Picture of the day: Full Mid-Autumn Moon

The moon last night near the Wan Chai Ferry

 

The weather is finally starting to cool down, though it's becoming more like Singapore's in that there are intermittent showers for 20 minutes and then it's sunny again.

Mid-Autumn was a protracted one this year -- I started receiving mooncakes back in July as hospitality businesses hoped to make up for some losses by selling earlier. Some restaurants and hotels reported very good sales this year, even though a few raised prices, or customers wanted the most expensive hamper sets to give away as corporate gifts.

This picture on the Wan Chai harbourfront near the ferry pier was taken last night and I saw the moon tonight and it was a bit rounder and brighter (I was out for dinner so I didn't have a chance to admire the moon until afterwards).

In general everyone seems to be happier to celebrate the festival with loved ones, as last year the pandemic restricted numbers in restaurants, or people were not in the mood to go out.

Here's hoping Hong Kong can ride this pandemic out a bit longer, but also keeping in mind borders need to be lifted in order for the economy to get better. There is only so much companies can do to rely on local consumption.

中秋节快乐！

Happy Mid Autumn!

Patriotism is an Obligation, not an Option

City Garden Hotel is celebrating National Day with pride

 

Tomorrow is not only Mid-Autumn Festival, but also the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Some businesses are trying to show how patriotic they are, with City Garden Hotel plastering two flags, the Hong Kong and Chinese flags to celebrate national day.

Luo said patriotism is a duty, not a choice

There's also another big banner in Admiralty near a flyover for everyone to see.

The campaign to force Hongkongers into submission continued today with Luo Huining, director of the liaison office stressed patriotism is not an option but an obligation.

"As Chinese, loving the country is not a choice, but a duty, and even more so, the correct path," he said.

Stark words for people still reeling from last year's extradition protests, and now the recently implemented national security law.

"The National People's Congress enacted the Hong Kong national security law to end the madness of Hong Kong independence advocacy and the black violence that ran out of control," Luo said, referring to the colour worn by anti-government protesters.

He added civil servants and students should receive more education on national security, the country's situation, Chinese history and culture, the Chinese constitution, and the Basic Law.

Red banners celebrating national day

To demand Hongkongers to be patriotic to China is while not surprising, will not win the hearts and minds of the people. 

This hard line approach will only make people more recalcitrant.

Meanwhile also today the families of the 12 detained in Shenzhen pleaded in front of the liaison office to be able to pass messages and mooncakes to their loved ones.

The People's Procuratorate in Shenzhen's Yantian district said this evening they had approved the arrests of 10 in the group over crossing the national border unlawfully, and two others for planning the offense. 

A woman, who is wanted by Hong Kong police, and Tang Kai-yin, a 30-year-old salesman who was earlier charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent were both accused of organizing the operation.

Pro-establishment newspaper Sing Tao Daily cited a source saying that Tang was the driver of the speedboat with 11 others on board.

Under China's Criminal Law, people arrested for illegally crossing face one year in jail, but those who are convicted of organizing others to do so can be sentenced to up to seven years in jail.  If someone is found to have a principal role in operating a syndicate for illegal border crossings, or who violently resist law enforcement, the penalty can be life in prison.

To hear the 12 have been formally arrested and charged will be devastating news for the families.  

This year Mid-Autumn Festival will be sombre one with the coronavirus pandemic, social-distancing limited to four in public, and now dramatic weather with thunderstorms and heavy rain... and yes -- love the country -- it's a must!

Six Years Ago Today

Yellow umbrellas in force at Admiralty six years ago

 

Six years ago today was the start of the Umbrella Movement. I remember that day in Admiralty, seeing people carrying umbrellas and some wearing masks and goggles. What was going to happen? 

I just knew there were students holed up at Civic Square, surrounded by the police and people demanded that they be let go.

Nothing happened, so my friend YTSL and I grabbed a bite to eat in a restaurant in Pacific Place shopping mall and that's when I checked Twitter to discover people had occupied the roads.

When teargas was fired, umbrellas were defense

In disbelief we went back to see a surreal sight of people on the roads, helping each other climb over the highway barriers and wandering around. It was so bizarre we wandered around too and wondered how long this would last.

Later that evening around 6pm the police fired teargas into the crowds, who tried to defend themselves with umbrellas. People watching the scenes unfold on television were in shock and rushed over to Admiralty.

It would be 79 days before the occupation ended, and it was the spark that ignited the passion of fighting for democracy in Hong Kong. The community spirit at Admiralty was warm, friendly, eco-friendly. It had a utopian atmosphere of what people believed Hong Kong should be.

Students set up desks to do their homework and people volunteered to tutor them, people drew posters, encouraged others to write notes on the first Lennon Wall, and others created arts and crafts inspired by the movement.

The famous or infamous televised debate

Meanwhile the government was caught completely off guard and had no idea what to do. They looked worse debating student leaders, who demanded that the election reform should include nominations from local citizens. However, the government claimed this fell outside the framework of the Basic Law and the National People's Congress Standing Committee decision.

The government revealed its impotence though it claimed the talks were "candid and meaningful", while the student leaders expressed disappointment in the lack of concrete results.

The protests revealed the growing divide between pro-establishment and pro-democracy camps, both becoming more entrenched in their positions.

And then on December 15, 2014 the Umbrella Movement ended unceremoniously with people being arrested for refusing to leave the protest sites, and the police cleaning up the roads for traffic to finally resume.

I never thought I would see the roads occupied by people ever again until it happened again five years later with the anti-extradition protests. 

Protesters regrouped in Admiralty last year

All that pent-up frustration and anger exploded again in the city, revealing that people still had the passion inside them to protest what they felt was not good for Hong Kong. 

But alas it has come to this -- a tone-deaf government controlled by the heavy hand of Beijing. The implementation of the national security law in the hours before July 1 came out of the blue for everyone else, but was the plan all along to force Hongkongers into submission.

And with the ongoing pandemic, it makes it even easier for Beijing to do as it pleases, postponing the Legislative Council elections (that should have been earlier this month), and outright banning mass protests all in the name of social distancing.

October 1 will have a loaded meaning this year, as it is China's national day and Mid-Autumn Festival. And the legend has it that over 600 years ago, the Han overthrew the Mongol Yuan dynasty by inserting secret messages inside the mooncakes...

A mini protest tonight in Pacific Place

Tonight there was a low-key protest at Pacific Place to mark the sixth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement. About two dozen peo

ple turned out to shout anti-government slogans and sing protest songs.

While police watched nearby they didn't arrest anyone, and instead urged people to disperse.

The Civil Human Rights Front had applied for a march to protest the 12 people detained on the mainland on October 1, but that was immediately banned due to social-distancing measures. 

What will happen next?

Picture of the Day: Mid Autumn Festival 2019

Brilliant shot of Lion Rock for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival

While it was Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday, many protesters did not take a break to celebrate the full moon with family and friends around the dinner table and eat mooncakes.

Instead they gathered in shopping malls, again to sing the newly-adopted anthem, Glory to Hong Kong, as well as chant various slogans, and raise an outstretched hand to show the government needs to meet their five demands.

Others took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival to create lanterns, some yellow with the umbrella on it, or even Pepe the Frog, or even protest slogans on them and walked around parks and streets displaying their lanterns.

The more sporty or adventurous ones headed to Lok Fu and then climbed up to Lion Rock to shine some lights. There some got out their mooncakes to share with friends and fellow protesters.

What a memorable way to spend Mid-Autumn Festival!

Baking Smiles for Protesters

These mooncakes say "Hongkongers" at Wah Yee Tang Bakery

A bakery in Sai Ying Pun has shown its support for the anti-extradition bill protesters by producing funny mooncakes and cookies with protest slogans on them.

Wah Yee Tang Bakery began making mooncakes on Monday with phrases like "no withdrawal, no dispersal", "be water", "Hongkongers" and one with Cantonese swear words that the police shouted at reporters during clashes.

The bakery has been open since 1984

"I started making cheeky mooncakes last year, but I usually do quirky designs on my products throughout the year. This year there were some funny phrases [from the extradition protests], so I had the templates made," said the owner, who goes by the name of Naomi.

She is the third generation of her family to run Wah Yee Tang Bakery, that was founded by her grandfather in 1984. She now runs the shop with her mother.

Originally she had not thought of making the mooncakes with expletives against reporters, but Naomi was convinced into doing it after a customer -- who happens to be a journalist -- requested them as gifts to give to friends.

The cookie has the swear words police shouted at reporters

Naomi reports being very touched that so many customers come from far away to purchase her cookies and mooncakes. "It's like they are offering their support by saying, 'I'm by your side'," she says.

Although those who support the police are calling for people to boycott the bakery, saying its products are leading youngsters "astray", Naomi is undeterred.

"I'm not afraid. I'm sticking to my bottom line. Everyone must take their own stand. I have no control over how others see me. I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing. I haven't done anything which I feel has betrayed my conscience."

The small bakery is struggling to keep up with demand

She adds while everyone is very angry, once they buy the mooncakes and cookies they have a laugh. "I'm trying to turn negative emotions into positive ones. I hope everyone can get this message."

Wah Yee Tang Bakery
120-126 Second Street
Sai Ying Pun
2915 2263

Making Bamboo Lanterns

My almost finished lantern! Lots of work involved but fun to do!

Mid-Autumn Festival is in late September, but I already received my first box of mooncakes on Monday! We're in the heat of summer and yet mooncakes are being promoted by restaurants and hotels at the moment.

The frame built and then adding fabric

The Peninsula Hong Kong invited a few of us to learn how to make traditional lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Two years ago I learned how to make one using tissue paper, and this time we used cloth.

Our instructor, surnamed Yeung, is 40 years old and he claims there are only three people in Hong Kong who are considered masters in making bamboo lanterns and lion heads. He explained he is the third generation in his family to be in this field.

 

First we took some bamboo sticks that had already been pre-bent at different points to create a hexagon shape. To hold both ends together, we used strips of tissue paper and a thick glue made with flour to secure the bamboo. We had to do four of these sticks.

Then the lantern started to take shape putting two of these hexagons at right angles to each other and again binding them with the tissue paper strips and glue. Then another was placed on a diagonal to match up the angles to create triangles and then the other.

 

Lots of glue (and sticky fingers) to create this hexagon lantern

Phew! That was hard work!

Now we had to start gluing on strips of fabric onto the frame. We applied a stickier kind of glue that got all over our fingers and needed turpentine to get off -- that's how strong it was. We applied glue on the bamboo frame on one square and then put a white piece of fabric on top and tried to stretch the material onto the frame as much as possible so it wouldn't look flimsy. Afterwards we trimmed the fabric as close to the edge as we could.

Then we did the triangles in yellow fabric and repeated the process. Another major step done.

Next we were encouraged to decorate the lantern by painting the four squares with a bright orange paint and even paint Chinese characters on it. I'm terrible at calligraphy so I just stuck flowers that were cut out for us.

Finally to make the ugly edges disappear, we were given a trimming to glue on all the edges and the lantern instantly looked much better. To finish it off, a fringe trim at the bottom and voila! A lantern!

Just need to add the trim to make the lantern look nicer

When we built the lantern, there was no frame for the candle inside so it's literally only a lantern shell. But it was fun nonetheless! It took over two and a half hours to make it!

The Sad Demise of Print

Eat and Travel Weekly ends publication on August 3

Eat and Travel Weekly used to be the bible to pick up if you wanted an authoritative guide to the restaurant scene in Hong Kong. It featured the newest restaurants, reviews, the best of the best, as well as travel tips for destinations around the world.

One former editor told me that working there would ruin your digestive system because when they tried to find the best char siu or the best mooncake for example, they definitely tried a lot of them -- in one go.

An article testing out different Mont Blanc cakes in town

Samples from 50 or even 100 establishments would be couriered to the office, where someone was delegated to label each one from one to 50 or one to 100 so that they could be tasted blindly.

And yes, they would try each one to try to determine which one deserved the gold standard.

However, in the last few years, the economy has taken a big hit especially in print media, and advertising plunged, forcing the magazine, owned by Next Media (now Next Digital), to be downsized and folded into Next Magazine in 2015.

But a few days ago it was announced the popular magazine would have its last print run on August 3, and from then onwards will be digital only with a website and mobile app presence.

The announcement comes after the trouble publishing company owned by Jimmy Lai Chi-ying sold several magazines to businessman Kenny Wee Ho for HK$500 million, but Eat and Travel Weekly was not included in the deal.

A story about different styles of izakaya in Hong Kong

"Owing to the decline of print media, it is with regret that we are announcing the end of our print edition... although the room for survival in print media is shrinking, we will carry on with our professional spirit and continue to shine on the digital platform," said a statement on the magazine's Facebook page.

"Lastly, we would like to express gratitude to our readers for their support over the past 20 years."

It's sad news when such a popular publication ceases to put out a print version -- if Eat and Travel Weekly can't survive, what hope is there for the rest of Hong Kong's magazines?

This is the death knell for print publications in Hong Kong -- that the shift to digital is moving really fast, as everyone checks their smartphones for the latest news, than deliberately go to the newsstands to get a magazine.

Which publication will die next? Stay tuned.

Picture of the Day: Mid-Autumn Festival

Several white rabbits around a bouquet of flowers and Chang-e on the right

Two days ago we had blue skies and it was very hot. I took a fantastic picture of the sunset while waiting for the Star Ferry to take me across to Central from Tsim Sha Tsui.

Then on Saturday we had thunder and rain, though not the Amber rainstorm warning the Hong Kong Observatory had put up but had to cancel soon after.

There was a festive atmosphere at Belcher Bay Park

So today the hopes of having clear skies to see the full moon for Mid-Autumn Festival today were dashed with overcast skies, though no rain.

I had hopes of going for a swim this evening under a full moon at the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool didn't happen, but for once it was wonderful to have the pool practically empty because most people were out having dinner or too full to swim.

Next door at Belcher Bay Park, it was festively decorated with coloured lanterns strung along and even spot lights shining on certain areas that practically made it like daylight.

A good number of the neighbourhood residents were hanging out on the grass picnic style, and kids carrying lanterns ranging from traditional paper ones to plastic blown up ones of minions and cartoon characters, or even neon lit coloured bands. Other families wandered around the park as if taking an evening stroll after a big family dinner complete with mooncakes.

Children brought their lanterns to play with in the park

There was also a large lantern display featuring several white rabbits prancing around a basket of flowers and Chang-e standing by the side.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Watch Out for Mooncake Bribes

Name officials you think are spending too much money on mooncakes

With Mid-Autumn Festival on September 27, mainland Chinese officials are warning that the giving of gifts, particularly mooncakes, could be a hotbed for corruption.

Xinhua reported Song Dajun, deputy chief of the Party work style supervision office under the Chinese Communist Party Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said: "The root is still there even though the tree has fallen".

Interesting metaphor considering the anti-corruption drive is still ongoing, so how can the tree have fallen already?

He called on supervisory bodies to be extra vigilant ahead of and during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays a few days after, as this period could be "used as a cover for subtle bribery".

Mooncakes are dense pastries usually filled with lotus seed paste and duck egg yolks, though these days there are numerous variations, like milk custard, red bean with mandarin peel, even durian and chocolate. Some are presented in elaborate packaging that may give the appearance of an expensive gift.

So beware! If you see Chinese officials spending excessive amounts of money during the upcoming festivities, report them to the CCDI! Violators will be named and shamed in a weekly report on the CCDI website from September 16.