Dancing on a Tightrope

November 4, 2014

Lyricist Chan Wing-him stays hopeful and lives life his own way

by Macau Mak

On New Year’s Day this year, while others were making their new year’s resolutions, musicians dressed in glitzy brands attended the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation, waiting to learn how the pop industry’s year-end “report cards” would be distributed. It was a night on which the same familiar faces claimed their designated prizes, until it came to the Best Lyricist Award.

For 18 years, the prize had alternated between Lin Xi and Wyman Wong Wai-man but this year, a young man broke the dominance of the duopoly. To thundering applause, 27-year-old Chan Wing-him stepped up to receive the golden trophy with shaking hands.

Chan has written Chinese lyrics for nine years and worked with stars such as Eason Chan Yik-shun, Hacken Lee Hak-kan and Pakho Chau Pak-ho, to produce notable hits, including Swipe Card (碌卡), Sky Lantern (孔明燈) and My Vow (我的宣言). The prize was like a vindication – Chan was glad he had kept up with lyric writing because he had a track record of easily giving up halfway in childhood and adolescence.

Chan with artist Eason Chan Yik-shun — Chan (right) with singer Eason Chan Yik-shun

In primary school, Chan had a greater interest in mathematics than music and was once a member of the Hong Kong team for the Mathematics Olympiad. However, the mischievous boy was dismissed from the team after being caught sticking joke memos about teachers in the staff room and using school trophies to make a robot. Explaining why this episode ended his interest in maths, Chan says, “When I was small, I was rebellious. [I thought] if you give up on me, I’ll give up on you.”

Upon entering secondary school, Chan developed an interest in singing. Nevertheless, he disliked training in the school choir because it only practised a few songs for competition. “I think using music for competition is the most disgusting thing to do,” says Chan. Instead, he joined the Hong Kong Children’s Choir because it focuses on performance.

Chan’s studies went well until he was in Form Six. That year, he formed a group with his friends and ran for the students’ union election. Despite being the only choice on the ballot paper, they lost due to Chan’s notoriety in the school. Chan says that, at that time, some of his football companions used to bully the younger kids and he was tarred with the same brush. As a result, Chan’s group received a significant number of no confidence votes. He felt ashamed and played truant for nearly two months.

Although he later resumed his studies, he gave up on preparing for the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE). Instead he chose to concentrate on debate training and won the title of Best Debater in a territory-wide competition. Eventually, Chan got disappointing grades in the HKALE.

Band of Brothers: Hong Kong’s Last Shipbuilders

November 4, 2014

Master shipbuilders turn to yacht repairs to revive dying industry

By Vivian Lai, Kanis Leung, Yan Li and Zoe So

Edited by Rachel Cheung

Make An Impression

November 4, 2014

Make your own greeting cards with letterpress printing

By Vivian Lai

Many people love to send greeting cards to their loved ones on special occasions and during holiday seasons but we all know how difficult it can be to find a personalised card. And without a creative mind or great drawing skills, creating your own can be easier said than done. Fear not, Ditto Ditto, one of the very few local card design studios, can help you.

At Ditto Ditto, you can try your hand at card making with the help of professional artists. Don’t worry if you can’t draw very well because at this workshop, you can create a personalised card using techniques such as letterpress, which makes use of raised letters to create impressions on paper.

If you thought letterpress moulds can only form mundane and repetitive patterns, think again. In fact, there can be a lot of variations in designs produced using this traditional equipment. “They are very sensitive! Different texture, thickness and malleability of the papers or even humidity can affect the outcome.” says Nicole Chan, who founded the company in 2012. “I really like these characteristics rather than considering them as its limitations. These limitations are why I think they’re beautiful!”

Chan, an art graduate, designs all the cards and calendars in the store herself with the hope of sharing the trivia of our routine daily lives. The post-80s local artist worked as graphic designer in a local design company for about five years but failed to find the inspiration for her artwork. So, with encouragement from her sister, Chan decided to open her own studio and design greetings cards.

Chan applies different techniques in her products, ranging from hand-drawing to offset printing, from silver plating to letterpress printing. But the one she uses most frequently is letterpress. To show its distinctive features, Chan designed a collection of cards depicting the Hong Kong landscape, such as morning on the Peak and night in Aberdeen. Chan wants to send a message to the world through her detailed sketches – slow down and appreciate the minutiae of daily life. “Knowing that people are inspired by the effort we put in the artworks is the reason I love handicrafts,” says Chan with a satisfied smile.

Eager to share her enthusiasm for the arts with the public, Chan also co-organises different workshops with other local artists. “The main purpose of having these workshops is not for money, but for the public to be aware of us and understand more about the skills and beauty of letterpress printing,” she adds.

Participants can design cards for different purposes in the workshops, but they must correspond to the theme set by Chan and the cost for each workshop is around HK$100.

If you are interested in joining the workshops or would like to make a customised order, check out Ditto Ditto at 4a, 24 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, or call 3678 9881. Latest collections and other stationery are also available at Eslite (Causeway Bay) and Kapok (Central PMQ). For more details, visit www.dittoditto.net.

Edited by Rachel Cheung

Dyeing for the Blues

November 4, 2014

Try your hand at indigo dyeing

by Yan Li

Max To puts on a pair of latex gloves and dips a twisted cloth into a bucket of blue liquid. After several minutes, he takes it out, carefully removes some pegs and rubber bands and flattens it out. What had been a plain white Tee has now became a unique top with an intricate pattern of various shades of blue.

This magical process is called indigo dyeing – a dyeing method using a genus of plants named Indigofera, together with ingredients such as ash water. You can create all sorts of patterns by dipping various parts of the cloth into the dye and soaking it for varying amounts of time.

While it is a very simple DIY craft, getting the required materials and cleaning up afterwards can be a chore. However, at Indigo 11.50, they are chores you needn’t worry about.

Indigo 11.50 is Hong Kong’s first natural indigo dyeing workshop. Tucked away in Tai Long Wan Village in Lantau, it is a relaxing oasis where you can create your own unique product, be it a shirt, a dress or a tote bag.

Max To, the founder of Indigo 11.50, was a former lighting cameraman. Suffering from severe low-back strain, a common problem among cameramen, To took a long vacation in Taiwan where he learned about traditional indigo dyeing.

After coming back to Hong Kong, To’s passion for indigo dyeing motivated him to open his own workshop. With three like-minded friends, he set up Indigo 11.50 in May.

To renovated his deserted family house in Lantau and turned it into a simple workshop. A clothesline runs across the backyard, allowing people to hang their designs as they wait for them to dry. He also takes advantage of the natural environment – using wood ash as an ingredient of the dye and washing fabrics with mountain water.

Opening a dyeing workshop in a remote village seems like a crazy idea in a city that emphasises profit and efficiency. But that is exactly what makes Indigo 11.50 so special. The motto of the workshop is: “Having a wonderful moment is the profit while earning money is extra bonus”.

“The workshop is to promote a kind of attitude towards life or work. You can choose a different path. You should choose a way of working that makes you happy,” To says.

The classes usually last for three to four hours. For HK$250, you can have a shot at indigo dyeing after learning about its history and techniques. If you are interested in needlework, you can take the advanced class that costs HK$300.

Apart from holding classes, Indigo 11.50 also sells handmade and chemical-free indigo products, such as tote bags and shirts. Unlike traditional indigo products that feature fancy and feminine patterns, Indigo 11.50 adopts a minimalist style, emphasizing simple patterns. For more details, please go to Indigo 11.50’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lantaublue

Edited by Rachel Cheung

The Hong Kong Fatshionistas

May 16, 2014

Proudly pursuing fashion to flatter the fuller figure

Reporters: Grace Cheung, Sherry Tsui, Brian Wong

Editor: Natalie Tsoi

Hong Kong may be acclaimed as a hub for international fashion brands. But the glamorous showcases of luxury boutiques and coveted clothing created by top-notch designers hide an inconvenient truth: here, fashion is for the thin.

Wearing a white top and a pair of black Gallus short trousers, Bertha Chan exudes style. To put together her fashion-forward looks, Chan buys her clothes online from overseas labels to satisfy her taste. She does so not because she could not find styles she likes locally, but simply because of her size.

Chan writes a fashion blog Curvasian to share her findings and comments on new fashion designs. “Because I’m Asian, and I’m curvy,” she says.

Fashion for the fuller figure is often referred to as ‘plus-size fashion’. “Plus-size fashion is to differentiate the sizes from what we call straight size, which is from US size 0-12,” says Chan. “Especially high fashion, they stop at size 12 and they don’t go up anymore because some fashion designers tend to think that it’s actually ruining their brand image.”

Boudoir photographer Agnes Chan also finds it difficult to buy larger sized, fashionable clothes. She meets Varsity dressed in a body-clinging leopard print dress which is unavailable through ordinary channels. Despite the trouble of sourcing clothes to her taste, she refuses to adopt the conservative approach. “Is it a must for fat people to wear loose, multi-layered clothes, covering the tummy or legs with a jacket even at over 20°C?”

“It is normal to be slim in Hong Kong, but having more muscles would be abnormal,” she adds.

In a town where it seems everyone is aspiring to be thin, fashion designers tend to create clothes for slim figures. Local designer Esther Lui says this is inevitable as designers tend to choose slimmer models for what they believe to be a better visual effect. “People appear fatter through the lens, no matter how slim you are,” says Lui, “for designers, they would of course choose a slimmer model so as to balance the resulting visuals.”

Pacino Wan, lecturer of the Department of Fashion and Image Design, Hong Kong Design Institute, says Asians are more likely to pursue slim figures, as they are inherently smaller in body size. However, he thinks larger-sized people should also express themselves through fashion. “Sometimes I hear from stylists that larger-sized people should avoid wearing bright and floral clothes,” Wan says, “but I would encourage them to try out different clothes. If not, how could you wear fashionable clothes?”

“Fashion boosts self-confidence. It also gives you vitality for the whole day.”

Farming without Soil

May 16, 2014

Hydroponics, an alternative way for local agriculture

Reporters: Henry Lee, Zoe So, Kanis Leung

Editor: Yoyo Chan

Loosening the soil, seeding, daily irrigation and harvesting – these are the inevitable stages in the farming process with which we are familiar. But the introduction of hydroponics and aquaponics, in which plants are grown in water without soil, take a lot of the toil out of the first two stages.

Hydroponics was introduced to Hong Kong since 1980s, but it has not become popular until Vegetable Marketing Organization started up a Controlled Environment Hydroponic Research and Development Centre in Cheung Sha Wan in 2012. The 2,500 square feet government-funded centre now produces around 3.5% of Hong Kong’s agricultural industry, together with other local farmers.

Using Japanese technology with 24/7 computer monitoring cost nine millions to start up. The computer system creates microclimate for the plants, controlling the amount of nutrients, levels of carbon dioxide and the temperature, involving very less human labour like traditional farming, thus it is comparatively much more expensive for the renovation of the site and the high technology. This indoor approach also allows vertical farming which produces more vegetables than traditional.

Instead of following the Japanese approach where the government is trying to promote, Janet Chan Yuet-kwai took references from other countries and set up a simpler model by buying tools from Amazing Green , a company promoting hydroponics. Covering 10,000 square feet, Chan’s site costs around HKD 250,000 to set up thousand dollars, but it involves more human efforts than computer monitoring method to take care of the vegetables.

Amazing Green’s publicist, Kit Lau thinks that hydroponics is more a more suitable farming method for Hong Kong because it saves space and is something citizens can try at home. Lau says there is 70 per cent less water loss than in conventional farming, and saves on the labour required for ploughing and irrigation.

However, Simon Chau Siu-cheung, founder of the environmental group Green Power has doubts about the quality of hydroponic products, because natural nutrients in the soil cannot be easily substituted by mineral nutrients, which are chemical rather than organic. “The risk of using this new technology, we still don’t know,” he says.

Aquaponics, a combination of raising fish and hydroponics, attempts to address these concerns. The system is more organic as vegetables absorb natural nutrients from fish waste in the water.

Whether or not hydroponics and aquaponics can be a viable and safe alternative to traditional farming on a larger scale remains to be seen. But as a way for the elderly, disabled and city dwellers in urban apartments to get involved in growing their own food, the potential is undeniable.

Demolition of carparks to cause more congestion in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui

May 16, 2014

Reporters: John Cheng, Tracy Cheung, Vivian Lai, Jeffrey Loa

Editor: Emily Chung

In December 2013, the Executive Council passed a proposal to redevelop Tsim Sha Tsui’s Middle Road Multi-Storey Car Park for commercial use. The carpark has around 800 parking spaces for private cars and motorbikes. But according to the latest statistics from the Transport Department, the average daily utilisation rate of Middle Road Car Park is only 37 per cent. The low utilisation rate is one of the reasons given by the government to redevelop the land.

However, a random visit to the carpark during peak hours showed it was completely full and both Wilson Parking, which operates the carpark and the Town Planning Board, refused to provide a more detailed breakdown of the usage rates.

Hung Wing-tat, Associate Professor of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University says the average daily utilisation rate measures the overall 24-hour daily parking situation and fails to address usage at any particular hour.

Apart from Middle Road Carpark, the government also announced plans to redevelop Murray Road Carpark in Central and the Rumsey Street Carpark in Sheung Wan to increase land supply for commercial and business use in Central and Wan Chai, in this year’s Policy Address.

Hui Chi-fung, Vice-Chairman of Traffic & Transport Committee of Central and Western District Council warns the demolition of these two carparks will worsen the already bad situation of unauthorised on-street parking in the district and lead to more congestion.

Rumsey Street Carpark offers 822 parking spaces for private cars, while Murray Road Carpark provides 388 spaces. The redevelopment of the two largest carparks in Central and Sheung Wan will drastically cut the number of parking spaces in the district.

The price of parking is another concern for the drivers, as private carparks nearby charge between HKD 5 and HKD 25 more per hour than Rumsey Street Carpark.

Hui stresses the government has ensure the Rumsey Street and Murray Road sites’ developers will comply with requirements to provide enough parking spaces. But in the long term, he believes the government must implement an Electronic Road Pricing System to ease traffic congestion in central business districts.

When Children Age Quicker than Their Parents

May 16, 2014

The difficult old age of the intellectually disabled

Reporters: Agnes Ng, Edith Lin, Total Lam

Editors: James Fung, Charlene Kwan

Once Hong Kong residents reach the age of 65 years, they can apply for a Senior Citizen Card and enjoy various benefits, such as cheaper fares on public transport. On their 70^th birthdays, they can receive Health Care Vouchers to pay for some health services. However, those with intellectual disabilities may never have the chance to enjoy these benefits.

The biological functions of the intellectually disabled begin to decline from the age of 45. As the aging process is accelerated, they may die before they are entitled to services and benefits aimed at the elderly. Therefore, various concern groups, including the Ageing Intellectually Disabled Concern Group, are fighting to redefine old age for the intellectually disabled so that they can have a better quality of life in their final years.

What makes things more difficult is that as the intellectually disabled enter old age, their carers (who are often their parents or other family members) are also getting older and becoming less able to cope with the increased physical and emotional demands of taking care of them.

In improving services to the intellectually disabled, the government has allocated more resources in the policy address. The funding for hiring more staff at residential care homes and day training centres has increased from HKD 67.9 million in 2013 to HKD 93 million in 2014. However, Wu Shing-choi, Member of the Ageing Intellectually Disabled Concern Group, doubts whether it will be used properly.

Since the funding to the organizations is a one-off lump sum payment, Wu points out organizations receiving it, such as those providing residential services, tend to focus on administrative work rather than truly serving the intellectually disabled.

There are at least 7000 intellectually disabled waiting for a few hundred places in the residential care homes per year. Those with moderate intellectual disabilities have to wait more than five years. Even worse, the severely intellectually disabled have to wait for 10 years.

To shorten the waiting time, the government has launched the Pilot Bought Place Scheme to purchase places from private residential care homes that meet the government’s requirements. Still, they fail to meet the needs of the disabled. For instance, they do not have adequate staff to take care of each resident with intellectual disabilities and lack facilities for physical therapy.

At long last, there seems to at least be some awareness of the special needs of the intellectually disabled, and their carers, as they age but there is still a long way to go.

The Childcare Gap

May 16, 2014

Parents in Hong Kong struggle daily to juggle childcare with work

Reporters: Thomas Chan, Benny Kung, Antonia Wong

Editors: Frances Sit, Louie Cheng

For those who do not have the financial or housing resources to hire a full-time domestic helper, or who do not wish to do so, there is a striking shortage of affordable alternative childcare services for children of all ages in Hong Kong.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, more than half a million people were full-time carers in 2011, of which over 90 per cent are women. At present, The Social Welfare Department provides some subsidies for childcare services, many of which are operated by non-profit-making organization, and some by private operators. But places available at such centres are limited.

Working parents can opt to put their children under the age of three at childcare centres, where occasional childcare services are provided on a two-hour, half day or full day basis. However, according to statistics, the total number of places offered by full day childcare centres was just 690 in 2013.

A joint survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres and the Tin Shui Wai Community Development Network in 2013 showed that more than two-thirds of the 474 respondents thought childcare services were insufficient. The lack of sufficient childcare services deprives parents of opportunities to work full-time or part-time.

Wah is a 31 year-old mother of two boys aged one and eight. She gave up work and has been a full-time carer for nearly a year. Although Wah would like to get back to work, she has been unable to find a place at a baby centre for the infant. After queuing up for half a year, she was told to wait another six months. For the time being, the family has to rely on Wah’s husband as the sole source of income.

As for children aged between three and six, not all of them are able to enroll in full-day courses in kindergarten, many of which offer only half-day classes. Most of the alternative childcare services provided by NGOs and privately run childcare centres operate at full capacity. Parents caring for kids of this age can usually enjoy just two to three hours of free time a day.

After Ling’s mother-in-law passed away, she has found it hard to find suitable childcare services for her 4-year-old younger daughter. The 32 year-old mother of two quit her job for two years and was a full-time carer. She was able to return to work in a fast food restaurant when her younger daughter got a full-day place in kindergarten. But the job means she has limited time to look after her daughters, and when the younger girl is on school holiday, Ling has to take her to her workplace.

For better-off families, hiring a domestic helper might be a possible solution for the childcare gap, and employees working in enterprises such as the Hang Seng Bank and HSBC can make use of in-house childcare services for employees. But such workplace-provided childcare arrangements are rare in Hong Kong and little has been done by the government to help the populace strike a work-family balance.

Leung Lai-ching, associate professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong, says the government lacks both vision and a sense of mission when it comes to long-term childcare policies. Leung says that in the face of the government’s lack of planning and support, the community needs to thoroughly rethink the way its children are being brought up.

PMI: A Better Choice For Chinese Teachers?

May 16, 2014

Local teachers lose out as schools switch to teaching Chinese in Putonghua

Reporters: Tiff Chan, Esther Chan, Mavis Wong

Editor: Jeffrey Wong

Earlier this year, an article on language learning support on the Education Bureau’s website claimed that Cantonese was “a Chinese dialect which is not a statutory language”. This sparked a heated debate and shone a light on a trend which has been growing steadily in recent years.

Since the policy of using Putonghua as the Medium of Instruction (PMI) was introduced in 2008 primary and secondary schools have been able to choose between using Putonghua or Cantonese as the medium for teaching Chinese language.

Even before the policy was implemented, the Curriculum Development Institute proposed “teaching Chinese by Putonghua” as a long-term goal in 2000.

PMI is more popular in primary schools than in secondary schools. According to research done by Hong Kong Language Studies, over 70 per cent of primary schools are teaching Chinese in Putonghua, compared with 25 per cent of secondary schools. While the government strongly supports PMI, only around 1 per cent of schools implementing PMI are government ones.

Much of the debate has focused on the impact that using Putonghua to teach Chinese has on students’ Chinese Language performance.

Critics say PMI may affect teachers’ performance in class. A practice teacher, Wong Hei-tung says it is difficult to use Putonghua to explain Chinese traditional values or ethics. Another practice teacher, Kwan Ka-lee says using Putonghua in class may reduce students’ initiatives to learn and participate in class discussion.

Far less attention has been paid to another potential impact – the job prospects of local teachers. As more schools switch to PMI, teachers are expected to have a pass in the the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (LPAT), which tests Putonghua ability in the context of teaching.

This test consists of four parts: Listening and Recognition, Pinyin, Oral, and Classroom Language Assessment. For the oral part, test takers can choose to take either the LPAT oral test or the Test of Proficiency in Putonghua (TPP). The results of the two tests are interchangeable. Many teachers prefer the latter as it is considered easier to get better results.

Even experts in Putonghua education, such as the Director of the Centre for Research and Development of Putonghua Education, Lam Kin-ping says that getting a pass in the test does not mean teachers have the ability to teach Chinese in Putonghua. However, the test has become the “entrance ticket” for prospective Chinese teachers regardless of whether they want to work at a PMI school or not. Putonghua proficiency seems to be a must, even though Cantonese is Hong Kong’s most common language.

The impact of PMI on local teachers is just one aspect of what may become a protracted culture war between Cantonese and Putonghua. Although the Education Bureau removed the offending article from its website after strong criticism, the incident made many Hong Kong people view Cantonese as being under threat.