Ten Years: Doom to Boom?

Miro Certenig presents an intriguing take on Hong Kong and how it was projected in 1997 and how it emerged in 2007.

If anything symbolized the jitters surrounding China taking over Hong Kong a decade ago, it was the urban legend surrounding the 369-metre, silver phalanx constructed by the Bank of China.

It was said the austere skyscraper, with its windows of silver mercury that let Chinese bankers see out but nobody in, had been deviously designed by a Communist-friendly feng-shui master. Its dagger-shaped corners would supposedly rain negative energy down upon British-ruled Government House, the epicenter of colonial power, a sort of invisible Chinese death-ray to neutralize Hong Kong's colonial overseers and their evil capitalist ways.

It was a good story, and a perfect metaphor capturing the zeitgeist of "The Handover" -- when the People's Liberation Army was about to roll in from across the Chinese border to take over Hong Kong 160 years after China's rulers lost the Opium War.

This tiny capitalist city-state of seven million was doomed, the conventional wisdom held, to become just another Chinese city. The old, British Hong Kong, with its ultra-rich tycoons and impeccably connected British bureaucrats and bankers clad in Saville Row suits, could not survive for long under the vengeful grip of a nation whose ethos was created by Chairman Mao.

Some heavy hitters staked their reputations on that theory, including Fortune magazine. Its doomsday article, "The Death of Hong Kong," is still not forgotten here. Oh, the old British colony might remain a regional business hub, a convenient shipping and business port into China, Fortune sniffed. But its ambitions as a world financial centre? Kaput. It would surely shrivel under the Communist regime's authoritarian grip.

"What's indisputably dying," declared Fortune, "is Hong Kong's role as a vibrant international commercial and financial hub -- home to the world's eighth-largest stock market, 500 banks from 43 nations, and the busiest container port on Earth. What will change after midnight on June 30, 1997? Everything.

"Within months of the transition to Chinese rule, the now dominant use of English, the universal language of business, will give way to far more extensive reliance on Cantonese and Mandarin," Fortune decided. "Troops of the People's Liberation Army, which has already formed links with the powerful local criminal gangs known as triads,' will stroll the streets. From Beijing, whichever faction emerges on top in the post-Deng Xiaoping struggle for power will control every branch of Hong Kong's government - replacing elected legislators with compliant members, selecting cooperative judges, and appointing the chief executive."

Scary stuff, some of which also prompted hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents to seek other passports, many of them to get into Canada. But a decade later, Fortune's crystal ball-gazing seems hopelessly inept.

"Fortune was wrong," says James Tien, the leader of Hong Kong's pro-business Liberal Party, who serves as an elected member in the former colony's legislative council. "Look around you. Things still work. Hong Kong is still here."

James Forder, the Oxford economist and author of "Hong Kong, Ten Years On," a report commissioned by the powerful business group John Swire & Sons Ltd., says for many businesses, Hong Kong "is now a more attractive place than it was when under British control."

"The old business conditions have largely been retained, but the Hong Kong economy is now better integrated with the Chinese, and the rapid development of that country makes for a huge additional opportunity.

"The One Country, Two Systems' approach to maintaining the capitalist system in Hong Kong has been almost completely successful. Despite the reversion to Chinese sovereignty, in Hong Kong it is business as usual. 0

"Capitalism remains alive and well, and just as welcoming to the foreigner as it has ever been. ... Hong Kong is blessed with just the right separateness from China to maintain strikingly superior institutions, but just the right kind of integration to make use of them to the full."

Last October, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China floated the largest IPO of the year, raising $19-billion. Hong Kong's share of that pot was $13.9-billion; Shanghai raised just $5.1-billion. That trend is likely to continue for years to come. In 2003, foreign direct investment into Hong Kong was $13.6-billion. Last year, it was $42.9-billion. And in the first quarter of 2007, $15.4-billion has already flowed in, suggesting another record year ahead.

Positioned on the edge of China, between the west and east, Hong Kong is also likely to be further bolstered by the mainland's desire to become a more aggressive player on the world stock exchanges. Just this week it announced that a new investment agency would be getting $200 billon US to invest in foreign ventures, much of which will likely flow through Hong Kong.

Bernard Pouliot, the chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, whose 1,000 members make it the largest outside of Canada, has spent 29 years in Hong Kong. He says the former British colony has emerged as China's business capital, and urges Canadian small- and medium-size businesses to look to Hong Kong as the launching point into China.

"Hong Kong is New York, it's the place to be," he said. "Shanghai is okay, too, but is more like Chicago or Los Angeles." But he offers a caveat: "This will change in time. Shanghai will become China's New York. Hong Kong more like Chicago or L.A."

How much time? "Ten, maybe 15 years," he estimates. "Hard to say. But it will happen. That is what the Chinese want."

Job switching

Nearly one third of Hong Kong workers have tried to take advantage of the current economic boom to land a new job in the past six months, a survey found Wednesday.

Thirty per cent of workers surveyed said they had applied for new jobs in the past six months and of those, half had received and accepted an offer of a new position, according to the study by market research company TNS.

The survey found that many employees felt undervalued, with only 21 per cent believing their career prospects were in line with their performance and skills and 23 per cent rating their managers as considerate and understanding.

Hong Kong workers have a reputation for fickleness and job-switching and employers have found it increasingly difficult to retain workers since the economy began to pick up in the second half of 2003.

TNS director Neel Banerjee said the onus was on managers to improve their own performance. 'Management style makes all the difference in the world,' he said.

'In an environment where one in every three employees is actively looking for a new job and staff turnover is rapidly increasing, it is incumbent upon employers to understand how best to motivate and retain staff.'

More than 500 workers were surveyed by TNS. Hong Kong, a wealthy former British colony, has a population of almost 7 million and a working population of around 3.4 million.

HK Trivia: Hong Kong by the numbers

I am away from Hong Kong when it celebrates its 10th year anniversary as a Special Administrative Region. However, as part of my contribution to the celebration, I researched the Internet to find relevant information about Hong Kong by the numbers:

1. 1842 - Year when the British gained Hong Kong by winning the Opium War.
2. 2,3,8,9 - Chinese lucky numbers.
3. 1,4,7 - Unlucky Chinese numbers.
4. 20 - Percentage of population living in Hong Kong island.
5. 94.9 - Percentage of ethnic Chinese population in Hong Kong.
6. 0.0 - Lowest temperature ever recorded in C (Jan 18, 1893).
7. 1,955 - Kilometers of roads built.
8. 142,556 - Number of Filipinos in Hong Kong (end of 2001).
9. 544,089 - Number of licenced vehicles (2006).
10. 263,506 - Number of flights recorded in 2006.
11. 10,797 - Average salary in Hong Kong dollars.
12. 6,300 - Number of people per square kilometer.
13. 39.8 - Number of air travelers in millions.
14. 1,377 - Tsing Ma Bridge length (m), world's longest road-rail suspension bridge.
15. 415 - Total area in square miles.
16. 93.5 - Literacy rate (%).
17. 1.5 - People per telephone.
18. 350 - Peak day and weekend entrance cost (HK$) at HK Disneyland.
19. 3.5 - Cost of Hong Kong Disneyland construction, in US dollars.
20. 74 - Number of international kindergarten schools.
21. 3,928 - Number of robberies (1996).
22. 53,053 - Government spending on education, in HK$ millions.
23. 1,574 - Number of robberies (2006).
24. 668 - Number of primary schools.
25. 1,774 - Number of missing motor vehicles (2006).
26. 23,627.84 - GDP per capita, in US dollars.
27. 82.9 - Heart disease deaths, per 100,000 population.
28. 2,237.4 - Number of households ('000).
29. 0.6 - Population growth rate (%) as of mid-2006.
30. 17.5 - Percentage of establishments having websites/pages (2006).


Sources:
asianfanatics.net
hk tourism board partnernet
info.gov.hk
state.gov
censtatd.gov.hk
worldroom
disneyland report
nationmaster

HK caretakers: Is China better than UK?

From EarthTimes, it appears that life under China's jurisdiction (in the past 10 years) was better than life before 1997 under the leadership of the Great Britain. Would you agree? Here's the story:

Hong Kong has become a better place since reverting to Chinese sovereignty, one of the city's ministers told guests Thursday at a banquet marking the 10th anniversary of the handover. Commerce Secretary Joseph Wong told an audience of 300 in London that the "one country, two systems" arrangement, by which Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain, had passed a "vigorous test."

"Hong Kong has once again defied doomsayers to become a better place than it was 10 years ago," Wong said. "We still face many challenges, ... but I am confident we shall overcome all of these in the usual can-do spirit."

Wong was speaking early Thursday Hong Kong time at the start of a series of events in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the territory's return to Chinese rule, which happened at the stroke of midnight on July 1, 1997.

A dragon boat race, film and photographic exhibitions, and musical performances are being staged in London to mark the anniversary of the return the former colony, which Britain ruled for 156 years.

Unlike the handover ceremony attended by Prince Charles in 1997, however, no senior British officials or royalty have been invited to take in the 10th anniversary celebrations in Hong Kong, which will be led by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Hong Kong's pollution clouds

I will be traveling again next week and will be back in Hong Kong on the 2nd of July, effectively skipping the 10th year celebrations of the Handover. Talking about Hong Kong, there is a special feature at National Geographic to be shown on the 1st of July, I shouldn't miss this one, even if I am miles away from HK.

A feature at CNN.com by Elizabeth Yuan puts another black eye to Hong Kong'e efforts to claim it is an ideal place to live, do business, raise family and so on. Here it goes:

It was the skyline that he couldn't see that caused Joe DiSorbo to change his mind about moving from Singapore to Hong Kong.

In November 2005, he was in the city looking for a place where he was to move his family the following March. Standing by the Star Ferry on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour, he recalled looking "across at what should be the Hong Kong skyline, and you can't even make out the buildings."

And then he crossed over to the Hong Kong side and went up to The Peak. "I looked down, and it was all polluted."

What he saw reinforced what he'd already heard about anecdotally -- accounts by other expatriates that children were having breathing problems and that families were going back home.

DiSorbo, who has two young children, had already committed to opening a Hong Kong office of the e-commerce logistics company that he founded, Webgistix Corporation. His wife had already given her company notice.

"I flew home and basically said, 'We're not moving,'" he said.

DiSorbo's fateful weekend came during what the Hong Kong Observatory says is the 10th worst month on record for reduced visibility. The Observatory has kept those records since 1968.

Ten years after the handover, blue skies have become enough of a rarity that when they happened over a four-day period in June, the South China Morning Post ran a picture of it on the front page. The caption: "Forgotten what Hong Kong is like without smog?"

Hong Kong's government says it's recognized the problem and last year launched the "Action Blue Sky" campaign to induce everyone, from the public to corporations, to adopt green measures, conserve energy, and reduce air pollution.
'Street canyon' hurts Hong Kong, think tank says

Contributing to the problem is Hong Kong's location in southern China's Greater Pearl River Delta region, home to at least 57,500 factories and 99 million people, according to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

"Factory of the World" trumpets the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, in referring to the Pearl River Delta on a Web site dedicated to branding Hong Kong as "Asia's world city."

The region is an economic powerhouse, generating exports of $519 billion in 2005, according to the government - rivaling those of entire Asian countries. In turn, half of Hong Kong's GDP stems from the producer services sector, which supports manufacturers' operations in the Pearl River Delta, according to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries report.

Added to the factories and the power plants are more than 225,000 vessels that arrive in Hong Kong's port, one of the world's busiest, the think tank Civic Exchange points out. The Hong Kong Marine Department put last year's figure at more than 230,000. Throw in Hong Kong's tall buildings and narrow roads, and a "street canyon effect" forms that traps air pollutants and mixes with local emissions from vehicles on the streets, according to Civic Exchange.

Rapid urbanization around the region has led to a land-sea breeze system that further traps the pollutants, according to both the Hong Kong Observatory and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Business survey at odds with government

Local leaders appear to be looking at the pollution issue through a different lens than environmental watchdogs.

In an interview with CNN's Anjali Rao on "Talk Asia" in March, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang said, "The sky here now is a lot brighter than it was in 1997. Now, that's a fact. The air now in terms of quality is much better than it was in 1997. It is not perfect."

Hong Kong's outlook, as far as investment is concerned, is "not likely to change," Tsang said. "People are not moving elsewhere." In a subsequent interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Tsang said Hong Kong, which now has 7 million people, can accommodate another 3 million comfortably.

A survey carried out last August by ACNielsen on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong painted a different outlook. The results:

# 79 percent of respondents saw Hong Kong's level of attractiveness to foreign investors drop in the future, given the current trend in the environment, versus 4 percent who saw an increase and 18 percent who saw no change;

# 55 percent knew of professionals declining to come to Hong Kong, while 78 percent knew of those who were thinking of leaving, because of the quality of the environment;

# 59 percent of respondents said their company was likely to invest money elsewhere instead of Hong Kong, if the current pollution trend keeps up;

# 95 percent of respondents worried about the long-term effects of the air quality on their health as well as on their children's health. The sponsors of the study, which had a margin of error of 3.9 percent, included Time Warner, parent company of CNN.com.

Concern over the impact of air quality on business in Hong Kong led the British Chamber of Commerce to form an environment committee in April 2005. "We are at a position where there are decisions being made by multinational and national businesses in terms of where they should locate their regional headquarters for Asia," said chair Timothy Peirson-Smith, managing director of Executive Counsel. "For an executive who is being relocated from North America or Europe with a family, the air quality issue is a factor in their decision."

"Cautious optimism" was the overall sentiment on the British Chamber of Commerce's business confidence survey last year, with 99 percent of its members surveyed reporting dissatisfaction with the air quality.
Expatriates leave

In recent months, Edo de Waart, chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, became one of the most high-profile residents to cite pollution as the reason for packing up. He is moving his family to his wife's hometown in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and will stay in Hong Kong for a minimum of 17-18 weeks in keeping with his maestro duties, the orchestra confirmed.

Others leaving because of the pollution include Gary Mandy, an adventure racer, and his family. His daughter had chest, throat and breathing issues before she was 16 months old, and she has been "perfectly healthy" since their recent move to the United States, he said in an e-mail. Mandy's wife, Gia, is a former member of the U.S. National Triathlete team and is focused on running and qualifying for the Olympics. "By staying in Hong Kong, those goals were not achievable," he wrote.

Meanwhile, Gordon Oldham -- a resident of Hong Kong for 28 years and an ultramarathoner -- is taking the legal route. The 55-year-old lawyer formed the Clean Air Foundation, which filed for a Judicial Review in March that argued that the Hong Kong government's policies on air quality are in breach of the Basic Law and international human rights law. The group wants to get its case before the court and will find if it is successful on July 11.

From January through March of this year, 11 out of 12 general air quality monitoring stations of Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department recorded high air pollution levels for one out of every two hours. In the three roadside stations located at Hong Kong's most trafficked areas -- Causeway Bay, Central and Mong Kok -- high and very high levels of pollution were recorded 92 percent of that time, according to the department's Web site.

Those pollution levels are based on Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives that were established in 1987.

The government is reviewing those standards with the aim of finalizing new Air Quality Objectives and a long-term air quality strategy by 2009 -- something critics say is taking too long. In recent years, the government has passed measures to reduce emissions from power plants, tightened vehicle emissions standards, and embarked on a joint management plan with the Guangdong provincial government.

For Daiming Yung, who is registering voters in Causeway Bay twice a week between now and mid-July, the air is what he thinks about most while standing outside for eight hours. But he said it's not just the emissions from all the traffic that plies one of Hong Kong's busiest junctions.

"I think the problem is the smoking," he said.

17 ways Hong Kong people help save the environment

1. Stop drooling for latest designs of furniture while ditching the not-so-old sofas and dining tables.

2. Unplug appliances from TVs to mobile phone chargers when not in use.

3. Take the staircase instead of riding the MTR escalators to minimize their use, and help prevent obesity.

4. Wash and dry only full loads of dishes and laundry.

5. Print on backside of paper and reuse them for incoming fax messages.

6. Put notices online (intranet) or a bulletin board instead of per individual employees basis (except payslips of course!).

7. Use a carpool or public transport instead of own car when going to work.

8. Use rechargeable batteries for frequently used devices.

9. Rent or borrow (or hire handyman) seldom used items such as saw, ladder or hammer.

10. Shutdown computer when leaving the office.

11. Use e-mail for communication instead of hardcopy documents.

12. Use real mugs instead of disposable ones.

13. Minimize or eliminate use of plastic bags.

14. Stop the paper towel addiction. Use old clothing or kitchen towels.

15. Stop using disposable razors or disposable cameras.

16. Read the news online instead of reading them while sleepwalking... :)

17. Eat in restaurants instead of "take away" where food containers are rarely usable.

Wealth gap story revisited

The issue of growing wealth gap in Hong Kong never seems to die easily. As a social problem, it's also a hot political issue. I made a quote about a news on it last month.

Now from DPA, another article was published, now with more numbers to show.

Hong Kong’s rich-poor divide has widened to a gulf over the past decade as around 100,000 people have joined the ranks of the wealthy and 80,000 have slipped into relative poverty, government figures showed.

The statistics from the city’s Census and Statistics Department published yesterday showed that the number of people earning HK$40,000 (5,116 US) or more a month in the city of 6.9mn has risen by 100,000 since 1996.

At the same time, the number of people living on HK$4,000 or less had grown by 80,000, and they now account for 11.7% of the working population, compared to less than 10% in 1996.

The average income of low earners in the wealthy former British colony is now HK$3,500 dollars a month (447 US), down 12.5% or around US$60 on the figure for 1996.
The average income of higher earners has, meanwhile, gone up by 20% from HK$25,000 a month to HK$30,000 over the same period.

Unions in Hong Kong have been lobbying unsuccessfully for years for a minimum wage to protect the lowest-paid workers, many of whom have seen their incomes fall despite a steady economic recovery over the past four years. – DPA

High pollution warnings

In addition to the inclement weather warnings such as rainstorm or cold weather warning, the Council on Sustainable Development suggests of a similarly patterned system to warn citizens of high air pollution indexes and provide mechanisms for road pricing schemes to limit pollution through build up of traffic congestion.

Again it boils down to money, and SME's aren't happy with how the government is addressing the problem.

I guess it's a complicated world and can't be as simple as adding another segment of the already long weather report ("Tomorrow's smog index at Yau-Tsim-Mong district is 50% which means there is a 50-50 chance you'll get sick") that includes the standard temperature, humidity, air pollution index (redundant?), lightning location, South China coastal waters, airport visibility, rainfall distribution map, and so on.

The other anniversary

When we talk about anniversaries, we often think of the tenth anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China. For others who aren't aware, this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Ocean Park, Hong Kong's oldest theme park (well, there's not a lot to compare with in the first place).

As of now, its success story bodes well with the celebration of HKSAR establishment. Since 1997, Ocean Park shares the limelight with Hong Kong's so-called reunion with the motherland. In 2017, Ocean Park will be 40, Hong Kong SAR will be 20, and so on.

Its boss, Allan Zeman, who also happens to be instrumental in transforming Lan Kwai Fong to what it is now, has nice stories to share. Its 2006 profits soared to $20.1 million from $0.5 million in 2003 and visitors keep on coming. Last year, the gates were busy as Ocean Park welcomed 4.4 million visitors or a daily average of over 12,000 people. In 2005, it is ranked seventh most visited theme park in the world, after Disneylands in Orlando, Paris and Tokyo, Everland in Korea, Pleasure Beach in the UK and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

You can imagine how crowded Ocean Park is on any given day, say today (goodness it's a holiday!).

Ocean Park enjoyed its role as Hong Kong's premier attraction for decades. It's like there's no other choice for parents to entertain their children. I guess my colleagues can attest to this. This "monopoly" has to end sooner and indeed its stature was put to test. The government owned Ocean Park became a bit boring and unsure of where it wants to position itself. With the conception of Disneyland putting up a theme park in Hong Kong, it appeared that Ocean Park's days are numbered. Couple it with the SARS outbreak which is largely responsible for dismal sales in 2003, we may have noticed Ocean Park's gonna drift into the annals of history.

Ocean Park did not have the same favors Disneyland gets from the government. Until now, no MTR station caters to passengers there. Disneyland on the other hand, has its own Disneyland Resort line (the pink line) serving it as soon as it opened for business on 12th of September 2005.

Thanks in part to Zeman and Ocean Park's long establishment and local knowledge, and in part to Hong Kong Disneyland's blunders Ocean Park is as vibrant as ever. I have been to Ocean Park only once and did a pass when my friends came in for a visit. But even if that was six years ago, the memories of the Ocean Park escapades still remain.

Zeman claims that Disneyland is more of living in fantasy, "Disneyland is about fantasy... It's make-believe," while vouches that Ocean Park is not just for fun, it's also a place for education. "Ocean Park is educational. It's real. It's about the environment, sea mammals, conservation.", he says.

While Ocean Park does its tricks by incorporating the local culture into its themes as it featured its animated sea lion mascot Whiskers with a bamboo basket filled with traditional buns symbolizing longevity on its 30th anniversary, Disneyland has a list of problems to show to the press. It closed the gates on tourists from the Chinese mainland when the park filled and refused to allow food inspectors on the premises. Such actions prompted the Hong Kong government, a 57% owner of the park, to criticize the move.

The problems did not end there. The resort's response to the handling of food poisoning investigation was well chronicled. Actors Kelly Chen and Daniel Wu, who made promotional videos of the park alleged that Disney staff were rude. It is treated like a Tragic Kingdom/Comedy, not Magic Kingdom by environmental group Friends of Earth.

And as if a curse has been placed to its competitors, Ngong Ping 360's well-publicized problems and recent closure due to a cable car snap as well as a threat of H5N1 virus could close Mai Po Marshes from public access.

This blog entry is about the anniversary of Ocean Park and not the apparent mishaps of its competitor(s), but as we look back on the history of the famed water-themed park, it is difficult to avoid talking about its past debacles it overcame in order to achieve its present status.

The pandas just add up to the festivities.

The escalator

Note: This is my 300th blog entry.

Sounds like a title of a horror flick that features a glowing white lady on board Mid-levels escalator at 3 in the morning.

When you're in Hong Kong, most probably you'd come across a long (the airport) or winding (Time Square's citysuper) escalator. If that's not enough, Central Mid-Levels (yes, the one I playfully fantasize in that imaginary flick) and Ocean Park's escalators are among the longest in the world.

Thus, the escalator talk would refuse to die especially that the number of accidents involving escalators in Hong Kong increased by 82 percent from 2003 to last year, according to the Consumer Council. I don't think it's so surprising. Even if the number of escalators installed increased by 18% during the same period, the number of careless pedestrians (those who jaywalk, tailgate and treat escalators like playground slides) continues to rise.

I read a nasty exchange of comments over South China Morning Post with Mr Rush Hour complaining it takes a lot of time to go down and go up the MTR from the train platform and exits and vice versa. Mr I've Been To London rebuked him that London's underground system even requires longer time to reach the trains.

What I appreciate here is that citizens usually adhere to the "stand on the right" policy and I suspect newcomers or tourists are the ones who don't practice it generally. But even with the arrangement, the lures of frenetic lifestyle prompts people to climb up the stairs instead of just staying put in there and holding onto the handrail. (OK, I reach the place faster and I do exercise too, they'd argue.) Worse, I see a lot of them walking upstairs, downstairs busy engaging with the daily news or PlayStation Portables.

The elderly are vulnerable to accidents and should have been directed to use lifts/elevators instead. However, the relatively healthier middle-aged people are the usual culprits who use these facilities, thereby denying priority to the elderly folks.

The voice over of the MTR reminder that says "Please hold the handrail and stand on the right" may need to be replaced with a more stern and authoritative voice because its monotony keeps people ignoring these notices.

Meanwhile, I discovered a site posted by "Sham Shui Po Boy" Woo See-kow that featured a review of Hong Kong blogs and Living in Hong Kong is in line with the more popular ones such as BWG and Hemlock.

You don't have to be Catholic, affiliated with the Filipino community, or in the computer industry to be interested in Elmer's blog. He writes in short, crisp, and concise sentences. His blog is easy to read. It's refreshing to read things pertaining to Hong Kong from other than the usual perspectives. Elmer is forgiving, appreciative and at peace with his God. Sham-Shui-Po boy says Living in Hong Kong is a breath of fresh air.

That sounds great. Thank you for that!

Ten million people in HK, maybe that's too much

Chief Executive Donald Tsang made a statement on Financial Times that Hong Kong needs to increase its population by 40% to about 10 million in order to cope with the prowess and competitiveness that New York and London has.

For everyone's information, the top ten most populated cities in the world are the following:

Tokyo/Yokohama (33M)
New York
Sao Paolo
Seoul/Incheon
Mexico City
Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto
Manila
Mumbai
Delhi
Jakarta (14.25M)

It is a combination of developed metropolitan areas and places where slums are prevalent. Hong Kong is ranked in the late 20s, just above Bangkok.

Hong Kong has a population (2006) of 6,864,346 (100th in the world) and whose area covers 1,104 sq km (182nd).

This is what Mr Tsang said about the need to grow the population,

"... move up the governance scale so that we are in the same rank as New York and London, distancing ourselves completely from the likes of Singapore or Shanghai or everybody else where they are still very much a territorial market,"

A knowledge based economy is probably the answer to attaining global competitiveness while injecting new blood into the workforce as the society ages. But increasing the population brings an expensive price. I don't have to look beyond the Philippines. The population problem prevents the government to support the population from offering adequate health and social services. Hong Kong may have the money but it can't rent spaces in the North to augment the population boom and its need for more resources like housing and food. It will be a much more expensive Hong Kong.

Maybe it was Mr Tsang's answer to Singapore's call to increase its population from 4.5 to 6 million, a little less than Hong Kong's current one.

It's a fact that Hong Kong has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Maybe that's an area that needs more focus.

The implications I see in growing HK's population to ten million:

1. Higher demand for domestic helpers which will help the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but will these countries be happy to send DH's instead of developing a higher paying, more skilled workforce that will sustain their economies?

2. Higher demand for housing. This will mean more underprivileged people will end up losing their dwellings, no matter how small they are, to give way to more profitable development as prices go up.

3. Worsening problem with air pollution and vehicle traffic. With more people, the government will be prompted to consider clearing forests for property development, road network and further reclaim what's been called the unification of Kowloon and Hong Kong island to give way to transportation constraints.

4. More world records to add to Ap Lei Chau.

5. More crowded trams. There will be an increased percentage people are gonna stand when boarding the trains, buses and Hong Kong Tramways. Enough said.

Chinese teeth destroyers or plain poisons?

Beijing, in all its enterprising moves, has urged Hong Kong to resume sale of three toothpaste brands found to have dangerous amounts of antifreeze chemicals, alleging that such amounts are not dangerous to humans.

Hong Kong joins the United States, Singapore, Panama, New Zealand and a few other countries in banning the sale of such toothpaste with brand names MAXAM, Sanqi and Tanqi. Historically, when I was in my early teens in the Philippines, we get supplies of MAXAM and I found its taste unpleasant compared to Colgate, Close Up or Pepsodent.

In Hong Kong, in my reconnaissance across various shops in Hong Kong namely Watson's, Wellcome, ParkNShop, Mannings and Jusco, I found no traces of such brand names. I wonder where they were sold before the recall was made.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to food quality and sanitation. Recently, it sentenced to death a former head of the State's food and health regulatory board for massive corruption in approving untested medicines.

I guess the dangerous substances found on such toothpastes were cheap substitutes of legitimate ingredients. In an effort to join the nationwide economic resurgence, some of China's industries apparently compromised quality with financial windfalls. It even comes at the expense of child laborers working for companies contracted to build souvenir items for the Olympics.

In an effort to save its face and/or divert attention, China engaged in a tit-for-tat with the US by rejecting U.S. goods over sanitation issues.

I am no businessman but I think in order to sustain the business, proper care of product must be ensured.

My mother would advise me before that if I do something I should do it slowly but surely. If I run towards the goal, I might stumble and not able to finish the race. I hope you know what I mean.

Why you should not ask Hong Kong woman's age?

I was in Lan Kwai Fong a while ago and hanged out with a couple of beers with Doron, my new Dutch friend, when I realized that today is the Free Hugs night organized by channel FX.

Yes, they're indeed led by gorgeous women carrying banners waiting for guys to come over and offer a hug. Lan Kwai Fong, being a haven for expats, was naturally a place to go to avoid embarrassment for the organizers. Otherwise, these girls would end up getting a crispy slap on the face from jealous Chinese wives who can't stand their husbands hugged (nothing else) by beautiful women.

The group passed our stall and my friend got himself a hug though he wasn't planning to get one. What makes the scene interesting is that I'd think the video cameras and SLRs prying around served as protection from possible sexual assault. Despite the warm atmosphere, the reception from the crowd was lukewarm at best.

The last way I'd like to be popular is to appear at South China Morning Post's City/Lifestyle section the next day hugging a stranger. I've been known to shun away Lan Kwai Fong and a single snap could tarnish the reputation. So I spared myself some possible trouble.

Which brings me to ask: why is asking a Hong Kong woman's age a taboo?

World's top business centres: HK is fifth

A report from Reuters at Financial Post of Canada's National Post:

London is the world's top centre of commerce, according to a study by MasterCard rating leading cities by how they influence the global economy.

The British capital eclipsed second-place New York, which was held back by bond market regulations that affect the volume of listed sales, a more volatile U.S. currency, and by a U.S. economy that was considered to be less stable economy than Britain's economy, MasterCard said.

Tokyo came third in the inaugural MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce index, ahead of Chicago. Hong Kong, ranked fifth, pipped arch-rival Singapore in sixth place because it had a better business climate and a greater volume of equity transactions.

The index, which MasterCard plans to release annually and which covers 63 cities, was compiled from research by a panel of top independent economic, urban development and social science academics from around the world.

It rated cities according to their legal and political framework, economic stability, ease of doing business there, financial flows, standing as a business centre and as a centre of knowledge and information.

Sydney was ranked 14 while Dubai, as a regional air and cargo traffic hub and with a flexible business climate, was named the leading centre in the Middle East and ranked 37th in the index.

China's financial centre, Shanghai, was ranked 32nd while Beijing was in 46th place, one notch below India's business capital Mumbai.

MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index: Top 10 Rankings (scores out of a possible 100 points):

London 77.79

New York 73.80

Tokyo 68.09

Chicago 67.19

Hong Kong 62.32

Singapore 61.95

Frankfurt 61.34

Paris 61.19

Seoul 60.70

Los Angeles 59.05

Amsterdam 57.30

The curse of Ngong Ping 360

One of the biggest news to hit the headlines lately is the snapping of one of the cable cars of Ngong Ping 360. It's sad to see this happening because the management had been subject to criticisms over technical problems in the past. The unfortunate event Monday night only confirmed that substandard quality of materials or engineers underestimating the weight, wind speed and other factors in the worst possible way.

Just like in Disneyland, I have yet to try Ngong Ping 360.

I remember that the past few weeks, when this cable car system will be shutdown for three days for regular checkup, businesses around the area were beginning to complain about the possible loss in income. The government I believe is doing its part on transportation. I wish they realize what they said once they saw that half-page photo of a car sprawling on the hill after falling 50 meters.

I grabbed a copy of HK Magazine the other day. Though virtually half of it is plastered with ads (that's the nature of a free magazine in Hong Kong) it is packed valuable information. One of the things that caught my attention is the MTR policy of cursing. Sorry MTR, after that conspiracy theory I drew, this is more unflattering to you.

I think many of the people around me are used to cursing. I speak or understand much Cantonese so I am quite happy in that regard. Using foul language may be just an expression, but the MTR is quite strict on it.

While I personally think this is a good one just because I hate to hear foul words, the MTR isn't characteristically the best place to start with. It's not a gambling place where losers shout their hearts out and curse the gods for not granting their wishes. It's a place that's generally orderly and conflicts are more limited to smirks on the faces of young women who have been bumped off in the queue rather than a full blown rage.

And a maximum HK$5,000 fine for cursing? That's outrageous. I wonder how people would be apprehended with it. Evidence is quite difficult to obtain before fine can be imposed. I'd understand the HK$2,000 fine for folks who place their feet on the seats and minimum of HK$500 for loitering. But not with cursing. Reprimand is the way to go. We're not turning into a Singapore fine city, are we?

We Love Hong Kong

In 2003, Hong Kong had a tough time selling itself overseas. Because of the SARS crisis, visitors who would love to come to Hong Kong shunned the city and tourist number have fallen by 65%. Not even the InvestHK's Harbourfest that featured Michelle Branch, Prince and Rolling Stones was able to lift the spirits of the weary city-dwellers.

While Peninsula hotel showed its love through a large light display, Cathay Pacific, being headquartered in Hong Kong, did its part by giving away thousands of cheap tickets. CX flights to London cost HK$2,500. Even Qantas joined the goodwill gesture to revive Hong Kong's economy by asking people to spend.

Stickers of We Love HK was around town too.

Now, just four years after the dreaded SARS memories, Cathay Pacific revived its campaign, now called "100 Reasons We Love HK". 800 tickets will be awarded to participants who will fill up reasons why they love Hong Kong. Winners will have the chance to pick their choice destinations where Cathay Pacific or Dragonair fly to. Categories of open, senior citizens and students make up the HK residents group while another set of winners from outside of Hong Kong will be drawn.

To join, just go to the site, We Love HK.

Hong Kong winters may disappear

From ABC News:

The head of the Hong Kong's weather observatory has warned the city's winters could vanish within 50 years, with the number of cold days declining virtually to zero because of global warming and urbanisation.

"According to our projections, toward the end of this century ... there will be less than one cold day each winter, so winter practically will have disappeared," Lam Chiu-ying said, director of the Hong Kong observatory.

Cold days are defined as those with temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius at some point during the day.

Despite its sweltering summers, the former British colony enjoys a sub-tropical climate, with cool winter temperatures and hoarfrost sometimes found on its highest peak, Tai Mo Shan.

Mr Lam says that between 1961 and 1990, there was an average of 21 cold days every winter but this figure had already halved by 2000.

He says over the past century, temperatures in Hong Kong have risen about 1.2 degrees, almost double the global average.

He also warns that the city's winters might actually vanish half a century earlier if Hong Kong's rapid urbanisation trends were taken into account.

"We would really start losing the very distinct seasonal march throughout the year," he said.

"We would really look more tropical than we (are) now."

The number of summer "hot-nights" in Hong Kong, with temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius, has already jumped to 30 a year, an almost four-fold increase from the 1990s, as heat trapped during the day by the concrete city and its teeming skyscrapers is unable to dissipate fully at night.

Mr Lam attributed Hong Kong's forecast temperature rise of three to four degrees by the end of the century to urbanisation and global warming in equal measure.

Free hugs in Hong Kong

When was the last time you had a hug from anyone? If it was long way back then, there might be something wrong. Fortunately or otherwise, there is a movement in Youtube that's making waves across the globe: Free Hugs.

It started in Australia and it's been done in Korea, Venezuela, France, Holland and here in Hong Kong.

The Standard reports that another Free Hugs campaign will be held in Lan Kwai Fong on 15th June at 7-11pm. And this will especially benefit the male gender.

Thanks to pay-TV channel FX, watched by macho men all over the world, all those bankers relaxing next Friday night in Lan Kwai Fong will be able to enjoy the comfort of a hug after a long week at work.

This time, gorgeous FX girls will offer the free hug in Lan Kwai Fong.

Conventional wisdom of biology will make us easily conclude that guys will flock. But in some ways, Hong Kong people aren't too open and prefer the old conservative manners in many occasions. Have a look at what I mean.

To next week's tourists

Rain has shrouded Hong Kong for the past days. It's not like it is raining all the time, but on many occasions, heavy downpour takes place. As I stare at my office window, the sight of adjacent buildings immediately disappears.

For tourists visiting Hong Kong next week, bring umbrellas when exploring outdoors. The skies will continue to pour in rain for the next seven days (9-15 June 2007). Weather forecast that's generally characterized as "Heavy showers with thunderstorms" means rain is definitely expected.

So plan a rainy day itinerary in Hong Kong:

1. Visit museums
2. Shop at malls (low priced items aren't limited to outdoor shops where haggling is a norm)
3. Take the double decker bus and take the front seat upstairs for a view

It's not good to go to The Peak, Disneyland or Big Buddha (especially) at this type of weather. Good luck dealing with Mr Monsoon.

The Foreign Exchange Dilemma

When I came to Hong Kong, one US dollar is equivalent to about 54 Philippine pesos. The Hong Kong SAR currency was pegged to the greenback so whatever changes that took place in the USD-PHP rating directly affected the Hong Kong currency. Typical as any other Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), I allocate a portion of my salary to my family through a remittance center in World Wide House.

Overseas remittance plays a major role in the economy of the Philippines. In 2004, OFWs sent 8.5 billion US dollars home. Hong Kong for one, is a major source of remittance money, as it's one of the most popular places to go for work. (I found out that just before I came to Hong Kong, Filipinas (women) outnumber Filipinos (men) by a ratio of more than 9:1)

Obviously, the amount that I send in HK dollars varies according to the peso/US dollar exchange rate that if the peso appreciates, I spend more than when it depreciates. So when a former flatmate learned that the peso appreciates, he'd defer sending money until it loses value even more. But when the peso appreciates even more, he starts to feel bad. Philippine exporters feel the same way.

I never cared about exchange rates at all. As long as I know that I helped the country in a way of my small contribution and my family receives it on time, I am fine with it. I don't need to be called a hero if other OFWs perceived to be heroes are not treated fairly at the Philippine immigration, OWWA and other agencies that are supposed to help overseas migrant workers.

Recently the exchange rate stands at 46 Philippine pesos to 1 US dollar. The figure is adjusted a bit by remittance houses. This means I am spending more HK dollars to send ten thousand pesos home than before.

Why dilemma? Because I'm not sure that apart from building the dollar reserves, how the appreciation of the Philippine peso actually helped the Philippines.

Very hot and very cold weather warnings

Hong Kong people's skin may be too sensitive. Or the government is just too protective. Or Hong Kong people don't know what to dress in what weather.

This is one of the things unique to Hong Kong as far as I know.

At this time of the year, it is normal to notice a "Very Hot" weather warning will be issued by the government's Hong Kong Observatory. This weather is characterized by temperatures of over 33 degrees Centigrade (low 30s is a typical temperature of Hong Kong's summer) and humidity of over 80%. It usually reminds the public to take sufficient liquids to avoid dehydration. But it falls short of reminding everyone to take a shower in the morning to complement the night showers (and save electricity generated by non-stop aircon operation.. :)).

At the other side of the calendar, when temperatures are in low teens or fall into single digits, HKO issues the "Cold" weather warning. The only reason I heard why this is implemented is that Hong Kong is home to plenty of octogenarians, nanogenarians and centenarians whose body resistance is weak enough to counter cold weather and therefore must be taken cared of.

Global warming causes rising temperatures at a rate of 0.02 degrees a year so it's out of question that it's hotter now than in the 1960s.

I wonder what temperatures would the Inuits and Middle Easterners need to be warned of very cold and very hot weather.

The past three blog entries I posted have something to do with weather. It's because it's just very hot out here. I think tourists from the Northern Hemisphere who love to bask in the sun must realize why tropical people dream to build a snowman.

How are you feeling today Freddy?

Green tourism

Hong Kong accommodates about 2 million visitors a month. I bet most of these visitors, especially first timers, think about Hong Kong as a place littered with skyscrapers, a shopping haven and has a beautiful harbour.

Many of them would surely be taking rides to the Peak Tram and Star Ferry, and frolic at Avenue of the Stars, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, Mongkok's Ladies Market. And by then it will be obvious that they'll see Hong Kong as a polluted city as well.

Not a lot of people know that 40% of Hong Kong's 1,100 square kilometer territory make up country parks and nature reserves. This means that a big part of Hong Kong is still covered with trees and vegetation. Take a detour off the beaten path and try hiking or take a bus ride to the "countryside" riding New World's bus #14.

Other venues of interest include Kong Wetland Park and stilt houses in Tai O.

It's not bad to go shopping in Hong Kong. After all, despite that cheating watch merchant fiasco (OK, he was fined and has a suspended sentence), best buys (especially electronics, cheap clothing) are here! But for budget conscious visitors who want to immerse in Hong Kong culture rather than queue for a ride to a theme park where other visitors are notorious for cutting lines (hint, hint), Hong Kong's green tourism may just be for you.

Weather + MTR + Hong Kong Doctors = A conspiracy theory?

Humidity in Hong Kong has been extremely high these days. You can walk a bit on the street and chances are, sweat begins to appear on your forehead. Yet I still see a few gentlemen who brave the hot season with their ultra warm, ultra formal business attire. One set of clothing I don't have and something I can't imagine wearing at this time of the year.

Maybe that person works in an office which prides itself as one of the coldest in the world. It has been noted that Hong Kong's office buildings are coldest in the world. And it's not only the offices where we feel we're in the middle of a winter season.

Since building interiors are relatively colder when we come from a hot and humid outdoors, the same feeling is experienced when we ride the MTR and KCR trains. Outside temperatures is around 30s while inside the stations are probably within early twenties. Which makes a skimpily dressed lady reach out for her sweaters. Somehow our bodies adjust to these changes in temperature. But on some occasions the changes in temperatures make us feel sick. Blame it on the weather la..

But I just drew up a weird conspiracy theory. I don't hate Hong Kong doctors even if they are notoriously famous for charging 50 HK dollars for a five minute consultation and taking advantage of a few people's desperation to lose weight. But if the weather is too hot outside and the MTR's trains have chilly temperatures below the prescribed limits, isn't it possible that there is a conspiracy going on?

Slimming drug craze

Hong Kong has a problem about obesity among its children. High calorie intake, junk food and lack of exercise (read: more time for video games) contributed to the growing weight problem.

Hong Kong is also a place where many women are very conscious about their body that gaining a few pounds could mean they are suicide candidates.

It has been reported that Hong Kong's doctors indiscriminately prescribe weight-loss drugs to women who are desperate in losing weight.

The drug phentermine, an appetite suppressant that acts on the central nervous system (and a highly spammed topic on e-mails and websites) has a chemical structure similar to that of the stimulant amphetamine and causes side effects including high blood pressure, palpitations and insomnia.

It may be a case of abuse. Doctors earn more while anticipating that they are actually helping these desperate people to lose weight. The result could be the opposite.

I will talk later about another possible conspiracy involving Hong Kong doctors.

Office toilet toddler's humor

In my office, some folks who belong to a sister company don't practice proper way of using the washroom's urinals. Urinating the floor has been done routinely that I think they never left the methods they employed when they were toddlers. The tiny note, "Please stand closer to the urinal so that you don't urinate on the floor" is left ignored by these weirdos.

As an office where professionals work, it should also be a place where proper hygiene is practiced. Clients also use them. But it seems out of the minds of a few people who pretend they have long hoses that even if they fire away meters away from the hoop, water is still gonna hit its mark. They miss miserably with no reason given. Now, if you come to my office and use the washroom at 11am, you'll see what I mean. Peeing on the floor is just disgusting to see. Worse, these people (yes, I can pinpoint one) barely wash their hands!

Out of getting impatient over these misbehavior inside the toilet, a vigilant account director in the office placed a more stern warning "Enough is enough. Gentlemen, please do not urinate on the floor!!!" in larger sizes. A few days and the floor was spotless. But it didn't take long before the old habit strikes again.

I wonder if this person just urinates in front of his television at home and asks his maid to wipe it dry so he can watch his favorite football match.

Our office washroom (whose urinals look exactly like those in the photo sans the curious women) is not maintained round the clock by cleaners who stay in the room and cleans the place soon as dirt starts to accumulate just like in ifc, Harbour Plaza or Pacific Place. In fact it is being cleaned by imported female migrant workers (not Filipinas I am sure) who hesitate to come in when it's cleaning time. Sadly, it's part of their job.

A courteous reminder won't work for this person.. So I don't know what to do with him. Should I ask him to clean his mess?

Hong Kong's passion for music (or lack of it)

A recent survey shows that indeed music is popular in the Philippines, with its youngsters among the most passionate in Asia. No wonder you'll find Filipinos working in Hong Kong as musicians, fulfilling their love for music working in cocktail bars, hotel lounges, night clubs or singing on Sunday masses.

India, Indonesia and the Philippines have Asia's most music-mad youngsters, a survey found Thursday, while young people in Hong Kong and Singapore prefer the sound of silence. In the study by entertainment channel MTV to find the region's most avid pop music fans, 71 per cent of young Indians, 70 per cent of Indonesians and 64 per cent of Filipinos described themselves as passionate about music.

Thailand youngsters came close behind with 61 per cent saying they were passionate about music followed by South Korea with 45 per cent, Malaysia 43 per cent, and mainland China and Taiwan with 42 per cent.

However, only 38 per cent of Singaporean youngsters were passionate about music while Hong Kong finished bottom with a score of just 27 per cent. Young people in both territories appeared to prefer studying or working to listening to music.

Nearly 4,000 people aged 15 to 34 were interviewed for the MTV survey and those who scored their passion for music at seven out of 10 or above were classified as passionate.

The survey also found that, across the region, 56 per cent of consumers had played music on a computer in the past month while 53 per cent had played music on an MP3 player in the past month.

MTV vice president for research and planning Ian Stewart said as well as being the most passionate about music, Indians and Indonesians had the highest rate of people watching music videos on TV on a regular basis.

"In countries such as India and Indonesia, where internet penetration can pose a problem, television is a particularly important medium for consumers to access music with 67 per cent of Indians and 35 per cent of Indonesians watching music videos on television almost every day," he said.