Double Bronzes for Hong Kong

Minnie Soo (left) hugs Doo Hoi-kem and Lee Ho-ching

 

The day started off really well with the Hong Kong women's table tennis team scoring a well deserved bronze in doubles. 

Hong Kong beat Germany for bronze today

They took revenge on Germany who had defeated them in the Rio Games in 2016. What's also interesting is that all the players are Hongkongers, not mainlanders who migrated to the city. 

"We are all home-grown and we have worked together and won medals in events other than the Olympics, such as the world Cup and world championships," said three-time Olympian Lee Ho-ching.

"The result carries a big meaning as home-grown players," Doo Hoi-kem said, hoping their bronze will inspire future generations in the sport.

Later in the day Grace Lau Mo-sheung also won bronze in karate, which made its Olympic debut. 

"I want to thank my family so much. Without their support, I could not even start as a full-time athlete," a teary Lau said after winning the bronze medal kata match against Turkey.

Grace Lau won bronze in debut sport karate

Hong Kong has now hauled in five medals for the Games, unprecedented for the city of 7.8 million.

Then many Hongkongers breathed a sigh of relief to hear that pop singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming was spared a criminal record when the Independent Commission Against Corruption agreed to stop pursuing its claim that he gave a performance that broke the election law.

Wong and jailed former lawmaker Au Nok-hin were charged with corruption by providing entertainment at an election rally with the aim to sway voters in 2018.

A prosecutor for the ICAC said the agency agreed to settle the case against the two by imposing a bind-over order, which requires the accused to maintain good behaviour for a designated length of time, given the relatively minor nature of the offence.

Wong was spared a criminal record today

In this case, the order is for 18 months and they must pay HK$2,000 (US$257) each if they breach the terms, which included avoiding further election-related offences.

The 34-year-old Au is currently in jail serving a 10-month sentence for organizing and taking part in an unauthorized assembly on August 18, 2019. He is also awaiting trial on an alleged national security law violation.

After the ruling, Wong, 59, gave an impromptu performance outside Eastern Court of the Cantonese song, Ask Me, which he said reflected his thoughts.

The chorus is: "No matter if I am by all means correct, or if I am by all means wrong, I whole heartedly accept the consequences. To face everything in the world, no matter how it will be, I will preserve the real me."

Wong finished by saying, "Hongkongers continue singing. Hongkongers hang in there."

Au is still in jail for a 10-month sentence

The prosecution did not have enough evidence to show the court -- but promised it would when it had some. The prosecutor for the ICAC said she had no proof Au paid Wong for the performance or if the singer had been paid to appeal to voters.

Why this even went to court is curious. 

"After considering that the case involved only two songs and after reviewing the background of the case, we agreed to dispose of the case by way of a bind-over order," the prosecutor said.

There is no proof Wong and Au did anything criminally wrong and yet they must be on good behaviour for a year and a half.

The authorities are watching...

Hong Kong's Second Silver, and a 9-Year Sentence

Haughey with her second silver medal in the 100m free final

 

This morning Hongkongers were on a high as they watched swimmer Siobhan Haughey win a silver medal in the women's 100m freestyle. The 23-year-old clinched double silver in the span of a few days, Hong Kong's third medal of the Tokyo 2020 Games. 

But by the afternoon the mood became sombre with the news that Leon Tong Ying-kit, 24, the first person to be convicted of terrorism and secession under the national security law, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Haughey set a new Asian record at 52.27 seconds

The government-appointed panel of judges sentenced the former restaurant worker to 6.5 years for the secession crime, and eight years for terrorism, with 5.5 years of the latter term to run concurrently with the first. He was also barred from driving for 10 years.

"The defendant was not a lone protester quietly carrying a flag bearing the slogan amongst a sea of protesters," read the 15-page judgment delivered at the Court of First Instance. "He deliberately challenged a number of police check lines in order to attract as much attention to the secessionist message on the flag as possible and to leave a great impact and a strong impression on people."

There was a flag mounted on the back of Tong's motorcycle with the slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times".

The panel believed Tong acted alone and did not have a specific plan to separate Hong Kong from the mainland.

Tong riding his motorcycle on July 1, 2020

However the judges believed the defendant committed a terrorist act when he ran into three police officers -- a symbol of law and order -- and intimidating members of the public, especially those with opposing views, by that action.

"What the defendant did was calculated and deliberate acts which created a very dangerous situation for the road users and which indeed caused injuries to three police officers," the judgment read. But they agreed the injuries suffered by the officers were not "serious" as alleged by the prosecution, and so the starting point for sentencing for the charge should be between three and 10 years in jail. The maximum penalty for terrorism under the national security law is life imprisonment.

Thomas Kellogg is the executive director of the Georgetown Centre for Asian Law and describes the sentence as "harsh".

"People can only shape their behaviour after the initial lines of what the national security law covers have been drawn," he said, adding it did not bode well for the 47 opposition activists who were earlier charged with subversion for their part in the unofficial primary election last year. 

Tong has been sentenced to nine years in prison

Kellogg also said it was unfortunate that judges had ruled that the acts to incite secession were of a "serious nature". "If Tong's act of carrying the banner is serious, what acts... are not serious? I worry that the court has essentially expanded the serious nature provision to cover almost all acts of inciting secession," he said.  

Meanwhile Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who is now based in the UK, said the sentence was "outrageous", and raised concerns about free speech.

"The sentencing guideline is unclear, and it gives the judge the power to determine whether a slogan can be seen as 'capable of' inciting secession. This is an extremely low threshold to lock an individual in jail for years," he said.

Today was literally a high and a low...

Adopted Chinese Baby a Gold Medal Swimmer

Maggie MacNeil with her gold medal in the 100 butterfly

 

A few days ago China was in a tizzy when an adopted Chinese girl won Canada's first gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Games in the women's 100 butterfly. She beat out China's Zhang Yufei by 0.05 seconds.

Maggie MacNeil is 21 years old and according to Chinese state media, she was abandoned by her biological parents in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province in February 2000. A year later she and her younger sister were adopted from a local orphanage by Susan MacNeil and Edward MacNeil and taken back to their hometown of London, Ontario.

MacNeil beat Zhang of China by 0.05 seconds

She began swimming in 2008 and became a sensation in the University of Michigan where she trains with Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey.

When Chinese netizens found out about MacNeil's origins there was a torrent of comments online.

"Imagine had she not been brought up from the orphanage, or had she not been deserted by her biological parents, what would she be now? The adoption changed her life orbit completely as she was given such quality care and training."

Another said: "She might have dropped out of school to support a younger brother had she stayed in China."

China is now trying to encourage young families to have three children in a bid to boost the country's population numbers, but not many are interested in fulfilling this patriotic duty, particularly young career-minded women.

She began swimming at the age of eight

It is also an extreme response following decades of the one-child policy since 1980. As a result many families preferred to have boys than girls, resulting in many female babies being abandoned, much like MacNeil and her sister.

China launched its international adoption program in 1991 and it is estimated some 110,000 children from China has been adopted, mostly to the United States. According to the US Department of State, of the 82,456 children that Americans adopted from China between 1999 and 2020, 82.14 percent were females.

Some netizens felt that though MacNeil was born in China, she did not bring glory to the motherland.

"Her victory only proves how ethnicity does not matter in sports, as Asians clinched gold and silver in such an epic match," said one.

"She helms the citizenship of Canada, and all the credit should go to those who raised and trained her well in Canada," another said.

China's Zhang, MacNeil and Australian McKeon

"I feel ashamed to see media attention that MacNeil was born in China," a netizen said. "What is more worthy of being mentioned may be that we gave her up 20 years ago."

Ouch.

Nevertheless, MacNeil is taking the controversy in stride.

"I was born in China and I was adopted when I was really young, and that's as far as my Chinese heritage goes," she said in a post-race press conference. "I'm Canadian and I've always been Canadian, so that's just a very small part of my journey to where I am today. It's kind of irrelevant when it comes to swimming."

 

Hong Kong's First Medal in Swimming

Haughey clinches silver in HK's first ever medal in swimming

 

This morning Hong Kong was collectively holding its breath as local swimmer Siobhan Haughey swam the women's 200m freestyle final.

She burst out of the pack early on and led the race until the last 50 metres she was edged out by Australian Ariarne Titmus. 

Haughey (left) led most of the race in 200 free

The 23-year-old Haughey, half Hong Kong Chinese and half Irish also set the new Asian record at 1.53.92 and a silver medal -- making this Olympic games the best ever showing for the city.

"I hope Cheung Ka-long and my performances this Olympics can motivate fellow Hong Kong athletes competing in the games, they can do it. And also the athletes watching at home in Hong Kong -- keep training, because it will be your turn soon," she said in a post-race interview.

"I hope everyone can continue to support Hong Kong athletes. The competitions may be over in a few minutes' time, with a lucky few being able to enjoy the 'glory moments', but what people cannot see are the effort and hard work committed by them," she stressed.

She also thanked her coaches and parents for their support which allowed her to achieve what she could today.

This evening she cruised into the semi-finals of the women's 100 freestyle setting another Asian record at 52.70 and will compete in the final tomorrow morning.

Ng wore a plain black T-shirt in his first match

However, badminton Olympic hopeful Angus Ng Ka-long was knocked out today after being beaten by Guatemalan shuttler Kevin Cordon.

Ng got into a lot of controversy after his first match a few days ago when he wore a black Lululemon T-shirt that met Olympic regulations, but did not have a bauhinia emblem on it critics felt this associated Ng with the 2019 protests when the protesters wore black clothes.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Nicholas Muk wrote on social media that Ng should withdraw from the games if he did not want to represent Hong Kong. 

After his match, Ng took to Instagram to explain he currently did not have a sponsor and so he was now a free agent and felt comfortable wearing this T-shirt.

Eventually the Hong Kong Badminton Association took the blame for the incident and sorted out Ng's uniform for the next match. 

Criticism caused Ng to change shirts... and lose?

But it seems the damage was done and Ng is now out of the Olympics.

Muk finally said he felt sorry for using "slightly strong words" on Facebook, but did not apologize to the 27-year-old Ng for possibly affecting his performance today.

While the T-shirt debacle was a distraction, it can really ruin an athlete's focus and self-confidence. Muk of the DAB may be trying to win brownie points with Beijing, but really, this is not the time or place to do such a thing. 

Hong Kong athletes need all the support they can get, and condemning them for their outfits is the last thing they want to hear.

 

Hong Kong's Growing Blacklist

Kenneth Roth is returning to New York after being stopped in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong government is becoming more active in banning people from coming into the city. Just last week American photographer Matthew Connors was denied entry into Hong Kong after he had come in twice before to cover the anti-government protests. He was detained for four hours and then sent back to New York.

Photographer Matthew Connors wasn't allowed in last week

Another was American academic Dan Garrett was also not allowed to enter Hong Kong in September after he had testified at the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) in Washington DC about the ongoing protests in the city. He had previously visited and lived in Hong Kong for two decades.

Then days before the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in June 2019, US-based exiled student leader Feng Congde was denied entry into Hong Kong and sent back to Tokyo.

Now the latest is the executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth has been stopped from entering Hong Kong and sent back to New York. He was planning to be here to release a report on Wednesday on the organization's World Report 2020.

In a video message on Twitter recorded from Hong Kong International Airport, Roth explains the report's lead essay says, "the Chinese government is really trying to deliberately undermine the international human rights system, not simply suppress the rights of people at home, but also undermine the ability of anybody else to try to hold China to human rights standards".

Academic Dan Garrett was barred from entering in September

"I had hoped to spotlight Beijing's deepening assault on international efforts to uphold human rights," Roth said. "The refusal to let me enter Hong Kong vividly illustrates the problem."

The former federal prosecutor tried to find out from immigration officers why he was not being allowed to enter Hong Kong, but only replied it was for "immigration reasons" without a valid reason. The city's blacklist seems to be growing longer these days.

Roth says in his video that he will return to New York and hold the press conference there, but "this  episode is just the latest evidence that the Chinese government is doing everything it can to undermine the enforcement of human rights standards". Human Rights Watch has since said the press conference to launch the report has now been cancelled.

Former Tiananmen leader Feng Congde was barred in June

How can the Hong Kong government continue to convince the world that it continues to uphold "one country, two systems" when it bans people like Roth, Garrett, Connors and Feng from entering?

Wonder if Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will answer that question honestly on Tuesday during her weekly press conference...

Protest Against Extradition Law Goes Global

A global protest will be held this Sunday

My friend YTSL has just sent me a poster letting the public know there will be protest marches against the extradition bill held in 17 cities around the world, including New York, London, Berlin, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Tokyo.

Organizers of the Hong Kong march are hoping to get 500,000 people out like what happened on July 1, 2003 when half a million people came out to protest against the Hong Kong government's plans to pass Article 23, an anti-subversion law.

The massive protest led to then leader Tung Chee-hwa stepping down as well as Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee. Article 23 was shelved and Beijing is still waiting for it to be passed.

But back to the upcoming protest this Sunday against the extradition law. If there are massive protests not only in Hong Kong but around the world, Beijing may think twice -- if it wants to have good standing on the global stage.

However, if Beijing believes the world is interfering in its internal affairs then the bill will be passed in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, after the government bypassed more stringent scrutiny by a committee following chaos in the legislature.

After that there won't be much we can do... now is the time to tell the government (and Beijing) how we feel about the extradition law this Sunday!

Sampling of Sushi Saito

The minimalist look of the dining area of Sushi Saito using natural wood

On Thursday I had my first bona fide omakase experience at Sushi Saito, the latest premium high-end Japanese restaurant to open in Hong Kong. Select media were given a sneak peek, but no free lunches here -- we all shelled out HK$1,480 plus 10 percent for the lunch.

A few days before we were reminded to arrive 15 minutes before the seating at noon -- if you don't show up you will be charged, and do not wear any perfume or have a cigarette or cigar smell.

The chef de cuisine has worked for Saito for several years

As a result, many of us worried about being late and arrived at least half an hour early to ride up to the 45th floor of the Four Seasons Hong Kong for the highly-anticipated meal.

Sushi Saito is a three Michelin-starred restaurant that is also number 26 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurant list that's located in Tokyo. Chef Takashi Saito is known for being very particular with his ingredients and only serves eight guests at a time in his small restaurant that is near impossible to get a reservation.

So when there was an opportunity to try it here, I jumped at the chance.

We soon understood why it was important not to wear any scent -- Saito wants his guests to soak in the fresh wood smell in the small restaurant that seats in total 16 seats, but today it was only seven. The large dining table seating three on one side, four on the other, the two thick slabs of gorgeous wood from a 400-year-old Japanese cypress.

Apparently each time they wipe down the table top, the scent from the wood comes out. Once in a while they will sand it down with the finest sandpaper and then polish it. It was so smooth I couldn't help but keep stroking the table top throughout the meal.

Grilled sea perch (back) with pickled turnip

There is a ritualistic etiquette to the meal -- the chef makes a sushi for each person on their plate and it should be eaten practically right away because he has made it for you at that moment.

There is no wasabi or soy sauce to dip it in, so just pick it up with your hand and put it in your mouth. To cleanse the palate, there is a small mound of finely shaved pickled ginger and it is refilled as necessary.

He makes each piece per person and then goes around again making the next one using different seafood. We started with a slice of monkfish liver seasoned in light soy, some sugar and seasoned with grated yuzu.

I can't remember all the names of the other dishes, but they included grilled sea perch (divine), a small fish called kohada seasoned with lime juice, maguro or tuna, squid with a bit of lime juice, large prawn, and clam. This was followed by a slice from the futomaki roll with two cubes of tamago or sweet egg that is considered dessert, and miso soup.

Kohada with a touch of lime juice and shaved ginger

The whole meal was accompanied with Champagne -- Saito considers it the best pairing with sushi, even better than sake.

We were surprised to find that in the beginning the sushi rice was quite warm, and also when the chef de cuisine served uni or sea urchin, it was quite cold, having just literally been taken out of the refrigerator -- it should be around room temperature. But perhaps Saito prefers to keep the uni as fresh as possible and not sitting out too long.

Nevertheless we quite enjoyed the experience and weren't stuffed either.

We found out afterwards behind the bar is a cabinet that when opened reveals blocks of ice to keep the fish chilled. These are considered better than refrigerators that can dry the fish out. Saito wants the fish to be as fresh as possible.

The prized maguro that has been aged for seven days

Since reservations here will be difficult to secure, I won't be going back to Sushi Saito anytime soon, but appreciated the opportunity to try it!

Sushi Saito

45/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong

8 Finance Street

Central

Dennis the Mediator

Dennis Rodman (centre) arrived in North Korea today via Beijing

Hmmm former NBA star Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea to hang with his buddy Kim Jong-un.

Rodman arrived earlier today via Beijing and was mobbed by journalists.

"I'm just trying to open the door," Rodman told them. "My purpose is to actually see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea, so that's the main thing."

Rodman has built a rapport with Kim Jong-un

The former basketball player spoke quietly and was escorted through customs and immigration by two handlers.

Rodman claims to have good relations with US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim, which would put the celebrity athlete in a very good position if he were able to try to lessen tensions between the two countries.

Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula due to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, and it vows to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland, which if it does become a reality would create a very dangerous situation for Trump.

"I am pretty much sure that he [Trump] is happy with the fact that I am over here trying to accomplish something that we both need," Rodman said, when asked if he had spoken to the American president.

He also has a friendship with US President Donald Trump

US Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said today in Tokyo that Rodman was traveling as a private citizen.

"We are aware of his visit. We wish him well. But we have issued travel warnings to Americans and suggested they not travel to North Korea for their own safety," he said.

So the world is watching, Dennis. We hope you can persuade Kim, who you describe as "an awesome kid" to put down his nuclear toys and play basketball with you instead...

Fact of the Day: Hong Kong Loves Clothes

Hong Kong people love to buy clothes, so many they don't wear them all

Greenpeace has found Hong Kong people spend HK$3.9 billion on clothes they never wear, or only once or twice.

The environmental advocacy group interviewed 2,000 people in Hong Kong and Taiwan on their spending habits.

On average Hong Kong people own 94 pieces of clothing, Taiwanese 74.

Many shoppers tend to purchase clothes at fast fashion shops

Of the 94 items, 15 of them, or 16 percent were either never worn or only once or twice.

The group then calculated that if each garment cost HK$100, the value of the underused clothing totaled HK$3.9 billion.

In addition, the survey found more than half the respondents in Hong Kong never thought of buying from second-hand shops, 64 percent of them not wanting to wear old clothes.

Many also didn't know about ecologically friendly products, such as clothes that are animal-friendly, handmade or produced following fair trade principles, nor did they know where to buy such items.

Another frightening statistic is how many clothes are thrown out each year -- 100,000 tonnes annually over the past decade. That amounts to the rate of 1,400 T-shirts per minute.

A 16-foot tall mountain of clothes equal to 7.5 tonnes

Meanwhile on Facebook there's an AJ+ video going around about a Japanese man in Tokyo who only had three shirts, four pants and four pairs of socks. We aren't told how many underwear he has...

He only has 150 items and is happy to keep it that way.

While some minimalists say they feel content having less, others say having less stuff reduces the chance of injury during earthquakes. 

I'm just trying to de-clutter! I don't think I'll ever get to whittle the number of my possessions down to 150, just less stuff would be a good goal...

Review: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Some of the mouth-watering sushi that Jiro Ono presents in the documentary

Another documentary I watched on the plane was Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

It was made in 2011 by David Gelb, and follows then 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who is considered to be the world's best sushi master, the first to receive three Michelin stars, and Japan has declared him a national treasure.

The octogenarian may look elderly, but he is still deftly making sushi, being a strict task master to his eldest son and apprentices, and constantly trying to perfect his sushi. He claims that he even dreams about it, and hence the title.

However, it is a tall order for his eldest son, 50-year-old Yoshikazu, who many think should be allowed to take over the restaurant called Sukiyabashi Jiro, but Jiro wants to keep going until he is physically unable to.

Jiro watches elder son Yoshikazu make sushi

Meanwhile the younger son, Takashi was given the opportunity to open another branch in Roppongi Hills, because traditionally it is the older son who inherits the restaurant, but how can he when his father is still making what many consider as the finest sushi in the world?

We find out about Jiro through a well-known Japanese food writer, how his sushi is out of this world. And we meet a former apprentice who knew he had no hope of being promoted further and opened his own place.

Jiro himself opens up, candidly talking about his father being a wayward man, not being there when he grew up, and how Jiro fell in love with making sushi and has continuously learned about the culinary craft. For him it is not about being innovative, but constantly improving on what he has done or known before.

For example a live octopus is massaged for 45 minutes to ensure the meat is as tender as possible at the last moment, and how Jiro observes his diners if they are left handed (like himself) or right handed, and how fast they eat, and their reactions to the taste of the sushi.

Interestingly Jiro did not want his sons to go to university and insisted they follow him into the business whether they liked it or not. They seem to have accepted this fate, and in particular viewers can see Yoshizaku is trying his best to follow in his father's footsteps because this is tradition; he admits he wished he was a race car driver or a pilot in his younger years, but knows this is the best route for him.

Jiro's restaurant is the first sushi place with 3 Michelin stars

Others speculate if he can even replicate his father's talent, but one may not know until he really has to step up to the plate.

The documentary hardly talks about Jiro's wife and one wonders if it is because she refused to be on camera or Gelb didn't think she was relevant to the story. However there is a nice scene of Jiro visiting his childhood classmates and they candidly joke around about how Jiro was such a mischievous boy, and how he has turned out into such a serious yet passionate chef.

Jiro really is an artisan to loves his work so much that he thinks about it all the time. Most of us these days want to shut off thinking about work, but for him this is his lifestyle, this is how he believes he will improve.

The film also visits Tsukji, the famed fish market where buyers head there in the early morning hours to buy tuna. The older son talks about how fish stocks are depleting and blames it on cheaper sushi places boosting demand for tuna that he observes is getting more expensive.

Jiro says he dreams about sushi a lot

Many friends had asked me if I had watched this film and I hadn't, but now I understand why they love this documentary so much. There are also mouth-watering scenes of them preparing sushi in such a loving way, one can't help but want to appreciate the food.

A friend recently went to Sukiyabashi Jiro and tried the now 89-year-old's food and said it was an amazing experience. My other friends seem tempted, but also worried Jiro will scrutinize them when they eat and worst still, make them eat fast since the sushi must be consumed as soon as it is placed on their plates.

The alternative is to visit his son's restaurant instead, though other Japanese foodies claim any sushi place is already very good, why pay over $300 for a 20-minute meal?

The debate continues and now I understand what all the fuss is about!

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Directed by David Gelb

Lion City Roars Ahead

Singapore tops the list as the world's most costliest city

Hong Kong seems to have missed the privilege of being named the most expensive city, as that honour was given to Singapore, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit survey.

Instead Hong Kong was moved up a notch to 13th place thanks to currency appreciation and inflationary pressures, and the city was behind Sydney (5), Melbourne (6) and Tokyo (6).

Chinese University economics professor Wallace Mok Kai-chung was not surprised by the findings. He said the average salaries of Singaporeans had risen sharply over the years and surpassed the wages of Hong Kong people. And with the rise in wages came more expensive commodities, said Mok.

Edward Bell, senior commodities economist with EIU believes that the gap between Singapore and Hong Kong now makes the latter a more appealing place to live.

"From a cost perspective, if comparing the two key financial hubs, our findings show that Hong Kong would be the relatively cheaper place," he said.

Bell added the slight rise in Hong Kong's ranking meant that the city had stable inflation in the cost of living.

The biannual study looks at the prices in US dollars of 140 cities of 160 products and services, such as food, alcohol, tobacco, toiletries, private schools, entertainment, clothing, domestic help and transport. Housing and rental costs are not included in the survey. If that was the case Hong Kong might possibly be neck-and-neck with Singapore.

In any event Hong Kong still feels expensive even if the EIU doesn't think it is as costly as Singapore.

HK Drops in Fashionable Ratings

Apparently Hong Kong's not so stylish anymore compared to Shanghai...

Say it isn't so! Apparently Shanghai has overstepped Hong Kong in becoming Asia's most fashionable.

Hong Kong had been top dog regionally for the past five years, but now according to a survey by US-based Global Language Monitor, it has dropped eight spots to 20th in teh world, the sharpest fall of the top 20 cities.

Shanghai is now 10th in the world, followed by Tokyo in 11th spot, and Singapore at 18th. New York took the global top spot over London.

GLM measures fashion trends by tracking print, electronic and social media for top words and phrases. It has been doing these rankings annually since 2004.

While the report says Hong Kong was "still a strong global presence", 2011 research from McKinsey says China is expected to account for 20 percent or 180 billion yuan in global luxury sales next year.

Legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun, founder of G2000 clothing chain says there aren't many opportunities for local fashion designers because of exorbitant rents. He added fashion retailers were losing out to shops selling watches and jewellery.

Perhaps the real reason is that mainlanders come to Hong Kong and snap up all the designer luxury brands here to wear back in China because us locals can't afford them!

But what's interesting to note -- a tip from YTSL -- that although Hong Kong had a record 48.6 million visitors in 2012, a 16 percent increase from the year before, tourism only accounts for less than 5 percent of the city's GDP.

Is this why the Leung Chun-ying administration believes Hong Kong has a greater capacity to take in even more tourists?

On the other hand we wonder what makes up 95 percent of Hong Kong's GDP...

Japan's Win, China's Blunder

Tokyo wins the bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games, but China doesn't seem happy...

We are pleased to see Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympic Games, as it gives a huge morale boost to the Japanese who have been depressed by the ongoing leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The latest is that radiation readings there have spiked to its highest yet at 2,200 millisieverts, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority. That reading so high in fact that an unprotected person can die within hours.

Meanwhile, water from the contaminated tanks is leaking into the ocean and heading towards the west coast of the United States and Canada. By the time the radiation arrives there in about 10 to 14 days, it is believed the amounts will be low that it won't affect the water supply, but still...

And so Tokyo's winning bid was a much needed psychological boost for Japan, and hopefully this will motivate the country to get things back on track.

However, we have to wonder about the motivations of Chinese state media because Xinhua News Agency wrongly reported that Istanbul won the Olympic bid, while state television ran a headline during a live broadcast saying "Tokyo eliminated".

While both reports were later withdrawn, it was too late to tell China's largest news portals, sina.com and sohu.com of the blunder.

The mistake happened when Xinhua mistook a vote by the International Olympic Committee on whether either Istanbul or Madrid should advance to the next round as the final vote in which Istanbul won.

"Xinhua's blooper, which mistakes Tokyo with Istanbul, is killing newspapers across the nation," moaned Li Wanyin, deputy editor of Changsha Evening News on Sina Weibo.

He claimed the newspaper had already printed the false result and had to urgently retract hundreds of thousands of copies in the early morning and suffered a "severe loss".

"As a news provider, Xinhua owes its clients an explanation and a self-reflection," he added. He later took down this microblog post without an explanation.

Usually state media is the last to report "breaking news", so jumping the gun is amusing.

Nevertheless it's not the only time it's done this.

The latest hilarious blunder was when state media mistook The Onion as a credible news source and reported North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as last year's "Sexiest Man Alive". More recently state media thought spaceship designs on the sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica were aircraft carrier plans.

We are wondering though if China was secretly hoping Tokyo wouldn't win because of its long standing campaign against the Japanese for its wartime atrocities that Japan has never apologized for.

There are young people in China who continue to refuse to buy Japanese cars or eat Japanese food because of how their parents and grandparents were treated. It's an effective campaign, but is it really constructive?

This time though, Japan gets the last laugh... for now...