Latest news with #HungHom
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's John Lee holds first forum to gauge views for coming policy address
Hongkongers have shared their concerns with the city's leader on issues such as housing, innovation and technology, youth development and poverty, with the chief executive pledging to continue collecting public views before mapping out 'pragmatic' policies. In the first public consultation exercise ahead of his fourth annual policy address, John Lee Ka-chiu on Sunday met about 120 residents at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School in Hung Hom, a neighbourhood where he grew up. Residents issued a string of calls and suggestions at the two-hour forum, covering topics such as land and housing, transport, innovation and technology, financial services development, culture and sports, education, youth issues, poverty alleviation, healthcare services, social welfare and more. 'There are issues that members of the public care deeply about, so I attach great importance to district consultations,' Lee said after the forum, which was attended by the city's top three principal officials and nearly all ministers. 'These views will let me have a better grasp on formulating policies and the allocation of resources when I prepare the policy address.' Lee said he brought forward the policy address to September from October.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Meet the last woman carving mahjong tiles by hand in Hong Kong
Ho Sau-Mei, one of Hong Kong's last mahjong tile carvers, is getting old. 'My eyesight is fading, and my hands are getting sore,' she says brusquely as she chisels the intricate strokes of a Chinese character or the petals of a flower onto a piece of plastic little bigger than a postage stamp. For over four decades, Ho has been carving mahjong tiles in a tiny roadside shop in Hung Hom, an old harborside district that is now seeing the rapid construction of shiny, new residential high-rises. She started learning the craft at age 13 from her father, who founded the family's tile business, Kam Fat Mahjong, in 1962. Masters who would visit Hong Kong during its manufacturing heyday in the 1970s and 80s also shared their techniques and trained apprentices. Ho Sau-Mei carves mahjong tiles at her shop in Hong Kong. Mahjong is a game for four people similar to rummy and is hugely popular across China and among Chinese communities for which it also serves as a cultural ritual and symbol of tradition. Children learn how to play as they spend time with cousins and friends over Lunar New Year, and among the elderly it's popular all year round. Mahjong tiles are traditionally made of wood, ivory or bamboo, with tile makers cutting, polishing, carving and coloring each piece. In the 1960s, there were more than 20 mahjong tile carvers in Hong Kong — and even an association dedicated to the industry. Now most mahjong tiles are mass-produced in factories in mainland China. Mahjong tiles are stacked on a game table in Hong Kong. The craft was listed as an 'intangible cultural heritage' by the Hong Kong government in 2014, which provides funding for research into and preservation of various protected traditions. But less than a handful of mahjong artisans are still around the city, and among them Ho is the only woman left practicing the craft. Minibuses and double-decker buses zoom past the busy road across her dimly lit ground-floor shop beneath a staircase on Bulkeley Street. The store is barely two meters wide with a grimy glass case on the wall that reaches the ceiling filled with faded photographs and stacks of novelty mahjong tiles. Hovering behind Ho's work stool is a shrine that glows a gentle red hue. Ho starts to carve mahjong tiles in the morning. Pictures of Ho can be found inside her shop. Workers from nearby hardware stores and elderly people she's befriended over the years also banter with her. Pedestrians sometimes slow down to observe Ho deep in work hunched over her small working space. Ho's routine has stayed the same even as the neighborhood developed, with mahjong tiles now mostly made by big factories in mainland China. She's usually already seated at the storefront and lays out her tools for the day just before 10 a.m. At 68 years old, Ho says she only works until about noon these days, sighing that she 'doesn't have the stamina' to carve away all day anymore. She could retire if she wanted to, she says, 'but I'll get bored.' She lays out the Bakelite tiles lined neatly on a heavy wooden tray and prepares her specialized tools on the tiny glass display case that serves as her work desk. Tiles are packaged inside Ho's shop in Hong Kong. Ho uses a traditional tool to carve a tile. A complete mahjong set comes with 144 tiles, including the four suits — bamboo, dots, characters, directional winds (north, south, east and west) — and special tiles depicting flowers, dragons and the four seasons. One of Ho's tools resembles a giant corkscrew and is used to drill the concentric circles on one of the rectangles. Using other tools with varying tips and angles, she holds the blank tiles with her calloused thumb and middle finger and masterfully etches the complicated Chinese characters and flower tiles with surgical precision. Ho paints mahjong tiles inside her store. For the penultimate process, Ho brings out vintage jars of paint, their labels weathered by time. 'Don't go away, this part is fast,' Ho tells us. She brushes red, green and blue colors onto the naked tiles, carefully bringing the engraved symbols to life. A full set costs $245 and takes around 10 to 14 days to make by hand. But if you're planning to order a set from Ho, the entire process is still analogue — and somewhat haphazard. The phone rings a few times during the day with a handful of customers inquiring about the orders they've placed. But Ho doesn't really keep track of the orders. A client speaks with Ho and her assistant. Mahjong tiles are seen in front of a small house temple at Ho's shop. There's no online booking system. Everything is done either by phone or in person, and she scribbles the orders down on a notebook that's torn apart at the spine. One caller, a British man who says his wife ordered a set a couple of weeks ago, phones in to check if the set is ready. Ho asks us to help translate. A shop assistant flips through the notebook and searches for the client's phone number. Turns out, one set will be ready the next week, so that's now reserved for them, Ho says. Ho carves tiles at her shop. It takes her about 10 to 14 days to make a full set. Ho applies red paint to tiles. A complete mahjong set comes with 144 tiles. 'I can't keep up with the orders,' she says. 'It's really down to luck and timing. I'm not a machine.' After the phone calls, Ho finishes painting the tiles, layering different colors on some of the suits. Once that's done, the tiles are left to dry for the afternoon and Ho hurriedly starts to close shop. 'I'm still a woman,' she jokes. 'I have to buy groceries and keep the house running.' Back home, she'll make lunch and dinner, maybe watch a bit of TV and rest her hands that she says are giving her more and more trouble after decades of work. Ho's roadside shop is in Hung Hom, an old harborside district of Hong Kong. As Hong Kong moved from a manufacturing hub to a financial center in the 1990s, the mass production of machine-made tiles moved to mainland China. Some sets sell for just 70 Renminbi ($10) direct from wholesalers online. There's a licensed mahjong parlor a few blocks away from Ho's shop, but they buy the tiles from the mainland, according to the manager who was preparing for customers to start rolling in. Ho used to play regularly with her siblings but rarely finds time these days. Occasionally she gets invites from old friends. Tables are seen inside a dedicated mahjong room that's in the same neighborhood as Ho's store. She believes people will keep playing the game, using tiles bought online or sets that were passed down from generations. But she has no interest in training others how to make tiles the traditional way, she says, despite repeated requests she says she's received over the decades from artists and cultural organizations. 'I was just never interested in teaching,' Ho says candidly, determined to work solely at her own pace. Ho could retire if she wanted to, she said, 'but I'll get bored.' 'Every year, students and journalists come to ask me questions, making more people aware of the dying craft,' she said. 'I don't know how much longer I can do this,' she admits. 'But as long as I can still hold the tools, I can still keep doing it.' The next day, she'll be back on her stool, carving another set, one tile at a time.
South China Morning Post
16-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police arrest man on suspicion of pushing boy, 9, into sea
A 23-year-old Hongkonger has been arrested for allegedly pushing a nine-year-old boy into the sea while the child was fishing with his mother in Hung Hom. Police said the man, surnamed Wong, was apprehended in Kowloon City at 5.22pm on Tuesday, three days after the incident, on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They added that the arrest was made after police reviewed CCTV footage. Officers searching his flat also found the clothes he allegedly wore while committing the offence. 'When police arrived at the scene, the boy had a lot of scratches on his body. He was conscious and was discharged from hospital after treatment,' a police spokesman said on Wednesday. The suspect is currently being held in custody for further investigation. The manhunt started after the boy was pushed into the sea while he was fishing on a staircase along King Wan Street near Hoi Sham Park at around 5.40pm on Saturday.
South China Morning Post
14-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police search for suspect who pushed boy, 9, into sea off Hung Hom
Hong Kong police are searching for a man suspected of pushing a nine-year-old boy into the sea while the child was fishing with his mother in Hung Hom. Advertisement The boy was fishing on a staircase along King Wan Street near Hoi Sham Park on Saturday when the incident happened at around 5.40pm, police said. The suspect approached and suddenly pushed the boy into the water. A pedestrian witnessed the incident and called police. The boy managed to swim back to the shore but sustained bruises on his arms and legs. Advertisement He was conscious and taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment.
South China Morning Post
29-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Urban renewal must be able to function in good times and bad
Giving old districts and buildings a new lease of life is never easy in a city like Hong Kong, where conservation and development are not always compatible. The job has become even more difficult as the Urban Renewal Authority struggles to finance its projects amid a sluggish property market. Thankfully, the statutory body has been handed a lifeline by the government, with the grant of two land parcels to help consolidate its finances. But an overhaul of its operation and financing is still needed to ensure redevelopment projects will be sustainable regardless of market conditions in future. The two sites in Hung Hom and Tseung Kwan O had an estimated value of HK$4.2 billion as of February this year and HK$9 billion as of December last year, respectively, according to the Development Bureau. The authority has been asked to make good use of the land to enhance financing and borrowing capacity, and to reprioritise its yet-to-commence projects. To what extent the land can restore the authority's fiscal health remains to be seen. Evidently, the money from the land sales will not last forever. With the local property market and business environment still facing pressure because of high interest rates and uncertainties over US-China trade negotiations, the authority's financing problems are likely to prevail for some time. The government is therefore right in initiating a review of the authority's operating and financing model to ensure it can undertake urban redevelopment irrespective of market ups and downs. This is also a good opportunity to explore ways to enhance building rehabilitation so as to extend the service life of aged blocks and reduce the immediate need for redevelopment. The authority suffered a deficit of HK$3.5 billion in 2022-23, the first in almost a decade. The shortfall crept up further to HK$3.9 billion the following year, including an operational deficit of HK$830 million and a HK$3.1 billion provision for projects already started that may be devalued. It has risen to the challenge by tapping overseas funding and issuing bonds for the first time in many years, securing a HK$13 billion bank loan in January and issuing bonds, including HK$12 billion in senior bonds.
