Lee Green Lighted to Run for Chief Executive

The State Council has approved Lee to run for chief executive

Today former Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu held a very short press conference to say one thing -- Beijing has approved his resignation to run for the next chief executive.

"I have been taking part in different positions which provided me with a lot of valuable experience, knowledge and abilities. It has also broadened my vision," he said, adding he would hold another press conference tomorrow to lay out his coming plans.

Cheng supports Lee's nomination as candidate

"I thank Hong Kong and the people of Hong Kong for allowing me to serve Hong Kong in the past 45 years. I shall continue to proceed on the way that I shall be proceeding."

The race has begun -- for one candidate -- with a Facebook page set up but has no picture of Lee, while his campaign spin doctors have started working when it's looking likely to be a one-man race.

As others have noted, why go through the charade of holding a campaign? Just anoint the successor and be done with it.

Some people are dreading the possibility of a Lee authoritarian reign for the next five years, and so there could possibly be another wave in the next two months of people leaving the city.

However, the city's property developers, the tycoons, are all clambering over each other to show their support for Lee.

CK Asset chairman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi said in a statement he would nominate Lee to run in the upcoming chief executive election, while Sun Hung Kai Properties chairman Raymond Kwok Ping-luen said Lee would help restore the city's order and this will benefit Hong Kong in the long run.

Lam looking for chief secretary replacement

New World Development CEO Adrian Cheng Chi-kong and Henderson Land chairman Lee Ka-shing also threw their support behind Lee.

Meanwhile his former boss Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has nominated someone to replace Lee (for the remaining two months or so) and has yet to hear back from the State Council.

Perhaps workaholic Lam could do both jobs? She was CS before...

Finally a Bit of Progress

Patients waiting outside showed hospitals at overcapacity

Days after Covid-19 patients lay in gurneys in the rainy chilly weather, someone from above ordered them to be moved inside and by this evening they were as temperatures dropped to 9 degrees Celsius this weekend.

Why did it take so long and how come emergency provisions were not made? Are senior government officials blind to what is going on that it finally took today for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to say something about it?

Lam announced postponement of CE election

It is outrageous that anyone in Hong Kong, old or young, Chinese or not to be treated in this way in this city's healthcare system. It has been ignored for so long regardless of the pandemic that there were shortages of doctors and nurses and now we have scenes of one medical professional attending to 20 patients outside.

The other group of people badly mistreated by the government are foreign domestic helpers. There are cases of some who quit because their employer was too overbearing and then caught Covid, or their employer fired them for being infected with the virus, and these helpers were left with no where to sleep except on the streets. 

When asked what help the Centre of Health Protection could give them, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan basically didn't have an answer except that they should self-isolate before they were contacted... where is the compassion?

This evening Lam said employers should persuade their helpers to stay at home even on their day off, and that this coming weekend the police "will not show mercy anymore".  

Foreign domestic helpers are targeted for fines

Meanwhile on the weekends, police officers target helpers who gather together and hand them fines of HK$5,000 for gathering in more than groups of two. 

Their monthly salary is under HK$5,000 -- how can they even afford to pay these fines?

One woman who is in touch with one or two of these helpers has set up a fundraising page and raised over HK$700,000 in donations to help these women pay these fines. They are unfairly targeted, when there are places in Central where numerous expats meet up drinking alcohol -- why not fine them too?

The inequities of this city were already bad when the pandemic started, but have become more cruel as Covid-19 wears us down day by day.

This evening Lam announced the election for the chief executive would be pushed back from March 27 to May 8 in order to focus on the health crisis at hand. No one was surprised, though a week ago Lam claimed because the election committee only involved just over 1,000 people that the race to pick the next leader would not be interrupted.

Luo held a video meeting with business leaders

But perhaps with Xi Jinping admonishing the local administration for what appears to be a lax effort in battling the virus, Lam has finally made the call to postpone the election.

Today there were 3,629 cases reported, but 7,600 preliminary, and Lam says it will take at least two months to get the fifth wave under control.

Also this afternoon business leaders, or shall we say billionaires had a video conference call with liaison director Luo Huining, who was seeing who could offer what. This was the ultimate exercise in displaying patriotism.

Tycoon Richard Li Tzar-kai, who heads the ViuTV local television channel and the Now TV entertainment platform, announced the 12 members of the popular group Mirror would become "anti-pandemic ambassadors". 

Mirror will be anti-pandemic ambassadors

While New World Development CEO Adrian Cheng Chi-kong said he would free up the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for community testing purposes, and Peter Lee Ka-kit, co-chairman of the Henderson Land Development, said his group would offer up a 20-hectare site on Lam Kam Road in the New Territories for an "instant" hospital.

Others offered to ramp up the acquisition of rapid antigen tests for low-income people and frontline healthcare staff, and bring in more food and goods into Hong Kong. 

But will this be enough to effectively fight the virus?

Can Jimmy Lai's Books be "Librarian's Choice"?

Can people borrow Jimmy Lai's books?

Now that the pro-democracy opposition has been ousted from the Legislative Council, pro-Beijing lawmakers are looking for ways to prove their patriotism. And they are going into overdrive.

One overzealous member of the pro-Beijing party, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong snapped a picture at the Shek Tong Tsui Public Library in Western district, showing a display of books by jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying labelled as "the librarian's choice".

DAB's Yeung posted the photos on Facebook

Yeung Hok-ming posted pictures of at least 10 of the books on his Facebook page on Thursday, which prompted an immediate investigation by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It said a "rigorous and thoroughly investigation" was being conducted, and added public libraries must ensure its collections complied with the national security law.

Lai's Chinese-language books are not focused on politics, but his thoughts on business management or his life. Nevertheless by Thursday evening the books had been replaced with those about culture and traditions.

Perhaps they were the librarian's second choice...

While the LCSD declined to say whether the books by Lai should be removed from libraries, others by pro-democracy activists, like Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Horace Chin Wan-kan, former Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, and former Civic Party member Tanya Chan Suk-chong are not available for lending.

It seems Yeung has forced the issue of Lai's books, leaving the civil service scrambling to figure out what to do.

The library in question is in Shek Tong Tsui

Where are the red lines on these books that aren't political but are by someone currently in jail? And who is going to call the shots? More importantly who is going to take the fall for this incident?

The national security law has led to everyone second-guessing themselves and wondering if they are crossing the red line or not. This is going to make it harder for people to express themselves in public, particularly artists, writers, filmmakers and playwrights.

The paranoia is already well underway...

Retail Sector Continues to Sink

Shopping malls are practically empty, hitting the retail industry hard

Today Hong Kong reported just one new positive case of the coronavirus, and at the press conference this afternoon, reporters asked Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection if this signaled the start of the government possibly lifting the restrictions on gatherings and 50 percent capacity in restaurants and so on.

However Chuang again repeated her mantra that it was still too early to tell, that Hong Kong also had to consider the global situation, which she said was still not good, and also because the virus can be carried by asymptomatic people, it was best to still maintain social distancing, wear masks in public places and maintain good hygiene.

Dr Chuang says social distancing needs to continue

She is probably still waiting until at least over a week from now after the Easter holidays to see if there are any cases that are reported locally after many people gathered in beaches and hiking trails.

While the one new case is positive news for Hong Kong, there is a dire announcement from the retail sector, that some 10,400 workers will lose their jobs and 5,200 stores will close by the end of May, and probably even more will be shuttered later in the year.

The Hong Kong Retail Management Association released these statistics after surveying 152 firms that operate 3,345 stores and employ about 23 percent of the sector's workforce.

Association chairwoman Annie Tse Yau On-yee said 96 percent of the companies suffered losses during the pandemic, and the latest HK$137.5 billion government relief package would only delay the rise in the unemployment numbers.

Most people are staying at home to avoid possible infection

Companies could not benefit from the scheme of the government subsidizing employees' wages if shops were going to close.

She warned if the pandemic continued and there weren't enough relief measures, another 2 percent of employees, or 5,200 people in the companies it interviewed could expect to lose their jobs in May.

Also in the survey, more than half the respondents said rent cuts would be most helpful, though more than 84 percent said the reductions were not enough.

The survey revealed no landlords had heeded the association's call to charge rent based on business' turnover or offer rent relief for May and June.

Wonder if many of these landlords mentioned in this survey are the big tycoons who seem to think business is business and renters have an obligation to pay their monthly dues despite a global pandemic that is beyond anyone's control.

If the pandemic continues, more shops will close for good

Hong Kong has managed (so far) to flatten its curve significantly to single digits, but that's because a lot of people are not out shopping, nor do they have the appetite to do so with looming pay cuts or even job losses.

As a result that has impacted the retail industry profoundly, and if landlords want to continue having shop spaces occupied, then they have to step up and shoulder the burden too. They, particularly the tycoons, and large corporations, have the resources to ride out this unprecedented crisis.

How about giving back to the community to keep the economy going? Otherwise there is going to be a lot more empty shop spaces in Hong Kong than ever before.

Toilet Paper, Masks and Rice are Prized Commodities

Two women clutching their prized toilet paper packs in Hong Kong

Last night the shelves that were supposed to stock toilet paper were bare in a large supermarket in my neighbourhood. It was completely cleared out, and after seeing this in several stores over several days, it's worrying.

It's a sad indictment of the Hong Kong government when people are desperately searching for toilet paper even though supermarkets and distributors have tried to reassure the public there is more than enough bog roll to go around.

The largest supermarket in the district is empty of toilet paper

This morning I was in Central on my way to the gym when I spied someone carrying a pack of toilet paper, and she was coming from a supermarket nearby. I decided to check it out as I had never been to Food Le Parc, a bizarre name for a supermarket owned by tycoon Li Ka-shing.

And bingo! There were several shoppers there each with two packs of toilet paper in each of their carts. The price was more expensive than usual, but heck -- you need it, right?

I also got a roll of paper towels, as I was truly running out.

Afterwards, I clutched my toilet paper pack close to my chest and carried it to the gym where I stored it in my locker. Luckily I didn't get any strange looks.

Anthony Lam says there is more than enough rice for a month

However when I came back to Kennedy Town and went up the escalator to the wet market, one woman going down spied my prized possession and asked if I had gotten it from the pharmacy. "I got it in Central," I replied, much to her surprise.

Meanwhile it seems rice is still also a precious commodity, and Anthony Lam Sai-ho, a rice importer and member of the Trade and Industry Department's Customer Liaison Group for Rice, tried to tell the public there were no need to panic when it came to enough rice in the city.

He said the government's rice reserve as well as the industry's own stockpile would be enough to meet the city's demand for more than a month. But even if Hong Kong needed more rice, it could be imported within 10 days or less, as most of it is sourced from Thailand and Vietnam.

Most of Hong Kong's rice comes from Thailand and Vietnam

Lam said the city's 229 importers were required to set aside 17 percent of their monthly import for reserve, which at the end of January was at 13,000 tonnes, enough for about 15 days. And then there is another stockpile by importers that was about 14,000 tonnes, again enough for more than two weeks' consumption.

However, people are still stockpiling on rice, emptying shelves of the staple faster than shop staff can restock them.





My relatives who came back from northern Japan managed to secure enough masks for their family of three for three months. They scoured every pharmacy, supermarket and convenience shop for them. In some places they could only buy packs of three, in other places they managed to buy boxes of 60.

A lot of people are shopping for masks in Japan

On their flight back to Hong Kong this morning, they noticed elderly passengers had lots of luggage and assumed they too were hunting for masks, a more important concern than seeing the sights. They also saw many young families from Hong Kong who were also on holiday since school is still out until mid March.

One more thing about toilet paper -- the Consumer Council has also advised people not to hoard toilet paper, and that they should not store their numerous packs of toilet paper in the bathroom where it is more humid and germs often thrive. Better to stick them in a dry ventilated space.

People won't be needing to buy toilet paper for a while... right?



 

Chaos Continues on Sunday

Protesters carrying American flags as they march to the US Consulate

 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's announcement on Wednesday didn't quite temper protesters' frustrations today. Tens of thousands marched from Chater Garden in Central to the United States Consulate on Garden Road.

Thousands of people descended on Central this afternoon

They completely blocked traffic and the surrounding areas. It is quite obvious people are not satisfied with just a formal withdrawal of the bill, as expected.

Many waved American flags as they asked Washington to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in support of the protesters.

However, the rally later became violent again, with protesters trashing Central MTR station exits, setting a fire along Pedder Street, in front of The Landmark shopping mall, and digging up bricks along the sidewalk.

Is that really necessary? We understand the frustration of the MTR having to kowtow to Beijing, but trashing MTR stations doesn't achieve much, except create more damage that us taxpayers will have to shell out.

Several exits in the Central MTR station were destroyed

This is totally playing into China's narrative that protesters are rioters... this is not a smart thing to do.

Another propaganda initiative is having two daughters of tycoons speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Macau casino heiress Pansy Ho Chiu-king and daughter of Maxim's founder Annie Wu Suk-ching are giving a speech on behalf of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, a pro-government organization that will present its political views on the protests that have impacted the city.

In their speech which was already released on the UN Human Rights Council website says: "The views of a small group of radical protesters do not represent the views of all 7.5 million Hongkongers. The systematic and calculated violent acts of this group have never been condoned by all Hongkongers."

Pansy Ho will speak at the UN Human Rights Council

Ho is chairwoman and executive director of MGM China Holdings in Macau, and a standing committee member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Wu is the founder of the first mainland-Hong Kong joint venture, Beijing Air Catering, and is also a standing committee member at the national level.

Since when do these two women, who are the top 1 percent of the 1 percent, represent the views of 7.5 million Hongkongers? They have no idea what it's like for a fresh graduate to earn HK$12,000 a month and have no prospects of ever being able to own a 300 square foot flat that's now at HK$5 million.

They only see the protests as impacting their businesses and not seeing how the political system needs a complete overall so that everyone can have one vote for the leader of Hong Kong.

An amusing respite tonight was when Cantopop star Aaron Kwok Fu-shing was caught up in the protests in Causeway Bay in his customized black matte Ferrari.



"I'm on my way to buy diapers for my daughter!" he reportedly told reporters and then inched his way out of the street.

HK$4K Windfall for Whom?

Financial Secretary Paul Chan has yet to clarify how people can get the cash

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has finally bowed to public pressure and will now be handing out HK$4,000 to 2.8 million people. The ones receiving this cash handout are those who did not benefit from tax rebates and increased allowances in the budget that was announced late last month.

It will be given to those who are permanent residents aged 18 years and above as of December 31 this year, who do not own property, do not receive any government allowances and will not pay income tax for the financial year ending March 31.

How about a more long-term approach to helping the poor?

However, it's not clear how people can get this money and how are they eligible. Lawmakers are criticizing Chan for not being clear on if people need to apply for this money, or government databases will have them on the list and they just have to wait for the handout.

Ng Wai-tung, a community organizer for the Society for Community Organization said, "The handout does not embody any new fiscal philosophy, but is a one-off measure to cope with the mounting pressure from the political parties."

He believes the scheme will benefit housewives, low-income employees and N-nothing people -- those who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing or welfare assistance, but not enough to buy their own homes or benefit from tax breaks.

"If the government is devoted to using the fiscal surpluses wisely, why don't they come up with some long-term policies to support these people," Ng said.

What about helping those who think they can't afford a flat?

We have talked about this many times before -- how short-sighted the government is when it comes to long-term initiatives to help give a leg-up to those who are financially challenged, ranging from those who live on less than HK$100 a day to the N-nothing people.

Is the government so blind not to see the reality these people are going through? There are children going hungry daily, while many young people have given up any hope of buying a home here.

Surely the government has given more than enough assistance to the tycoons of this city? It's urgent to address those who are falling through the cracks. Yes, HK$4,000 would help these people immensely from paying off debts to saving a bit for a rainy day. But as many critics have said, this is a pathetic band-aid measure. More needs to be done. Now.

Li Ka-shing Exits Stage Right

This afternoon Li Ka-shing (centre) cozies up with reporters for pictures

This afternoon was the earth-shattering announcement we've been waiting for -- tycoon Li Ka-shing is retiring.

In a live broadcast from Cheung Kong Centre, the 89-year-old said after almost seven decades in business, he is stepping down from both CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings and passing the reins to his younger son Victor Li Tzar-kuoi.

This was no surprise, as the younger Li has been working with his father for over 33 years, while older son Richard Li Tzar-kai "has many other businesses".

In a letter to staff that Li addressed them as colleagues, he recalled escaping war-torn China when he was 12 years old and came to Hong Kong. The famous legend of Li selling plastic flowers gave the high school dropout the capital to expand into other businesses, in particular real estate.

Li takes his final bow with son Victor on his right

"Not long afterwards, I founded Cheung Kong, the predecessor of CK Hutchison and CK Asset. That was 1950," he writes. "By 1972 I was able to grow the firm into a publicly-listed company -- stock code 001HK."

Today the conglomerate includes media, hotels, shipping, grocery stores and oil that has dealings in 50 countries.

During his announcement, Li said he would devote time to philanthropy, including the KS-LK Foundation, especially in issues related to healthcare and education.

Li finished his tenure on a high, as the companies, including Power Assets and CKI recorded higher 2017 earnings that largely met market expectations.

However, the tycoon is stepping down at a time when his influence is already waning. In 2013, dock workers went on strike for 40 days, demanding higher pay and better working conditions.

The 2013 dockworkers' strike damaged Li's reputation

At one point they occupied the front entrance of Cheung Kong Centre with a giant picture of Li's face and devil horns coming out of his head. In the end the dockworkers got a 9.8 percent pay rise, but the public's admiration for Li had nosedived because his immense wealth was compared to the lowly dock worker.

Li's reputation further spiraled during the Umbrella Movement a year later when thousands of people occupied the streets in Admiralty, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok for 79 days. When it first started, the business elite were silent, and then Li finally spoke.

While he said he understood the protesters "passionate pursuits", he believed they should go home, warning them not to "let today's passion become tomorrow's regret". He knew people would be punished, but underestimated that people did not regret their actions, despite the legal challenges the protest leaders in particular faced.

Li was widely admired in China, but he cashed out anyway

And his relationship with China also soured. Despite pouring millions of yuan into the country, in 2015 Li decided to cash out, which angered Chinese state media and many mainlanders, who felt the businessman was being unpatriotic.

Nevertheless, Li won't be completely retiring. While he will continue to stay on as a senior adviser, it seems Li still wants to keep an active role in the businesses.

When a reporter tried to ask Victor Li a question about the company's future investments, his father interrupted as his son was getting the microphone. "I'll answer for him," Li said.

Storm of the Year: Typhoon Hato

Trying to keep dry while Typhoon Hato lashes Lei Yue Mun waterfront

Hong Kong woke up to the strength of Typhoon Hato that was T8 around 5.30am and quickly went to T10 just after 9am.

My flat in Kennedy Town was very noisy thanks to the wind passing through the elevator shafts, howling louder than the wind outside. And at some points I could feel the building swaying -- not a lot, but enough to feel like things weren't quite steady.

Some storm watchers braved the severe weather conditions

I stayed home like most people, as buses, trams, ferries and outdoor MTR trains were stopped, including the Airport Express and hundreds of flights cancelled at the airport. Even the stock exchange was closed all day.

This was pretty much unprecedented, as us underlings have always had a theory that tycoons might have a hand in deciding the severity of the weather because they were in the business of making money.

Many typhoons have blown through overnight, or the T8 signal isn't raised until 5pm or 6pm when people were leaving work anyway.

But this time the typhoon really was severe, as there are videos on social media showing giant waves crashing into walls, flooded underground car parks, trucks tipping over, a revolving door spinning madly, and even hordes of cockroaches fleeing on a ledge.

There were many areas reporting extensive flooding

By around 5pm the signal was lowered to T3 and by 6.20 it was T1, and finally all signals lowered.

Some market analysts are calculating that the loss in business today was estimated between HK$4 billion to HK$8 billion. Those numbers include tourism, transportation, marine, financial services, agriculture, event organizing, entertainment, administration and import-export firms.

And even though some businesses managed to open, there were hardly any customers to serve because the weather conditions were so bad not many wanted to venture out.

I feel for shop owners and restaurants who lost a lot of business today, but this time the typhoon really was quite serious. The last time we had such a severe typhoon was in July 2012 when Typhoon Vincente hit.

Tonight Wan Chai MTR station was very quiet!

In any event all is calm again in Hong Kong and it's back to work and school for everyone tomorrow. But we'll all have stories about Typhoon Hato that we'll be telling for years to come.

A Migrant Worker's Story

Migrant worker Fan Yusu chronicled her life in a 7,000 character essay

Fan Yusu has had a hard life as a migrant worker and single mother in Beijing.

She left her village in Hubei province and did odd jobs in the Chinese capital as a domestic helper, and went home in a rented 80 square foot flat without running water and raising two daughters.

The 44-year-old penned her experiences in an autobiographical essay entitled, I am Fan Yusu and posted it on a social media literary site on Monday last week.

Within 24 hours, the essay was shared more than 100,000 times and had more than 20,000 comments.

The 7,000 character essay chronicles her experiences over the last 30 years, detailing how a rural woman's life was shaped by massive social and economic change. Her story also raises the issues of the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the urban-rural divide, and the violent seizure of farmland to make way for development.

Fan is originally from Xiangyang, a village in Hubei, and began working as a teacher in the village school when she was 12.

When she grew older, she tired of village life and decided to move to Beijing. There she married and had two daughters, but her husband was often drunk and beat her. She couldn't take it anymore and went back to her village, but her brothers would not accept her, because "a married daughter is no longer a member of her parents' family".

So she returned to Beijing, and leaving her daughters in the care of a nursery, she worked as a nanny in a wealthy home.

The tycoon owner had bought the property for his mistress and had borne him two illegitimate children, and Fan looked after a three-month-old girl.

"The mistress lived like a concubine in an imperial court," Fan wrote. "She must please her master without dignity; and lower herself to beg for food."

Fan also wrote about her pain of leaving her own children: "I often had to wake up at midnight to look after the baby girl... and at those moments I couldn't help but miss my own daughters. I often cried. Luckily it was usually midnight and nobody noticed."

She also wrote of her 81-year-old mother, who went to the local government to protest against the seizure of land without sufficient compensation. Her arm was dislocated in the scuffle with officials, but she felt fortunate because younger protesters suffered worse injuries.

In an interview with Beijing Youth Daily, Fan said she was not a writer, and made a living by "working as a coolie". But she said she had a story to tell.

"If by living one means eating, simple people like me can survive by eating sweet potatoes," she wrote. "But what is the meaning of living without thinking of one's soul? You've got to have a dream. Like the traveller who sees light far ahead, you feel happy."

Fan was brave to even upload her story online and now everyone has a good idea of what she has gone through in her first-person account. We need to hear about more of these stories to have a better understanding of not only what migrant workers are going through, but every other person in China -- to have a more comprehensive picture of the people who live in the country, and learn about their struggles and dreams.

Curious Observations About Xiao Jianhua

Xiao Jianhua had a preference for female bodyguards to protect him

There is now further development in the Xiao Jianhua story, with reports saying the 46-year-old billionaire is on the mainland "assisting investigations" into the stock market turmoil in 2015 and the case of a former top spy apparently.

But in the meantime there has been a lot of buzz about how he and many other uber wealthy mainlanders stay in the apartments at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. It is nicknamed "north-facing watchtower" by mainland businessmen and the media.

Some media outlets have reported that rich mainlanders trying to evade the law seek refuge in this hotel, where the presidential suite can set you back HK$78,000 (US$10,000) a night.

Xi Zhendong has been reported to stay at the Four Seasons

They apparently prefer this hotel because of its "timeless luxury" as well as its location, with the airport express downstairs and it is a short walk to the Shun Tak ferry terminal to Macau.

Some people were were believed to have stayed there include Xi Zhendong, head of technology firm Beida Jade Bird. He lived in the hotel in 2014 when another businessman he was allegedly connected to was placed under investigation on the mainland.

Another is Xing Libin, founder of Shanxi coal mining company Liansheng Energy. He also spent time at the Four Seasons Hong Kong after he heard Beijing authorities were investigating his company. He later returned to Shanxi where he was arrested.

Some others include LeEco founder Jia Yueting, Jiangxi tycoon Xiong Xianzhong of Ke Long supermarkets, businessman Su Daren, and Wu Changjiang, chief executive of NVC Lighting who spent time in the hotel to evade mainland authorities.

However, it is an intriguing fact that Xiao would have an entourage of female bodyguards ranging from two to eight.

Xing Libin also stayed at the hotel, but was later arrested

When questioned by the media, Hong Kong security experts commented it was unusual to have an entire team of female bodyguards, rather than say one as part of a team.

Bruce McLaren, the chief operating officer of Signal 8 Security, said having female bodyguards was mostly beneficial to female clients, as they could accompany them to the washroom or changing areas with ease.

He added female bodyguards can be just as strong as the men.

So the mystery continues as to the fate of Xiao -- will he be allowed to come back to Hong Kong? Will he be detained indefinitely on the mainland?

And also -- will mainlanders now avoid staying at the Four Seasons as mainland agents just plucked Xiao out of there even though he had bodyguards with him?

Tycoon Gives his Two Cents...

Chen rants about localists from his wood-carved throne...

A Shenzhen-based tycoon who chairs the Harmony Club, has urged the Hong Kong government to stop pro-independence localists from damaging the business environment.

Chen Hongtian says he was concerned about the city's political development and was even considering diverting his investments elsewhere.

"Anyone who has a clear mind knows they are causing damage and messing around. They don't want Hong Kong to be good," he said.

Pony Ma of Tencent is a member of the Harmony Club

Ok -- wait right there -- we all want Hong Kong to be good. In what way, that is the question, but we all want the city to be strong economically, politically and socially, but it is the government and its policies and actions that has resulted in the polarization we are experiencing now.

Chen claims his club represents 140 mainland and local tycoons including Tencent chairman and CEO Pony Ma Huateng, Lee Yin-yee, founder of Xinyi Glass Holdings, and Wong Kwong-miu, founder of Centralcon Group.

Eighty percent of them have permanent residency in Hong Kong and have business assets totalling HK$1.68 trillion according to Shenzhen media. Chan himself made headlines when he bought a house in June at 15 Gough Hill Road on the Peak for HK$2.1 billion.

Referring to now barred localists Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang, Chen says: "I think the Hong Kong government should be firmer in upholding the Basic Law. Such people should not be allowed in the establishment," he said.

Chen's latest acquisition on 15 Gough Hill Road, on the Peak

Uh, they don't want to be the establishment. Perhaps they would like to disrupt the establishment, but actually they have indirectly thanks to Beijing intervening and the Hong Kong government taking them to court.

But it gets better.

"You would be penalized if you said anything against the queen during her rule. Now you talk about the whole country and want to become a legislator? Tell [the two localists] to get out of Hong Kong. I think the Hong Kong government can be even tougher and firmer," Chen says.

Why would the government throw them out of Hong Kong? They were born here. It's laughable that he would even suggest such a thing. A statement like that demonstrates his complete disregard for how rule of law works in the city.

He seems to think money from tycoons like himself rule the city, but maybe that was back in the 80s and early 90s. Thanks to tycoons like him, housing prices have gone up so much that people can barely afford 400 square-foot flats that they would have to mortgage for 30 years because their salaries are so depressed there aren't opportunities to make more money.

Those who voted for Yau and Leung wanted change in the city

As a result, many Hong Kong people have long given up the rat race and are becoming more politically active in the hopes they can make a better future for their children through the ballot box. That's why a record 2.2 million people voted on September 4.

So Mr Chen, this is how Hong Kong works. Yes, Leung and Yau were immature in what they did, but we should not discount that tens of thousands of people voted for them because they believed in what they stand for. This fact cannot be neglected, along with the other localists who were elected into the Legislative Council.

It's interesting that Chen is willing to be so outspoken about this, as if trying to agitate the masses to agree with him. But really tycoons here are the 1 percent, if that. What about the rest of us?

Rockefeller's Beautiful Mansion

The front facade of Kykuit, with a classic Italian style of architecture

We marked the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence yesterday by taking the train to Tarrytown to visit the Rockefeller mansion called Kykuit.

You can't go to the home on your own -- you must join and tour and it's quite strict, emphasizing that you can't take children under five years of age; the guides and staff get nervous when they see babies. Oh and don't bring big bags too -- a knapsack could be considered too big to bring on the grounds.

Our guide was mainland Chinese with the name tag DD Huang, a woman in a red sleeveless dress with tightly curled long hair. Unfortunately for us, her English was not fluent and so many of us on our tour had trouble understanding what she said. Her proficiency in the language also made her warnings sound particularly stern and unapologetic which to some seemed rude or condescending at times.

The back of the home with an extensive garden around it

Nevertheless, this is what we understood from the tour:

John D Rockefeller was the eldest son of six children, but his childhood was difficult. His father was a con man and kept a mistress, having two daughters with her.

Rockefeller was taught by his mother to work hard and he was academically good in school. At 16 he went to business school learning bookkeeping and this skill and talent would serve him well later on in life.

He and his brother William made their money in oil refining, co-founding Standard Oil together and buying up the competition to practically become a monopoly.

William had built a house in the Hudson Valley and suggested John D take a look. He was entranced by the view looking over the Hudson River and bought the land in 1893.

In 1906, John D Rockefeller together with his son Junior, planned and oversaw the construction of Kykuit, which in Dutch means "look out" or "overlook". They moved in two years later.

A swan gracing a pond that leads up to the tea room

Today visiting the house it is a mix of East and West, as John D Rockfeller Sr decorated it, followed by his son Junior and grandson Nelson, who became a senator.

There are a lot of Chinese antiques in the home, as Junior made some trips to China and bought many things, from the pair of stone lions that greet visitors at the front door, to Tang and Qing Dynasty ceramics, even carpets and upholstery have Chinese themes.

In the living room there is a headless Bodhisattva statue, a graceful body, that must have been a serene looking person.

We saw many rooms in the house, except the bedrooms, but the drawing room, the office, dining room, and music room -- that used to have a pipe organ installed in there and was subsequently replaced with a large colourful painting by Joan Miro.

There's also a lot of modern art in the home, particularly in the large garden that includes a swimming pool. There are many sculptures placed around the greenery that contrast with the classical Italian style of the home. Unfortunately we didn't take the garden tour that includes seeing all these pieces.

Modern art pieces contrast with the traditional-looking home

However, we did go into the basement where we saw several tapestries designed by Picasso specifically for Nelson Rockefeller, who had bought a number of his paintings. But because Picasso was a Communist, it wasn't politically correct for them to meet directly.

Nevertheless, Picasso agreed to allow his paintings to be modified into tapestries as long as they were not the same size or colours as the originals. Apparently some 18 of them were completed by a French weaver before Picasso passed away.

There's a mini museum in the home, filled with works by not only the Spanish artist, but also Georges Braque, Toulouse-Lautrec, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder.

We also saw the changing room complete with a shower that was a precursor to today's modern jets, with a series of pipes that would have spewed water at the body in the middle, as well as the stables complete with a number of carriages and garage with a fleet of antique cars, as well as the home's own gas pump.

It's a pity we weren't allowed to photograph anything inside the house, but outside... another of these strict rules we had to follow.

A view of the Hudson River that Rockefeller fell in love with

But we preferred the view outside as well as the lush greenery. There was also a nine-hole golf course there too -- we spied some Rockefeller descendants whizzing around in golf carts -- their own private space. It turns out several of the Rockefeller families live on some parts of the estate today.

Rockefeller is also well known for his philanthropy, donating to medical research, higher education and the church.

It's hard to imagine someone today could amass as much wealth as the Rockefellers, though people like Li Ka-shing, Cheng Yu-tung, and Stanley Ho Hung-sun come close.

However the trio don't even come close when it comes to being a visionary in philanthropy and creating foundations, and donating land to benefit Hong Kong much, save for universities giving them naming rights to new buildings. Yawn.

We may never see anyone with the same moral stature as John D Rockefeller Senior. While he may be accused of conniving business practices, he did a lot of good not only for New York but for the various communities in the city and around the world in acts of charity that continue today.

Remembering Elsie Tu

Veteran Hong Kong politician Elsie Tu gave her life to the city and its people

We're going to miss Elsie Tu, a veteran politician who died this morning at 102.

102! That demonstrates her will to live and probably good genes.

She was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England in 1913, and Tu and her then husband William Elliot moved to Hong Kong to do missionary work in 1951. Soon after not only did she quit the church, but also the marriage.

She then met the late Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei and they founded Mu Kuang English School in 1954. It wasn't until 1985 that their friendship led to marriage -- 30 years after the two teachers met. She was 71, he was 63.

Tu with husband Andrew, co-founded Mu Kuang English School

"Mr Tu was very outspoken... he taught me a lot of things to make me better understand Chinese ways," she said.

In 1963 she got into politics and won a set on the Urban Council that year.

She later got involved in fighting against corruption, which led to the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1974.

In 1985 she was appointed as HKSAR Basic Law Consultative Committee member. Although she was English, Tu was very pro-Beijing, supporting then former security secretary Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee over Anson Chan Fang On-sang in the Legislative Council by-election.

Despite her political leanings, it was her standing up for the little guy that many admired about Tu.

Over two years ago she complained about tycoons who didn't have a conscience to care about the poor.

She didn't name names, but expressed support for striking dockworkers.

She will be remembered for fighting for the poor

"I think shame on you. Why should you have [billions of dollars] when the poor can't even buy meat for their children's food? How could you have [billions of dollars] and still want more? The dockers are getting so little and their conditions are disgraceful."

Tu added there were some rich men with a conscience and some without, and there are many elderly who barely have enough to live on.

Who else is going to take up the fight for the underprivileged? Tu was a wonderful example to the end.

We will miss her indomitable spirit.