth

November 13, 2024

A Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor learnt English at 80 to promote peace.

By Cindy Lee in Hiroshima

Teruko Yahata, is a Hiroshima A-bomb survivor. Determined to promote peace, she learnt English at the age of 80 to share her experience through talks.

“I was a child at the time of the bombing, so I didn’t know anything about the historical fact,” says the 86-year-old survivor. “But as I grew older and learned about facts, I found out that the Japanese government at that time was wrong, it made me angry.”

She attended a conference in Singapore 11 years ago, where she finally discovered the truth about World War II and the war crimes committed by Japan. At that time, she was 76.

Yahata recalls a time in her childhood when the people in Japan were convinced that their country would win the war.

The United States Military dropped an atomic bomb in Hiroshima killing 140 thousand victims on August 6, 1945.

“I was eight years old when the atomic bomb was dropped…… All of a sudden, the sky was flashing, illuminated in blueish white,” she recalls, describing that morning. The force and impact of the atomic bomb knocked her to the ground, causing her to lose consciousness.

“The inside of the house was turned upside down, with shattered glass scattered everywhere,” she recalls. Although they lived 2.5 kilometres from the hypocenter, her family of eight felt the full force of the explosion’s devastation.

“Let’s die together, while we are still together.” She remembers her mother’s words as they thought they would surely die soon. Her mother covered every one in her family with a large quilt.

“I will never forget what it felt like as a child to be surrounded by my family in the warmth and security of the blanket,” she recalls.

“We fled to the mountain when the huge drops of rain began to fall, and it soaked us to the skin. We did not know that it was the black rain,” she says.

The A-Bomb Dome, remains of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

Black rain is the result of huge amounts of radioactive matters entering the atmosphere, which may affect the human body.

“Some of the dead bodies were completely burned, with their skin peeling off from their arms and dangling from their fingertips,” Yahata says.

“The crippled figure of tens and hundreds of bodies were flocking towards us like a legion of ghosts,” she says, describing the victims coming from the area near the hypocenter.

“The city continued to burn through the night” she adds.

When she received first aid at a school, she was terrified by the horrifying screams and cries of mourning.

“In the hallways and classrooms…….. The floor was strewn with tightly packed bodies, faces blistered so badly that they could no longer open their eyes,” she says.

While some could still be saved, many lost their lives.

“I was shocked to find bags that were not filled with sweets, but ashes of cremated bodies,” she says, adding that she was hungry and desperate for food at that time.

“Among the 2,000 bodies cremated there, a large number of them were sacrificed during demolition duty. They were first and second grade students,” she says.

Yahata dare not imagine how much pain the children suffered and how much they desired to live.

“Even until now, the memories of those scenes still haunt me from time to time,” she says.

She recalls a victim kept opening a lid of a pot so that she could spit blood into it during the night. She died from coughing up blood at the end.

Another scenario that was ironed in her memory was about her father’s friend. “Everyone put their hands together in prayers as we looked at the remains of our once bright and cheerful man,” she says. The skeleton of her father’s friend was found one week after the devastating day.

“Even now when I look at the drawings depicting this scene, an eerie sensation comes over me, and in those silent moments, I feel that something is tugging at my heart,” she says.

The damage done by the atomic bomb continued to haunt those who survived. Yahata’s friend Susan Kimiko was diagnosed with acute leukemia 16 years after the bombing. She passed away when she was 25.

Beyond suffering from the loss of loved ones, Yahata and other survivors also face discrimination.

“Many suffered from burns on their bodies and faces, while some developed keloid. When they went to school, others called them monsters…Survivors were all exposed to radiation,” she says.

Teruko Yahata shares her story about witnessing the aftermath of the A-bomb attack.

She shares that young people were told they were not good for marriages. There were also rumours saying radiation was contagious. “But it is not true. Some children were exposed to radiation in their mothers’ wombs causing deformities,” she says.

“All that I have left to do is to tell the truth of the atomic bomb to the world and to continue to sound the alarm bells,” she says, explaining the reason why she is still working hard to spread the message of peace to this day.

Edited by Jen Lam

Sub-edited by Iris Jiang

Jumping onto the Olympic Stage

November 13, 2024

Hong Kong athletes trying to make rope skipping an Olympic event.

By Alexia Leung

The International Jump Rope Union (IJRU) is campaigning to make rope-skipping an Olympic event.

President of the union Shaun Hamilton says the Olympic Task Force was formed in August to gather industry sources about the opportunity to deliver a rope-skipping presentation at the Los Angeles 2028 game, how to be shortlisted and make the sport more visible to the public.

“We talk to international federations, the Olympic Family and people who went through the process of making a sports event an Olympic item,” Hamilton says.

The union with 63 country members became a signatory of the World Anti Doping Agency in 2021 and signed an agreement with the Olympic Channel in 2022. In 2023, the union hosted the biggest World Jump Rope Championships.

Shaun Hamilton, the president of the The International Jump Rope Union (right) and Tina Wong, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association (bottom right) with the Hong Kong team and the American team. (Photo courtesy of HKRSA).

“We are getting more partnerships in terms of more competitions, with Olympic movements such as trying to be a part of the Youth Olympics, the World Games and the International School’s Sport Federation,” Hamilton says.

“Rope jumping is certainly something appealing and fun to watch. Youths and kids want to do it. Parents have nostalgia associated with it. There is the rope speed sprint which is quantifiable, but we also still have the artistic side as well,” he adds.

The organization is trying to engage the public to make the sport more visible.

“We’re pushing more campaigns for all of our National Governing Bodies to take part in these few months, asking more people to join us for another task force for the Everybody Jumps Campaign, where we get a rope in every person’s hand,” he says.

The Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association (HKRSA) is a member of the IJRU, and they are working towards the same goal – getting rope skipping into the Olympics.

Tina Wong Ting, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association hopes she can help Hong Kong athletes take part in the Olympic Games once rope jumping is made an international event.

“I hope that I can help every rope-jumping athlete become qualified for the Olympics. The goal of getting into the Asian Games is achievable. We are planning to perform at the Youth Asian Games next year. I hope that we can first make it a sports event in Asia then go international step by step,” she says.

The Hong Kong team performing at the Urban Parc. (Photo courtesy of HKRSA).

Invited by IRJU, the team performed at the Urban Parc, Place de la Concorde, Hôtel de Ville and the Champions Park with the American, French and Japanese team.

Sonic Lee Chon-meng and his three teammates performed a 15-minute sequence every day during their week in Paris.

“We did solos, duos, quads, Double Dutch and played with the audience. We taught the audience how to rope-jump and let them try out the Double Dutch showing that rope-jumping is not that simple,” Lee recalls.

Hong Kong has always performed well at rope-skipping international contests. In the 2023 World Jump Rope Championships, Hong Kong team won a total of 157 medals.

In this year’s Olympics, multiple urban sports such as skateboarding, breakdancing, BMX freestyle and 3X3 basketball were included in the games.

Cheukki Ho Cheuk-Ki, Tango Seto Ming-Hei, Chloe Yuen Hiu-Tong and Sonic Lee Chon-Meng (Left to Right). (Photo courtesy of HKRSA).

“I think we completed a rope-jumping mission as we brought the sport to the Olympics in Paris. We let people know that rope-skipping is not just about jumping forward. People can also dance and do flips. We let the Olympics know that just as skateboarding and breakdancing, we have the potential for competition and we have ornamental value,” says Tango Seto Ming-hei, who has been rope-skipping for 17 years.

Seto’s teammate, Cheukki Ho Cheuk-ki also agrees that there is a future for rope-skipping in the Olympics.

“As we were invited by the Olympics to perform for seven days in Paris, I think that rope-jumping may end up like breakdancing which is one of the events in the Olympic Games. There’s a chance that rope-skipping can become a sports event,” she says.

The Hong Kong government provides funding and support for Olympic athletes such as Elite Training Grant and the Sports Aid Grant. However, as rope-skipping is not yet an Olympic sport, the athletes do not receive much support.

“We book rooms ourselves or even practise in the streets such as outdoor basketball courts and football courts,” Seto says.

He urges the Leisure and Cultural Service Department to provide more big-sized training rooms in sports centres so that they can do bigger scale performance.

Edited by Hannah Tang

Sub-edited by Carrie Lock

Keeping Handmade Mahjong Alive

November 12, 2024

A mahjong maker insists on making hand-carved mahjong.

By Kathy Yee

Cheung Shun-king is one of the remaining three artisan mahjong tile carvers in Hong Kong.

The 70-year-old master only takes a day off once a year, dedicating the rest of his time to the art of hand-carving mahjong. The store opens at 10 a.m. daily and he works until late.

“I have become accustomed to sleeping as late as 3 a.m. I will continue working until nobody buys it anymore. I will not retire,” Cheung says.

“The hand-carved mahjong we used to enjoy playing with have gradually been replaced by machine-carved ones. As time goes by, this traditional skill that was once popular is now fading out,” he says.

Cheung Shun-king, one of the mahjong tile carvers in Hong Kong.

Cheung has been working in Biu Kee MahJong, a family business founded around 60 years ago by his grandfather. He inherited it from his father when he was in secondary school. “Biu” is his father’s name.

Cheung started learning carving mahjong when he was in secondary school and he has been doing this job his whole life. When he was younger, he tried working part-time for a day or two, but later his family called him back home to help.

“I followed the old mahjong’s footsteps and became skilled at making it. Now I can make it without even looking at tiles,” he says.

A mahjong set takes one month to a year to be completed. It is usually used as decorations so the customers are not in a hurry to receive their orders.

Hand-carved mahjong seems to be less attractive to Hong Kong people but more and more foreigners are buying them.

“Half of my customers are from China and the other half are from foreign countries like the United States and Britain. Most of the customers were from Hong Kong, but those who wanted to buy hand-carved mahjong had already bought them,” Cheung says.

An online ordering system is available on Facebook for foreign customers. Biu Kee MahJong provides overseas shipments.

“Each hand-carved mahjong is unique. The style of each artisan mahjong tile carver is different. You can spot the differences if you are familiar with their style. But for the machine-carved ones, the machines have been adjusted to produce a specific size to ensure the uniformity in the output,” he says.

Tailor-made tiles featuring characters and cartoons.

To attract more customers, Cheung creates tailor-made tiles featuring characters or cartoons. He charges one hundred dollars per character. The most popular characters are “Happy Birthday” and “Get rich”.

At the verge of disappearing, Cheung wants to pass down the culture. He teaches people the background of hand-carved mahjong and the making process by working with social enterprises.

“Before COVID-19, many people were interested in hand-carved mahjong, especially foreigners, but now fewer are interested. The hand-carved mahjong culture depends on the media to spread awareness and promote it these days,” he says.

However, Cheung does not plan to train apprentices.

“It is actually bad for newcomers to join the industry, especially when it is hard to make a good living. It takes years of practice to master the skills,” he says.

Cheung is optimistic about the current situation as he believes there are advantages when hand-carved mahjong is less popular.

“With fewer customers, I have more time to create. I don’t need to rush and can focus on being more meticulous and produce high-quality mahjong,” he adds.

Sub-edited by Cynthia Chan

Hi, I am Wan Kwong!

November 11, 2024

Reporters & Editors: Daniel Koong, Mike Chu, Ken Nguyen, Cindy Lee

Jackson Wan Kwong shares his singing journey with Varsity. At age 79, Wan won the ‘Best Male Vocal Performance’ at the 22nd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards in 2024. His song “Dear Myself (feat. Wan ong)” was awarded the CASH Best Song.

A Papermaking Master

November 7, 2024

A craftsman devotes his lifetime to traditional Chinese paper making.

By Emma Wei

Paper master Zhou Donghong wakes up at 4 a.m. and works for 10 hours a day in a factory. His work routine has lasted for 39 years.

The 57-year-old craftsman gets up early to finish the cleaning and start scooping paper. He finishes work at 6 p.m. He has to make nearly 200 sheets of paper a day, and the size of each is 248cm in length and 129cm in width.

“My job is to soak the paper pulp in a paper-shoveling pool, and then use bamboo nets to make paper,” he says.

Paper pulp is made after a certain proportion of tree bark and rice straw are evenly mixed.

“My hands were seriously injured because they have been soaked in water for too long. In July and August, the weather is hot and the water temperature rises, which makes my skin go bad. In winter, the temperature drops, which makes me suffer from frostbite,” Zhou says.

*Zhou’s hands were badly injured. (Photo courtesy of Zhou Donghong)*

“My arms and shoulders were also injured. Each piece of paper is large and heavy. I now make less paper, but I will not stop because this is my passion,” he adds.

The paper he makes every day can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty with a history of more than 1,500 years.

Jingxian, in Anhui Province, where Zhou was born and works, is the birthplace of Xuan paper, or rice paper.

“My family was very poor. I had to stop school when I was eight. I had to make money to support my family. My first job was papermaking,” he says.

Zhou started learning papermaking when he was 18 with master Shi Jiemin, who has 50 years of experience in traditional craftsmanship.

*Zhou is checking the paper he has made. (Photo courtesy of Zhou Donghong)*

“At first, I worked as a helper in the factory, hence I did not really have the chance to make paper,” he recalls.

“My master taught me seven main steps of making paper, which are: mixing pulp, scooping paper, pressing, baking, selecting, paper cutting and packaging,” he says.

“I thought it was simple and cool at first. I was able to produce good quality paper after working for five years. I was 23,” he adds.

The skill, which took Zhou 10 years to achieve perfection, was hard earned.

“When I first started, every piece of paper I made was torn. The thickness of the paper was never right. None of the paper I made was up to standard,” he recalls.

Zhou worries that traditional craftsmanship might become history.

“Young people are not interested in learning the skill. They work with computers rather than pens and paper. The paper I make is only used for Chinese calligraphy and painting, so the demand keeps falling,” he says.

*Zhou teaches his apprentice to soak the paper pulp. (Photo courtesy of Zhou Donghong)*

Zhou recalls many workers were sacked and forced to be laid off during the epidemic, and their factory operation was suspended for about two years.

“I hope more people can learn this traditional craft. I hope I can pass the torch to the younger generation keeping this craftsmanship alive,” he says.

“I believe that more young people will come and join me. I will work harder,” he adds.

Edited by Molisa Meng

Sub-edited by Enya So

The Missing Puzzle in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

November 6, 2024

No explanation is given in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum about why Japan was attacked by atomic bombs.

By Daniel Koong and Winnie Li in Hiroshima

University student Mike Chu Chi-hei feels frustrated after visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and wonders why there are no exhibits explaining why two atomic bombs were dropped in Japan.

“When I walked out of the museum, I realised the exhibition did not talk about how Japan started the war and the war crimes they committed,” Chu says.

“I feel like the museum management intentionally keeps war crime elements out of the exhibition. The focus is all about portraying Japan as a victim of the war without showing visitors the causes of the war,” the journalism major student says.

Hiroshima was the first target of a nuclear weapon in history. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima, named “Little Boy”, was 3 metres tall with a 0.7-metre diameter.

Model of “Little Boy” the bomb being thrown in Hiroshima.

Another bomb, “Fat Man”, dropped on Nagasaki, was 3.2 metres in length with a 1.5-metre diameter. The United States deployed both bombs during World War II.

Built in 1955, ten years after the end of World War II, the museum is dedicated to documenting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and promoting world peace, and displays artefacts and belongings left by the victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.

According to data from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, from January to September 2024, 162,019 people had paid a visit. Schools arrange tours for students to visit the museum.

Exhibition in the museum starts with how Hiroshima was destroyed by the atomic bomb. Pictures and photos of victims’ injuries are displayed. Visitors can also see victims’ personal belongings and clothes.

Clothes of children who were injured or dead because of the bomb.

The museum covers details about the Manhattan project that created the atomic bomb.

Chu questions why Japan cannot learn from Germany, imperial Japan’s wartime ally, publicly admitting their war crimes in the museum after the war.

“I don’t understand why Japan still does not admit that they were wrong in World War II, they are still hiding the truth from their people,” Chu says.

Like Chu, atomic bomb survivor Teruko Yahata thinks it is important for young people to learn about causes of the war.

Yahata did not know why Japan was bombed until she participated in the Peace Boat Hibakusha Global Voyage in Singapore in 2013 when she was 75. She is now 86.

“I was so shocked to learn about that. I didn’t know much about Japan being the aggressor during World War II… I think it is necessary for Japanese students to learn about the history as well as the cause and result of the war,” the Hiroshima resident says.

Atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima, Teruko Yahata sharing her experiences.

Assistant Director of the International Peace Promotion Department, in the City of Hiroshima, Ryoji Hasebe, thinks that the most important role of the museum is to inform the public of the horrendous impact of the atomic bomb on humans.

“The displays explain our strong wish for a peaceful world and how we seek peace. What we want to tell through the exhibition of the museum is not that Japan was not victimised by the atomic bombing. We want to emphasise that if nuclear weapons were used again, these kinds of things would happen again and might happen to anyone anywhere,” Hasebe says.

Professor Edward Vickers, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice, and Global Citizenship, comments that it is important to the truth.

He also points out that selective speaking of history is dangerous for the peace and stability of East Asia.

“I think that the result of the failure to confront young Japanese with the truth about atrocities committed by imperial Japan during World War II is enduring hostility and suspicion in relations between Japan and its closest Asian neighbours – Korea and China,” he says.

“Of course, Japan is not the only nation using public history and schooling to tell a story of national ‘victimhood’; China and Korea do this, too. This intense focus on victimhood, with Japan, China and Korea all claiming that they are the supreme ‘victims’ with a special understanding of the horrors of war, creates a deep intolerance of other people’s stories of suffering,” he adds.

Regarding the comparison often made between Japan’s and Germany’s reactions to World War II, Professor Ran Zwigenberg, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and Jewish Studies at Pennsylvania State University, says the museum in Japan should not be compared with Germany.

“There is indeed a difference in the post-war history of the two societies and the reaction of their political establishments but one should not talk about ‘Germany’ or ‘Japan’ here but in terms of different times, political parties, and groups,” Zwigenberg says.

He points out that, as German political elites had to reintegrate themselves into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance and the European Union, they had to “solve” the moral and compensation issues vis-a-vis Western European countries as well as the Jewish victims.

“Unlike Germany, Japan could separate itself from the rest of Asia as there was no political and diplomatic incentive to be as open as the Germans about this. The US supports Japan, unlike Germany,” he adds.

Edited by Carrie Lock

Sub-edited by Molisa Meng