New Street Signs Stir Controversy

The calligraphic style of Wen Yue Type in Central

Some Hong Kong residents have taken pictures of recently installed street signs in a new font that has them riled up, and understandably so.

There are around 60 new street signs in three select locations that are, according to the Highways Department, a bid to beautify the city's streetscape.

The three districts are: the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier in Central, Tai Wai MTR station, and Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan.

Experts say the font hard to read for long periods

Called Wen Yue Type, the font inspired by the Ming dynasty, was designed by a mainland Chinese company that is meant to convey a sense of rhythm with its calligraphic features as it has thick and thin lines.

"The font aims to infuse a rich cultural ambience into the landscape and atmosphere of the community. It is well-proportioned, and its overall design is consistent with existing nameplates, effectively providing street information to the public," said a statement from the Highways Department to a media query.

Hong Kong currently uses the Avector Chinese TrueType Font (Hong Kong), which a design academic says may seem boring, but it's clear and straightforward.

Brian Kwok Sze-hang, associate professor at the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University says the new font is more decorative and that it "can be tiring to read for an extended period".

In addition he questioned how the font would infuse cultural ambience.

"When we talk about culture, it should be linked to the history of the city or neighbourhood. Changing the font on a street nameplate does not necessarily instil cultural awareness. While they may have selected a font to represent the culture, they have applied it to the wrong subject," Kwok said.

The current font is straightforward 

Meanwhile Gary Yau, founder of the Road Research Society, wondered if the new font had adequate traditional Chinese characters for some street names with advanced characters.

"I question whether this classic font, mainly applied in simplified Chinese, can truly represent Hong Kong's distinctive features," he said, noting there are fonts designed for Hong Kong that use traditional characters.

The Highways Department added there were no immediately plans to have the new street nameplate designs throughout the entire city. 

Then why do it? And why these three locations?

It's a mystery that has more nays than yeas.

Zipping to Japan

Zipair launches its Vancouver-Tokyo route in March

Hongkongers can't get enough of Japan, and people living in Vancouver can also take advantage of some cheap airfare to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Zipair is a subsidiary of Japan Airlines and it is offering flights from Vancouver to Tokyo Narita International Airport return from C$680 starting from March. That does not include checked-in luggage fees (C$73 each).

Most of the plane is filled with economy seats

Naturally all the flights for that month were booked up.

But there's a catch -- Zipair does not offer any food on the flight nor any entertainment. So if you're one who can sleep during most of the flight it's a pretty good deal. Someone joked there needs to be enough room to put all your carry-on food for the flight.

Most of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft will have mostly economy seats, but for a few hundred dollars more at C$1,100, you can pay for the "full flat seats" that can fully recline.

"Having a low-cost alternative, I think it's going to really drum up interest for inbound tourism into Japan," said David Tikkanen, head of the tourism marketing program at the BC Institute of Technology.

These seats fully recline for over C$1,100

"Hopefully, [the] Japanese market, they are going to want to come and check out Vancouver as well."

Indeed... we have cherry blossoms in the spring too!

Evergrande Must Liquidate in HK

Shares in Evergrande plunged following the liquidation order

Big corporate news today -- a Hong Kong court has ordered China Evergrande, the world's most indebted property developer, to go into liquidation after it still could not restructure the over US$300 billion it owed banks and bondholders.

Judge Linda Chan approved a petition by the creditors on Monday, though the Guangzhou-based company can still appeal. A provisional liquidator was to be named later on Monday.

"The hearing has lasted for one and a half years, and the company still has not been able to bring forward a concrete restructuring proposal" to restructure its US$328 billion in liabilities, Justice Chan said in her ruling. "I think it is the time for the court to say enough is enough."

Liquidation only affects Hong Kong operations

Following the liquidation order, shares in Evergrande group plunged. Evergrande Group fell 21 percent to 16.3 cents, Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group dropped 18 percent to 23 cents, and Evergrande Property Services Group Limited decreased 2.5 percent to 39 cents before trading in all three shares were halted.

Interestingly at the same time other Chinese developers' shares rose in Hong Kong, with Country Garden gaining 2.9 percent, and Sunac China Holdings jumping 4 percent. 

Evergrande CEO Shawn Siu told Chinese news outlet 21Jingji that the order only affects the Hong Kong-listed China Evergrande unit, and that the company feels "utmost regret" at the liquidation order.

He said Evergrande would strive to continue smooth operations and deliver properties to buyers. It has some 1,200 projects in different stages of progress, ranging from under construction to almost completed, according to its 2022 annual report.

It is unclear how the liquidation in Hong Kong will affect the company's operations in China. Lance Jiang, a partner at Ashurts LLP says the liquidators may have a challenge ahead.

Evergrande has over 1,200 projects in progress

"The market will pay close attention to what the liquidators can do after being appointed, especially whether they can achieve recognition from any of the three designated courts in the People's Republic of China under the 2021 Arrangement regarding Cooperation on Cross-border Insolvency Cases between the mainland and Hong Kong."

In any event, the provisional liquidators can now take over Evergrande's management and handle its affairs, including debt restructuring with creditors and taking control of its assets, books and records.

Creditors need to submit a proof of debt form to the liquidator, and staff of Evergrande Hong Kong can claim unpaid salaries and dues from the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund. 

While for many years real estate drove China's economic boom, developers borrowed heavily, leveraging projects to get more capital to the point where the total corporate, government and household debt was the equivalent of more than 300 percent of annual economic output, unusually high for a middle-income country.

The ruling in Hong Kong also shows creditors there can use the rule of law to force the company into liquidation, something which might be harder to do across the border...

Watery Weather Woes

The continuous downpour in Vancouver has been depressing

Since the massive snowfall ended last week, Vancouver has been soaking wet. It was great to have the rain help melt the snow away quickly, but now the endless rain is pretty depressing.

And this weekend Environment Canada has warned that heavy rainfall could cause flooding in parts of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Metro Vancouver.

The heaviest rainfall is expected between Sunday night and Monday.

Lots of snow paralysed parts of the city

Not only that, but warmer temperatures mean freezing levels will be higher. What would freeze at 2,000 metres, will now freeze at between 2,500 to 3,000 metres.

That means rain and now snow on local mountains. It was so bad that Mount Seymour had to close today (Saturday) because of weather, while on Grouse Mountain, lessons after 1pm were cancelled. Cypress Mountain was the only one fully open.

This year's ski season has been a washout. Literally.

On a bright note, yesterday I managed to get a walk in the forest without a drop of precipitation. However, about two hours later as forecasted, it began to rain and it has not let up since.

What a January! Freezing temperatures, massive snowfall and now a deluge of rain...

How to Lure Big Acts to Hong Kong?

Hong Kong wants more tourists to come, but how to entice?

Hong Kong is still figuring out how to lure more tourists into the city, and some seem to think getting big-name artists like Taylor Swift to perform will solve its problems.

While Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu supported the idea of trying to entice Swift to come to Hong Kong, he didn't seem keen to extend the invitation himself -- in case he got snubbed.

How about getting Taylor Swift to come?

"We will fight for that, but it is like asking someone to go on a date during the process," he said. "I can give them a call, but first it depends on whether they have time to talk to me and whether coming to Hong Kong is in line with their entire plans. We will continue to work hard."

So he doesn't want to stick his neck out like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who sent a Tweet to Swift: "It's me, hi. I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don't make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon."

After that Swifties were thrilled to hear a stop in Toronto was announced, and then later on Vancouver -- for the end of this year.

But for a supposedly international city, Hong Kong doesn't have massive venues to hold tens of thousands of people -- well not until the stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park is ready later this year and seats 50,000. That compares to Singapore's National Stadium which holds 5,000 more people.

Bigger venues like Kai Tak Sports Park needed

Venues aside, there's the national security law to contend with -- artists may not want to even begin to get entangled with the possibility of crossing that massive red line.

Meanwhile some experts suggest Hong Kong should have a mascot, an international ambassador to lure people to the city. 

What would this mascot look like and its name? One can imagine it could get very political...

Last year 34 million tourist arrivals were recorded, which is 65 percent of pre-Covid levels in 2019.

Lighting up Chinatown

There will be 16 of these neon signs installed

Vancouver's Chinatown looks brighter in the run-up to the Lunar New Year on February 10. Mayor Ken Sim unveiled a neon sign featuring a dragon that are being installed on the street lamp posts on East Pender Street between Main and Carrall streets.

In total there will be 16 of these neon signs just in time for the Year of the Dragon.

Mayor Sim unveiled the design for CNY

The initiative was from the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, which began planning this idea two years ago. 

"Chinatown used to be famous for its neon signs and its unique designs. And it really is an homage to the past. Even though it took all that time to get here, it's appropriate that it comes out at the start of the new Year of the Dragon," said Jordan Eng, president of the Vancouver Chinatown BIA.

He hopes the signs will stay up for at least six months, and possibly remain a permanent fixture.

"It'd be nice to have something on a more permanent basis, just because of the amount of time it takes to produce and go through the process to get it certified, and all the engineering effort that goes into it to get it to where we finally installed it," Eng said.

The Lunar New Year will be celebrated in Chinatown on Sunday, February 11 with a multicultural parade through the area. Places like the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden and the Chinese Canadian Museum will have various workshops and demonstrations, from lion dances and calligraphy lessons, wood block prints and street food.

East Pender Street with neon dragon signs

Here's to hoping these new light fixtures not only hark back to Chinatown's glory days, but also inspire people to come back to the neighbourhood more often.

Picture of the Day: Ice Sculpture

A sculptural orphaned piece of ice left over from snowstorm

Hard to believe the massive snowstorm was a week ago. It's been raining pretty much continuously since last Friday and the vast majority of snow is gone save for a few bits here and there.

This one I spotted seems like a sculpture a la Henry Moore, or Georgia O'Keefe with her studies of bones...

Review: Island in Between

Chiang examines his relationship with his homeland

The Oscar nominations are out today and there were the usual suspects with Oppenheimer garnering 13 nominations, Poor Things with 11, and Killers of the Flower Moon, 10.

I have a soft spot for The Holdovers, with Paul Giamatti for Best Actor and Da'Vine Joy Randolph for Best Supporting Actress. 

Another is the Hayao Miyazaki full-length animated feature The Boy and the Heron, a science-fiction tale about life and death, and the choices you make in life.

Chiang moved back to Taipei

Barbie is a tough one... there was outrage from Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling that director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie were not nominated. It's a tough call. The film made US$1 billion at the box office, but is it Oscar worthy?

I did not see any of the nominated full-length documentaries, but in the short docs I just watched Island in Between. It's about Kinmen, an island that is between China and Taiwan.

Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang presents a historical but also personal look at Kinmen. After the Kuomintang fled to Taiwan after their defeat in the Chinese civil war in 1949, they used Kinmen as a buffer, a first line of defense, and men who did military service, like Chiang's father, were posted there. 

Chiang also talks about how his family immigrated to the United States, but then a few years ago, during the pandemic, he moved back to Taipei, Taiwan to be closer to his parents. In the film it seems like he is also trying to figure out his relationship with not only Taiwan but also Kinmen, what he is doing there and what the future holds.

While there is mention of the cross-strait tensions, Island in Between also shows the slow pace of Kinmen, from people buying food from outdoor stalls to two women chatting in a salon about how the pandemic has made it difficult to go back to China.

He looks at Kinmen and its role in Taiwan

Chiang also goes beyond the China (bad), Taiwan (good) storyline, that the lines between them were blurred when Taiwanese could visit China and vice versa. 

He talks about how he feels like a child caught between a three-way custody battle between the US, China and Taiwan that Chiang describes as "hostile, co-dependent, manipulative". "They all think they know what's best for me. They don't care what I want," he says.

His reflections about Taiwan and himself aren't just a single voice -- his observations and questions on what will happen next is on the minds of all Taiwanese especially following the recent presidential election. 

Watch it here: http://tinyurl.com/4kutvp8v

Freezing Temperatures in HK

Frost was spotted at Tai Mo Shan, which was at -2.4 degrees

One thing I don't miss in Hong Kong is the cold temperatures during winter.

It would be colder inside than outside, and there's only so much hot water you can drink to keep warm.

Today Hong Kong recorded temperatures down to 6 degrees Celsius, and up on the city's highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, there was frost on the trees and shrubs where it was -2.4 degrees Celsius.

The city recorded 6 degrees Celsius today

Remember back in January 2016 when some 100 people went to Tai Mo Shan to see frost and then were stranded on the mountain and some 300 firefighters had to rescue them?

This time the roads going to and from Tai Mo Shan were closed at midnight due to cold weather.

"I hope citizens can consider whether they have the ability or equipment to chase frost as this poses a huge risk to themselves and a huge challenge to the firefighters, said Jerry Nip Yuen-fung, chairman of the Fire Services Department Staff General Association.

"These people affect society greatly if they persist without thinking through the consequences."

Instead of finding frost, best to try to stay warm with layers and sit next to a heater...

Picture of the Day: Bearish Bear Market

Screen shot from Bloomberg of the Hang Seng Index today

This graph is somewhat alarming -- the Hang Seng Index falling below 15,000 points today.

It's now at the same level as it was during the handover in 1997. The Hang Seng Index has lost almost 13 percent this year in the market's worst start to a year since 2016. 

"It's capitulation," said Dickie Wong, executive director at Kingston Securities. "No matter what the central bank does, it will not change the fact that foreign investors have zero confidence in this market now."

Yikes.

Part of the bearish market is due to China refusing to stimulate the economy by pumping money into it, while its property market is still struggling.

The trading session has just ended, with the markets closing at 14,951.70.

Not a good Monday...

Star Power at HK Marathon

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon was back this Sunday Hong Kong time, and on my social media feeds I saw many people I know who participated, either in the full marathon, half or 10K.

Known for hiking almost daily, actor Chow Yun-fat ran in the half marathon and completed it in 2 hours and 26 minutes -- not bad for a 68 year old.

"I felt very comfortable in general, but there were some sections of the route that were slightly challenging due to the inclines," Chow said. "I had to be patient and take it slow."

He is already aiming to cut his time to 2 hours and 15 minutes in next year's race.

"There were a lot of people and the vibe was very nice. I'm happy to see a lot of senior residents running with me. I encourage Hongkongers to do more exercise," he said.

It must have been a shocker to see Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po lace up and actually run -- in the 2K Leaders' Cup. Interestingly his bib number was "852".

The route was from the Wan Chai Sports Ground to Victoria Park, and Chan came in second, after business tycoon Peter Woo Kwong-ching.

Is 2K the best Chan can do? What about Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung getting out and pounding the pavement?

Only Good News in Hong Kong

Lee tells journos to tell more good stories about Hong Kong

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is telling journalists to tell "good Hong Kong stories" to counter what he called "slanders and attacks" from the West.

He said this in Mandarin during an event held by the pro-establishment Hong Kong Federation of Journalists. During his speech Lee claimed politicians and journalists from the West were "time and again targeting Hong Kong by fabricating lies, spreading false narratives, slandering Hong Kong, and intentionally speaking of Hong Kong like a place with no freedom."

"In the face of these immoral people, Hong Kong's journalists should all the more unite, take the initiative and be professional," Lee said.

"[Journalists] should tell good stories of Hong Kong's special advantages, international business environment and captivating nature at our doorstep... to counter the slander and attacks aimed at Hong Kong," he added.

Let's see...

This week the Hang Seng Index fell below 16,000 points, well below what it was in 1997;

Property prices have fallen to its lowest in seven years;

The city's press freedom has plummeted to 140 out of 180 regions by Reporters Without Borders;

Hong Kong's birth rate is one of the lowest in the world;

But the good news:

More mainlanders are settling in Hong Kong;

It's fun to go shopping in Shenzhen;

Someone has a chance of winning HK$38 million in the Mark 6 Jackpot;

The MTR has new eight-car trains that are being put into service.

We try to tell the good news, if the government had some...

Sheepish on Charging for Garbage in HK

Residents will be charged for their garbage in August now

Hong Kong was going to finally implement its municipal waste-charging scheme on April 1, but apparently the public is still unsure about how it all works and so it will be delayed by another four months to August.

The public's lack of understanding is apparently the fault of the Environment Bureau and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has asked the bureau to work harder on how to educate people on how to dispose of their waste properly.

Shouldn't that have been done ages ago? Or did the bureau -- and by extension the government -- assume everyone knows what they're supposed to do?

There are nine different sized garbage bags

From August, Hong Kong residents can't just throw their garbage into random plastic bags -- they must use designated ones that they can buy at supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies. They come in nine different sizes and the cost of these bags will pay for handling the trash in the landfill.

The scheme is in the hopes that people will find it expensive to pay for their trash to be processed so they will be incentivised to reduce their waste by recycling paper, plastic, and glass, or even do the dirty deed of separating their food waste and disposing of it in a special food waste bin.

But does the government have enough capacity to handle so much recycling? And does the general public know what can and cannot be recycled? 

The current state of awareness of separating waste is horrendous just by looking at the garbage boxes on the street with several different slots for paper, plastic and metal. Many people just randomly throw their garbage into any slot! More education should have been done ages ago.

Do people even know how to use this properly?

Nevertheless the fact that the new garbage scheme will be delayed another four months is pathetic -- why not start it anyway in residential areas because there is a six-month grace period? People will learn very quickly on how to use the bags and reduce their waste by recycling. There will be growing pains, but people learn by doing.

For restaurants there has to be a way for them to collect and dispose of it efficiently. Simon Wong is the honorary chairman of the Institute of Dining Professionals and says sorting out food waste means restaurants will have to hire more staff to do this when it's already hard enough to find dishwashers.

There is also the valid concern about preventing mosquitoes and food odours when dealing with food waste.

Restaurants don't have the time or energy to take out food waste and dispose of it elsewhere. The government has to make it easy for them to do this.

Sadly it seems the officials who thought of this waste-charging scheme don't have any idea how to put this in practice because they don't even do this at home! Someone else takes out the garbage for them so they have no inkling of what is involved. Have they ever separated their garbage and taken it to recycling spots? If only they knew... 

Snow Day in Vancouver

Trees covered in snow made for a beautiful sight today

We were warned ahead of time there would be a big snowstorm starting at midnight on Wednesday and the weather forecast was correct. Late in the evening Vancouver started to get a dusting of snow that continued for hours and hours... 

This morning we woke up to the white stuff -- a lot of it. 

Vancouver got a record 28cm today

Schools, including post-secondary ones closed for the day, much to the thrill of students. Today was the start of Dine Out Vancouver, where restaurants offer set meals at discounted prices. But the terrible road conditions caused some restaurants to close for the day, while some shops and museums closed early.

Around 9am I went out to start shovelling the snow off the sidewalks around our house and there was over 20cm accumulated already. It was tough going because the snow was already so thick and still coming down fast. 

Today we got a total of 28cm, a record for January 17, smashing the 1962 record of 13.5cm!

After I managed to clear both sidewalks and walkways to our home, I was dismayed to find there was already a light layer of snow covering the area I had just shovelled earlier.

So about an hour later I went out again, and after lunch, and one more time in the late afternoon with the shovel. By that time it was much easier to clear the walkways, but it had to be done to prevent it from accumulating too much.

By late afternoon the snow stopped falling for a bit and I tried to go out for a walk. Some neighbours did shovel the snow, doing an even better job than me, while others completely neglected this chore and it was difficult to walk at times. 

A smiling Henry Moore-like snow sculpture

Nearby is a park and it was nice to see young children having fun tobogganing down the slope, or making snowmen. One of them looked like a Henry Moore statue. It was quite a sight to see snow on the tree branches creating a beautiful scene.

The park is next to a main road and it was mostly cleared of snow, though the dirt from the cars had already turned the snow on the street into an ugly brown slush.

And tomorrow's weather will not be pretty -- tonight the temperature drops below zero, causing everything to freeze into ice, and then in the early evening on Thursday there will be freezing rain at 1 degree Celsius.

Already some post-secondary schools have cancelled classes again tomorrow. Better safe than sorry.

2,000 CCTV Cameras Watching Hong Kong

Cheuk says cameras to be placed in high-flow areas of people

Hong Kong is getting the surveillance treatment, with 2,000 CCTV cameras that will be installed around the city this year.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing made the announcement, explaining the CCTV cameras will help deter crimes even though he says Hong Kong is a safe city.

"The surveillance cameras will be installed in places with a high flow of people and places evaluated as high risk by officers. But the cameras may not be put there permanently; if needed, they may be moved to other places too," he said.

"This can also improve governance at the district level. If someone wants to commit a crime, can they dodge so many surveillance cameras?"

Cheuk sayd another 600 cameras will be installed by mid-2024.

He added that while he understands some people may have privacy concerns, Cheuk's reasoning is that there are other cities with more CCTV cameras than Hong Kong.

So apparently hiring more police officers isn't enough to make the city safer so they need several hundred "electronic eyes" to watch for anything suspicious going on... 

Hongkongers Swarm Costco

Massive crowds waited over an hour to get into Costco

Costco has just opened its first location in southern China in Shenzhen, and on the first day, it was overwhelmed mostly with shoppers from Hong Kong. The pictures of the massive queue of people made the Hong Kong news.

'

The most popular items? Boxes of 30 strawberries for 95.90 yuan (US$13.50), 2.5kg of Chilean cherries at 249.90 yuan, and a box of 30 eggs for 1880 yuan.

Many shoppers bought boxes of strawberries

Also a good deal was the two-piece of hard-sided Samsonite luggage at 769.90 yuan at Costco, which costs between HK$1,888 and HK$1,980 in Hong Kong. The luggage was snapped up within minutes of the store opening and would be very useful carrying purchases later.

Another popular item was a giant stuffed Disney teddy bear called Lotso from the animated movie Toy Story. 

Shoppers who were interviewed all said they would come back probably once a month because of the good deals. One reported they enjoyed the shopping experience on the mainland compared to Hong Kong, saying it was "livelier"... does that mean shopping in their hometown is depressing?!

Did it ever occur to the Hong Kong government that it should try to lure Costco or Sam's Club to set up shop in the city? Or its hands are tied because billionaires like Li Ka-shing would threaten to retaliate if it did?

Giant Lotso from Toy Story was also a big seller

Either way Hong Kong is losing out on its status as a shopping mecca...

Vancouver's Unusual Deep Freeze

Patches of ice in this running stream in the forest

Since Thursday, Metro Vancouver has been in a deep freeze, with temperatures well below zero not only overnight, but during the day as well.

The snow on the roads disappeared somehow, resulting in the city experiencing a dry cold winter. It was so cold that people were skating on some local ponds.

To walk outside, one has to seriously bundle up with a toque, scarf, puffy jacket, long johns, sweater, socks and boots. Oh yes and gloves too. Anyone wearing less than that would be considered mad, like the guy I saw this afternoon wearing shorts.

In the early afternoon there was a weather alert to say the arctic outflow warning had ended, and that warmer temperatures were coming. 

That means tomorrow's temperature will be a high of -2 degrees Celsius during the day, and -6 degrees at night.

Whoohoo!

On Tuesday things get interesting with the possibility of snow in the afternoon or evening until Wednesday morning and then it will warm up to 6 degrees!

And then rest of the week will be raining... back to regular Vancouver weather...

Taiwanese Vote for Self-Determination in DPP Win

Lai of the DPP will be the next President of Taiwan

Before the Taiwan election on January 13, the People's Republic of China had warned voters to "make the right choice", and the Taiwanese heard it loud and clear -- re-elect the Democratic Progressive Party back into office, this time with Tsai Ing-wen's deputy Lai Ching-te as the next leader of the island.

Lai won about 40 percent of the vote, followed by the Kuomintang's Hou Yu-ih at 33 percent, and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party with 26 percent.

Although votes still need to be counted, Lai will become the next President of Taiwan, though the DPP may not have full control of the legislature with a projected 51 seats out of 113, while the KMT is expected to have 52 seats, eight for the TPP.

KMT is projected to have more seats in parliament

Nevertheless, the third consecutive win for the DPP shows the island is keen on standing its own ground and does not want to be usurped by Communist China, particularly by force. 

There are concerns former KMT president Ma Ying-jeou should not have said that Xi Jinping should be trusted, which may have turned off voters; but after the Taiwanese had front-row seats watching what happened to Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020 with the imposition of the national security law, they don't want the same thing to happen to them.

Meanwhile Hongkongers wistfully looked to Taiwan and watched its residents able to freely exercise their right to vote, and wondered if the city would ever achieve universal suffrage.

Lai is 64 years old and a former doctor turned politician, whose party is pushing for self-determination, social justice and rejection of China's threats. 

However, Beijing painted Lai as a stubborn "Taiwan independence worker", a "destroyer of cross-strait peace", and potentially a "creator of a dangerous war". 

Taiwan has over 19 million eligible voters

Nevertheless, Lai took a less radical approach during his campaign, saying Taiwan did not need formal independence, and in his victory speech said he would seek "cooperation with China", following the path of of his predecessor Tsai. 

This seems to have appealed to voters, much to the chagrin of Beijing, which does not seem to understand how it is perceived on the island.

It's a well-known trend that the older generations are generally more supportive of the KMT, as they were the ones who moved to Taiwan after 1949 and want to see some kind of reunification. However, the younger generation voters identify themselves as Taiwanese. They are well aware of the existential threat that Beijing imposes, but they do not align themselves with China.

Beijing will have to recalibrate its response to the election results as Lai is signalling his willingness to have some kind of balanced approach to cross-straits relations. Constant threats by China have had the opposite effect and made the Taiwanese more interested in controlling their fate the best they can. 

Picture of the Day: Cold-temperature Walk

This morning was a lovely but very cold day!

Yesterday was a beautiful winter day in Vancouver, blue skies and radiant sunshine that so many were in disbelief when it started to snow around 2pm.

I was watching the four-hour documentary I reviewed in the previous post so when we emerged from the theatre at 5pm, it was dark and there was snow on the ground.

Even though there was only 2cm of snow on the ground, it was somewhat perilous driving home. My relative and I went south on Granville Street and turned right onto 12th Avenue going west. Not long afterwards our car began to slide which left us unsettled and drove in silence. And the car in front of us had just bumped into the one in front of it.

To avoid further traffic woes, my relative dropped me off and I walked a short distance back home. 

An invigorating walk in the forest

It was already dinnertime when I got back so we ate and after washing up, I put on some warm clothes and headed outside to shovel the sidewalk. But the snow had already stuck to the concrete so I tried to remove as much as I could and threw salt on it in the hopes it would melt somewhat.

Overnight it was -12 degrees Celsius.

This morning was a beautifully sunny day, but highs of -8 degrees!

After breakfast I bundled up again wearing long johns and fleece-lined waterproof trousers along with sweater, scarf, puffy jacket, hat and gloves, and headed out for a walk. The roads were very quiet with students at school and some people opted to stay home to work. I headed to Pacific Spirit Park and enjoyed hearing the crunch of the snow under my boots. 

I did a 52-minute walk and my face was very cold. I stopped around half way to take sips of hot water from my thermos and it warmed my face and throat up right away. My only complaint was that I wished I had worn mittens, but after a while my hands warmed up nicely. I saw a Chinese couple not wearing gloves and wondered why they didn't wear any. The woman was rubbing her hands constantly...

When I got back home my cheeks were ruddy red! Next time wearing a mask would keep my face warmer!

Tonight it's -14 degrees, and tomorrow's high is -6 degrees! It won't be 1 degree until Tuesday!

Review: Menus-Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros

Michel (left) discusses a dish tasting with son Cesar (right) 

In February 2019 chef Michel Troisgros came to Hong Kong to cook at Epure restaurant in Harbour City. He brought his younger son Leo, who at the time together with his brother Cesar looked after their restaurant, Le Bois Sans Feuilles (The Forest without Leaves) in Ouches, in Loire, France.

The family is famous, with four generations of chefs starting with Jean-Baptiste Troisgros in 1930 in Roanne, and in 2017 his grandson Michel moved the restaurant to the countryside in Ouches where they also have a boutique hotel on the property.

The restaurant, which has changed names several times, received its first Michelin star in 1956, and has three stars every year since 1968. This is quite the feat for any restaurant, let alone a family.

Michel and Leo (left) in Hong Kong in 2019

Michel and Leo cooked a delightful lunch for Hong Kong media, and we marvelled at how simple the dishes looked, but were full of flavour and elegance. 

So when the documentary Menus-Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros came out, I had to watch it -- even though it was four hours long!

Director Frederick Wiseman has created a gem of a film, capturing the sights and sounds (though sadly not the smells) of how this three Michelin-starred restaurant runs. There is no narration or captions to explain anything -- we are a fly on the wall and get translated subtitles.

Structurally the documentary starts off with buying ingredients in the market and receiving goods from suppliers. The chefs take them into the kitchen and break them down, from ribs and filleting turbot, to tempering chocolate and preparing the numerous garnishes that need to be used while plating dishes.

Michel goes over the menus with his sons. Cesar looks after Le Bois Sans Feuilles, while Leo has moved to La Colline du Colombier, a more casual place. 

From there we watch the wait staff get a quick rundown of the menu and the guests with their preferences, while it is interesting to see the restaurant wants to address any kind of harassment of any staff working there, though nothing more is reported.

Cooking crayfish before shelling them

But it looks like everything is moving smoothly, the dishes are quickly prepared and carried out, and we watch the guests marvel at the food and wine. It is fascinating to see how the French appreciate the art around them, from the culinary arts to the interior decor and art on the walls. A male guest remarks to Michel's wife Marie-Pierre about how she had made the place lived in with the decoration she chose.

Then there are visits to a cow farm to understand how they are raised, and learn when goats begin lactating to make cheese, there's a visit to a fromager or cheesemaker, but at this point I began to nod off, as his voice was monotone and they were looking at endless wheels of cheese!

While there is no visit to a winery, we watch a wine tasting take place, and a beekeeper checking up on the industrious insects making honey.

We also visit Leo at La Colline du Colombier, which is a much tighter operation, where several people help with wrapping dumplings and plating desserts, but when it comes to service, it's only a handful of people cooking the dishes. He also has a food truck making gourmet sandwiches and panna cotta that draws a long queue.

Two pastry chefs preparing the desserts

Most interesting was watching Michel in the kitchen, teaching the staff with a firm hand. One cook prepares veal's brains incorrectly. He doesn't severely scold him, but tries to teach him through his mistakes -- which means reading the recipe very carefully before going ahead. In other words, drain the blood first before poaching them otherwise it coagulates...

Michel also tries a new dish by Cesar that has Sriracha in it, along with passion fruit. After a bite, Michel says it has too much Sriracha in it, and takes another bite, adding his tongue is burning. But he doesn't stop eating. Cesar and another chef think it's fine, but Michel says that's because you're just having a bite, which is funny, because the father continues eating the dish even though he claims his mouth is on fire, but loves that the passion fruit flavour comes through.

Menus-Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros unfortunately doesn't give more context, and we as viewers have to hang on what Michel tells his guests to get snippets of the restaurant, how his sons are taking over, but that is he still has the final say, and that the dishes on the menu are constantly evolving.

Nevertheless, it's a fascinating look at what makes a three Michelin-starred restaurant and probably for most people, a greater appreciation for what goes into making your meal a divine experience.

Menus Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros

Directed by Frederick Wiseman

240 minutes

Barely Recruiting Hong Kong's Finest

The force is actively looking for applicants at home and abroad

The Hong Kong Police Force is still desperate for recruits, despite dangling very good salaries and benefits. It's now gotten to the point where the force has lowered its requirements to make it easier to get more applicants.

It happened last May, when height and weight minimums were scrapped. Previously men had to have a minimum height of 163cm and 50kg, and 152cm and 42kg for women. They could also wear corrective lenses.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung gave an update on the recruitment situation in the Legislative Council on January 10.

Tang gave an update at the Legislative Council

He said: "The Hong Kong Police Force has been adopting proactive recruitment strategies to attract high calibre candidates who have the competence to become a police officer, the affection for the Motherland and Hong Kong, and the passion to serve the public so that the force can continue to demonstrate its professional capability and maintain Hong Kong as one of the safest cities in the world."

While he says there has been no change in the language requirements of all police officers (should read, write and speak fluent Cantonese), the force has developed its own Chinese and English proficiency test "to suit the police officers' practical needs in communication and comprehension when performing their day-to-day duties".

What were the results?

On December 31, 2023, Tang says 87 applicants took the General Chinese Test, and 623 the General English Test, and 14 took both.

University recruitment poster in China

"The passing rates for the General Chinese Test and the General English Test were 49.4 percent, and 27.6 percent respectively," he said.

Those rates don't really bode well for the force or Hong Kong.

In addition, Tang says the force is recruiting applicants on the mainland, specifically looking for Hongkongers studying in China with 23 successfully hired, as well as students in overseas cities like London, Toronto and Sydney, where 40 who joined the HKPF.

"It is the HKPF's initial plan to resume publicity and recruitment campaigns overseas later this year," he said.

Good luck Mr Tang.