The Covid-19 virus has swept across the world with no end in sight. Because of uncertainties over testing in some countries, the full impact of the virus is uncertain, however it is widely estimated that there are now more than half a million cases worldwide, causing more than 24,000 deaths. Many countries have declared a state of emergency or imposed lockdowns. Governments have poured money into relief packages to save businesses and markets, and to help laid off workers. This week, The Pulse reports from New York City, London, and one of the worst-affected areas in Northern Italy: Lombardy.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected most areas of our lives for the worse, including education. Teachers have had to do their best to adapt teaching materials for online learning. Some students are finding it hard to concentrate at home or learn in online classes. The enforced separation has had more effect in some areas than others, particularly in those that involve manual skills or communal activity: for example, performing in an orchestral or chamber music setting, or on stage. And then there are other forms of art such as sculpture and ceramics. News about Covid-19 and its effects on us and our societies is ever-present. It’s not surprising then that the arts are also reflecting on it. At the Blindspot Gallery, Beijing-based artist Jiang Zhi’s latest exhibition is inspired by the pandemic and by recent social upheavals. The exhibition “Can I Become Better?” includes a new series of figurative works that he says are also a personal response to the question “Can the world become better?” Pianist Jacqueline Leung is known for her classical repertoire, but she’s also passionate about bridging the gap between the classical repertoire and other musical forms. In 2017, she released her debut album “In Sunshine or in Shadow”. She’s here right now to introduce her newest album of music, this one inspired by a golden era of New York.

As the novel coronavirus swept across the world in the middle of March, Hong Kong experienced a new wave of local infections from a surge of imported cases. Since early February, Eastern Hospital has received a large number of cases from local infection clusters, including the so-called hotpot family and patients who had visited the same Buddhist hall in North Point. Since February, Hong Kong Connection has been documenting the coronavirus battle at Eastern Hospital. How did the medical staff across all levels of the hospital deal with their challenges? Hong Kong Connection has been documenting the coronavirus battle at Eastern Hospital. How did they respond to the sudden crisis brought by the coronavirus?

“Getting sold down the river” and “Old Man from San Fran” were used to describe the Cantonese people who travelled overseas to be mine and railroad workers during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China period. Taishan’s coastal location and deep-water port makes it a natural gateway to faraway lands, leading successive generations of Taishanese to seek livelihoods away from their ancestral home. Taishan is China’s first overseas Chinese hometown. There are over 1.3 million overseas Chinese of Taishanese descent around the world, a number which exceeds the local population. There is actually a Taishanese village in Hong Kong – San Wai Fuk Hing Lane Village in Yuen Long, which was established more than a century ago. Thomas Yeung grew up there and saw the changes that the village has undergone first-hand. Although the blue brick house that he lived in as a child is now a Western-style villa, he has managed to preserve his clan’s genealogy book which has over 100 years of history. William Chan is Thomas Yeung’s primary school classmate and friend. His grandfather opened the only grocery store in the village – Overseas Chinese Store has borne witness to the changes within the village. Initially solely patronised by villagers, it became the canteen for construction workers when the highway was being built. Nowadays, however, it is much more convenient to go into town, leaving the store deserted. It has also been relocated from the market plaza to an inconspicuous spot next to the Chan family’s ancestral residence. William Chan has persisted with running the store to fulfil his promise to his late father of “continuing to provide a place for neighbourhood residents to get together”. Like many other Taishanese, William Chan and Thomas Yeung have both worked abroad. The former went to Africa when he was 45 to manage a car factory for 17 years, climbing the corporate ladder at the cost of missing his sons’ childhoods. Meanwhile, the latter worked in Europe for a few years before returning to Hong Kong as he was unable to adapt to the local life. They both say that the Taishanese of today do not necessarily have to work abroad, because there are many opportunities for development in Hong Kong and the mainland, offering them a plethora of options. Regardless of this, the Taishanese people’s sentimental ties to their hometown remains unchanged. The number of fortified towers which stand in the city are a testament to this. The overseas Chinese remitted money back to their ancestral home, contributing to its prosperity. Subsequently, the residents built fortified towers to protect their home from thieves. The two men are now leading semi-retired lives and go back to their ancestral home when they are free to drive their cares away. Returning to one’s place of origin is not just a habit of the elderly. Thirty-something Kenny used to go to his mother’s hometown (Zhongshan) with her to visit relatives as a child, and always thought that this was his ancestral home. It was not until he was in his 20s that he learnt that his roots originate in Taishan. His wife and mother-in-law (both of Shundenese descent), as well as his mother, all have their own ancestral residences, but why does he not? Consequently, he joined Hong Kong Federation of Tai Shan Association in hopes of finding his ancestral home. His family has lived in Hong Kong since his grandfather’s generation, with both Kenny and his father being born here. As his father lost interest in searching for his roots long ago, Kenny is tackling the task on his own. In a cruel twist of fate, he discovers that his grandfather had been using a fake name, making his already difficult search an even greater challenge. Will he be able to find his roots in the end? Everyone has an ancestral home. Whether it has withstood the ages or vanished without a trace, the search for it serves as a cure for homesickness.

Wonton noodles took root in Hong Kong after being cultivated from Guangzhou and is subsequently developed into shrimp wonton noodles, becoming a local signature dish that almost everyone in Hong Kong has tasted it. Being full of memories of different people, wonton noodles also has witnessed changes of Hong Kong society as it was first served by street hawkers, later in food stalls, then in noodle shops today. Nowadays, wonton noodles of various noodle shops look similar but taste differently. For example, one in Yuen Long sticks with his grandfather’s recipe in 1940’s to inherit the fruit of the older generation. Meanwhile, there is someone trying to find the taste of wonton noodles served by his grandfather back then. Sparing no effort to reproduce the taste of childhood, he has not only grilled flatfish for the soup base by himself, also studied the notes left by his grandfather to make bamboo pole noodles which is disappearing and replaced by machine-made noodles. Though traditional tastes can link people with the past, there are also people who want to enrich the food culture with a distinctive taste that shrimps are replaced by tunas which are caught in a sustainable way, to attract younger generations. Producer: Yuen Kit-ling

From the 1950’s to 1970’s, Hong Kong literature entered a golden age of great glory. In 1949, with the founding of New China, many literati and writers came south to Hong Kong, forming a platform for expression of public opinions by the leftists and the rightists, and showcasing the blossoming local literary community. In the early 1950’s, “Chinese Student Weekly”, an important publication for young people, appeared in the history of Hong Kong literature, and it had a profound impact on the young people at that time. “New Wave Art and Culture” advocated modernist literature and believed that literature should not be influenced by politics. In the mid 1950’s, there was a number of “Hong Kong Pulp Fictions” published in Hong Kong, and people also said that it was a “Fiction Era” at that time. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the newspaper industry in Hong Kong was booming, and many literati published their work and commentaries in the columns of newspaper supplement. Mainland literati LIU Yi-chang and CAO Juren were among the leaders and their lives of “selling their literatures” were also recorded in their work. In the early 1970’s, the local consciousness of Hong Kong literature began to rise. Many writers used with Hong Kong as the theme of their work, making the Hong Kong literary world in the 1970’s full of local flavour.

Crime Alert - Financial intermediaries scam

"West Kowloon Cultural District in the Making 2019” – With the infrastructure projects of the West Kowloon Cultural District gradually reaching completion, various educational work and guided tours have been launched in the District, including guided tours for secondary school students to enjoy Cantonese Opera performances, masterclasses, curators training programmes, etc. This series will review and assess the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Deaflympics, unsual it might sound, are important international sporting events for deaf athletes held every four years. The 23th Deaflympics held in Samsun, Turkey in 2017 were not broadcast to audience in Hong Kong. However, through this documentary you might relive the experiences and dreams of two hearing-impaired Hong Kong athletes, who participated in this tournament. As a Taekwondo bronze medalist at two previous Deaflympics, Chow Chun-kin is Hong Kong’s biggest hope to win a medal at the 23th Deaflympics. Once he said, “Taekwondo is the only thing that gives me the meaning of life.” However, he had had his worst performance due to enormous pressure. In order to fufill his instructor’s last win, Silver Wu took over the position of the Chairman of Hong Kong Sports Association of the Deaf (HKSAD). Silver was determined to change the destiny of deaf athletes by biding for the Deaflympics 2019. After a year’s hard work, he finally confirmed that the Asia Pacific Deaf Games 2019 would be hosted by Hong Kong. However, due to the recent social situation, unfortunately it was cancelled. Making the voices of Hong Kong deaf athletes heard is the dream of Silver and Kin.

WU Guanzhong had visited Hong Kong many times before his passing and had 60 years of indissoluble bond with Hong Kong. ------------------------------------------------------------------- In the 1950’s, WU completed his study in France and caught a glimpse of the Pearl of the Orient when he returned to China via Hong Kong. In the 1980’s, China launched reform and opening-up. Meanwhile, the world discovered and appreciated WU via Hong Kong. In the 1990’s, he visited Hong Kong again to paint the local life and urban scenery, leaving traces of the era. In 2002, he revisited Victoria Harbour to sketch in public, with the purpose to demonstrate and pass on to students his techniques and how he captures “life” in paintings. In the final stage of his life, WU donated many of his precious works to Hong Kong, such that Hong Kong could continue to serve as a window for the world to have a glimpse of his artistic mind. This episode appreciates plenty of WU Guanzhong’s paintings which feature the streets of Hong Kong. Together with his “City Night” which features the bustling city show us how WU had captured the “life” of Hong Kong. -------------------------------------------------------------------