Latest news with #SheungWan
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong thrives because of, not despite, its hybridity
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification On a typical Sunday morning in Hong Kong, you might find a British expat sipping yuen yeung at a cha chaan teng before hiking Dragon's Back, a French architect browsing incense coils in Sheung Wan, or an American banker debating politics over craft beer. This seamless blend of East and West isn't just cosmopolitan charm – it's Hong Kong's unique value to China. As our city adopts more government-led solutions to address capitalism's excesses, we must remember what made – and still makes – Hong Kong extraordinary: the irreplaceable alchemy of individualism and opportunity. The conviction that talent outshines connections. The spirit that birthed Cantopop, Lion Rock grit and a world-class financial hub. As China pursues global leadership, Hong Kong's Western-compatible legal system, cosmopolitan lifestyle and international networks remain indispensable. We don't thrive despite our hybrid identity – we thrive because of it. Since the defeat of the anti-China radicals, official zeal for all things mainland has surged. Ironically, even mainlanders now find Hong Kong less compelling, as its international allure dims. To my local colleagues, Shenzhen had long 'bypassed' us. After working on the Chinese mainland, I saw first-hand what we can't match: vast scale, blistering speed and relentless 'involution'. However, Hong Kong's edge lies elsewhere – in integrity and institutional trust. Mainland firms tend to rise like rockets and crash just as fast; our tycoons know longevity beats spectacle.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong artist turns TCM items into fascinating works of art
Born into a family of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, Hong Kong artist So Wing-po was never tempted to follow in her parents' footsteps. Advertisement Rather, a creative sensibility emerged from her childhood fascination with the family's TCM pharmacy in Sheung Wan, a space overflowing with herbs, fruit and animal parts. Now, the 40-year-old has gained recognition for transforming those materials and the holistic philosophy embedded in TCM into a distinct visual language. In her hands, dissected and dried cures seem like living entities, appearing in large-scale installations, sculptures and videos in which they hint at, but are also at a remove from, their traditional uses. Take her kinetic installation Sea Ear Hi Hat (2020), made up of over a dozen abalone shells – a material used in TCM to cleanse the liver, also known as 'sea ears' – that she motorised to open and close like hi-hat cymbals. Their uncanny appearance, steady exhalations, resemblance to human ears and known healing properties imbue Sea Ear Hi Hat with an arresting vitality. Sea Ear Hi-Hat (Take Turns) (2025), by So Wing-po, which repurposes the kinetic abalone shells from her 2020 work Sea Ear Hi Hat, is displayed at her current solo exhibition 'Polyglot' at Blindspot Gallery. Photo: Edmond So Since her debut solo exhibition at Tai Kwun in 2018, her ability to incorporate the microscopic in installations that speak to universal concerns has been sought after around the world.
South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend June 13-15, including sound healing
With the weather in Hong Kong looking stormy this weekend, we have you covered with some great indoor entertainment. Fans of live music can head to the Fringe Club in Central on June 13-14 for the 21st anniversary bash of live-music platform The Underground, while oenophiles can hide from the elements while enjoying wines paired with vinyl records. If you are looking to calm your mind, a crystal bowl and Tibetan singing bowl course might be for you, or maybe some retail therapy at a pop-up by Japanese fashion brand Kay Me. 1. Introduction to Crystal Bowls & Tibetan Singing Bowls This weekend, Audrey Yiu will lead an introductory course on playing crystal bowls and Tibetan singing bowls at the Yoga Room in Sheung Wan. Photo: Those looking for calm and the means to spread it to others can spend this potentially stormy weekend learning to play crystal bowls and Tibetan singing bowls. The introductory class also explores how sound healing works – the science behind it and its benefits for mind, body and spirit. On Saturday June 14 and Sunday June 15 from 1pm to 6pm, Audrey Yiu will guide participants on a journey to master sound meditation . Bowls and mallets will be provided.
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ombudsman imposes further restrictions on archived report access
Further restrictions have been imposed on accessing past investigation reports from the Office of the Ombudsman, which have been taken offline under a new policy, with authorities now only permitting the public to view a maximum of six documents during each pre-booked 1½-hour session. When the Post tested the new arrangement by pre-booking a session to view reports at the office on Monday, no catalogue of past reports was provided for reference. This makes it difficult for the public to identify which past reports are available for inspection. The office's recent removal of all investigation reports published before April 2023 from its website has drawn criticism from lawmakers and scholars, who lamented that the move represented a backward step in transparency and contradicted the office's role in improving public access to government information. From last Tuesday, members of the public have been required to complete a form to apply to view specific old investigation reports in person at the office in Sheung Wan. Monday was the first day the office provided viewing sessions to successful applicants. The Post reporter who attended a pre-booked session on Monday afternoon was escorted to a designated room equipped with a surveillance system. Notices on the wall stipulated rules for users. 'Users should view information within the area designated by the office for a session of 1.5 hours and may only request to view a maximum of six documents each time,' the notice read.
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Tiny Island creative director Alexis Holm opens up to PostMag
The wellness ritual you can't live without? I drop my eight-year-old son off at school just before 8am and go to House of Fitness, a boutique gym on Possession Street in Sheung Wan. I could go to a cheaper gym, but this one is between my son's school and the office, so it's convenient. The most conversation-sparking object at home? Roomba , our robot vacuum cleaner. We have one at home called Rob and another in the office called Bob. People always comment on Rob, whether he's running over the dog or not doing his job properly. Alexis Holm's dog, Mei Mei, with Rob, the Roomba vacuum cleaner. Photo: Jocelyn Tam A scent that immediately brings you joy? Trudon makes a candle called Spiritus Sancti. It has a light incense smell and gives me the feeling of something old, magnificent and calm. It's like being in a church. Your favourite city and the first thing you do there?
