Hong Kong has been gripped by protests for over half the year, and with just a few days left before the new year dawns, it’s hard to find any sign that anything is going to change any time soon. Young people and students remain at the forefront of this wave of activism. Early this month Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressed concern about students and teachers taking part in the protests. Around 2,400 students from 300 secondary schools have been arrested. That represents roughly 40% of the total. Teachers also figure prominently among the arrested and the Education Bureau is taking a tough stance. With me is Ip Kin-yuen, the legislator representing the education constituency and Vice-president of Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union. We did invite pro-China lawmakers to join our discussion but they declined. As 2019 comes to close the police have arrested over 6,100 people and remanded over 1,600 in connection with the ongoing protests. Just 17% or so of those arrested have been charged. According to official figures, as of the end of September, Hong Kong’s prisons contained 5,739 inmates. So, given the size of the prison population and the potential for it to swelled as a result of this large number of arrests there’s a very real possibility of a severe strain on Hong Kong's correctional services. More than six months of protests in Hong Kong has had consequences that stretch far beyond the demonstrations themselves. For example, there’s been an upsurge in all kinds of civil society activities, changes in spending behaviour, altered relationships within families and between friends, increasing distrust of law enforcement, and greater pressures on both the judiciary and the notion of “One Country, Two Systems”.

As the anti-extradition bill movement continues unabated, a new phenomenon appears in the medical profession: demonstrators avoiding privacy leaks are afraid to reveal their true medical conditions. They’re worried medics with a different political stance, might sell-out their personal information. Thus many are afraid to see a doctor even if they’re injured or unwell. Through the experiences of the wounded and medics are revealed doctor-patient relationships under white terror.

In the old days, popular entertainment in Hong Kong was closely related to traditional customs and practice, often part of celebrations of birthdays or deities or festivals. Most of the entertainment took place outdoors, or even on the streets and in the markets. Dragon dances, lion dances, outdoor Cantonese opera, martial arts displays … all were sometimes part of the vibrant “tai tat tei” or flea market culture. That nostalgic ambience is currently being brought to life again in a project called “Mobile Theatre: The Happy Poor Guys”. 28 pop-up performances in different outdoor locations around Hong Kong bring back memories of the now disappeared markets. Artists David Jasper Wong and Lam King Ting specialise in printmaking, especially in using historical printing techniques. In 2015, the pair set up a workshop called Marble, Print & Clay. Now in its second edition, the workshop’s exhibition, “Why Print 2”, running in Sham Shui Po until 19th January, features works by 18 local and overseas artists. December 16th or thereabouts this year – there is some uncertainty - is the 250th anniversary of the birth, in the city of Bonn, of Ludwig van Beethoven. In celebration, the maestro’s work is being highlighted all around the world throughout the year. Germany, in particular, is going all out for the anniversary, with more than 700 events planned. Here in Hong Kong, as one part of the celebration, Beethoven’s music is highlighted in an upcoming concert organised by Premiere Performances. The Finnish pianist and composer, Olli Mustonen, is one of today’s foremost interpreters of Beethoven’s work. The programme includes 12 Variations on the Russian Dance and the Appassionata sonata, as well as two of Mustonen’s own compositions, one of them “Taivaanvalot”, in its Asian premiere.

When it comes to pole dance, some may think of debauched nightclubs, smoking hot strippers, and some may even consider it a pornographic and unpresentable acrobatic display. In fact, it is easier said than done to pose and perform alluring moves on a pole. Not only must the dancer have sufficient muscle strength to hold a bodily posture, but a flexible physique is also required to pose beautifully and gracefully. Narlton, a 25-year-old pole dancing instructor, likes to integrate acrobatic elements into pole dance and challenge the limits of both muscle strength and somatic flexibility. Narlton opened his own dancing studio in January this year and began to promote pole dance as a form of exercise. There have been more and more advocates fighting to make pole dance an Olympic sport in recent years in the choreographic circle around the globe, while the international competitions of pole dance growing more sizeable. Narlton points out that the scoring criteria of such competitions are standardised, similar to those of the gymnastic competitions in the Olympic Games. Narlton went to Japan in April this year to participate in an international competition, during which not only did he win a prize, but he also noticed that all others prize winners were members of national teams. He was the only person who joined on an individual basis, where the staff were also surprised that he did not have a Hong Kong team uniform. This experience is etched in his memory, and it also drives him to set his mind in promoting pole dance with a view to having a Hong Kong pole dance team in the future. The 22-year-old Leon believes that pole dance is a form of performance art that shall not be limited to females. He says he likes to transcend beyond conventional boundaries. He is fully aware that ordinary people would be startled to see a man pole dancing, and some may even frown upon such idea. However, he wants to challenge people’s comfort zone and allow everyone to introspect through his dance, so that people can understand neither genders shall be prejudiced. Yet, in a rather conservative city like Hong Kong where the market of pole dance is still small, Leon does not have many opportunities to perform. Leon targets to go beyond Hong Kong and get invited to teach pole dance around the world, but fame is the first thing he needs if such target is to be achieved. Therefore, he resolved to participate in an international competition called Mr Pole Dance, in Sydney, Australia in June 2016, and went head to head with elite dancers from around the globe for the zenith. As pole dance is a form of performance art as well as an exercise, why can’t it be promoted? Symone, an Australian pole dancing instructor who was raised in Hong Kong, has been teaching pole gymnastics to children since a few years back. Her youngest student is only seven years old, and the sprightly energetic students of hers act like monkeys on the pole and indulge in an exhilarating mood every time they come to her class. Symone points out that, most of her current students are foreigners. She hopes that parents in Hong Kong will gradually recognise pole dance as an interest activity after school.

"Without fairy tales, the world would not be real." This is a story about the Taiwanese Don Quixote. "First mile Kid's Smile" is a public art project founded by a group of top Taiwanese art workers. The aim is to bring the top theater from Taipei to children from the entire 368 districts of Taiwan. Admissions of the shows are free of charge. It is a very big project. Giant outdoor stages need to be set up; actors and materials need to be transported from Taipei. To remain art in its pure form, the project accepts no funding from the government or political parties. All money comes from public donations only. The concept and hard works moves private enterprises, celebrities and citizens to donate; actors and production crews volunteer to participate. They all want to be "Tai Quixote" and make contributions to their people and land. This documentary is a record of Taiwan citizens go hand-in-hand to fight for a better world. It is also a fairy tale that comes true.

“We only live once and we all have our dreams. There are dreams that we can spend our lifetime to chase and there are dreams that can only be fulfilled in a certain period of time ,,, as the chance only comes once every 4 years. Hong Kong fencer CHEUNG Siu-lun began to represent Hong Kong in international competitions since 2007. In his first Asian Games, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, he made history by winning the silver medal in the individual foil and earned his fame. His was in his best form when preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, but unfortunately his injury prevented him from being selected. Perhaps, an outstanding athlete should be born with the never-say-die spirit. CHEUNG came back from injury after almost a year and regained his top form quickly. In his second Asian Games, the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, he took a bronze medal in the foil team competition. Four years have passed in a blink, and CHEUNG is now in his 30s. With two Asian Games under his belt, a CHEUNG hopes that he can finish his athlete career after the Asian Games this year and put a perfect end to it. Unfortunately, he loses in the selection process and his dreams are shattered. Yet, after the setback, he gets his gold medal in the Asian Fencing Championships and stands on the highest point of the podium. CHEUNG decides to postpone his retirement plan and his target is to make the top 20 in world ranking. He also hopes that he can help the team to be ranked number one in Asia and participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 27-year-old Janet WONG works full time as an assistant engineer. She began to discover that she was good in sports during her primary school days: dancing, judo and volleyball, she was an all-around athlete. She was the ace of the long-distance running team in her secondary school, winning each and every competition. At that time, Janet realized that she might really be talented in long-distance running. Unfortunately, even though she is talented, the lack of proper training and the schoolwork in university cause a setback in her performance. It was not until Janet met her coach (Mr. WONG) and received proper long-distance running training that the passion of running in her heart was really ignited. She is currently ranked top 8 in Hong Kong in 10km distance run. At this moment, Janet sets her goal clearly, and she is now preparing proactively for the Nagoya Marathon next March. Her ultimate dream is to represent Hong Kong in the Asian Games Marathon four years from now.

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Learning Community Award: Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence - Certificate of Merit (2015/2016) (Curriculum Leadership) School: Fanling Kau Yan College Awardees: Cheung Po-che; Tam Oi-mei, Amy; Poon Suk-kwan; Lai Suk-han, Jennifer; Wong Wah-chun In 2012, Fanling Kau Yan College decided to carry out a large-scale curriculum reform and introduce a teaching practice which promotes “self-directed learning” across the entire school. The school sent its teachers abroad and to mainland China for professional exchanges. Implemented step by step over the past six years, the teaching practice has been adopted by every class level and every subject at school. The teaching practice is developed upon the concept of “pre-lesson enquiry.”. Teachers would prepare materials summarizing the key ideas of each lesson for students’ preview. Students will then conduct discussions and share their thoughts on the materials during the lesson. To encourage peer learning, students would be divided into groups of four with mixed abilities and personalities. The student with higher ability will be assigned the role of team leader and lead the discussion. The school firmly believes that with a concerted effort, teachers can better address the differences in learning ability among students and elevate the overall effectiveness of learning and teaching. Making every student successful is their ultimate goal. Producer: Lai Yick-ho, Leo Assistant Producer: Lau Yuen-fan, Elsie

The existence of a civil justice system enables individuals and corporations to effectively enforce their legal rights. If the system becomes inaccessible to segments of society, whether because of expense, incomprehensibility or otherwise, will people be deprived of justice? After the founder had passed away, Wo Him Tong was inherited by a pair of brothers. However, the brothers held vastly different views on how the shop should be operated. Since the brothers failed to reach consensus, Leung-him paid his brother a sum of money for him to start a new business and keep aloof from the operation of Wo Him Tong. Several years have passed and Wo Him Tong has been closed. Leung-wo files a lawsuit in court claiming half of the proceeds from selling the property; Mrs CHENG’s baby suffered from cerebral palsy and had inflexible limbs due to obstructed labour when she gave birth by natural childbirth. Feeling deeply aggrieved, Mrs CHENG decides to take legal actions and claim compensation from Doctor MAK. The two parties find Doctor SUNG to be their mediator, who will try to help them reach a settlement agreement through the eyes of a third party.

It has now been over 70 years since the end of the World War II, yet traces of the war in Hong Kong remain unattended by the majority in town, examples are military in terms of onshore batteries, pillboxes, fortresses and trenches. Producer: Yoko Pang Assistant Producer: Jessica Chan