Episode 92

In this episode, Mr. Algernon Yau, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, is interviewed about the economic and trade co-operation opportunities between Hong Kong and the the Gulf Cooperation Council member states. We will find out how Hong Kong has enhanced investor protection after signing agreements on investment promotion and protection with many countries in the Middle East. We will also review the visits of the Chief Executive and officials to the Middle East, such as the Secretary's attendance at the World Government Summit in Dubai last year, and share with the audience how they have demonstrated Hong Kong's advantages as an international financial centre through outbound activities and expanding economic and trade networks, etc, so as to assist enterprises in grasping the opportunities arising from the diversified economic restructuring in the Middle East, focusing on the potential of technological co-operation between the two places and deepening the Middle East network, in order to promote mutual benefits and win-win situations.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum is presenting the exhibition, “Comic Fun for All: The Magic of Hong Kong Comedy Comics”. From the perspective of comic artists, exhibits related to humorous Hong Kong comics from different eras are displayed, including manuscripts, comic books, theme products, art installations, and even multimedia projects.

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has established the Honours and Awards System to give recognition to persons who have made an outstanding contribution to Hong Kong and rendered devoted social service. They contribute to society in different sectors and set exemplary examples, striving to build a more prosperous, harmonious and successful Hong Kong for us all. In this episode, five honours recipients are invited to share about their concept and meaning of giving back to society, namely Professor LEE Chack-fan, who actively promotes Chinese cultural heritage and has made exemplary contributions to the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong; Doctor LI Kwok-tung, who has made exemplary contributions to the development of primary healthcare service in Hong Kong; Mr FUNG Hau-chung, who has actively assisted the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council in developing suitable strategies for effective implementation of the new regulatory regime for the accounting profession; Professor SHUM Harry, who has introduced a number of highly representative I&T enterprises and influential technology funds to set up their businesses in Hong Kong; and Mr CHAN Hiu-fung, a solicitor who promotes Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre. Director: KWOK Wing-yan

Naturalist Steve Backshall and a team of dive experts embark on an expedition to Mexico’s Eastern Pacific. Steve joins forces with renowned shark scientist Mauricio Hoyos to dive the largest marine protected area in North America – the Revillagigedo National Park. Here, they hope to witness some of the richest marine life on the planet – whale sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks and giant manta rays are known to gather here in huge numbers. From the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, the team travels over 700 kilometres into the open ocean. Their goal is to dive unexplored areas of the remote volcanic island of Clarion to discover where shark pups are born. Shark populations are crashing globally as they are targeted by the illegal shark fin trade. Sharks are slow breeders – some species only have a few young at a time and they take a long time to reach maturity. When commercial fishing boats catch one shark – it’s not just one life lost – it can be a whole generation. If Steve and Mauricio can discover where shark mothers give birth, they can help protect a new generation of these ocean giants.

An annual mega event for the scientific community, the Future Science Prize Award Ceremony, was successfully held on 3 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Three grand prizes (Life Science Prize, Physical Science Prize, and Mathematics and Computer Science Prize) were awarded to four scientists from Mainland China respectively: Professor DENG Hongkui, Professor ZHANG Tao, Professor LI Yadong, and Professor SUN Binyong. As in previous years, the Award Ceremony came with the Future Science Prize Week (30 October to 3 November). The 5-day Prize Week gathered elites in the scientific community from around the world and included events such as the Science Symposiums, Science and Technology Forum, and Asian Young Scientist Fellowship Annual Conference. The highlight of the events was a speech on “Acid Catalysis” by Professor Benjamin LIST, the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2021. In order to popularise science at all levels and inspire young people, the organiser specially held the “Dialogue with the Youth” seminar, in which the four award-winning scientists had close interaction with Hong Kong secondary students from different schools. Their sharing of personal learning experiences and scientific research journeys brought the Prize Week to a perfect close.

SHUM Pui-yung showed her passion for ballet since a young age, and it had been her dream to take dancing as her career. Yet, she chose to study English at the university, discontinuing her study of ballet. College life did not extinguish Pui-yung’s passion for dancing. On the contrary, she was even being teased by schoolmates, saying that her major was actually the “Dance Society”. During her time at the university, she had experienced more diverse forms in dancing, which helped her better understand herself. Later she furthered her study at London Contemporary Dance School, determined to develop her career in the arts of dancing. However, once again, she had to struggle to make her choice, as she graduated at the time when the pandemic of the century was raging. The divinity of dance cast the spell again to keep the destined Pui yung. Beating more than 800 candidates, she was selected to join Akram Khan Campany, and played an important role in “Jungle Book Reimagined”. After touring around the world for dancing performances, Pui-yung felt that she needed to change and introspect. Waving goodbye to the playful and exciting life of a wanderer, she returned to her hometown Hong Kong to search for her own rhythm in life. Producer: Maurice LAI

If it’s May, as any Francophile will know, it must be time for the annual Le French May Arts Festival. We’ll be bringing you highlights of the festival in coming weeks but today we’re starting with something that many consider a quintessential part of any French meal: wine and spirits. Later, violinist Kenneth Li will be with us to tell us about an upcoming concert taking place at a distillery in Quarry Bay. In April, The Works featured the Picasso exhibition at M+ which is curated as a conversation between works by Picasso and the museum’s collection of works by Asian artists. One of the artists whose works are shown alongside those of the Spanish master is Sin Wai Kin. To mark the 100th anniversary of artist Ha Bik-chuen’s birth, Parasite is currently presenting an exhibition focused on his printmaking practice. Ha used to describe his collagraph plates, plates to which materials had been glued or sealed to make prints, “motherboards”. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ha created over 100 of these “motherboards” and produced over 3,000 collagraphs.

At NEOM, the land of the future in northwest Saudi Arabia, a new global adventure sport destination is emerging and in 2024, the NEOM Beach Games brought together the world’s finest athletes in six disciplines for a true celebration of sport, resilience, and human achievement. Following an exciting summer of Olympic action, the 3rd edition of the NEOM Beach Games promised a thrilling line-up of athletes in six international sports events: with supertri NEOM; FIBA 3x3 World Tour NEOM; NEOM IFSC Masters, a speed and boulder climbing competition; NEOM Beach Soccer Cup; NEOM TITAN Desert - mountain biking race; and the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup NEOM.

Dim sum is a favourite delicacy of many Hong Kong people. While bamboo steamer is an irreplaceable secret of preserving the original flavour of dim sum, steamer making technique has even been inscribed onto the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong. Master LUI Ming, now 93, has been working with dedication in the bamboo steamer industry for more than 70 years. He earned his reputation in the market with his skilled craftsmanship and innovative products. Realising that the protruding slip of a traditional steamer was easily damaged when cleaning, Master LUI improved the slip with stainless steel to make the steamer more durable. However, due to the migration of local industrial operations to the Mainland, the handmade bamboo steamer industry in Hong Kong has gradually shrunk, and the craftsmanship has found no inheritors. Fortunately, Master LUI’s craftsmanship is given a new life in another form of art. Young artist Inkgo LAM, who hopes to integrate traditional craftsmanship into contemporary art, met Master LUI in an intangible cultural heritage inheritance programme. They collaborated to create a bamboo steamer in the shape of the Big Buddha. For a bamboo artist, in addition to creation, maintenance of the works is also important. Bamboo, the main material used in the works, is a natural material that is easily worn out. In addition, as the artist has to repair the works in accordance with the damages, more meticulous skills are needed and thus making it more challenging than creating a new art piece. Inkgo likes to use bamboo in her creations, and hopes to show different features of bamboo in her works. Therefore, she combines bamboo art with contemporary art in her solo exhibition, so that visitors can appreciate various characteristics of bamboo while savouring the artistic enjoyment. She also organises bamboo steamer workshops to let the public better understand this traditional craftsmanship. Bamboo craftsmen from two different generations are as resilient as bamboo, with unswerving determination to pass down the bamboo artistry. Producer: TSANG Chor-sun