Kongtrary | ISSUE 01 by N A T H O M Y

Magazine of HK Culture

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Magazine of HK Culture What is “KONGTRARY”?

ongtrary literally refers to our home city, Hong “Kong” and the “contrary” brought by the local culture and lifestyle. Launched in April 2022, Kongtrary guides the global-minded audience to explore the best of Hong Kong events, covering fashion, food, art, culture and entertainment. It also provides a unique lens unknown side of the city.

香港 Editor-in-Chief/ Skylar Kan Associate Editor/ Fiona Yeung Photographer/ Natalie Ho Art Director/ Amber Chu Illustrator/ Eliza Chau

Join our Facebook page to stay up to our latest posts, and don’t hesitate to join our commmunity to know more about the culture of Hong Kong

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info@kongtrary.hk

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Editor’s Note

“

Enough negativity for 2022! Please find hope and say thanks to Pandemic!

“

et me guide you through the hopes and gratefulness I see within the hard times!

When we can’t get on the plane for vacation, why not just get on the bus? We all crave vacations. But because of the lockdown, we are all stuck here. I tried to find my way of faking a vacation in Hong Kong earlier this year. I grabbed my backpack and camera, role-playing a tourist for one day. That day really slapped me in my face. I realise before I long for a trip to Japan or Korea, there is still a lot to explore in Hong Kong. I thought I was a professional local HongKonger. Little did I know, there are so many people and cultures I know so little about. I hope this magazine acts like my role-play tour to guide you through the modern and traditional Hong Kong culture. From exclusive interviews, fashion guide, dim-sum hopping, Cantonese Opera behind the scenes, literature review to glamping starter pack, we have all the little secrets and insights you want to find out about Hong Kong culture. We will present Hong Kong culture in a way you have never experienced before, sharing critical, encouraging and inspiring stories to get you through the stresses. I hope you take a step discovering your own cultural stories after reading. We challenge you to explore Hong Kong like you have never been here before. Take this chance in the pandemic, get yourself some new observations to be grateful for!

Skylar Kan Editor-in-Chief of Kongtrary

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- ISSUE 01 -

Contents FASHION 07

The Century of Online Boutique

Ways of Vintage

A Young and Ambitious Entrepreneur in Fashion Industry

FOOD

Story Behind The Hong Kong Siu Mei Shop

The Evolution of Yum Cha

What to Eat in Hong Kong: the Traditional and the Trendy

ART 36

When Youth Meet Cantonese Opera

Behind the Glitter: Chan Mai-ching Unveils the Beauty of Cantonese opera

CULTURE 44

Redefine Canton-pop

Paradise for Book Lovers

Hong Kong Being Translated

ENTERTAINMENT 59

Youtuber, A Millennials’ Dream Come True?

How to Get Away from the Getaway?

Glam for Glamping: Ultimate Glamping Starter Pack for Instagrammers

Exploring the city’s culture with Kongtrary! www.kongtrary.com.hk KO N G T R A RY | 0 5

-The Denim collectionCustomize with style. www.sogarcollection.com Visit Our Website:

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The Century of

ONLINE Boutique

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Written by Amber Chu

Why Hongkongers are so obsessed with online shopping? Hong Kong became the world’s strongest cross-border online shopping market last year due to

the COVID-19 epidemic. Looking forward to 2022, the volume of online shopping orders will continue to grow rapidly whether local or cross-border. The epidemic has become a catalyst for the rapid development of online shopping in Hong Kong and local online boutiques have also sprung up.

Website of the online boutique, Pazzo. (Photo by Pazzo)

Glamour of Online Boutique

Particularly in the younge r a g e g ro u p , m o s t of them would prefer buying clothes online rather than going to physical stores. In my experience, most of my friends have the habit of buying clothes online. Except for the reason of avoiding getting infected of COVID-19, they can have easy price comparisons, more variety of clothing style and prevent sales pressure. You can always search and compare the same clothing online easily and choose 0 8 | KO N G T R A R Y

the one with a better price. By then, I am going to show you more about why people are addicted to buying clothes online.

Better Price & Better Experience?

Many online boutiques offer discount coupons and free shipping because they do not have a rental cost that a physical store does. Meanwhile, products that sell to you are directly from the manufacturer or seller without involving multiple middlemen. Therefore, you can always enjoy better prices when shopping on online boutiques. Honesty,

I am also an “online shopping addict”. Recently, I am

obsessed with shopping in an online boutique called “Pazzo”. This boutique always offers some special discounts and sales. The cheaper price and frequent updated discount can always make me shop there again and again. Most of the girls like me would say

“C lea ra nce Sa le can always make me crazy”

Anytime & Anywhere

Most importantly,

you are able to save a lot of time while you are able to review a lot of items

and brands in a short time. You can shop from boutiques in other regions, cities or countries without geographical limitation. The online boutiques nowadays often provide the photo display for reference of models with different body sizes. You need not to worry about the size fitting problem nowadays.

Specialty of

Hong Kong’s Online Boutiques

When

asked about the selling point of a particular local online boutique, most people would say about the model of the shop.A few years ago, the online boutiques were usually

choosing the celebrities and the real influencers to be the model to attract people to buy.

start up their online boutique and letting themselves be their own model.

Every of Us

Top Online

Can Be a Model On the contrary,

Hong Kong local boutiques would prefer to choose ordinary people to be the model other than using a great cost to hire celebrities as models. Of course, those ordinary people are having good outlook and their style.

Sometimes, maybe the imperfections of the amateur model can be more able to let Hong Kong customers be affected by the micro-influencers. As these good looking ordinary people could create such a great influence, more people are willing and confident to

Boutiques in Hong Kong

When asked about the most popular local online boutiques, friends surrounding me would definitely have mentioned these two boutiques, Serco Store and BBG shop. How can they be the top of local online boutiques and have such a great amount of loyal customers? How are they playing an important role among the online boutique industry in Hong Kong? I will show you now.

Serco Store Gentle Girls’ Choice

No matter if you like online shopping, only if you are using Instagram and you must have seen the Serco Store. The shopkeeper Serco and her boyfriend started their boutique from acting as an oversea procurement boutique including clothing of Japanese, Korean and American brands. It has accumulated over 230,000 followers now while it can be said as the leading local online boutique in Hong Kong.

The shop owner, Serco, is smiling and as model of Serco Store. (Photo by Serco)

In the beginning, Serco will wear their products and put them on their Instagram for attracting customers. For each product purchased from abroad, they will carefully do quality control, measure the size and take a photo of the product before putting it on the shelf. They hope to introduce the dressing skills by wearing the clothes themself in which they want to

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present the product in the most authentic way to customers. The price of clothings is also affordable to youths which only cost HKD$150-$300 on average.

“ We only provide qualified clothing and we treat our customers as friends.” While they are trying their best to complete their services, their passion and heart of bringing high-quality clothes to customers are appreciated. Developing until now, they have hired the other ordinary people with different body size and style as models in which it has helped Serco Store with establishing their own style at the same time. Mandy and Serco, from left, are wearing the products of Serco Store for shooting. (Photo by Serco)

BBG Shop

Be Real & Dress Your Own Style Other than Serco store’s soft and casual clothing style,

another leading local online boutique BBG shop contains a strong and bold style. BBG shop purchases from different European and American clothings and foreign niche brands. Apart from clothing, they also contain limited trendy items like the popular drew house collection. Their clothing price range is averagely among HKD$300- $600 which is medium-priced in the online boutique industry.

“I hope every girl can discover herself and dress up what they truly like with confidence.” Rather than

saying BBG shop is a procurement boutique, it is more like a real brand while the shop owner Lily Wu has successfully established its brand image and style. Developing to now, it has become the official agent of the European and American brands Bad Blood, YUYU, Minga London and the Mumm. Lily has used herself to be the model of BBG shop and she also makes use of the feedback photo of the customer. Same with Serco Store, Lily makes a great effort on building relationships with customers while she usually shares the clothing skills to interact with customers. 1 0 | KO N G T R A R Y

Models' wearing display. (Photo by BBG shop)

In fact,

the flourishing of local online boutiques really make a diversification of fashion choices. The more vigorous competition among local online boutiques, these local boutiques would be more likely to improve their product quality. As every local boutique wants to stand out, they would try to collect more kinds of niche clothing and we as a customer can hence have more choices. Except Serco Store and BBG shop, there are still other local online boutiques with special styles that are worth being aware of.

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Mee & Gee import boutique .

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Vintage style clothings in Mee & Gee import boutique.

"Atara" Brand clothings in Mee & Gee import boutique.

New Choice for Hipsters Written, Photo by Amber Chu

Wave of Vintage

In recent years, retro and vintage styles

have emerged. Compared with the everyday-changing and cutting-edge trend, the vintage style is slowly accumulating its own style of dressing culture and going viral at intervals. No matter how the fashion trends change and enrich day by day, the traditional vibe and the culture left on vintage remains the same. In Hong Kong, there is a historical vintage clothing boutique making plenty of youths interested in trying to mix and match vintage clothing - Mee & Gee import boutique.

Low price and Lots choices

Mee & Gee

import boutique was established in the 80s. It opened up its first physical boutique from Marble Road to the current six stores. Each of their physical stores contains an area of more than 2,000 square feet and separate into small areas according to different price ranges. Unlike the chain fast fashion brand, they provide a really affordable price and unique style clothing while the cheapest clothing only cost HKD$5.

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Vintage style shirts in Mee & Gee import boutique.

Dress up with vintage

Compared with other second-hand cloth-

ing stores, Mee & Gee comes out with its large quantity and low price. Most importantly, it does not frame the established style and the clothes are not strictly classified. All the clothes there are only hastily divided into shirts, long skirts, and sweaters. They encourage customers to not be demarcated and limited by a particular style. We usually choose a few clothes to buy, ignoring some rare but funny styles. The shopper thinks that

“Vintage and beauty are forever.”

Environmental Friendly

Apart from providing vintage, fashionable

and affordable vintage clothing to others, Mee & Gee is also aware of the environmental protection work. They have cooperated with some environmentally friendly vintage chain stores in Japan to reduce post-consumer waste. Meanwhile, they hope to grow some used clothes to another kind of fashion like the trend of vintage.

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Mee & Gee import boutique Location: 55, Tung Choi Street Mong Kok, Kowloon Opening Hours: 9:30am to 10pm

DARE

TO BE DIFFERENT

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FIONA PAU A Young and Ambitious Entrepreneur in Fashion Industry Written by Amber

A 21-year-old young Entrepreneur, Fiona Pau,

The environment of Idiot Sandwich in Kwun Tong (Photo by Fiona Pau)

has developed her boutique from an online shop to Kwun Tong Factory Estate and now to Mong Kok Floor Shop since 2019. At a young age, Fiona has already owned a physical boutique and operated it for three years. She is a year three student at City University of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, she is also an employer of four staff of her boutique, Idiot Sandwich HK. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, many people would complain that they have stopped their living and missed the years since 2019. However, Fiona mentions that she felt like she has lived and treated these three years as twenty years. It is much more substantial and busier than before. She is the one who has successfully grabbed the chance under the turbulent environment. (Photo by Fiona Pau)

What Makes the Boutique Start?

Fiona Pau is shooting for Idiot Sandwich's models. (Photo by Fiona Pau)

Fiona opened up the online store of Idiot Sandwich HK with her boyfriend in the very beginning. After half a year, she started to manage the boutique totally on her own. All she wanted to do was just to be prepared for a rainy day initially. While Fiona is majoring in creative media, she is thinking of doing freelance work after graduating. As it may not be that guaranteed for living, she just gets herself a side business as soon as possible.

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What is Idiot Sandwich?

When I first heard about the boutique’s name, I was already curious about what the name Idiot Sandwich means. Fiona claimed that the sandwich represents the property of the clothing layer. When everybody is making cream toast or cheesy ham sandwiches, they just want to be a different one. When you wear something unique, others may think you are an Idiot but you just don’t care. The brand concept is about an attitude of “I am different, but so what?”.

Clothing of Idiot Sandwich. (Photo by Fiona Pau)

Trend of Online Boutique

Keys to Success

Particularly during the pandemic period, more people like having online shopping. As it becomes a trend, competition would be definitely vigorous. She also has to be a “one-manband” in the beginning. Every day and every week, she has to keep tracking the latest fashion trend and picking the new clothes on the shelf every week. However, those were never the reasons to stop her passion.

Somehow most of them just ended up the business within half a year. Their platform may be more intriguing than hers but they just didn’t persist to do it. She also mentioned that none of the most top and popular online shops are maintained for less than five years. Their products and platform design may not be exquisite and special. As long as they have accumulated customers over time, they could find the way to success.

Not majoring in business, but still, Fiona can probably understand that it is very difficult to enlarge the business in Hong Kong without the business’s manufacturing industry and diverse online platforms. Therefore, she chose to open up the online shop on Instagram and Facebook in the first step. It is actually an effective and common way for youths to start up their boutique in recent years.

After doing those works, Fiona has realised that the success of a business may not necessarily depend on how appealing your products are or how cheap you are priced. It depends on your persistence. In fact, many online shops are opening in Hong Kong every day. Even her friends, she has helped them to promote and share their newly opened shops several times.

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"Turning adversity into chance during the years of the COVID-19" The Greatest

Challenge & Crisis

When you stand out in a field, it is easy to make someone jealous and try to play some tricks on you. The deepest impression and the greatest challenge she has experienced is that someone specially reported to Customs and Excise Department and told them they were selling fake goods. Of course, all the goods are authentic. However, officers of the Customs and Excise Department went to her shop and collected all the goods for inspection. It has not found a result until now. The biggest problem is that she had no goods to deliver to customers and she also had to make a refund to them one by one. A large number of goods was seized at one time, she had no cash flow to deal with the purchasing and refunding at that moment. Fortunately, she could solve the crisis at last as she was toiled to borrow money from friends.

Idiot Sandwich Location: G3, Ho King Commercial Building, Mong Kok, Kowloon Opening Hours: (Mon to Thurs) 1pm to 9pm (Fri to Sun) 12nn to 10pm

Grateful about...

With experiencing different difficulties, Fiona still feels grateful to open up Idiot Sandwich HK. She has already known in advance how this world works and also gained the experience of dealing with people and things. As small as not being tricked by a rental agent, and as large as how the business is actually being operated, she feels satisfied that she ran into obstacles earlier before everyone else. Idiot Sandwich HK would not be Fiona’s end. She hopes that it can be on track very soon and she can use this experience to develop other businesses and distribute what she has learnt to others. Fiona Pau and her staff of Idiot Sandwich. (Photo by Fiona Pau) 1 8 | KO N G T R A R Y

A HONG KONG SIU MEI SHOP Written, Photo by Eliza Chau

Pui, the owner of 新和棧燒臘家, has started the store for more than 25 years, from his father to him. They sell the must-try popular food in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong-style roasted meat — locally known as siu mei (燒味). Behind a siu mei shop, there are various experiences and difficulties they have encountered. Pui hopes to preserve this siu mei culture to the next generation.

191 Shanghai Street

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INTERVIEW | FOOD

STORY BEHIND

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SIU SIU MEI MEI Pui’s motivation

- Customers

“I really enjoy chatting with my customers every day, some of them have become my friends!” Pui says. Preparing the food in the early morning, opening the shop at 11 a.m. and working till around 10 p.m. is the daily routine of Pui. He admitted that this routine is tiring and sometimes dull. The most significant motivation for him to operate the shop is the “customers.”The residents here are friendly and nice, their smiles and happiness always make me feel satisfied” Pui mentions. One of the customer, Ms Chau, even told us that she is living in Sheung Wan, but she will come here to buy siu mei every week due to the delicious food and the kindness of the boss and his wife.

The Most Precious Things

- Human Warmth

Pui shares with us the most precious thing he gained from the shop is the connection with the neighbourhood. He smiles and says, “Some of the customers shared with us about their family and even their job, time passed, some of them have even gotten grandchildren already! I believe this one of the distinctive points from the chain store, my shop is filled with human warmth, this is irreplaceable.”

From left, the staff, Hing; Ms Chau; Pui’s wife, Fong. 2 0 | KO N G T R A RY

The Unforgetable Experience In these years, the most unforgettable experience of Pui was the flooding of his shop after hurricane Signal No. 10 was launched in 2018. “That time was a disaster, the water cover till my knee, the most important things in our shop- the furnaces at the back were out of function. It took us a few days to clean up and repair the machine. We haven’t opened the store for four consecutive days, we have never been closed for that long!”, Pui says.

Difficulties encountered Pui has an idea of closing his shop in 2017, the two most prominent concerns are the expensive rent and the complicated procedure of applying for the food licence. Their old shop was located in Yau Ma Tei where they have stayed for more than 15 years. Furnaces of the store.

Business and social linkage had already developed comprehensively at that little shop. However, the landlord asked for a 20% increase in rent after that contract ended. Under their consideration, it is unaffordable for them. “The rent of this shop is the same as the old one, if I cannot find this new location at that moment, I may give up on this siu mei shop already, the rent in Hong Kong is really high.” he sighs and says. After he found the new address, he encountered another problem with the food licence application. “There are many shop specifications for this licence, the procedure is quite troublesome. Some commissioners conduct an on-site inspection and policy analysis of decoration feasibility. We have changed the shop environment several times to meet the requirements.” Pui says. KO N G T R A RY | 2 1

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Inheritance of the shop “Definitely, I hope that the next generation can inherit my business,” says Pui. Indeed, the shop has run over 25 years, he is the second-generation heir of the store to continue his father’s business. This store has a long-rooted reputation in the neighbourhood. Their commitment to providing delicious and low-price meals to every customer has strengthened Pui’s will to carry on the business. Pui laughs and tells, “How can I manage to stop? I don’t believe my loyal customers are willing to let me go, haha.” It can be seen how tight the bonding between Pui and the neighbourhood is.

Apart from that, Pui knew that siu mei culture was declining under the expansion of chain stores in Hong Kong. He genuinely hopes that he can try his best to conserve this culture. Therefore, Pui is trying to ask his son to help in the shop and learn how it operates to keep running the business while maintaining consistent quality. Of course, he builds customers’ confidence in his son’s ability.

‘‘ It will be really a pity that the kids in the future can’t try siu mei in streetside shops like us.

’’

Pui, The owner of 新和棧燒臘家

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한국 목욕탕 테마 카페 Korean Bathhouse Theme Cafe

Sinsa-dong bathhouse 新沙洞澡堂 Sinsadong Bathhouse

@sinsadong.bathhouse.hk

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Written, Photo by Eliza Chau

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um cha (飲茶) means ‘drinking tea’, which is the brunch in Cantonese tradition, with Chinese tea and dim sum. All of you should have listened to the iconic term, ‘one bowl two pieces’ (一盅兩件). A new era comes, the value of yum cha has changed for the younger generation. There is a new yum cha trend in Hong Kong to meet the market’s needs. How does integrating the traditional dim sum and the creative elements affect the yum cha culture?

ONE BOWL, TWO PIECES...

‘One bowl’ refers to the cup used in the old days. Traditional yum cha restaurants provide each customer with a covered bowl for drinking tea and customers could use the cover to brew the tea. The staff poured the boiled water into the bowl and let the tea leaves steep to ensure the bowl is filled with aromatic tea. Times have changed, more Cantonese restaurants provided the customers with the teapot. Tat-Kuan-Yin Tea, Pu’er Tea, Shou Mei and Jasmine Tea are the common Chinese teas that people like to drink. ‘Two pieces’ refers to the dim sum, it is also one of the crucial parts of the culture of yum cha. Here shows the number of customers who usually ordered dim sum in the old days. Another hidden meaning is the minimum charge for the traditional restaurant before. Previously, the staff hung a plate with dim sums on their neck for customers to choose and later, it changed to using dim sum cars. Due to the dangers it might cause and the low efficiency brought to the restaurant, they have changed to using ‘dim sum paper’. The diners first select the dim sum they want on the paper, then hand it to the kitchen for preparing food.

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Difference between 2 generation Yum cha- valuable collective memory to the old generation For the older generation, the culture of yum cha means a lot to them. When they are young, yum cha is a leisure activity to escape from an exhausting life, a chance to gather with friends and family. No matter time changes, this behaviour lasts with perseverance and consistency, rain or shine. Traditional Chinese restaurants open early in the morning, the house is full of seniors reading the newspaper while enjoying the tea. Besides the mellow and thick tea with the dim sum, they also treasure the friendly neighbourhood. Seniors share a random table, sitting beside strangers does not bring embarrassment to them. Instead, they chat a lot about their daily lives.

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“I come here every morning for more than ten years! I know most of the staff here, and I also met many ‘tea buddies’ here, they are all my friends!” A 72-year-old man smiles and says.

Customers have to queue up for their favourite dim sum once the dishes are ready.

Self-service area with tea, teapots, teacups and eating utensils.

Elderly love to reading the newspaper while chatting with friends.

Variety types of fried dim sum and buns - the popular dishes in the traditional yum cha restaurant.

The habit of yum cha has become part of their life, especially after retirement, they have more time to spend on this relaxing activity. From the viewpoints of the elderly, traditional Chinese restaurants allow them to think of their good old days, the time they spent with their family, and the nostalgic atmosphere there is irreplaceable.

“Yum cha is essential to Chinese, it symbolises the connection and fosters communication among all” of us”

A staff of Mei King says.

Staff in the traditional yum cha restaurants prepare the dim sum in the early morning everyday.

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THE HEIRS

We have interviewed the son of the owner of Mei King, Clive. Mei King is a traditional yum cha restaurant in Shek Kip Mei that has been open since 1983, it opened from 4am to 11:30am every day.

f the Clive, the son o g owner of Mei Kin

After graduation, Clive has been working as a pilot. Under the pandemic, he has more spare time to help with his family business. “In the past few months, COVID-19 has become serious that people are not willing to dine out. However, I have realised that yum cha is a habit for the Hong Kong people, especially for the older generation, many of them still come every day.” Clive says. He mentioned that the communication among the diners, the staff and himself make him feel the warmth brought by this industry, they are just like a family that has built a close relationship. He has started to run the restaurant with his family.

‘‘

This traditional yum cha culture has witnessed an era. I will try my best to inherit this restaurant and preserve this culture.

’’

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Difference between 2 generation Yum cha- value towards younger generation declined gradually

(Photo by YUM CHA) (Photo by KKDAY)

Cute and exquisite dim sum appearances attract teenager’s attention and interest, they can check in on their social media.

Compared to the seniors, the value of yum cha to the youngsters are not that significant. Along with societal change, more fun activities and exquisite restaurants attract teenagers, yum cha becomes dull and time-consuming to them. Is the elderly the only generation to enjoy this traditional yum cha culture? When a year-three student, Teresa, thinks of yum cha, she immediately links it to the time spent with the elder, a way to satisfy the elder’s desire. Yum cha is usually regarded as the weekly family gathering activity during weekends. Two to three hours spent on this activity makes teenagers feel wasting a lot of time. “Despite spending time on yum cha with family, I wish to spend my weekend in the cafe with my friends. That would be relatively relaxing and I could enjoy some chill vibe!” Teresa says. Compared to crowded and noisy Chinese restaurants, youngsters prefer somewhere quiet, comfortable, and most importantly, suitable to check in on social media.

Helen, a year-4 student, says, “I like to eat dim sum very much, especially the siu mai, however, this slow-paced activity does not match my life. I also cannot enjoy doing the same things every day, it’s boring to me!” Hong Kong people live in a fast-paced society and fast food culture is also one of the common phenomena. To match with the needs of the younger generation, there are more takeaway dim sum convenience stores in Hong Kong, nevertheless, they can also buy the ‘pre-packaged microwave dim sum’ conveniently. Yum cha is no longer limited to traditional Chinese restaurants for the youngsters.

(Photo by BLOGCOVE)

Younger generations treat yum cha as a social activity rather than getting a taste of the traditions and the experiences brought by yum cha.

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RE F O RM AT IO N Of Yum Cha Culture (Photo by Social Places)

New Chinese restaurant called “Social Places”. The design of the restaurant combines Chinese and Western elements, this brings a brand unique experience to the customers.

(Photo by Social Places) “Social Places” provides various features dim sum. New ideas are added on the traditional dim sum to enhance taste and appearance.

A new era has come, it is seen that the number of traditional yum cha restaurants are declining inevitably. According to the Census and Statistics Department report in 2020, when comparing the overall receipts of Chinese restaurants, including the classic Chinese restaurant, for the entire year of 2020 to 2019, total receipts declined by 38.2% in value and 38.8% in volume. Chinese restaurants are facing the most significant challenge ever.

It’s time to re-establish the status of traditional restaurants among the citizens. Despite you being a teenager seeking innovation or a nostalgic elder, you will get tired of the immutable dim sum. Hence, many restaurants choose to integrate some innovative elements with conventional dim sum to cater for the younger diners while retaining the hearts of old customers. These creative dim sum dishes arouse the interest and attention in the society once again.

Can we keep this traditional culture to the next generation?

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01 Chili Heya (川．粵居) -

(Photo by Chili Heya)

1, G/F, Riva Location: Shop de, 1 Ying Ho ca Ar ng pi op Sh ng Road, Yuen Lo s: Mon-Sun, Opening hour 10am-10pm

Fancy birdcage dim sum set (鳥語花香雀籠點心)

(Photo by Chili Heya)

glutinous rice balls (甘筍鹹水角)

Mahjong egg yolk layered cake

Sweet potato piglet buns (紫薯豬仔包)

(麻雀千層糕)

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Bao Dim Tat Yan (包點達人)

Pickled mustard greens with pork buns

Steamed chicken with mushroom rice

(鮮肉榨菜包)

(北菇滑雞飯)

d, HK islan : Among Location istrict and New nd Kowloo es on ri o it rr e epends T hours: d g in n e p O t stores differen

Doll Dim Sum (公仔點心) -

Hargow (鮮蝦餃)

Mini Glutinous Rice Dumpling

(珍珠雞）

(Photo by Doll Dim Sum)

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Undoubtedly, the presence of the new yum cha culture brings us a diverse choice. The innovative elements that made dim sum more attractive and ‘Instagramable’, the takeaway and microwave dim sum break time and location constraints, and allow us to enjoy dim sum conveniently. So, how about the traditional Chinese dim sum restaurants?

‘‘

Traditional Chinese restaurants have a lot of elements that any new culture can never replace. The human warmth, the unique local lifestyle, and the handmade dim sum in the traditional stores are distinctive. Though the appearance of the new dim sum trend has aroused more positive attention towards the whole dim sum industry, it did affect the development of the old one.

I am worried that the new dim sum style will make people forget the traditional dim sum and yum cha culture, and they will be left out of society gradually. The owner of Mei King says

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! What to eat in Hong Kong? yummy The Traditional And The Trendy Written, Photo by Eliza Chau

Hong Kong is a food paradise even if it is cheap eats or the street food. Whether traditional Cantonese food or Western-influenced dishes, they’re all unique, delectable and worth queuing up. Though some foods have a long history with a traditional taste, they are still popular among Hong Kong people. Here is a selection of a few Hong Kong food items you don’t want to miss!

Find these mouth-watering foods with this Hong Kong food guide!

Sourdough Egg Ta

The chef, Grégoire Michaud, uses the shop’s most famous croissants dough to make the crust, which is full of butter and crispy. The outer layer is made with the same dough as what they use for croissants. A bite into the fragrant and buttery shell reveals warm, eggy, and silky custard fillings that will impress you. If you enjoy egg tarts, you should give this a try!

Bake House

Filled doughnuts are always the hot-selling significant food of the shop. They offer various flavours, including Nutella, custard, strawberry, lemon pie, apricot, cappuccino and caramel twist. Every doughnut will be fried once you have ordered. The hot and fresh doughnuts are covered with sugar or cinnamon, the sauce is rich and bursting as soon as you bite into it!

Filled doughnuts

Dough Bros Pizza & Doughnuts

Grandma Scone has ten creative flavours with some seasonal taste. To keep the scone moist, they add Japanese buttermilk to French flour, butter, sugar, and rising flour. The scones have a crunchy top, a softcore, and a buttery, floury flavour.

Scones

Grandma Scones

Hong Kong-style nostalgic cream cones, with soft thousand layers of puff pastry, filled with “thick cream”. It tastes a little bit of saltiness in the sweetness and has a buttery aroma,this is the taste of many people’s childhood memories!

Happy Cake Shop

Chinese Sticky Rice 3 4 | KO N G T R A RY

Cream Puff Pastry Cones

A portable snack, a fried Chinese dough stick rolled into a sticky rice log and pork floss and diced preserved vegetables. These filings with warm rice hit the mark. The shop sells the one they’ve just made to ensure the fried dough centre will be crispy and fluffy.

Roll

Shanghai-Hong Kong Noodle Shop

Law Of Yoghurt SHOP 3, G/F, KO FU BUILDING, FUK MAN ROAD, SAI KUNG OPENING HOURS: EVERYDAY 1PM TO 8PM lawofyoghurt

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When YOUTH Meet Cantonese Opera Written by Natalie Ho

he swell of Chinese music suffuses the theatre. A charming actress, who dresses in red grand armour, is brandishing her blue horsewhip while entering the resplendent stage. She stops her movement and strikes a heroic posture, singing an aria with her bright and sweet voice. This is how Jamie Ip, a 23-year-old young lady, performs one of the renowned Cantonese Opera excerpts: Muk Kwai-ying Proposes Marriage for the audience. In fact, it is undeniable that many of us perceive Cantonese Opera as relatively “backward-looking” and antiquated, turning it into a forgotten art. However, there is a certain number of Cantonese Opera rising stars who desire to bring renovation to this traditional industry, including Jamie and the members of her troupe. So how are they inspired by this Chinese art form?

Young Cantonese Opera actress Jamie Ip wears grand armour ane performs Muk kwai-ying Proposes Marrisage on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau) 3 6 | KO N G T R A RY

Falling In Love With Cantonese Opera

From left, two young Cantonese Opera actresses Tiffany Yu and Jamie Ip. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)

Jamie has been learning Cantonese Opera as a faa daan since she was in primary five. “Time flies and it has been 11 years already,” she says. When it comes to the reasons for learning Cantonese Opera, I expect a passionate one. Indeed, Jamie’s response surprises me a lot. “To be frank, I didn’t have a strong interest in Cantonese Opera at first. My elder sister started to learn this traditional art form in primary school. Subsequently, my dad literally pushed me to join the troupe, Susan Arts World with my sister, which marked the starting point of my arduous yet fruitful learning journey by coincidence.” Susan Arts World was founded in 2006, aiming to cohere the ‘rookies’ of Cantonese Opera and promote it through education.

On the contrary, Tiffany Yu, a 21-year-old Cantonese Opera fanatic, who is also an actress from Susan Arts World, has an entirely different experience from Jamie’s. Her grandpa was a former manager of the Sunbeam Theatre, a prominent and valuable performance venue dedicated to Cantonese Opera. “In those days, my grandpa took me to watch the performances in the theatre after school. I was deeply attracted by those enchanting costumes and graceful melodies. Some actors even did somersaults on stage. There were genuinely impressive,” she recalls her memories delightedly and says. Tiffany then began the training process at the age of five.

Both of them have different encounters when they got in touch with this time-honoured art form, so how do they equip themselves on the learning path?

“My fondness of Cantonese Opera is resolute, spurring me to be a better self,” Jamie says. Young Cantonese Opera actress Tiffany Yu singing gracefully and performing A Truyst from The Peony Pavillion on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau)

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Polishing Skills Through Practice and Research When Jamie was in secondary, she performed an excerpt from a fantasy piece: Fairy Hongluan. “It was a huge challenge for me, as I had to flourish a two-meter-long ribbon smoothly on stage without any auxiliary devices,” she mentions. Jamie then rehearsed more than usual and even arrived at the studio earlier than other actors for additional training. “If the force wasn’t use appropriately, the ribbon would tie into knots, which would be problematic on stage.” She seized every opportunity to practise and overcome the hurdles step by step. She ultimately transformed herself into a dancing fairy, resulting in great success in her performance. “Jamie is always a diligent student, striving her best to polish her skills,” Susan Pau, Director and Mentor of Susan Arts World says.

Jamie plays Hongluan and dancing with the two-meter-long ribbon on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau)

Tiffany performs The Death Of Dai-yu and delivers her heartbroken feelings to the audience. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)

Apart from practising, Tiffany conducted research for her character Lin Dai-yu from one of the famous Chinese classics Dream of the Red Chamber. “As I had to play Dai-yu for the performance in December, I read the original copies of the classics to discover her ways of thought and affection towards Jia Bao-yu.

Putting myself in her shoes would be the best way to deliver her bleak and gloomy emotions to the audience on stage,” Tiffany says. 3 8 | KO N G T R A RY

Keeping The Tradition Alive Although Jamie and Tiffany have distinctive talents and specialise in different roles in Cantonese Opera, they have a mutual goal: to promote Cantonese Opera to more youngsters and not be confined to the local context. “We sincerely hope to bring Cantonese Opera back in the limelight as it is an indispensable part of our local culture,” Tiffany states firmly. As Jamie is an undergrad majoring in music education at The Education University of Hong Kong, she plans to apply her knowledge acquired in the courses to civilize the younger generation. “It would be great if more elements of Cantonese Opera can be included in the primary music lessons, captivating their interests in an earlier stage,” she expresses her views. In addition, Tiffany wants to promote this performing art worldwide. “Previously, I had experiences in translating the Cantonese Opera piece: Stealing the Glossy Ganoderma into English, performing in the schools in Australia and New Zealand,” she says. “I wish to devote more effort to showcase the beautiful local culture to the rest of the world.”

Cantonese Cantonese Opera Opera 101 101 Cantonese Opera is a traditional Chinese performing art form, which integrates Mandarin operatic traditions with singing and spoken lines delivered in Cantonese. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in September 2009. The story is delivered through the four basic components, including singing, delivery of spoken lines, acting and martial arts. Under the six-pillar system, the major roles cover man mou sang (the leading male), siu sang (the supporting male), jing yan faa daan (the leading female), yee bong faa daan (the supporting female), chou sang (the comic role) and mou sang (the military character).

Jamie and Tiffany taking selfie with their friend after the performance backstage of the Ko Shan Theatre. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)

These lovely and young Cantonese Opera rising stars are endeavouring to inherit the essence of our local culture by incorporating the knowledge and skills developed in their learning journey. In fact, should we take a step further to show our support and cherish this beloved traditional art?

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Behind the Glitter

Chan Mai-ching Unveils the Beauty of Cantonese Opera Written by Natalie Ho

Makeup artist Chan Mei-ching touching up the makeup of the actress in the powder room of the Ko Shan Theatre New Wing. (Photo by Chan Mai-ching)

hen I was little, my dad and mum loved to bring me to the bamboo theatre and watch Cantonese Opera with them. It’s an undeniable truth that girls like sparkling objects, right? So I paid extra attention to the actresses who were adorned with a wide variety of jewels and gemstones on stage. The stunning headdresses and costumes captivated my curiosity towards the artistries of the beauty of Cantonese Opera. Chan Maiching, who has been working as a Cantonese Opera makeup artist for over 16 years, would like to share her experiences and myths in the industry with us.

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Acquiring Skills in the Bamboo Theatre After Chan graduated from the Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong, she followed her teacher to the bamboo theatre and played some supporting roles. “Some actors and actresses were really nice and friendly,” Chan rewinds her memories and says. “They were so willing to teach you some techniques and tips that make the makeup looks more fetching. Every one of them had different procedures and styles when applying the makeup, so I had to stay extremely focused and find the most suitable and comfortable way for myself.” Chan started to explore her career in 2006, which began with doing some non-paid jobs for amateur actors. “ I made it explicit to them that the makeup might not be the perfect one, but I would do my utmost to pander to their requirements,” she states. “These allowed me to grow and refine my techniques through imperfections and failures before assisting the famous icons of Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong.” Vivid hairpins are put on the actress’ head.

The golden rule of success is to absorb more and practise indefatigably. Keeping your enthusiasm towards your area of interests is critical as well.

Aesthetics of the Headdress

Chan mentions some major rules when using different hairpins for faa daan (female role in Cantonese Opera): according to the character’s wealth and social status. “If the actress plays a genteel lady, the hairpins putting on her chignon will be accompanied by lots of gems and flowers in vibrant colours, which let her stands out on stage,” she adds. “If the actress plays a widow or a servant girl in a poor family, I only use the hairpins in plain colours like silver without any embellishments.” “There’s also a philosophy behind the use of certain headdresses,” she explains in detail. “We use the glamorous “phoenix crown” for the princess and the imperial concubine, which symbolises their power and social status. It is usually in gold, with many jewels and pearls.” Chan Mai-ching putting the wig i.e. 正辮 on the actress. (Photo by Chan Mai-ching)

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Evolution of the Makeup

“Double eyelid tape also brings remarkable advancements of the makeup,” she exclaims exhilaratingly. “Eye contact is an indispensable element when the actors deliver their emotions and feelings to the audience in Cantonese Opera, for example, rolling their eyes exaggeratedly in a thinking process. Therefore, when the actors’ eyes look bigger, the audience is most likely to be more engaged!”

Besides, Chan brings up the idea that the application of eyeshadow softens the makeup, which makes it more sophisticated. She also looks forward to witnessing the changes by applying different colours of eye shadows on the makeup in the near future. “Maybe we can apply the colour of the costumes on the actors’ eyelids to enhance the consistency! Doesn’t it sound fascinating?” she expresses her creativity delightedly.

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“In the past, the actors would apply greasepaint on their faces, which was tremendously difficult for cleansing,” Chan says. As Cantonese Opera has a lengthy history, it is beyond doubt that there will also be some changes in the makeup. Chan then reveals some ‘beauty hacks’ with the application of cosmetics. “The first one is using tape for lifting the eyebrow. Previously, the actors merely relied on the hairband for lifting. With the use of tape, it will bring less pain for the actors so they will not be distracted when shining on stage,” she adds.

Chan Mai-ching helping the actress to tidy her costume. (Photo by Chan Mai-ching)

SEE YOU AGAIN

HONG KONG

11.6.2022

ONLINE MUSIC FAIR HK$380 ENJOY THE MUSIC FEAST FROM 8PM

www.ticketflap.com/seeyouagainhklive

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Local rapper, Tyson Yoshi is singing in his concert. (Photo by Eliza Chau)

Redefine Canton-pop Person Interview | Danny Cheng Written by Fiona Yeung Recent Canton-pop productions have changed the people's stereotypes on it. Danny Cheng is one of the members in the music industry, showing how the team behind the scenes shine up the Canton-pop productions.The past two years have been tough periods for Hong Kong people to go through; with broad social movement and political changes under the global pandemic, there is a rise of indigenousness in Hong Kong. From Good Night Show - King Maker to shining boy group Mirror; from independent local singer Serrini to singersongwriter Gareth.T, singers with beautiful voices and creativity springing up in the Canton-pop industry. Hong Kong people start to set their sight on local Canton-pop music but no longer Korean pop music. It ended up the decline of the Hong Kong music industry and gave a chance for Hong Kong's showbiz reign in Asia once again.

Local boys group, Mirror, is having concert in Kowloonbay International Trade& Exhibition Centre which attracts thousands of fans' support.

Heroes Behind the Scene When audiences focus on singers who are shining on the stage, many talented producers also contribute a lot to the resurgence and success of Hong Kong popular music; Danny Cheng is one of the team members. Danny is a local orchestra music arranger, mainly responsible for arranging strings in popular songs. From Keung To's "Dear My Friend," to Anson Lo's "The Unlovable One ( 不可愛教主 )", Danny's name appeared in many extreme popular songs' credits. Compared with Cantonpop music decades ago, has the arrangement style changed nowadays? What will Canton-pop 's future be like? We invite this local orchestra music arranger who makes classical string

Local band, Dear Jane, is having concert in Hong Kong Coliseum. (Photo by Eliza Chau)

music elements become the icing on the cake in pop music, sharing his experiences and opinions of Canton-pop music string arrangement. KO N G T R A R Y | 4 5

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Danny plays violin in an event (Photo by Danny)

In the Very Beginning... Danny's career path started from music scoring. He met Edwina Lai Ying-tung (Siu Tung) under an accidental opportunity when he was a college student. Siu Tung is a famous music producer and composer in Hong Kong, and she has the title of "the fifth member in C AllStar", many outstanding songs of C AllStar are produced by her. Studying with Siu Tung, Danny learned much about the music industry and practical music composing and arranging skills. He also received many valuable career opportunities from Siu Tung. As Danny is a violinist, therefore apart from music soring, he is responsible for playing string parts of a song. Because of it, he started to cooperate with many Canton-pop singers and finally got an opportunity to make string arranging local singer Hoffman Cheng. Right now, Danny never forgot his origin. Besides working as an arranger, he will also work as a musician for live shows and orchestrated.

Danny's career path started from music scoring. He met Edwina Lai Ying-tung (Siu Tung) under an accidental opportunity when he was a college student. Siu Tung is a famous music producer and composer in Hong Kong, and she has the title of "the fifth member in C AllStar", many outstanding songs of C AllStar are produced by her. Studying with Siu Tung, Danny learned much about the music industry and practical music composing and arranging skills. He also received many valuable career opportunities from Siu Tung. As Danny is a violinist, therefore apart from music soring, he is responsible for playing string parts of a song. Because of it, he started to cooperate with many Canton-pop singers and finally got an opportunity to make string arranging local singer Hoffman Cheng. Right now, Danny never forgot his origin. Besides working as an arranger, he will also work as a musician for live shows and orchestrated.

Danny and his teacher Siu Tung. (Photo by Danny)

" Siu Tung is my teacher, who brought me into the music industry. and gave me many chances to make music scoring and violin recording. "

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Danny has guitar recording mission in the recording room. (Photo by Danny)

Danny's Canton-pop Journey AN ENCOUNTER WITH MIRROR In recent years, Danny mainly focused on the orchestration of a song. "Orchestrated is a process to convert the prototype of music into sheet music that instruments can play. I take the role of coordinator between composer, arranger, and musicians." Encountered with Edward Chan, an eminent local music producer that produced the majority of MIRROR's songs, Danny begins his journey of orchestrating MIRROR's songs. From Keung To's "Dear My Friend," to the latest ballad song "Leave a day to breathe with you ( 留一天與你喘息 )" released by Ian Chan, Danny becomes one of the contributors of MIRROR's success. In a few short years, he has orchestrated abounding hottest music for Cantonpop industry. When our reporter asked him about his most impressive work, he did not hesitate for a moment before answering,

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" Dear My Friend," impressed me a lot! When I first received the demo of this song, I was amazed by the beautiful melodies. On top of that, the meaning behind this song is profound. This song is a gift from Keung To to his best friend, who has accidentally passed away. Therefore, I put a lot of effort into elevating and presenting the deep meaning behind this song by using instruments .

Celebrity Fan Culture Apart from the impressive production process of the song, the celebrity fan culture also left a strong impression on Danny. There are many talents that contribute to the production of a song slightly; it is a great phenomenon that audiences try to explore more about the music production team behind a song instead of only focusing on the celebrity. This new celebrity fan culture motivates and supports Danny and his team a lot, encouraging them to make more extraordinary music for the audiences.

In the past, the audiences may focus on the singers' performance but know little about the production team. However, this phenomenon has changed when it comes to MIRROR's fans. They will care about who are involved in the production team and how each member contributes their music features to this song. More surprisingly, when fans are sharing their idol's song on social media, they will tag me in their post, it makes me feel that our efforts are finally being seen by the public.

Transformation: Diverse Music Genres Rdefine Canton-pop Music

Danny and his production team. (Photo by Danny)

If you pay more attention to recent Canton-pop music, you will find that apart from ballad music style, more and more R&B and band songs appeared in the market. The favourable market environment creates more spaces for singers and producers to take a bolder step on the genres of music. "Diverse types of music can be found in the market over a decade ago, but what the audiences accepted more is ballad music. As a result, more ballad music is produced, coming with territory during that period for the market demand. So, it gave people a wrong perception that Canton-pop is equal to ballad music. if you look back to the early millennium, we do have hip-pop group SoftHard ( 軟硬天師 )." 4 8 | KO N G T R A R Y

In recent years, with higher market acceptances and more attention from the public, different genres have popped up in the Canton-pop industry. Jay Fung and AGA lead the R&B style to success; MC $oHo & KidNey make hip-pop and rap music into the public's attention; MIRROR and ERROR stop the monopoly of Korean boy groups on the local market.

Anson Lo. (Photo by Natalie Ho)

When the market can provide more choices for the audiences, it not only can attract more people to listen to Canton-pop music but also give producers more power to create diverse music for audiences, a virtuous circle is formed.

A Blessing in Disguise Mirror. (Photo by Natalie Ho)

So, since 2020, many young people have started to pay attention to the local music world. Following a long period of obscurity, Terence Lam, Per se, Zpecial, Mike Tsang… These brilliant singers' names appeared in the publics' song playlist.

When the worldwide entertainment industry is facing big challenges under the pandemic, it comes as a blessing in disguise for the Hong Kong entertainment industry. When it comes to the reasons behind it, Danny believes this is because the lockdown policies under the pandemic are not conducive to fans worshiping their idols aboard. Consequently, they try to investigate and worship some talented stars locally. Apart from that, Danny also mentioned the rise of indigenousness in Hong Kong is another factor that contributes to the flourishing of local music. "Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019 evokes many people, especially youngsters to think of the protection of local culture, renewed attention to local Canton-pop music and showing their support to local artists is one of the ways to do so."

What Will Be the Future of Canton-pop? Will the rising trend of Canton-pop being here today and tomorrow gone? Danny put our worries to rest with confidence. He emphasizes that when more people pay attention to Canton-pop music, it will be easier to expand the market to mainland China or other Chinese communities. "I found Cantonpop music in some Tik Tok video, which means that people from the mainland also be favor in Canton-pop songs. I believe that with the great potential of Canton-pop, in the not too distant future, we can see Canton-pop go viral in other regions' market." Music as an important carrier of Hong Kong culture, if Canton-pop music can be listened by more people around the world, the unique elements in our culture can be disseminated to them. KO N G T R A R Y | 4 9

CULTURE | FEATURE 1

Paradise for Book Lovers

Written by Fiona Yeung

The cat is kept by The Hong Kong Reader Book Store

The best indie bookstores in the bustling Hong Kong With the closure of one of the major bookstore chains, Hong Kong people have one less place to read and buy books. For book lovers, visiting a bookstore in their leisure time is sometimes like a game of treasure hunt, sometimes can bring you new interests, sometimes can lead you to new knowledge, and sometimes can lead to answers of life's dilemmas. But nowadays, major bookstore chains are like assembly-line products that lack character and a human touch. As a result, more book lovers are going to independent bookstores to find their favourite books. Hong Kong is not a cultural desert, there are still plenty of local culture lovers who are willing to afford the high rents offering the public spiritual nourishments. We have handpicked the following five local independent bookstores that may bring back you the feeling of reading. 5 0 | KO N G T R A RY

Kubrick Kubrick is located in the heart of the busy Yau Ma Tei district and opened in 2001 next to the Broadway Film Centre in Hong Kong. The name of the bookstore is inspired by the name of the film master, Stanley Kubrick. It mainly sells English books. Kubrick serves coffee and light snacks, so you can relax and enjoy reading while you take a cup of coffee. Address: Shop H2, G/F, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:30am - 6pm

Mellow Out

Photo by

Mellow O

Kubrick is located in the heart of the busy Yau Ma Tei district and opened in 2001 next to the Broadway Film Centre in Hong Kong. The name of the bookstore is inspired by the name of the film master, Stanley Kubrick. It mainly sells English books. Kubrick serves coffee and light snacks, so you can relax and enjoy reading while you take a cup of coffee. Address: Shop H2, G/F, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Opening Hours: Mon - Sat: 1pm - 8pm Sun: 1pm-7pm

Photo by

Mellow O

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Greenfield Bookstore Located in the busy district of Mongkok, Greenfield Book Store is one of the oldest independent bookstores in Hong Kong, specialising in literature, history and philosophy, and the most popular book on Chinese politics. It is a breath of fresh air in Mongkok! Address: 2/F, 56 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 11am - 9pm

Hong Kong Reader Bookstore The most distinctive feature of Hong Kong Reader Bookstore is that it offers a wide range of literary and reading activities for the public with limited space and resources. The owner of this book store is a philosophy graduate, so he is particularly interested in classic philosophy books and contemporary works. In addition, the literary section has more poetry collections from Hong Kong and Taiwan than other bookstores. Address: 7/F, 68 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok, Kowloon Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 12nn - 9pm 5 2 | KO N G T R A RY

Kong

文 man4

Xi Xi’s photo by HK01 | Su Yeh Magazine cover by Su Yeh Publications | “My City” book cover by p-article Gloucester Luk Kwok Hong Kong photo by Wikipedia Public Domain Eileen Chang's photo by Wikipedia Public Domain | “three cents novels” picture by Headline Daily

Being Translated 學港 gong2 hok6 KO N G T R A RY | 5 3

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Hong 香 hoeng1

CULTURE | FEATURE 1

The Forgotten Side of Literature Written by Fiona Yeung

In the 80s and 90s, Hong Kong films were all the rage, with the Shaolin Temple series, hero films, Hong Kong films soaring to the top of the box office, overwhelming foreign language films and earning Hong Kong a reputation as the 'Hollywood of the East. In the 1990s, Wong Kar-wai's vision of Hong Kong's cosmopolitan city gave rise to endless fantasies of the city. Hong Kong's unique urban culture was successfully spread with the stories behind these movies. What is less well known is that many tuggers at the heartstrings and critically acclaimed films are adaptations of Hong Kong literary works. For example, the widely known movie Rouge is an adaptation of the same name novel by Lillian Li Pik-wah. Compared to Hong Kong movies, Hong Kong literature has been relatively marginalised in the international context compared to Chinese literature from Mainland China and Taiwan. Over the years, many of Hong Kong's finest literary works have been translated into English with the help of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council's Hong Kong Literature Translation Programme. It is hoped that Hong Kong's unique ideology, cultural customs and urban lifestyle will be brought to life in beautifully rendered texts. Kongtaray would like to take this opportunity to take you on a journey into Hong Kong's cities as built up by Hong Kong authors and give you an insight into the cultural milieu and sentiments of Hong Kong.

Still from "The Rouge" by The Storm Media

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Xi Xi is creating stories (Photo by HKEJ)

Xi Xi’s pen name was inspired by the game of hopscotch. When two Xi characters are placed together, it becomes two children playing hopscotch. This is Xi Xi's signature. (Photo by Fiona Yeung)

“- --what about your nationality? Some

people asked because they thought it was strange. So, you said, "Ah, ah, this, this, this, nationality? You look at your identity card several times, you find that you only have an urban identity. ”

(Quoted From My City: A Hong Kong Story by Xi Xi)

How to define our "self-identity" has always been taken into a concern of Hong Kong people? From colonial Hong Kong to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, we found our "hometown" in the political sense, but how about our cultural identity?

As one of the most iconic works of Hong Kong literature, published in 1979, Xi Xi's "My city" was translated into English 15 years later. Unlike other novels, "My City" does not have an exciting storyline, constraints of time and space. In addition, this novel is a collection of stories about ordinary people. These stories reflect that period's real social status and reveal the most realistic side of the struggle on "self-identity". Xi Xi's "My City" kept facing different challenges, living under the influences of the international oil crisis, water shortage, environmental pollution… At the same time, rapid social development and fast-paced life triggered people's cultural anxiety.

book cover of "My city" by Amazon.com

Constructing our city: My City: A Hong Kong Story by Xi Xi

Instant Culture, Instant Life "Apple's instant fictions, in our generation, people don't have time to read long texts that required too many thoughts and reflections." (Quoted From My City: A Hong Kong Story by Xi Xi)

Hong Kong's culture has been replaced by a fast-food culture from the 1990s. Compared to the long novels, people at that time preferred to read short articles published in the newspaper. Just like short videos we have nowadays, these short articles do not require much thought and interpretation, it is easy and interesting to read. However, When society starts to be all about speed and pleasure, culture, politics and current affairs fade away from people’s horizons. What can they learn and reflect from instant novels? What can we gain from instant short videos? Even though life is full of ups and downs, the characters in this book are still optimistic and positive. They still love this place. They still try to create a better future for themselves and my city. Although this novel was published 40 years ago, those social issues depicted are not new to us. Walking in the dark cloud of the pandemic and social movements, we feel hopeless. We start to find out our cultural identity and strive for local consciousness in the mist. Perhaps you can listen to Xi Xi's words when you feel exhausted and hopeless:

"Now that you are here, you have seen, you know, and you are young, you can create a beautiful new world based on your dreams." (Quoted From My City: A Hong Kong Story by Xi Xi)

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A Metropolis-roamer: Exploring Nostalgic Hong Kong Culture with Liu Yi-chang The 1960s Queen's Road Central, with Ko Sing Tea House and Kee Heung Village Café on Des Voeux Road West (Photo by WeShare)

"The Drunkard" is a novel steeped in alcohol and streamof-consciousness narration. It made Liu Yi-chang the first person of stream-of-consciousness narration in Chinese Literature. Inspired by famous movie director Wong Karwai created a prestigious local film, "In the Mood for Love", Liu's "The Drunkard" has become the first impression many people have about Hong Kong literature. Metropolis roaming is one of the most iconic topics in "The Drunkard". Liu used his vivid language to portray different sceneries in the community.

"A noisy racket on Spring Garden Lane. A pedlar selling old-fashioned medicinal plasters shouting himself hoarse. People, people, people. People everywhere, jostling, squashed together like sardines in a tin." (From by “The Drunkard” by Liu Yi-chang)

Reading Liu's novels, you will marvel at his immense creativity. As the first person creating a stream of consciousness writing, he connected different pictures of Hong Kong with the narrator's internal monologues. Following the stream of consciousness, you can take a journey to the old town of Hong Kong in the 1960s. Liu's design of the travel routes and the sceneries along the way are all well-executed, even some of them had already been demolished because of an urban reveal. However, it still will be an unprecedented experience for you to become a Hong Kong metropolis roamer by following the footprints of the narrator in Liu's creation.

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Stills of "In the Mood for Love" (Photos by HK01)

What is the Value of of Literature Literature in the Commercial World?

“Another day of rain, on my rusty emotions. My thoughts chase one another in and out of wreaths of smoke." (Quoted from “The Drunkard” by Liu Yi-chang)

As the opening stanza of The Drinker indicates, the rainy and foggy atmosphere of Hong Kong reflects the confused and depressed life of Hong Kong authors in the rapidly developing c o mme rcial soc iety. D u ring th e 1960s , w i th th e ra p i d development of the manufacturing industry, Hong Kong was gradually transforming into a commercial community, people started to get busy with their work. However, in a fast-paced commercial society, cultural industries are undervalued, fewer people are interested in reading long and complex works of literature. Instead, romance novels and even pornographic novels are popular among newspapers readers. Authors were compelled to meet the markets' needs; the value of literature depends on utilitarianism but no longer depends on values of arts.

Culture Reflection

Chow Yun-fat re-enacts the classic scene of "The Drunkard" in movie "In the Mood for Love" (Photo by Headline Daily)

"It is a depressing time, and I think every intellectual with a conscience will feel suffocated." (Quoted from “The Drunkard” by Liu Yi-chang)

Literature, as an essential carrier of culture and history, when no longer carries the responsibility of revealing social issues and art values, the culture of a city is fading away. Today, we may not read these short novels anymore. The emergence of the Internet has provided a platform for disseminating literary arts. Still, it has also threatened the quality of its content. How can belles-lettres present its uniqueness and attraction to the public and compete with genre fictions in the internet world is what "The Drunkard" inspired us in the modern age. Liu Yi-chang (Photo by Apple Daily) KO N G T R A RY | 5 7

CULTURE | FEATURE 1

Social Media Writer Annie Tang (Photo by Annie)

When Youth Crush By Literature

When Youth Crush By Literature When Youth Crush By Literature 5 8 | KO N G T R A RY

Annie Tang is a student majoring in Chinese

literature in The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She also operates a social media account that shares her literary works with all literature lovers. Different from mainstream story sharing social media accounts, Annie never writes "chicken soup" and romantic content, even though she deeply understands that these kinds of posts can help her attract many new followers and gain thousands of likes.

"I don't agree that those chick soups articles destroy the meaning of literature. It still can give many audiences power and hope. Maybe it can transform into a new genre under belles-letter after a few more decades, who knows?" But still, what Annie writes on her social media is all about reflections on current affairs and cultural issues. She tries to use her words to provoke her readers to think of what we can do to construct a better society as private citizens. Besides, she also travels to different heritages in Hong Kong and connects them with literary works from famous local authors. "When I was in secondary school, I read Lo Wai-luen's "A Literary Walk in Hong Kong," it told me Hong Kong is not a cultural desert but a wonderful place that many famous writers are addicted to. So, it inspired me to walk around, reinterpreting the meaning of these historical sites from a youth's perspective. It is also a way to show my respect and admiration to Lo." When discussing the challenge Annie faced when operating a literature social media platform, she borders on the power of images. The format of social media posts forced its audiences to have more focus on the image rather than the captions. It may benefit most business owners, but for Annie, it becomes a challenge. "I want my audiences to have more attention to the contents instead of an image. However, it is tough to remove their attention from the image; beautiful pictures, especially portrait photographs, can attract more audiences and more likes." "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a common phenomenon on social platforms; with fast pace of life, people do not have time to read word by word. That will be a good post if a picture can tell them all the stories. Nevertheless, images are built up by beautiful words for literature, so how literature survives in the social media world is a challenge for all writers in the new generation.

INTERVIEW | ENTERTAINMENT

Youtuber Hugo is looking for inspirations when hiking with friends. (Photo by Hugo Lam)

Entertainment | Person Interview

Youtuber, A Millennials'

Dream Come True? “This job is giving me brain damage!” Hugo laughed and said. Written by Skylar Kan KO N G T R A RY | 5 9

ENTERTAINMENT | INTERVIEW

The ultimate dream job is giving Hugo headaches.

We are here to dig deeper into the making of a Youtuber with you. Hugo is a local youtuber who got spotted by a movie production company. Let’s get to know more about how he is living the dream of the millennials.

Could you use 3 words to describe yourself?

I guess I’m pretty ”easy-going”, ”positive” and a “doer”. I'm not sel-claiming it. I think I am if most of my friends say so.

Why and how did you first become a Youtuber?

My first motivation was not vambitious. I just thought “Why not start a Youtube channel and shoot something?”. I knew I had something to tell and share, but at that time I was not having the skills and techniques. So I just reached out to my friends.

You know, a bunch of college students with time and passion to spare. Then, it all comes pretty smoothly. We were just a group of friends enjoying our time.

What would you do if you were not a Youtuber?

I think I would become a Sports PR. I worked for a local football team as a PR intern. It was fascinating. I got to meet different local football players and coaches. Then, things didn't go as planned. I’m just so lucky and happy that I can make videos for a living now.

How did you get to work for a movie production company? Are you still a Youtuber?

Technically, I am still a Youtuber but I no longer post on my own. I manage and create videos for the Youtube channel of the production house. I never thought that I could be a fulltime Youtuber. The experience from my own Youtube channel helped get me to where I am right now.

What are the differences in managing your own Youtube and the channel for the production house?

Freedom and money. We used to film whatever topics that we want. But now, I have to pitch and present video ideas every month. But the good thing is I no longer have to clean out my living for shooting. With more budget and resources, I get to explore more content varieties. And at least I would force myself to be more productive now.

What is the most difficult part of being a Youtuber?

“New ideas”!!! Youtube is not just about video techniques. What keeps people staying is the content. It's super hard to think of interesting ideas every week! So I make sure I hang out with my friends during holidays. Most of my inspirations come from our conversations.

Youtube beginner Hugo is doing his first video shoot for a Youtube Video. (Photo by Hugo Lam)

6 0 | KO N G T R A RY

Youtuber Hugo is hanging out with friends to get inspirations for Youtube content. (Photo by Hugo Lam)

What is your favourite video that you have ever created?

Iremember it was a mooncake review from my own channel. I really enjoyed the time shooting with my friends. The video came out exactly the way as we expected. Most importantly, it was the last video before we decided to end the channel. It was a long and unfortunate story. But I still look back to our good times.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I don’t know if Youtube will still be a thing. I hope I'll be creating videos. My final goal is having my own Youtube channel again and gaining a group of loyal viewers. I’m still in a learning stage, testing out different things. At the end of the day, I wish I could go back to creating my own content.

Who/what inspires you the most?

I remember an old friend of mine had said this to me “It’s the very first time I’ve ever seen you being so motivated, passionate and focused. I can see you’re dead serious about it.”. Until then I realised I could be that concentrated for something I love. From that time on, I began to be a dedicated “doer”. I appreciate her for telling me that.

1. Don’t think about the money.

Before you could get your bills paid by monetizing your channel, this is not your job yet. You have to be really in love with content creation. Your passion is what gets you to the later stages.

2. Don’t think about the instant fame.

"Creativity is the power to act" (Hugo's favorite quote)

Youtube newbie Hugo's first day after work. (Photo by Skylar Kan)

Could you share some tips on how to become a successful Youtuber?

To me, a successful Youtuber means having a group of loyal viewers and supporters who wait and get excited for your new videos. I still have a lot of room for improvements. However, here's what i think:

Just a one-time boost can’t get you far. Focus on what you’re creating for your viewers. If you can’t live up to the expectations of your subscribers, numbers will drop.

3. Don’t give up.

The chances of succeeding are one in a million but not zero. If it's your passion, just keep trying. It may take some time, but the processes are totally worth it.

KO N G T R A RY | 6 1

ENTERTAINMENT | FEATURE 1

How to get away from the getaway? Glamping in Hong Kong is getting boring.

Tell me something I don’t know! Written, Photo by Skylar Kan

6 2 | KO N G T R A RY

lamping, just another good old getaway got ha-

cked by instagram. Imagine sipping a glass of champagne; listening to your favourite R&B; smelling the freshness of soil and grass while counting stars in your bathrobe. It is the wish granted for everyone living in this concrete jungle. But when it is overdone time after time on the ‘gram, people would just get bored with it. Is Instagram holding Glamping sites back from coming up with more exciting new ideas? We’ll find out.

The rise of Glamping

Glamping was not as popular before the pandemic hit us. Under the strict lockdown and quarantine, we got more than enough of online shopping, Netflix bingeing and restaurant hopping (on FoodPanda). We just couldn’t wait for the airport to re-open. When we were crying and screaming for a getaway from the city, Glamping came in a red cape. It was an instant painkiller to ease our deep desperation of wanting to travel. Vacation gives us new excitement and unexpected experiences, so does glamping. The 2021 Hong Kong International Travel Expo even did especially invite exhibitors to promote and introduce Glamping, elevating its popularity. We finally got to explore a new hobby and fake a vacation for ourselves.

According to the monthly search volumes for outdoor experiences on Google Hong Kong, “Glamping” was at the peaked of 9,900 searches in November 2020. The number was still increasing to the point at 4,400 in March 2021. It was on everyone’s top search at that time. We were so thrilled and excited to go glamping.

Flashy Instagram Posts

Some of you may go there for a relaxing holiday break, hoping to reconnect with nature. But most of the others, including myself, were first attracted by its instagrammability. Our priority was to take some cute pictures. To be honest, I was completely out of my mind when I saw the tents on Instagram. It was everything I wanted for my Instagram feed. Glamping serves the “Glam” of the chic and esthetic decorations, like the little balls of decorative lights, the boho-ish tent, bedsheets and blankets; while still keeping us outdoors, breathing in some fresh air. Yet, as more and more glamping sites join in, I find that glamping is not as exciting as before.

Glamping Site in Ocean Park opened in December 2021. KO N G T R A RY | 6 3

ENTERTAINMENT | FEATURE 1 Interrior design of a Glamp Site in Ocean Park. The tent provides basic necessities for convenient and luxury camping experience.

The flashier the decors, the crazier we get?

Glamping boomed in a few years. The businessmen seemed to get the door key to Glamping. They knew we went there for the ‘gram, so they simply copy and paste some of the similar features. They either have a huge window or a giant tent with some little decorating flags and lights. To me, what keeps me interested are the uniqueness of the tents, like the caravan or some in special locations. The new glamping sites just look very identical to me. They have similar food choices like BBQ and the same locations and scenery like grassland.

Decorations of the Glaming tent in Ocean Park during nighttime.

“If the glamping sites have similar decorations, I would not be bothered to go. It costs too much for just one night.”, a 22 self-claimed stagram fanatic Janet says. For Instagrammers like me, yes, we will go for places instagrammable. But if the sites look too similar, there will definitely be a lower chance for a second time visit. No one would pay that much money for a similar experience twice, not to mention if you are just for the pics. So it either has to be really exotic or super affordable.

Sadly, glamping is never cheap with some ranging up to HK$2,000 per night. Outdoor activity zone for each tent. 6 4 | KO N G T R A RY

The CBD of getaways!

Glamping sites are like the Starbucks in Central. It is no longer a getaway from the crowd and city. When the government announced the 41 campsites under the management of Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department were closed, the glamping reservations increased. People see glamping as the substitution of camping too. For those who haven’t gone glamping before, I’m sorry to bring up some not so good news. Many of the glamp sites put all the tents pretty close to each other in a common area. Let me tell you, listening to your glamping neighbour video gaming at three am is not the most pleasant experience. You might think that is what you get when you are glamping on a budget. The truth is even for glamp sites over HK$1,500 per night, your calming glamping experience is still not 100% guaranteed. I know that depends on what kind of neighbour you get for the night. Yet, if it is a more sparse area with less packed tents, at least you are left with your personal space less disturbed. However, if you have a higher budget, I definitely suggest you grab those single isolated tents. By then you can truly enjoy the peace and calmness of nature while getting the comfort of Glamping.

Glamping tents are closely placed, leaving campers small amount of personal space.

My selfish little wish for Hong Kong Glamping The Financial Chief of Hong Kong Government announced a budget of $500million will be put on “providing recreational elements like additional lookout points, treetop adventure and glamping sites”. With the support of the government, glamping seems to be a long-term profitable trend. I just wish Hogn Kong Glamping could explore and focus more on nature connections and experiences in other creative ways. It does not have to be a tent in the cave. A hammock on trees in the forest could already be a great start. On top of that, those true outdoor glamping spots could be IGable too! As it is nowhere to be found in Hong Kong, I am sure this could bring a lot of attention. At the end of the day, Glamping serves different to everyone. It could be an Instagram shooting spot, but definitely not just that. I look forward to experiencing the nature while having my next instagram photo ready in my Glamping trip. KO N G T R A RY | 6 5

ENTERTAINMENT | FEATURE 2

Glam for Glamping: Ultimate Glamping Starter Pack for Instagrammers The joy of going on vacation is made out of 10% exploring new experiences, 20% spending time with great people and 70% waiting and being excited for the trip! Packing your bag is one of the happiest moment of your vacation. Be mindful and well-prepared, enjoy the excitement and anticipation. That is what makes your trip extra meaningful. Happy Packing and Glamping! Written by Skylar Kan

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Kongtrary | ISSUE 01

Articles inside

Ways of Vintage

A Young and Ambitious Entrepreneur in Fashion Industry

The Century of Online Boutique

When Youth Meet Cantonese Opera