The Young Reporter Vol 57

T he You ng Re p o rt e r VOLUME 57 FEBURARY 2023

MAINLAND CHINA HONG KONGMAINLAND REUNIONS AS ZERO-COVID POLICIES END

HONG KONG PARKOUR FACES SAFETY AND PROMOTION ISSUES

COVER STORY ENDANGERED WATER BIRD SPOTTED IN HK 1

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hong Kong reopened its borders to the world in January after three years of COVID-19 and many activities and events are gradually coming back. Visitors are once again coming to the city, slowly bringing back the vibrancy of Hong Kong.

With the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, the recovery of the tourist industry and, finally, the scrapping of the mask mandate, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has risen by 491,625 since last year.

In this issue, our reporters and editors look into various aspects of Hong Kong’s recovery, from artificial intelligence in art to family reunions as the borders open up and the return of cross-border students.

We also cover stories in mainland China, including the problems doctors face there, a blood shortage and the Lunar New Year celebrations this year.

As part of the new editorial board, we hope you enjoy this issue that comes along with an open and revived Hong Kong.

Sincerely, Editor-in-chief Aw Yong Ming Min

Editor-in-chief Reporters Aw Yong Ming Min Elif Ayhan Emily Chan Deputy Editors Eric Jianf Beata Mo Frank Li Wisha Limbu Hayley Lei Imogen Li Art Directors James Modesto Annie Cheung Jemima Babajos Chloe Wong Kelly Chow Marcus Lum Advisors Nancy Li Jenny Lam Nicole Chu Robin Ewing Rebecca Yang Renee Tsang Publisher Sia Rui Raymond Li Tom Shuai Winona Cheung Printer Win Fung Production Limited

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Editors Angela Huang Annie Cheung Anthony Ho Aruzhan Zeinulla Aw Yong Ming Min Beata Mo Chloe Wong Dhuha Al-Zaidi Grace Koo Mollie Hib Noah Tsang Nola yip Rajnandini Pandey Tim Fung Toby Ng Warren Leung Wisha Limbu

hkbu t yr hkbu t yr hkbu t yr The Young Repor ter t yrmagazine@gmail.c om t yr.jour.hkbu.edu.hk

CONTENT HONG KONG & MAINL AND

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Hong Kong-mainland reunions as zero-COVID policies end Cross-border students back to Hong Kong for the first time in three years

MAINL AND

10-13 14-17 18-20

Doctor workload surges as China eases COVID-19 restrictions Blood shortage crisis threatens patients in China Chengdu celebrates New Year with fireworks despite ban

HONG KONG

21-23 24-27

Hong Kong parkour player faces safety and promotion issues Endangered waterbird spotted in Hong Kong

PRINTED ISSUES

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M A I N L A N D & H K

HONG KONG- MAINLAND REUNIONS AS ZERO-COVID POLICIES END

Relatives reunited at the departure hall entrance.

Reported by Yiyang Li, Hanzhi Yang Edited by Tszyin Ho, Noah Tsang

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ed lanterns and banners have been hung at the border ports to welcome Hong Kongers for the Spring Festival. At the entrance to the departure hall, many people peered their heads, waiting to see their loved ones through the stream of people pouring out.

Since February 2020, border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has been closed due to the severe COVID-19 outbreak.

This is the first step in reopening the border after three years since the outbreak of COVID-19.

On January 8, 2023, Hong Kong and mainland border finally reopened.

Business, education and families are able to go back to a phased and orderly manner.

At the three land crossing ports, such as Lok Ma Chau Port and Lo Wu Port, a maximum of 50,000 Hong Kong people a day will be allowed to travel north into the mainland in the first phase without appointments and quarantine arrival requirements.

Mark Shu graduated from a university in the US in 2020 and then found a job in Hong Kong. His girlfriend though found a job as an accountant in their hometown in Zhuhai.

At the time, they thought the epidemic would soon end and that Zhuhai and Hong Kong would be close enough for them to visit one another frequently.

The couple planned to get married in 2021, but were unable to do so because all the quarantine requirements just didn’t give them enough time to prepare.

Countless couples have been separated, and there were couples who had not met for three years as a result of China’s zero COVID-19 policy. A total of 49,331 cross-boundary marriages took place between China and Hong Kong in 2018, according to the survey.

In 2020, the number of cross-border marriages fell to 27,863 after the border closed.

Business in Hong Kong is also benefited by the border reopening between the mainland and Hong Kong, which has given the stock market, banking, and insurance sectors all new life.

Rao Songyi, the manager of AIA Hong Kong, said after the border reopened, there was a considerable surge in insurance.

“Number of insurance orders from mainland visitors in 2021 and 2022 fell by 90% compared to the pre-epidemic period without travel restrictions,

but now the border reopening has provided our industry a boost and recovery,” said Rao. The border reopening has brought Rao new clients from the mainland.

The border reopens is causing a revival in several sectors but a slow process, not only the insurance industry. Due to stringent preventive measures in Hong Kong and China, overall retail sales were revised downward by 1.1% year over year in 2022, investment market transactions fell to their lowest level in ten years, and real estate prices decreased, remaining unchanged from 2018.

When unemployment soars, there was a time when underemployment in important industries rose to 5.4%. Reasonable market expectations have been brought about by customs clearing, and the migration of people from the clearance with the mainland has revitalized the residential market. Unemployment and capital economic activity are both slowly improving. All sectors have high expectations.

According to the statistics from the Immigrant Department, there are an average of 110,000 arrivals and departures in inland ports since the border reopens on Feb. 6, along with a tendency of increasing in passenger traffic. As of Feb. 17, numbers of the arrivals and departures are 198,617 and 228,839 respectively.

In business areas like Tsim Sha Tsui, Lu Guo, 43, who has been the owner of a clothing shop for almost 18 years, said that a few weeks after the customs clearance, profits had instead dropped.

“It was nothing like what we had planned before we graduated.”

- Mark Shu Border control staff help passengers with their inquries.

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He said his tailor-made suit business was greatly benefited by Mainlanders of the Individual Visit Scheme, with an average of HK$400,000 per month in 2018, but is no more since the outbreak.

However, Lu still has high expectations for future profits. “I believe the increasing number of mainland tourists will boost my sales and I plan to increase my intake by 30% over 2022.” he said.

Cross-border students can now return to school and university in Hong Kong also have more renting options thanks to the border’s reopening. Students are returning to their pre-outbreak routines.

In the years after the epidemic, online education has become increasingly popular. Cross-border student’s parent Lily Wang said, “It affected their academic performance and deprived them of normal school life.”

According to a survey conducted by the Legislative councilor Chu Kwok-keung, it shows more than half of the parents of cross-border students have considered returning to the mainland for study if the border fails to reopen in this academic year.

Tien Pui-chen, a Hong Kong lawmaker, said to the media that he foresees that more restrictions will be canceled in an orderly way.

“The government will initiate complete border opening across the railway coverage. It also manages to hold a global publicity campaign to help HK get more business opportunities and promote full recovery,” - Tien Pui-chen

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Chan Yung Secondary School is a dream school for parents of cross-border students because of its convenient transportation and resources.

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CROSS-BORDER STUDENTS BACK TO HONG KONG FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS Reported by Kelly Chow, Nancy Runqing LI Edited by Dhuha Al-Zaidi

Travellers wait for security control guards to check their Covid-19 test reports outside Futian Port in mainland.

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arlier this February, Liao Wenjing, 16, went back to her school in Tin Shui Wai free of COVID-19 restrictions, save the face mask. As virus cases began to rise in Hong Kong during March last year, Liao was forced to return to her home in Shenzhen.

The thought of finally attending faceto-face lessons after over a year and a half excited Liao, who only slept for one hour that night and couldn’t stop dozing on the two-hour journey to school.

“I was pretty anxious the day before I

came back to school,” she said, “But I’m so happy. The first day of classes was so exciting.”

The State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism, the top COVID-19 task force in the country, announced on Feb 3 that it would fully reopen its borders with Hong Kong, without any need for further restrictions.

“Compared with the mountains of people before, the customs are less crowded now,” said Liao.

Last year, 26,971 students from the mainland enrolled to study in 825 schools in Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Education Bureau. The pandemic brought major disruption to their education.

Among them was 11-year-old student Huang Bangyu. After several months of booking a place in the daily quota to get to Hong Kong, and providing a negative Covid test before being granted entrance, Huang returned to a normal school routine after the new policy was implemented from Feb 6.

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“I was thrilled. Even my hands were trembling from excitement when I heard this news.”

- Liao Wenjing

At that time, most of the COVID-19 test spots opened at 8 am in Shenzhen, clashing with the school start time. For many cross-border students, PCR tests had to be conducted every day to meet the customs criteria.

The reopening of Lou Wu checkpoint near Liao’s home gives her enough time to complete her homework when she gets back, after often spending up to two-and-a-half hours through security after school.

“It was troublesome to have to conduct a nucleic-acid test everyday. But I have to do it, I need to go back to class,” said Huang.

Yoyo Wong, 30, resigned from her company in Hong Kong to become a stayat-home mother in Shenzhen after her child was born in 2019.

“COVID-19 report checking isn’t a practical policy at all,” said Cheng Jingjing, 30, a Hong Kong registered social worker for the International Social Service Hong Kong Branch, an NGO that provides help to cross-border students.

Her child starts kindergarten in Hong Kong this year. She said this is a financial burden on her family.

“Students arrived home late, and they still needed to go out for the PCR test.

How could they review their books and do their homework in the evening?,” she said.

Supporting services, such as the ‘Nanny buses’ which transport cross-border students from Shenzhen to Hong Kong, have been halted for three years due to the pandemic.

Instead of getting directly to school without going through the checkpoint, many students’ were late because of the customs procedures.

“The lines were too crowded and the customs checking processes took too much time,” said Huang.

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Under the previous policy, travellers had to provide a negative PCR test done within 48 hours. That cost Wong HK$150 each time she returned home.

In mainland China, a PCR test costs only ¥13.5 (approximately HK$16).

That meant Wong was unable to travel back to Shenzhen often.

Then there was the cost of textbooks and teaching materials for her child.

The school asked parents to order the books to be delivered to Shenzhen.

Wong has to pay expensive delivery fees three times over one school term for her child’s online lessons. The fees also increased during border closure.

Wong was overjoyed to learn that the border would reopen.

“I watched the live broadcast when the government announced it, my happi-

ness is indescribable,” she said, “We did not think that this day would come so fast.”

Liao agreed.

Chu Wai-lam, the principal of Fung Kai No.1 Primary School in Sheung Shui, which accepts cross-border students, said that online lessons for a long period of time had a negative impact on students’ social skills.

“Students might have felt lonely studying at home since they could not see their classmates in person, so they became shy and passive in learning,” said Chu. He added that online teaching was also detrimental to the students’ mental health.

The lack of access to WhatsApp in mainland China, a way in which students kept communication with each other during lockdown, made Liao drift with her friends.

“I felt like there was no hope,” she said.

“We didn’t have any idea when the border was going to reopen.”

Liao also struggled to complete online exams properly, which she said made her grades worsen.

“There were way more things to write through the exam device than my classmates,” she said, “but the time given was the same, and you have to make sure that the teacher knows which questions

Cross-border students take the train from Lok Ma Chau to Sheung Shui.

you are answering.”

But the support system from her teachers encouraged her. “My headteacher and class tutors are very generous. Being the only cross-border student, they all took care of me,” she said.

Chu hopes that the return of cross-border students in school means that teachers can help the students’ academic and social life, including their communication skills.

As a parent, Wong wishes that the easing of travel requirements can let her child rest more, or even participate in some extra-curricular activities.

“Cross-border students’ parents hope to let their children get better education in Hong Kong,” said Wong, “but some of them didn’t want to waste too much time on immigration clearance and decided to go back to mainland China.”

transport services for cross-border students in Man Kam To and Huanggang control points will resume soon, hopefully to bring back the once vibrant student campus.

Principal Chu is optimistic that the

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C A R E M E D I C A L

DOCTOR WORKLOAD SURGES AS CHINA EASES COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS Reported by Junzhen Jiang, Yuhan Wang Edited by Chengqi Mo

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The emergency centre is full of people while patients’ relatives sit beside them.

Patients with mild symptoms are lying in corridors. (Photo courtesy: Wang)

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C A R E M E D I C A L

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t 10 pm, Zhu Jianying just finished her rounds at Peking University People’s Hospital. After an 18-hour shift, she could finally take a rest and enjoy her dinner.

“The policy is based on the high rate of vaccination and low risk of being virulent,” said Li Bin, the vice chairman of the National Health Commission of China.

“I used to work from 8 am to 5 pm for the day shift, but now I have to spend twice as much time due to the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases since the government introduced a new policy,” said Zhu Jianying, 54, a respiratory physician.

“The new policy is an active optimization instead of ‘letting go’, ” he added.

China stuck to a strict zero-COVID policy for three years. Then on Jan. 8, Beijing decided to ease the restrictions and reopen the border. Daily PCR tests were cancelled and there were no more compulsory quarantines, or health codes that limited travel.

However, the daily number of positive cases surged under the new policy. In late December, cases peaked at 6.94 million per day. The highest positive rate of Dec. 25 reached 29.2%, according to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is a big challenge for doctors,” Zhu said. ”Apart from long working hours, many doctors have to work even when infected. The hospital required us to

continue working until our body temperature reached 38 degrees.”

Zhu said it was hard to concentrate on her work when she got COVID-19. She could only take a 10-minute rest to take medicine to relieve her headache for one day.

Yimi Research, a mainland medical platform, conducted a survey on 3,013 medical workers in December. It revealed that 60% of doctors and nurses continued to work even when they tested positive and 70% of those surveyed across China were infected with COVID-19 between Dec 20 and Dec 26.

“Some patients told me they felt energised from the medical worker’s dedication and perseverance, which encouraged them to recover from the disease.”

- Zhu Jianying At 9:30 pm, doctors from Peking University People’s Hospital are checking the condition of patients lying in the aisle.

Many hospitals are understaffed. Doctors from other departments were assigned to help in the emergency room which was full of COVID-19 patients.

“My work changed a lot when I started to face those COVID-19 patients in the ICU. Sometimes I feel anxious about my new task and don’t know if I could finish my work successfully,” said Wang Ge, 30, an eye doctor at Beijing Tongren Hospital.

To adapt to her new tasks in the ICU, Wang read her old textbook from university about respiratory problems. She also practised how to use a ventilator.

At 9:30 pm, doctors from Peking University People’s Hospital are checking the condition of patients lying in the aisle.

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“Even though I’ve been working here for a month, I still haven’t fully mastered how to use this machine,” Wang said.

When she first came to the front line, she was shocked by what she saw. Many patients were hooked on to ventilators and the whole centre, including the corridors, was swamped with patients.

“Most patients in the ICU are elderly as they don’t have a strong immune system and tend to have underlying diseases,” Wang added.

“The unpredictable change in the policy is a disaster for the elderly and their families,” she said.

Patients in Peking University People’s Hospital are being treated in the lobby of the emergency centre.

“90% percent of the COVID-19 deaths in mainland China were people 65 years old or older and the average age was 80.3 years,” said Jiao Yahui, the administrator of the National Health of Commission, according to Reuters.

nated, and hospitals lacked beds to accommodate such patients.

“The government should do more to protect the elderly in advance such as medicine preparations, additional wards and other measures to face the emergency,” Wang said.

He added that people knew little about the disease when the government eased the restrictions.

Gu Jinyu, 51, a retired accountant living in Beijing, lost her 81-year-old mother in the recent wave of COVID-19 in only 10 days.

“My mother suffered serious head disease for 10 years and the doctor said the Covid may aggravate the condition,” said Gu. After her mother’s death, Gu felt depressed and suspected if the government made a correct decision reliving the restrictions.

“Everything changed in one night and I didn’t even have time to prepare.”

“Our medical resources are limited, especially in the second and third-tier cities and rural areas,” said Wang.

Some patients with mild symptoms went to hospital and took up much needed medical resources.

Wang said a second wave of COVID-19 is expected between May and June 2023 based on the data from the government.

By then, he hopes the country will have more experience in handling the disease.

Three days before the Lunar Chinese New Year, Zhu received a message from the hospital that she didn’t need to work overtime anymore.

I felt cheerful. It seems I can have a great holiday,” she said.

On Jan. 23, one month after relaxing the Covid policy, the COVID-19 death toll fell to 896 per day. The amount of death has been decreasing, according to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wang Xiangdong, 50, a member of the Beijing High-level Public Health Talent Project, said China was not well prepared for the surge in infections after relaxing its relaxing its COVID-19 policy. Many elderly people were not vacciAn elderly lady rests in the aisle of a hospital (Photo Courtesy: Wang)

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BLOOD SHORTAGE CRISIS THREATENS PATIENTS IN CHINA Reported By Nicole Chu Edited by Annie Cheung

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n December, Jason Mo, a university student in Shanghai, received a text message while packing his bags to return home for his winter break.

“Due to the pandemic, there is a severe shortage of blood. We hope that you can roll up your sleeves and donate blood if you are in good health,” Mo read the text sent out by the government to millions of Chinese citizens.

It was the third time in a month he had received a text message urging him to donate blood, as did millions of people across China.

“I was willing to donate blood,” Mo said, “but I am worried it might weaken my immunity and make me more likely to get infected with COVID-19 virus.”

In January, China hit a peak of COVID-19 infections after easing most of the restrictions in December.

National infection rate reached about 64%, and the number of infected people was about 900 million, according to the National School of Development of Peking University.

Many blood banks across the country face severe blood shortage because the number of donors has dropped dramatically. With the national call for blood donations, many people are concerned about their health and have doubts about the blood donation policy.

Shandong Provincial Blood Center issued an emergency warning of low blood stocks, especially blood types A and O, and they only had enough supply to last three days, according to Shandong Radio and Television.

China has been facing major blood shortages since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Jiangsu Provincial Blood Center saw a 54% drop in blood donation compared with the same period last year, according to Jiangsu News.

“Now blood shortage is not a regional event, the whole country is facing this dilemma,” said Mary Wang, a nurse in the Qing Dao Blood Centre.

“Almost everyone who comes to donate blood is concerned about their health and asks how to recover their immunity rapidly especially in this time of Covid,” said Sun Hong, a volunteer at QingDao Blood Center.

“It would be more acceptable for me if I could only donate 200 ml,” said Amy Yang, 53, who just recovered from COVID-19. “However, now the donor centres always strongly recommend people to donate 400 ml each time, which may be a great burden on my body.”

“Blood is really in a shortage, even if they want to donate less, we will try our best to persuade them to donate more whether donors are just recovered or not,” She added.

A nurse in the Qing Dao Blood centre does a blood test for a donor. The centre sometimes gets only 20 blood donors a day.

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“In fact, we don’t have a clear rule on the amount of blood donated by patients who have just recovered,” Sun said. “Some people are afraid to be asked to donate too much blood then

their health will be affected, so they just don’t come.”

“There should be a clear standard for blood donated by those who have recovered from COVID-19,” said Ma Jun, director of the Harbin Institute of Blood Diseases.

“Generally, let them donate 200 millilitres, with a maximum of 300 millilitres, and not to 400 millilitres,” Ma said.

“They’re recovering, and antibody levels can be changing dramatically.”

There are also some people like Mike Lin, 37, who are not willing to donate blood because they are upset over government regulations on how blood is used.

“In China, donors’ blood are not paid but blood users have to pay for it.”

“It’s ridiculous that the government is trying to solve the blood shortage problem just by appealing,” Lin said.

“Allocating funds and giving subsidies to encourage blood donation should be a much more useful way in special times,” Lin added.

The Blood Donation Law of the People’s Republic of China shows when donating more than 1,000 ml blood, the donor can use unlimited blood for free.

“As long as my family members need blood, no matter what the previous promise was, I must go to donate blood again immediately.” - Mike Lin “I have already donated more than 1000 ml of blood in total,” Lin said. “But when my parents needed blood, the actual process was very difficult, filled with complicated procedures and constant delays.”

critically ill patients,” said Li Jianguo, a doctor in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. “If the operation is not particularly urgent, the hospital may postpone it but not all diseases can be delayed.”

“Blood stocks are too scarce in this critical period, so only when you bring the latest blood donation certificate to the hospital, will the hospital give your family blood to use,” Sun said.

“The delay of the treatment and even the demise of the patient’s life are immeasurable, ”Li said. “Eagering to solve the blood shortage problem at this difficult time, the government needs to consider all kinds of concerns of the people.”

“It will be difficult to persuade the masses to donate blood if the credit crisis of the fake promise when donating is not ruled out, ” Lin said.

The blood shortage has an impact on all kinds of surgery.

Mo said that two months later, after being infected and then completely recovering from the virus, he may go to donate blood again following the government’s call for donors.

“Blood banks across the country are struggling to ensure the use of blood for

“The blood shortage now is what matters,” Mo said. “Dispelling our doubts

with credible regulations and policies, providing encouragement with sincerity and money, then people’s enthusiasm for blood donation will improve.”

“It is not enough to simply urge everyone to show their love,” Mo said.

A major blood donation centre in China.

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CHENGDU CELEBRATES NEW YEAR WITH FIREWORKS DESPITE BAN Reported by Xiya Rui, Juncong Shuai Edited by Mollie Hib, Rajnandini Pandey

Firefighters confiscate fireworks at Yang Defan’s fireworks stall on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

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ate into the night on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the cracking of fireworks could be heard throughout Chengdu, even though pyrotechnics are supposed to have been banned for the past 20 years.

On the last night of the Lunar New Year, Hu Zonglin, 49, an officer at Chengdu Wenjiang Urban Management and Law Enforcement Authority, drove his family to a desolate estate on the fringe of the district.

The odour of sulphur became increasingly pungent as the car left the downtown area and the roads were dotted with the dusty remnants of firecracker explosions.

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After pulling over on an empty road, Hu grabbed a black plastic bag out of the trunk, which was filled with an assortment of fireworks. Despite working under urban regulations, Hu said that “the authorities have always turned a blind eye to such behaviour, especially on Chinese New Year’s Eve.” “You can tell that the Chinese New Year is much less interesting than before,” said Hu.

fireworks,” he added.

Chengdu, as well as many other cities in China, have banned fireworks and firecrackers for nearly two decades. Banning the explosives has been a subject of controversy due to constant policy changes influenced by the opinions of both authorities and residents.

“The thunderous sound of fireworks kept everyone awake at night when I was young.”

Regardless of the ban, sales and displays of fireworks continue secretly in the city. This year, with the sudden U-turn on the zero COVID-19 policy on Jan 18, many people were keen to set off fireworks to celebrate.

It’s a loss of traditional culture if people are totally prohibited from displaying

Earlier this month, Luo Ying, a deputy of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Con-

“You can tell that the Chinese New Year is much less interesting than before.”

- He Lan

gress, proposed at the 14th Provincial People’s Congress to lift the ban, allowing displays during a specified time.

“Lifting the ban could be a powerful antidepressant in the pandemic,” said Luo. in Chengdu started in 1994 because of a new year’s incident in Beijing the previous year, in which 544 people were injured by the explosives.

However, the gradual improvement in fire facilities and the fire resistance of buildings encouraged the government to loosen the regulations. In 2009, Chengdu residents in the major districts welcomed back a noisy Lunar New Year after 15 years.

Duan Lan, 40, a police officer in Wenjiang, said once the ban was lifted, police and firefighters became more vigilant.

search Institute, the number of enterprises producing fireworks and firecrackers in China shrank from about 70,000 in 2015 to less than 50,000 in 2022.

Yang Defan, 45, has been selling fireworks and firecrackers for more than five years. Nowadays, he also runs a small grocery store because solely depending on the regulated items can no longer support his livelihood.

“Several years ago, I could still do my business in the suburbs, but now I will be hunted by the police and firefighters wherever I sell fireworks or firecrackers,” Yang said.

Yang said that in recent years he would secretly sell the prohibited products during the Spring Festival for high

profits, sometimes earning him tens of thousands of yuan in just a few days.

“It’s not that risky if you are familiar with some police. They will notify you before they go on patrol,” said Yang.

This year the business is doing well, according to Yang, as fireworks and firecrackers stacked in his storefront were “always sold out within one hour.”

Yang’s stall is far from the city centre, but new customers would make the trip for the fireworks and firecrackers.

He Lan, one of Yang’s newest customers, hasn’t bought any fireworks and firecrackers for nearly ten years.

She said she wanted to try something “exciting” to welcome the new year.

“Lifting the ban actually brought us great pressure. The phone just rang all night reporting fire hazards caused by fireworks and firecrackers,” said Duan.

The relaxation of fireworks controls didn’t last long. In 2014, with concerns about poor air quality in Chengdu, the government decided to reintroduce the ban in the five main districts.

Other areas within the Chengdu Ring Expressway became restricted zones for fireworks and firecrackers soon after.

According to the Huaon Industrial Re-

Hu and his family members secretly set off fireworks on the street away from downtown.

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Hu and his family members secretly set off fireworks on the street away from downtown.

According to He, fireworks and firecrackers are used to expel inauspicious things such as diseases, accidents and starvation in Chinese traditional culture. “[Setting off fireworks and firecrackers] is a good sign of the recovery of our normal life, which had been at a standstill for the past three years,” said He. Although He wished that pyrotechnics could be used in celebrations again, the goods in the stall were confiscated by firefighters several times a day.

“The firefighters bring those fireworks back and will set them off themselves,” said Yang.

Kuang Liangyi, the deputy head of the Chengdu Municipal Ecology and Environmental Bureau, said at a media briefing on Nov 20 last year, that displaying fireworks and firecrackers will be prohibited in the entire city in 2023 to minimise particulate pollution.

To find solutions, some enterprises have begun to develop “urban fireworks” in

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in recent years, which are suitable for use in urban areas.

Li Fei, 34, a developer of a fireworks company in Chengdu, said the urban fireworks are as colourful as normal fireworks but there is less impact on surrounding urban residents and it is relatively safer to set off.

“Urban fireworks produce less noise and no combustion or dust after blasting, but they do not produce zero pollution, “ said Li. Li mentioned that the market is flooded with counterfeit urban fireworks, which may explain why the government hasn’t fully accepted such new products.

During the pandemic, a type of urban fireworks called “Gatling Gun” had circulated around social media, with a hashtag saying “use fireworks and firecrackers to drive out the COVID-19”.

Although the manufacturers claimed it was safe to hold the “Gatling Gun” while in use, an experiment conducted by firefighters warned that these fire-

works will severely burn the skin.

After New Year’s Eve, the city returned to silence. Hu collected the remaining fireworks and swept debris off the street.

“We hope the government can humanise the regulations on fireworks and firecrackers,” said Hu, “there should be a balance between traditional culture and modern society.”

HONG KONG PARKOUR PLAYERS FACE SAFETY AND PROMOTION ISSUES Reported by Marcus Lum Edited by Warren Leung

Chan Sung-yau, Founder of the Superadd-Parkour Association, sdemonstrates a hard parkour move, the “Kong Vault”.

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Chan Sung-yau, Founder of the Superadd-Parkour Association

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on Lo Zheng-zhong , 31, coach of the Hong Kong Parkour Association, stood on a curb in the park. With his bare eyes, he judged the distance to the opposite side of another curb, took a leap of faith without hesitation and landed with ease.

“Parkour could be done anywhere, as long as there are bars, fences or boxes that we can jump over. I usually do parkour and my coaching in parks,” Lo said.

Parkour is an extreme sport also known as “Art du Deplacement” or “Freerunning”. The idea is to travers environmental obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly and efficiently. There are no fixed rules and players use daily facilities in as obstacles or aides to run and jump.

Apart from safety concerns, breaking in parkour is also a contentious issue.

On Jan 10, three men aged 21 to 24 years were arrested by police for allegedly wilfully endangering public safety and causing public nuisance.

They posted a video of themselves riding on the top of a moving Light Rail carriage in Tuen Mun Light Rail Stop and scaling a construction cran. The video went viral on social media.

Lo does not agree with posting eye-catching videos of parkour as a way to promote the sport in Hong Kong.

“We don’t have to do parkour on roofs and dangerous places to train our skills,” Lo said. “We need to learn how to manage our risks in doing parkour.”

On the other hand, Lo believes that the men in the video who jumped on the roof are not totally wrong.

“Parkour players do not necessarily have to face death. Overcoming psychological fear and training our mentality is the main goal of parkour,” Lo said.

In August last year, a teenager fell to his death from the roof of a 17-storey building in Tsim Sha Tsui while practising parkour.

Lo and the parkour community feel regretful whenever a parkour accident occurs in Hong Kong and “would prepare themselves for the comments on online forum”. He believed there is a lot of misunderstanding about parkour.

Lo thinks that critics should be more objective on parkour players, and avoid premature judgement.

companions quit parkour after sustaining all sorts of injury or wanting to pursue other sports instead.

“They should analyse and understand the reason for the person’s action, reflect on it and how the action benefits the society,” he said.

“I understand their reason but I think this is a cool sport,” Chan said. “This motivates me to keep playing.”

In 2020, the International Gymnastics Federation had pushed for parkour to be included in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. However, parkour groups did not want to be listed as a gymnastics event. They do not want the International Olympic Committee to include parkour because they felt they were being bastardised by the International Gymnastics Federation.

“People may know that the training locations are dangerous, but not how much time and effort we put in,” - Lo Zheng-zhong.

Other than holding parkour competitions, The Gymnastics Association of Hong Kong, China also holds parkour elementary training courses for children aged 6-15 years from February to March.

However, Chan points out “there are only one to two schools which taught parkour in the past”. Now, there is none.

“The schools in Hong Kong do not give chances for students to learn this sport,” Chan said.

Chan thinks the government should promote parkour to the young people.

“People will understand this is actually a useful technique to learn,” said Chan.

“They can learn how to protect themselves while playing other sports.”

Another parkour player, Daniel Chan Sung-Yau, 32, founder of the Hong Kong Superadd-Parkour Association, also thinks holding competitions is not beneficial to the local parkour community, even though The Gymnastics Association of Hong Kong, China organised the Parkour Age Group Competition in March.

Chan thinks local parkour associations should work together to hold competitions.

“It will be better if we hold the competition, for the sake of the parkour community and Hong Kong people,” Chan said.

Chan thinks the reason why parkour in Hong Kong fails to gain popularity is that Hongkongers believe parkour is a rule-breaking sport.

“Hong Kong people are obedient. They don’t understand why we do parkour,” Chan said.

He lies to his parents every time when he goes out for parkour training since they object to such a dangerous sport.

Chan also faced loneliness when his

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A large gathering of bird photographers nearby Kat Hing Bridge direct their cameras towards the scaly-

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ENDANGERED WATER BIRD SPOTTED IN HK sided merganser on the opposite side of the stream on Feb. 7.

Reported by James Modesto Edited by Ming Min Aw Yong

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W I L D L I F E

A

routine morning bike ride at Tai Lam Country Park on 20 January turned into an unforgettable moment for birdwatcher John Chow Kwok-pun.

He spotted what he recognised as a female merganser bird at a stream near Kat Hing Bridge, but could not identify it at the time because the bird was diving and swimming in the reservoir.

“My first impression was that it was likely to be a female red-breasted merganser, a rare but regular species in Hong Kong,” said Chow.

“However, its presence in freshwater habitat raises suspicion that it may not be this species, but one of two that prefers freshwater habitat.”

Three days later, Chow returned to the bridge along with other bird watchers.

“I could see that the merganser has fine gray scales on the chest and flanks, ruling out red-breasted and common mergansers,” said Chow.

“The overall features fall within those of a scaly-sided merganser, a previously unrecorded species in Hong Kong.”

It turned out to be the first scaly-sided merganser ever spotted in Hong Kong.

It is an endangered duck species native to North Asia and the Russian Far East.

“The scaly-sided merganser, though first recorded in Hong Kong this year, has been recorded in the region and is considered a rare winter visitor to South China,” said Joyee Chan Longkwan, a fauna conservation officer at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

The large duck is endemic to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a major migratory route for over 50 million waterbirds, according to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, which includes the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society.

“Hong Kong is a major stopover point

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along the bird migration route. The wide variety of local habitats contribute to the diversity of the birds,” said Chan.

“I could only notice the white bird at first because it was much bigger,” said Saim.

The scaly-sided merganser is on the endangered list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“I thought that they had come there to only photograph that common egret bird.”

There are an estimated 3,600 to 6,800 of the birds worldwide and its population is decreasing, according to BirdLife International, a global network of non-governmental organisations specialising in bird conservation.

“One of the photographers was kind enough to show me an image of the bird they were photographing and even pointed in its direction,” said Rana.

The scaly-sided merganser primarily breeds in Northeast China, Southeast Russia and North Korea where they nest in tree holes near clear flowing rivers and streams.

During the non-breeding season, the merganser winters in Central and Southern China and South Korea, according to the EAAFP. The female scaly-sided merganser at Kat Hing Bridge was accompanied by a little egret, nicknamed “Lulu” by photographers.

And after half an hour of wading and diving, the merganser would perch on a nearby cluster of rocks to nap. “Lulu” almost never left her side.

Apart from the bond between the two waterbirds and attention they drew, observers have noticed that the merganser has a broken lower bill, exposing its tongue.

“Many experienced birders think the injury was caused by a fish hook that tore the bill apart,” said Chow.

“But luckily, it can still catch fish.”

“That also tells us something about how men affect nature,” he said.

The EAAFP established the Scaly-sided Merganser Task Force in 2010 with a goal to “restore the Scaly-sided Merganser to favourable conservation status and to remove it from the threatened categories of the IUCN Red List.”

But despite competing for fish, “Lulu” and the merganser were not violent towards each other.

“Knowing its low population, it makes me feel extremely lucky that this lovely duck can be in our Hong Kong,” said Chow.

“It is quite interesting to see the partnership of the little egret and the merganser,” said Chow.

It won’t be long before this single duck flies north to its breeding grounds. For now, the lone female favours the reservoir as her stopover location.

For passersby, many were curious as to why a huge gathering of photographers was present.

University student Ali Saim and avid mountain biker Nawang Rana were biking when they noticed a horde of photographers stationed at the edge of the stream near the bridge.

Saim, 19, and Rana, 22, got off their bikes to find out why.

E N D A N G E R E D

Tai Lam Country Park, a 5,412 hectare country park in the Western New Territories, is a hot spot for bird watchers.

B I R D

A close up of the scaly-sided merganser’s injured lower mandible, revealing its dangling tongue.

Hong Kong’s first scaly-sided merganser (left) was spotted in the Tai Lam Country Park this year. A little egret (right) seemed to partner up with the endangered bird.

The scaly-sided merganser attempts to dive under water.

The scaly-sided merganser and “Lulu” the little egret survey a stream in the park.

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