Taste of Northern Chinese Spice

The eatery is known for its multicoloured dumplings

Last week two acquaintances and I were going to eat dinner in a Hong Kong-style restaurant in downtown Vancouver, but when we got there, we were surprised to find it was closed! The restaurant had just changed its operating hours, but the chef-owner didn't update the website.

So we walked a couple of blocks to the Robson Public Market, where there is a well known Chinese eatery called Nine Dumplings or 九个饺子. 

Fish fillets submerged in dried chillis

I hadn't been there since the late 1980s when a high school classmate's father ran a French bakery franchise. At dinner time on a weekday the place was pretty dead, except for this northern Chinese eatery. 

The chef-owner Yue Shen wasn't there, except a middle-aged woman who seemed overwhelmed with orders. At first she told us to come back another day and then changed her mind and asked us to wait about 15 minutes for her to clear the backlog of orders she had.

We patiently waited at the last food court table available when my friend went up to order some food. Nine Dumplings is best known for its multi-coloured dumplings, dyed with natural food colouring like spinach for green, squid ink for black, and butterfly pea flower for blue. 

The dumplings are popular, but it's the other dishes my friend ordered which were next level -- 水煮鱼 shui zhu yu, or spicy boiled fish, and 凉皮, liangpi or spicy "cold noodle" salad, that are typical northern Chinese dishes.

Refreshing salad of cold noodles with cucumbers

The fish arrived in a giant bowl covered in dried chillis with Sichuan peppercorns and pieces of fish fillets that were perfectly cooked. This dish seduces you because at first it doesn't seem too spicy so you eat another piece of fish and your mouth gets a bit spicier and tingling, but after another few bites you are hooked and eat more. Soon your mouth is on fire and like watching a car crash in slow motion, you can't help but look, and in this case, your chopsticks still continue to poke around for more spicy fish.

Meanwhile the liang pi is served cold and perfect for hot summer days. The springy noodle is made from flour and water, steamed and then sliced into thick rectangles. They are combined with chilli sauce, sliced cucumber, peanuts and sesame seeds, and a few dried chillis for good measure.

The cooling effect of the noodles counteract the spiciness, making it a more balanced dish compared to the fish one. Eating these two dishes made me feel like I was back in Beijing!

The owner Yue Shen came by and chatted with us, saying he had opened a small eatery in City Square on Cambie Street. He said business there was quiet and we asked what to eat there. Salted caramel ice cream he said with a smile!

We were intrigued and will have to stop by there sometime!

Nine Dumplings

204 - 1610 Robson Street

Vancouver, BC

(778) 246 1199

Hong Kong's Triple Medal Haul

Cheung is the third man to win gold in men's foil back-to-back

It's only Day 3 of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Hong Kong has done extremely well with two golds and one bronze already.

World number one fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai won the first gold on the first day of the Summer Games in the individual epee and those Hongkongers who stayed up in the wee hours to witness her victory were thrilled to bits.

"I'm really thankful, I'm really grateful," Kong, 30, said. "I'm just so lucky... in fencing anything can happen, and I love all the girls here, and I just can't believe it's me."

Fencer Kong celebrates her first gold in epee

Last time in 2021 during the Tokyo Games, Kong reached the quarterfinals, the first woman fencer from Hong Kong to do so.

This is her third Olympics and Kong beat a French competitor for gold.

"I lost a bit of focus [in the final] from the start and was distracted a bit thinking the home crowd would be really disappointed if I win," Kong said. "It's a dream for me to play at the Grand Palais and I am grateful for the presence of all the fans, even if they might not want me to win.

"There were no spectators in Tokyo after all, and I am touched when the volunteers, knowing that I am playing their home fencer, would still greet and cheer for me beforehand."

Today swimming sensation Siobhan Haughey also excited Hongkongers with a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle, with Australia taking gold and silver. This is Haughey's third Olympic medal, the first Hongkonger to have this many medals.

And she rallied her teammates to keep going.

Swimmer Haughey with her bronze medal today

"Hong Kong is doing really well at these Olympics and this is just the beginning," Haughey said. "We have a long Olympics journey and I am sure other Hong Kong athletes will do well. A lot of us are in top finals or around the top four fighting for medals. I hope we keep the momentum going."

Indeed soon after fencer Cheung Ka-long successfully defended his gold medal in Tokyo with another gold in men's foil. He is the third man to win back-to-back gold medals in men's foil, the last athlete to do this was in 1956.

Cheung says he won the medal for his dad, who was in the stands watching.

"I'm very happy that my dad came to see me and I could give him a birthday present -- his birthday is in July," he said. 

Review: Mui Ngo Gai Offers Singaporean and Vietnamese Dishes

Interesting decor choice for this Singaporean/Vietnamese place

On Thursday an acquaintance invited me to check out a relatively new restaurant on Kingsway near Victoria Drive called Mui Ngo Gai, which serves Singaporean and Vietnamese dishes. Walking in was a bit jarring because the decor was very western, with a colour palette of burgundy and teal, floral murals on the walls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. 

A white guy in a tank top came in looking for a cheap bowl of pho and was frustrated he couldn't get one and walked out, while another group of non-Asians also left when they didn't understand the restaurant concept.

Grilled eggplant with tomato and shrimp

It's interesting Mui Ngo Gai offers these two different cuisines pretty much equally and in this western-style interior, where the wait staff wear uniforms that make them look like flight attendants.

Flipping through the menu you are overwhelmed by how many dishes there are; some are carefully explained, while others assume diners know what they are. The menu has lots of pictures which helps see what's in the dishes, but in some ways makes it harder to decide what to eat.

My friend likes to sample food so we were over ambitious when we ordered and probably lucky for us, one that we wanted wasn't available, so we ordered four dishes. Since we requested so much food, the waitress suggested we change tables, and we moved from the back of the restaurant to the front, by the window with banquette seating.

First to arrive was our only Vietnamese dish, grilled eggplant with prawn (C$25) that was presented on a very pretty plate and the eggplant looked like a fish, its flesh (alternating pieces of shrimp and tomato) covered in a tomato sauce. The eggplant was delicious and didn't need the prawns, or tomatoes for that matter. 

A bowl of congee with frog legs and dried chillis

Next came two small claypots, one with "porridge" or congee, the other was a black concoction with frog legs and dried chillis (C$23). We were instructed to put some porridge in our bowls and then add the frog legs and mix together before eating. 

The frog legs were delicious, very tender and had a spicy kick. Because everything was covered in a black sauce (not explained in the menu) that I didn't know I had bitten into a chilli. I had to order another glass of sour sop to douse the metaphorical flames burning in my mouth.

We also had a plate of lady fingers fried with sambal (C$25) that were on the stringy side even though they were sliced lengthwise -- they could have been poached first. 

By this point we were pretty full when a giant pot arrived with our fish head curry (C$68)! It was a big head of a snapper, but it was unrecognisable except for a giant pectoral fin hanging off the bowl. The curry had pieces of more okra and eggplant in there. Again the okra could have been chopped up instead of in whole pieces.

Fish head curry with eggplant and lady fingers

The fish head actually didn't have that much meat and sadly was a bit overcooked. Nevertheless the sauce was pretty appetising; we used roti prata (C$5) to mop up the sauce, but it was a bit too buttery for our taste.

Our waitress explained the restaurant didn't have desserts available yet (even though they were printed on the menu), but we were much too stuffed to try any; she also suggested next time we try the chilli crab, which sounded tempting!

Perhaps Mui Ngo Gai is trying to make Southeast Asian food more upscale with this kind of decor and service. The food almost matches this ambition, though the crockery used is very inconsistent. Nevertheless we hope to be back!

Mui Ngo Gai

2052 Kingsway

Vancouver, BC

(604) 876 8885

Eating Local at Farmer's Market

Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries on sale today

This afternoon I checked out the farmer's market at Riley Park, next to Nat Bailey Stadium where the Vancouver Canadians play baseball. I hadn't been to this farmer's market for decades and was keen to see what the different stalls had.

I managed to get a parking spot in the community centre connected to Hillcrest Park, where there is a library, swimming pool, ice rink and playground.

My lunch of two samosas with chickpea sauce

A short walk away I could see small tents and many of them were selling berries -- strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and even boysenberries. Others sold vegetables like corn, kale, zucchini, English peas, beets, and potatoes. 

Others sold breads, donuts, and cookies, or perogies, meat pies, frozen salmon fillets, and fresh pasta. One had a slow day selling mushrooms -- the guy wore a T-shirt with a large mushroom on it and it said "funguy". He was offering lion mane mushrooms, oyster and shiitake, and even sea asparagus or salicornia, a crunchy but salty vegetable that looks like a mini asparagus.

There were also exotic foods like Balinese sauces, Cambodian seasonings, Indian chilli sauces. 

I ordered lunch from an Indian food truck: a dish called samosa chaat, featuring two samosas with a chickpea sauce drizzled on top with a bit of tamarind chilli sauce. It was delicious with a bit of pickled cabbage.

Vegan chocolate ice cream bar!

And hankering for an ice cream I had a vegan cookies and cream ice cream bar. It was covered in white chocolate shell and underneath was a black ice cream bar, as if you had crushed the black cookies of an Oreo and froze them with a bit of plant-based milk. 

I enjoyed the food while listening to a group of singers performing songs a cappella.

While the prices are a bit more expensive than supermarkets, many people come here for organic produce or want to support local farmers. There's a warm community atmosphere here!

More Cameras to Fight Crime in HK

Tang says "all walks of life" did not object to more CCTVs

In another sign that Hong Kong is becoming more aligned with the mainland, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping Keung wants to further beef up security in the city, which means adding between 2,000 to 2,500 surveillance cameras in public places from next year.

"I think this is a natural trend. In fact a lot of other jurisdictions, they are using it already," he said, citing the UK has around 7.3 million surveillance cameras, and Singapore plans to increase the number by 200,000 by 2030.

The installment of more CCTV cameras is in a bid to combat crime. Tang explained in a pilot scheme, 15 cameras were set up in Mong Kok to detect 13 kinds of crimes, but did not specify which ones they were. 

Some 2,000-2,500 cameras installed from 2025

Tang said the cameras will have facial recognition technology which will help in robbery cases.

"Eventually, when we are able to find the whereabouts of the culprit through a number of CCTV [cameras], it will be a few hours later -- we know with AI technology, we can instantly identify the culprit," the security minister said.

Tang said adding more surveillance cameras in Hong Kong would not compromise personal privacy, adding residents and businesses "from all walks of life" did not object to them.

"All our installation of the CCTVs, it's in full compliance with our privacy law," he said.

People are too busy trying to keep their heads above water to think about surveillance cameras, even though it is yet another thing to be aware of.

As for fighting crime, the proof will be in the numbers... 

Picture of the Day: Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas look particularly pretty this year

In Vancouver, people's lawns may be yellow, but their flowers are blooming in their prime, in particular hydrangeas.

These giant colourful floral pom poms are flowering beautifully in particular this year and it's because of the hot weather we've been having these few weeks. 

These big floral pom poms are fun to see

Apparently across Canada all the hydrangeas are doing very well. They can come in white, cream, pink, blue, and violet.

Unlike roses, hydrangeas bloom for several weeks and are so pretty to look at!

Interesting to note hydrangeas are native to Asia, in particular China, Korea and Japan. 

The word hydrangea comes from the Greek word "water vessel", referring to the shape of the seed capsules. 

Wildfires Raging in Jasper

Wildfires have entered the town of Jasper and the national park

It is absolutely tragic to see what is happening in Jasper, the town and the national park are on fire. The place is renowned for its picturesque landscape and a must-see place for visitors, but now the smoke has made the skies dark while the burning inferno is ravaging the forest and creeping into the town.

The situation is so dangerous that some crews fighting the fires have been ordered to evacuate.

"[The] air quality had deteriorated to the point that wildland firefighters and others without self-contained breathing apparatuses needed to evacuate to Hinton," Parks Canada said in a statement.

"Structural firefighters remain in town and are working to save as many structures as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline and others."

There are fears some buildings have gone up in flames and worries that the fire has reached the Fairmont Jasper Lodge. 

Yesterday people living or visiting Jasper told harrowing stories of having only a few hours to evacuate, packing whatever they could and driving out towards British Columbia. Some 5,000 residents have evacuated along with 20,000 visitors, some of whom were hikers in Jasper National Park. 

Meanwhile Premier Danielle Smith sent out a tweet on X saying she is "heartbroken to see reports that the wildfire has entered the townsite of Jasper."

This coming from Smith who has little regard for climate change. Last June when wildfires erupted, she claimed they were ignited by arsonists, whereas experts said climate change has led to the susceptibility to wildfires happening earlier in the season.

Wang Xianli, a fire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, said at the time climate change is a major factor.

"It creates longer drought spells in the fire season, and also fire season is going to start early and end late," he said. "It creates more opportunity for fire to ignite."

Today firefighters were unable to bring the fires under control, as their various strategies failed, from water buckets from helicopters, fireguards couldn't be completed, water bombers couldn't fly because of the dangerous flying conditions, and controlled burns didn't work.

Smith says her government will have more to say tomorrow... wonder what the excuse will be this time...

Refreshing Cantonese Pop-Up

Baby tomatoes with whipped fermented tofu sauce 

Last night I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw an interesting pop-up at Michelin-starred Burdock & Co, a restaurant in Vancouver that focuses on mostly local produce, but this time the sous-chef Katy Cheung was taking over the place with a Cantonese/Hong Kong pop-up titled "See Ha Lah" or "Just Try It".

It was only for one day only -- today! My foodie friend and I had made plans to visit another Hong Kong-style restaurant, but she decided we would check out Burdock & Co first.

Cold tofu with lam choi and century egg

She managed to message Cheung and we got one of the last tables for the first seating at 5.30pm; they were only taking walk-ins. So we ate in the "patio", which is actually just outside the restaurant sectioned off with wooden planters so it felt like eating in a mini garden.

To get as many customers through the door, diners were encouraged to go to the bar to order food and pay for it, so the average eating time was about an hour.

We tried four of the six dishes, not including a bowl of rice. 

The two starters were peeled baby tomatoes seasoned with whipped fu yu or fermented tofu (C$18), though it didn't have that pungent smell -- it was very toned down and the tomatoes had a thin slice of sour turnip and finely diced garlic crunch.

Steamed sablefish Cantonese style

This dish was a favourite among many of the customers as it was different and refreshing, perfect summer fare. Another way to cool down was to have the cold tofu (C$15), a typical home-style dish with silky tofu topped with lam choi or preserved mustard greens and black olives, along with diced pei dan or century egg. A bit of sesame oil was drizzled on top and it would have benefited with a more generous drizzle on the tofu.

For mains we tried the steamed fish (C$42), two tail cuts of sablefish that were perfectly steamed and garnished with scallions, seafood soy and hot oil. You can't overcook sablefish and it's not as expensive as black cod but has a similar texture. 

We saw other tables try the pork chop (C$40) that was a meaty portion for two.

Mochi balls covered in Horlicks diplomat sauce

Finally for dessert a bit of fun and nostalgia in a bowl. Cantonese-style mochi balls, generously covered in a diplomat sauce or custard made with Horlicks and crunchy bits, along with desiccated coconut and sesame seeds sprinkled on top. 

Cheung came by our table and gave us a quick summary of her career. She was born in Vancouver but grew up in Hong Kong, came back here for schooling and then went back for work, where she started at Blue Butcher, a steak place on Hollywood Road. I remember learning about aging meat and they did this in a small room lined with Himalayan rock salt bricks.

She wanted to work with like-minded people who are passionate about making good food and found her way to Burdock & Co where she works with chef Andrea Carlson. Having worked here for about five years Cheung is given a lot of opportunities to create new dishes, and my favourite dish was the mushroom congee that was full of umami flavour, rustic, delicious comfort food.

The talented chef Katy Cheung

For her, this pop-up is food that she makes at home, simple, but here is presented at a high level. We appreciated her passion for Cantonese food and wanting to share it with others.

Hope she has another pop-up again and try her food again!

Dr Yuen Warns of Another Impending Pandemic

Yuen warns world leaders must fight infectious diseases

We are still going through waves of the Covid-19 virus and Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung warns we will inevitably encounter yet another pandemic that will be even worse, he outlines in his latest autobiography.

"Both the public and [world] leaders must admit that another pandemic will come, and probably sooner than you anticipate," he said in an interview.

Yuen has released an autobiography of his career

"Why I make such a horrifying prediction is because you can see clearly that the geopolitical, economic, and climatic changes are changing so rapidly."

In his autobiography, My Life in Medicine: A Hong Kong Journey, Yuen warns politicians must "come to their senses" and solve "global existential threats".

He says world leaders seem more focused on "national or regional interests", when a rapidly changing climate together with emerging infectious diseases should be a top priority.

"This is something so important that we should not ignore."

Over 20 years ago he and his team isolated and identified severe acute respiratory syndrome known as SARS that started in southern China and spread to Hong Kong and globally. The virus killed nearly 300 people in two months.

So it's not surprising he was on guard when the first reports of a mysterious virus was spreading in Wuhan, China.

Yuen's team tackled SARS in 2003

"We benefited from the 20 years of study that followed the SARS outbreak," he wrote in his book. "Until factors beyond our ability to stop or overcome -- fear, ignorance, poor messaging, and deliberate misinformation -- the measures were effective" in buying Hong Kong time until the vaccines were developed.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, more than 13,800 people died and recorded some 3 million people, almost half the population. 

Yuen still thinks it's important to find out the origins of Covid-19, saying it is "important to properly do an investigation in a very open, transparent manner" so lessons can be learned for future pandemic prevention, he said.

"If we do not talk about it... then another pandemic comes, we have to pay a huge price again."

Don't say we haven't been warned...

The (Mostly Benefits) of Being Single

More people in Canada are living on their own

In Canada there is a growing number of people who are living alone. According to Statistics Canada, there was a drop in the number of people living together as couples from 1981 to 2021, and researchers believe it is due to societal shifts, that it is acceptable for people to live by themselves.

Some factors are fewer people getting married, those who are divorced choose not to remarry or have another partner, or they just choose to be single.

The question, "Are single people happier on their own" was posed on the national CBC radio program Cross Country Checkup and it was interesting to hear the responses.

Many people cited being happier on their own because they can do whatever they want and don't need to answer to anybody, though they added they were still interested in having relationships, just not living together. Others said they were happy to live by themselves and had a good network of family and friends.

One male caller said he was actively looking for a relationship but had yet to find one so he was keeping busy with lots of activities. But it sounded like he was anxious to find a partner. Another admitted he was set in his ways, however he was keen to find someone to look after him...

A woman who called the show said it was important to focus on oneself and not to look for someone to "complete them"... which immediately brought to mind the Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire where he says to Renee Zellweger's character, "You complete me," to the oohs of the female audiences at the time.

Ian Hanomansing, the host of Cross Country Checkup suggested perhaps it was time for a screenwriter to write a line saying, "I don't need you to complete me."

Some callers felt it was time to drop the societal expectations of matching up with a partner, getting married and having children, as it doesn't work for everyone. Others felt less pressured, as they had friends in the same situation, or their family and friends were understanding and not expecting them to fulfill these so-called milestones.

But there is also a price to pay being single, nicknamed "the singles tax", which is the difference between what a single person pays for something over a year compared to the cost per person if it's shared by a couple.

In addition there are tax benefits for couples in Canada. One example is for those who are married or in common-law relationships can receive a spousal tax credit if one partner has a lower income, and they can pool medical expenses and split pensions with their partners, if eligible.

The single people who called in didn't feel burdened by "the singles tax", but some felt it was crucial for their friends who were married or partnered up to still include them in things for the opportunity to have more social interactions. 

Meanwhile dating apps seem to be on their way out. One female caller explained finding matches online gave a dopamine rush, but didn't bring them any closer to actually meeting someone; fostering contact in real life was a better way to actually meet people.

Review: Among the Braves

The book covers the 2019 protests through four activists

There are many books written about the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, such as Antony Dapiran's City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong that documents practically every single incident that happened, to Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong,  Louisa Lim's memoir that is woven together with detailed history of Hong Kong.

One of the latest books is Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy by journalist couple Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin, the former with The Washington Post, the latter a contributing writer to The Atlantic.

Ho is a journalist turned activist, now in jail

It's complicated to explain how the protests exploded on the street in the summer of 2019 without a lot of history and context, and the authors do this through Reverend Chu Yiu-ming's life, how he came to Hong Kong from the mainland, became a pastor and was involved in Operation Yellow Bird, smuggling Chinese student activists in Tiananmen Square out of the country, and then in 2014 the Umbrella Movement, calling for universal suffrage.

He was prosecuted for his involvement in the 79-day occupation of parts of the city, and five years later the next generation takes up the mantle to continue the fight for democracy. 

The book follows four main characters and how they were involved in the 2019 protests: Chinese-American Samuel Chu Muk-man, a protester named Tommy, journalist turned politician Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, and UK-based activist Finn Lau Cho-dik.

Lau advocated online for laam chau

July 21 is the fifth anniversary of the horrific events that happened in Yuen Long, when triad members wearing white shirts attacked people in the MTR station with rods. It was a horrific scene watching the video clips posted on Twitter that night.

In particular it was Ho's live-streamed video that was shocking. She was the reporter who bravely recorded a middle-aged man assaulting her and she continued filming the incident live. Among the Braves reports how local residents in Yuen Long knew days in advance the attacks would happen, and so did the police, and yet nothing was done to stop or mitigate the attacks.

When Ho decided to run for the pro-democratic primaries in July 2020, she was mentally prepared to go to jail... where she has been since January 2021.

The book also has a harrowing account of Tommy, who decided to take the risk and flee to Taiwan... by boat and what happened after, and how surveyor Lau became an activist in the UK to raise awareness of what was happening in Hong Kong and proposing "laam chau", the concept of mutual destruction. That resulted in a HK$1 million bounty on his head.

Chu's activism was inspired by his father

Samuel Chu is also profiled in the book as an activist in the US who is... the son of Reverend Chu. Like his father he studied to become a pastor and was active in promoting several causes which gave him experience to set up the Hong Kong Democracy Council, which is he as since left.

Nevertheless Among the Braves follows these four along with then Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and the numerous missteps she made in handling the 2019 protests and how this resulted in Beijing taking control over the situation and the city.

It's quite impressive how Mahtani and McLaughlin were able to reconstruct these people's lives, in Ho's case with as many people they could talk to, as she was behind bars. Their back stories help explain their motivations for being involved in the 2019 protests and the authors are sympathetic towards the pro-democracy protesters.

McLaughlin and Mahtani

A minor quibble is how some shocking events that were part of the protests were mentioned in passing to avoid criticism if they didn't include them, such as the young man who was shot by a policeman and protesters setting a man on fire.

In any event Among the Braves is a page turner for sure; those who were in Hong Kong can relive the events in their minds, while hopefully it will enlighten others about what happened in 2019.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Visits Beijing

Joly met with Wang in Beijing today, first visit in seven years

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly made a surprise visit to Beijing, the first in seven years following the detainment of the two Michaels, and an investigation into China's alleged interference in Canada's elections, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joly met with her counterpart Wang Yi with the hopes of stabilising bilateral relations between the two countries. 

"The two ministers took note of recent positive developments in relations, including the resumption of consular consultations, and the recent exchanges at senior levels," says a readout (summary) of the meeting released by Global Affairs Canada.

The discussions were described as "pragmatic"

"Minister Joly's visit reaffirms the Minister's commitment to pragmatic engagement with China and the development of sound and stable bilateral relations."

The statement goes on to say that China "indicated a willingness to explore opportunities to strengthen engagement" on such issues as climate and the environment, curbing the fentanyl crisis and working to improve trade relations.

China's readout echoed Canada's description of the talks, saying: "As two major countries with important influence in the Asia-Pacific region, both countries share extensive common interests and complementary advantages."

During the meeting with Wang, Joly did bring up the thorny issue of reports of Chinese interference in Canadian politics, such as the elections in 2019 and 2021, China accused of setting up police stations in Vancouver and Toronto, and the targeting of Conservative MP Michael Chong.

However China's statement said: "Issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are all China's internal affairs and no external interference is allowed."

Detainment of two Michaels put relations on ice

Nevertheless, China experts say this is a good first step. Former China diplomat Guy St Jacques says the Chinese economy is in the doldrums and wants to convince foreign companies to invest in China. "They know that after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels, that Canadian executives are still reluctant to travel to China," he said in an interview with CBC.

He added that despite political relations not doing well, last year Canada established a new record in terms of exports to China of C$31 billion, in terms of minerals and agri-food products. 

St Jacques thinks Wang will seek Joly's opinion about what is happening in the US presidential election and perhaps she will invite him to come to Canada at an appropriate time.

Well take this visit as a positive step, and perhaps China conferring approved destination status on Canada in the near future?

HK Journalist Sacked for Advocating Press Freedom

Journalist Cheng suddenly became the story when she was fired

The voices of international press groups are increasing in volume in condemning The Wall Street Journal for sacking Selina Cheng after she was voted as the new chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Groups such as the Asian chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, Reporters Without Borders, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club, Canada-based Media Action Plan and Women Press Freedom voiced their support for Cheng, that journalists should be allowed to advocate for press freedom.

"Journalists must be able to join and lead press organisations that are committed to defending media freedom without facing intimidation or retaliation," said the AAJA in a statement shared on social media.

Cheng read out her statement on Wednesday

"As pressure grows against foreign and domestic media in #HongKong, the need for international support to independent journalists still working in the territory is more important than ever," said Reporters Without Borders on X, formerly Twitter.

Cheng told reporters she was sacked on Wednesday after a senior editor flew in from the UK to tell her in person that her job had been eliminated due to restructuring. But she believed the real reason was related to her supervisor's request three weeks ago for her to withdraw from the election for the chair of the HKJA, a trade union for journalists that advocates for press freedom.

She said in a statement that her supervisor asked her to quit the association's board, which she has served since 2021. After she refused, she was told "it will be incompatible" with her job.

"The editor said employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong, even though they can in Western countries, where it is already established," said Cheng, who was elected the new chair in June.

"I am disappointed if these editors abroad have come to think press freedom is a controversial issue, as those who wish to intimidate reporters might like us to believe," she said. "It is not."

WSJ is still supporting Evan Gershkovich

While Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal confirmed restructuring had taken place, it claimed to still advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.

Cheng pointed out the company was still pushing for the release of one of her colleagues, Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained for over a year in Russia accused of spying for the CIA.

"This is why I am deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees' human rights, by preventing them from advocating for freedoms the Journal's reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat," wrote Cheng.

Indeed -- why this double standard? And why is WSJ and Dow Jones aiding the government's agenda of shutting down voices of opposition and dissent? It just puts not only the WSJ but also Hong Kong journalists in general in an even weaker position. 

What a bizarre way to start her new position -- being fired days later by her day job, but Cheng has already shown her courage and determination to fight. If anything she makes her former employer look like a coward.

Consumer Council Apologises after Water Company Slams Rating

Consumer Council rates the water as "natural drinking water"

Hong Kong's Consumer Council issued a rare apology on Thursday, saying it had incorrectly placed a mainland Chinese bottled water brand in the wrong category and re-evaulated it as a five-star product.

On Monday the consumer watchdog said Nongfu Spring's bottled water had bromate at the maximum level of European Union standards, as consuming too much of the chemical could result in discomfort and even affect people's nervous systems. 

Bromate is formed when ozone used to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally occurring bromide in the source water.

Consumer watchdog issued rare apology

Nongfu was outraged, claiming the council's findings were "extremely unscientific and irresponsible" and demanded an apology.

Two days later, it got it.

The Consumer Council said after it received the bottled water company's legal letter and met with its representatives it immediately launched an in-depth study and follow-up.

"We apologise for the misunderstanding caused by the discrepancy in sample categorisation in this test," the council wrote.

"We understood that the product is not 'natural mineral water' nor 'purified drinking water'. It is 'natural drinking water'."

What does "natural drinking water" mean?

In any event, the council has re-rated Nongfu water and classified it in its own category of "natural drinking water", and that 3 micrograms of bromate are acceptable for that category, where the EU standard is a maximum of 10 micrograms.

"After the re-rating, the overall performance of the sample was adjusted from 4.5 stars to five," the council said.

Does this U-turn make consumers more confident about the Consumer Council? And Nongfu?

China Luxury Sales in Big Slump

China's slowing economy affecting global luxury brands

Another sign that China's economy is weakening further -- the sales of luxury goods continues to slump, affecting brand name companies' bottom lines by as much as US$200 billion.

Burberry and Hugo Boss have issued profit warnings, while Richemont has seen a 27 percent drop in sales in China, Macau and Hong Kong, as Chinese consumers stop shelling out for big-ticket items.

Middle-class consumers aren't spending as much

Consultancy company Bain says China accounted for 16 percent of 362 billion euros (US$393.8 billion) of global luxury spending last year.

But this year the country's economic growth in the first quarter was slowed by the property slump and job insecurity. There are no signs things will get significantly better in the second half of the year.

Bain predicts this year will be the weakest for the global luxury market since the pandemic, as China's super rich are avoiding flaunting their wealth for more discreet fashion.

That said, the uber wealthy are still happy to spend, and high-end luxury brands are benefitting, such as Hermes and Brunello Cucinelli.

In early 2023 when China finally lifted its Covid-19 restrictions, Chinese consumers went on a massive spending spree on luxury goods, but that tapered off when the property sector weakened further.

Hugo Boss, Burberry, issued profit warnings

The longer it isn't resolved, the longer the luxury sales slump will continue... and that will have a trickle down effect on other retail and hospitality sectors...

When Your Goal in Life is Public Housing

Some young people climb housing ladder by public housing

Young Hong Kong people continue to "lie flat" by making it their goal to get into public housing, even taking lower-paying jobs or adjusting their salary on the application to be eligible.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has disapproved of these tactics, telling them to chase their dreams instead.

"If you waste your possibilities and your dreams for a public housing unit, I believe that [young] people will regret it. For a lot of people, their success today is created from their own struggle and their own hard work," he said.

Lee says aim for public housing is "inappropriate"

"The final result of what they achieve [with hard work] is better than what they imagined in the first place."

He said that instead of working hard, Lee noted some young people have deliberately adjusted their income to be eligible for public housing, and he called this "inappropriate".

"Having a roof over your head is important, but one should not waste their development potential and opportunities simply for a public housing unit," he said.

"That's because it is possible that your final results and achievement will be a hundred times or even unlimited times greater than what that unit would give you."

Does Lee know how much a flat costs these days? A tiny 300 sq ft one-bedroom flat is at least HK$5 million. Those who can afford to buy one have wealthy parents who have either given them a down payment or have bought a flat outright for them.

HK tops list for least affordable homes

If they don't have a rich family, the next option for a young person is to try to get a public housing flat. When they get one, they can rent it for a few years and save up money to buy a place. 

The government is not doing enough to help young people get their foot in the door of the housing market, and Lee is chastising them for not chasing their dreams? When people have housing, then they feel secure to focus on their work, get married, have a family and so on. But if they can't even get a roof over their heads because it is so far beyond their reach, they either give up and live with their parents, or they are "ambitious" by trying to get a public housing flat. 

According to Demographia, in 2023, the least affordable market in the English-speaking world was Hong Kong, followed by Sydney, and Vancouver in third place. 

Singapore has the highest homeowner rate at 89 percent, then Ireland with 70 percent and Canada at 67 percent. Hong Kong was at the bottom at 51 percent.

Perhaps Lee and his administration should look at these numbers and wonder why its homeownership rate is so low compared to Singapore? If he wants to improve people's livelihood that would be a great place to start.

The Ongoing Challenges Downtown and Chinatown

Unusual to see a blue lion on display

Yesterday and today was the 22nd Chinatown Festival, with a mix of performances, food trucks, painting, calligraphy and Asian-related products out in 26-degree heat.

I got there this afternoon by bus and the ride was fine until we got downtown at the stop for Cordova and Homer when a disheveled passenger with mental issues had an argument with the bus driver over the route he was taking.

Giant mahjong, anyone?

The passenger didn't understand the route was correct and that it would eventually get to Hastings and Renfrew, but kept claiming the driver was going the wrong way. 

Thankfully the driver kept his cool and patiently waited for the man to collect his belongings and get off the bus, while other passengers murmured for him to stop wasting others' time. Luckily there was no incident, but there was the potential something could have happened. 

After getting off the bus at the next stop, Cordova and Carrall, I had to navigate blocks of homeless people and their belongings, and the putrid smells of urine and old sweat to get to a contrasting bright and cheery area of Chinatown. People were there to have a good time and police officers were also there to keep the peace.

A topless homeless man was hanging out on a grassy area until two officers came up to him and asked him to put on a shirt and move along. While he didn't provoke anyone, it was discomforting to see him there.

The Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association is trying hard to encourage people to come to the area to patronise shops and restaurants, but it's hard when there are drug addicts and homeless people wandering about, making people feel unsafe.

People curious about rice whisky

Wandering around the small bazaar was trouble-free after that. I visited the stalls of entrepreneurs I had written about before and was pleased to see they had a steady stream of customers. One sells various chilli oils made with local duck oil; another makes rice whisky as well as other products like ginger wine, honey wine and rice wine. 

While it was good to see a decent crowd of people there, interested in seeing traditional Chinese culture demonstrations and try some food and drinks, these festivals are only twice a year. But there is no definitive solution to the problems in the downtown east side and Chinatown, which is why they continue to fester and accumulate into bigger issues that cost more money and effort to solve...