Quick Day Trip to Zhongshan via Macau

At the Hengqin border inspection building looking at Zhuhai

After we finished lunch in Macau, we headed to Zhongshan via the Hengqin border check point.

Hengqin is actually an island near Macau's Taipa and Coloane districts, where many of the massive casino resorts are, such as Londoner, The Venetian, City of Dreams, Galaxy, and Studio City.

Hengqin is a special economic zone 

We passed by these expansive properties with dazzling architecture, in particular the Zaha Hadid-designed Morpheus with its exo-skeleton construction so that there are no internal pillars inside the 40-storey building.

What's interesting about Hengqin is that while it is technically Chinese land, the Macau Special Administrative Region has governance over this area, which is a special economic zone, much like what Shenzhen was over 45 years ago. 

After about a 25-minute ride we arrived at the Hengqin Border Inspection Building. Once inside we had to fill out the China arrival form and then the actual passport control process is straight forward: you step up to the first counter and it's a Macau border officer with a perspex gate. 

He had to wait because the counter right after is the China officer, who was still processing the person before us; once that person was completed, the gates opened and we were allowed to move to the China officer who took a while to process our passports.

Zhuhai has some very modern buildings

Those holding wui heung jing, or "return home permits" were very quickly processed, while others with passports take a while as they scan the passport, take pictures and scan fingerprints too. 

Once that we done we were basically in Chinese territory, specifically Zhuhai. A driver picked us up in an electric car called Aion Y Plus by GAC Aion from Guangzhou. I asked the driver about the mileage on electric cars, and he said it was around 400km on a full charge.

He explained there were many places to charge, and even after 20 minutes it's good to go for a couple of hours. While they are efficient, he said the battery will wear out after about five years, much like a smartphone battery, and by that point there is no point in replacing it -- it would be better to buy a new car.

It didn't seem very environmentally friendly... were there solutions in place for recycling and such?

The drive to Zhongshan took about 40 minutes, to a suburb area that has a gated community. 

A quiet gated community with a large garden

A lot of Hongkongers have bought property in Zhongshan for retirement, as real estate is much less expensive than Hong Kong. An unfinished flat around 1,000 sq ft costs around 2 million yuan (US$282,852), and about 60,000 yuan in renovations will make it ready for moving in. 

At one point prices for apartments doubled from speculation, but now the values have fallen back to the original prices, perhaps a reflection of the property sector in the doldrums these last few years.

The gated community we checked out is very quiet, mostly because many of the flats are not inhabited full time. There's a large beautiful garden in the middle, and has a very big swimming pool that is only open in the summer.

After a hearty dinner in a nearby restaurant, we took a car to get back via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. The 40-minute ride took us to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Zhuhai Port, where we bought bus tickets and then again went through passport control to exit China.

At the Zhuhai border to catch the bus back to HK

Then we got on the next bus available which took us about 40 minutes to get to Hong Kong. We went on the bus at night so there wasn't much to see outside, or in the tunnel, which seemed to go on forever. We arrived at the Hong Kong border checkpoint, and individually passed through immigration and then waited for our bus. We were near the airport because we could see planes taking off nearby every other minute.

Of the whole trip, waiting for our bus was the longest holdup -- about 15 minutes -- before it arrived, picked us up and drove to Hong Kong Island, and then to North Point.

What an adventure -- Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai-Zhongshan-Zhuhai-Hong Kong in one day!

A Happy Mistake

A very quiet airport at 3am, walking all the way to Gate 36

I made a happy mistake when I booked my hotel accommodation. I didn't look too carefully at my flight departure time of 1am December 1, and instead had the room reserved until noon that day.

After a whirlwind trip of two weeks that packed in not only Hong Kong, but also side trips to Shenzhen, Macau, Zhongshan and my mother's hometown of Mui Yuen, just over 470km north east of Hong Kong, we were tired and ready to go home.

On November 30, we had dinner and then packed the rest of our items in our luggage and were ready to vacate our hotel room around 9pm.

We arrived at a cavernous, empty airport

But at 8.38pm we received a text message that our Cathay Pacific flight was delayed and would not depart until 4.30am December 1!

Apparently it was a maintenance issue of the aircraft. Surely CX had another plane on hand -- in its home base -- that we could use instead? But no.

So... we took a nap (well whatever shuteye we could get) and left the hotel at 1.45am to get to Hong Kong International Airport by Uber.

Our ride took just over half an hour and we entered a cavernous, empty airport.

When we checked in, the ground staff explained as compensation for the flight delay we would get HK$200 in food after we went through security. All we had to do was present our boarding pass.

"What kind of food options are there at this hour?" I asked.

"Probably McDonald's," was the reply.

How delightful...

We went through security and the immigration -- no one was even manning the booths, let alone the automated immigration clearance or e-channel.

Dumplings with noodles, soup and choy sum

All the duty-free shops had shut long ago, passed by a Labubu statue where he too had a boarding pass in his pocket, and we wandered to where there was a food court.

Thankfully there was more than just McDonald's open!

There was ramen at Bari-Uma, sandwiches and salads at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food to Go, Fujianese dishes at Putien, and finally Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop.

We went to the latter and ordered dumplings with noodles. The man at the counter encouraged us to order more food to reach HK$200, so I also had choy sum and two bottles of water.

Other than us, there were only ground staff hanging out, who either were aircraft engineers or moved luggage and cargo around.

When we finished eating, it was about time to reach our gate, Gate 36 -- down at the far end. 

Really? We had the last flight out before 7am and we had to walk all the way down to the end of the airport to board the plane.

By the time we got to the gate, we saw people already in line anxious to get on the plane, but we were kept waiting because the pilots hadn't boarded yet, nor the flight crew.

Labubu looking perky at this hour 

Passengers were exhausted and when we finally boarded, there were some terse exchanges because people didn't want to patiently wait and just wanted to get into their seats and start flying.

While the pilot apologised again, stating it was a maintenance issue of the aircraft and that it was safe to fly, many of us had already fallen asleep in our seats.

We didn't actually take off until 5am, and landed in Vancouver International Airport at just after midnight December 1.

It's a good thing I made the mistake in the hotel booking otherwise we would have been very miserable and tired hanging out in the airport for hours!

New World Development's Massive White Elephant

11 Skies was billed as Hong Kong's largest "retailtainment"

New World Development had ambitions to have Hong Kong's largest "retailtainment" and tourism landmark located by the airport and near the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. 

Called 11 Skies, the 3.8 million sq ft complex would house more than 800 shops and 120 dining options, as well as Vquarium, the city's first-ever "virtual deep-ocean adventure experience", and "Paddington Play Adventures".

The massive retail and entertainment complex was situated in the Northern Metropolis by the border, and encourage mainlanders to come shop, dine and play here. But with the current trend of zero-spend tourists, it's likely they wouldn't come to this mall.

The complex is located in SkyCity, at the airport

As a result, it looks like 11 Skies won't be taking off anytime soon by the look of things.

There are reports the massive space is mostly empty, with only two restaurants open, hoardings are blank with no future tenants named, and escalators weren't turned on. The website only features the name with no information on it.

This does not bode well for 11 Skies, which cost HK$20 billion to build and only 40 percent of it leased, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile NWD is saddled with HK$210.9 billion (US$26.9 billion) in debt, and is struggling to repay loans. It needs to strike a deal with banks to refinance HK$87.5 billion of its loans by this month. So far it has secured 60 percent of that amount after pledging some of its most valuable assets like Victoria Dockside, basically its entire Tsim Sha Tsui complex, K11 Musea. 

NWD needs to get tenants in 11 Skies quickly and start paying rent because the Airport Authority will be expecting rent or up to 30 percent of the mall's gross annual revenue, whichever is higher, until 2066.

And if that wasn't enough bad news, NWD's stock value has fallen further. Back in 2019 it was priced at HK$52, and now it's only HK$4.53.

Olympic Medallist's Welcome Home

Cheung shows off gold medal with fellow fencer Cedric Ho

Gold medal fencer Cheung Ka-long returned home to a hero's welcome at Hong Kong International Airport today.

Media waited for him in the arrivals area along with some 100 fans. Some people even tried to get on flights that would arrive around the same time as Cheung in the hopes of meeting their Olympic idol.

The 27-year-old Cheung is the first man in 68 years to win back-to-back gold medals in foil, and has been handsomely rewarded with HK$9 million (US$1.2 million), of which HK$6 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and HK$3 million from Lam Tai Fai College for alumni.

He described winning the two medals as "one of the best moments in [his] life", and said the Hong Kong spirit was instilled in him during training.

"I think our spirit is [to] never give up, to try our best to get everything [and] to give everything on the piste," he said.

"I don't want to have any excuses and waste my efforts from training. I just keep going, keep fighting. This is how it is," he told the crowd.

Cheung's first order of business after arriving home?

Eating some local food.

"I went to Paris some time ago, so I miss Hong Kong food, and any Asian food I can have is great," he said.

Manually Running Airline Information

Here's what passengers look at for flight info at the airport

Hong Kong International Airport is having major issues with its real-time flight and baggage collection information. It's so bad it's hard to resort to handwriting the information on whiteboards. 

I kid you not.

The Airport Authority admitted the system "cannot be restored within a short period of time", and executive director Steven Yiu Siu-chung urged passengers to contact their airlines for flight details and budget enough time for check-in.

What is this? Back to the 1980s?

Staff member manually updates flight information

The massive computer glitch is the second major incident to hit the airport in a week after an emergency landing that caused a burst tire led to hundreds of flights being delayed.

Yiu said abnormalities in the computer system were discovered at 7am, and as a result real-time flight information could not be displayed in departure and arrival halls, and the authority's website.

"We commenced large-scale contingency measures after we confirmed that the system cannot be restored within a short period of time," he said.

While Yiu did not give an estimate on how much time would be needed to fix the problem, he stressed human error was not involved in the incident.

But many people missed their flights and blamed the airport authority for it.

One passenger surnamed Ng had a flight scheduled for 9.40am and entered the restricted area of the airport at 6am with no gate information on his boarding pass. However it wasn't until 10am when he found out where the gate was, and that he was one of six passengers who missed the flight.

"Airline staff told me it was the airport's fault. No one from the Airport Authority approached me with a solution, like how I will be compensated," Ng said, adding he did not know if he should book another flight or go back to Macau to fly from there.

"I am disappointed with Hong Kong International Airport. How can their risk management be qualified to tell good Hong Kong stories?"

Indeed. How can the HKIA not even have a backup system in 2024?

A Picture of Emptiness

An image of calm, or image of emptiness at HKIA?

The social media folks at the Hong Kong International Airport are really struggling to promote the airport and they come up with this remark for the above photo: "Is it just us, or do perfectly balanced images like this one bring instant calm?"

Below it are the hashtags #hkia #hkairport #hongkongairport #hkg #aviation #airport #terminal

But really, what is missing in this photo?

PEOPLE.

Lee insists on continuing "0+3"

There are no tourists coming into Hong Kong. Why?

Because it's 0+3 -- no formal hotel quarantine, but one must lay low for three days (basically hotel quarantine if you're a visitor, if not at home in Hong Kong), not visit densely populated areas and not eat in restaurants for three days. Oh and you have to do 11 tests during your stay.

Who wants to do that when the rest of the world has opened up?

Instead Hongkongers have flocked to Japan, Taiwan, Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, but no tourists are coming to Hong Kong.

As a result business leaders and politicians in the city are pushing for "0+0", but Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said people should not be fixated on it, promising to lift more curbs even though the number of Covid-19 cases across the border in China continue to rise significantly.

"Everyone has a different understanding of '0+0'. Therefore, I am not going to describe whether we are in [a stage] of 'zero-plus-what'," Lee said on Tuesday, referring to demands that the three-day medical surveillance be cancelled.

Rugby revellers dressed as Covid-19 viruses

But everyone knows what "0+0" is -- why is Lee claiming there are different definitions of it?

At the same time the government is considering allowing some restaurants to allow those arrivals with amber health codes into specific zones of the dining room, a sign that Hong Kong is living with the virus?

Many believe the "0+3" arrangement makes Hong Kong a test case for China as a possible pathway to opening up post-Covid. Despite hosting the bankers summit and the ruby tournament recently, there was no significant rebound in cases afterwards.

On Tuesday Hong Kong reported 5,951 infections, of which 520 were imported. There were also 13 deaths reported. 

Lee will not budge because "0+0" would imply Hong Kong was living with the virus, which goes against China's dynamic Covid-zero policy. However, Hongkongers have had enough of the restrictions and want to move on, not adhere to political rhetoric that has paralysed the city's economy for almost three years.

Who will Greet Xi on June 30?

Pupils at Wong Cho Bao School asked to hotel quarantine

There is greater speculation that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong on July 1, as school children who will be attending the 25th anniversary handover ceremony will have to quarantine in a hotel for a week.

They won't even be within breathing distance of Xi, but no one's taking any chances, though the chances of cross infection in the hotel is more highly likely!

Parents of Wong Cho Bao School, which is run by the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, were asked to sign up their children to greet visiting dignitaries at the airport.

Is Xi the mystery guest on June 30?

The primary school-aged children will have to quarantine on their own! And the government -- well the taxpayers -- will foot the bill.

The notice encouraged parents to sign up their children for this "rare and honourable mission" to greet unspecified visitors at the airport on June 30 and then see them off the day after.

Hmm... so it's Xi, right?

So far there is no word on how many parents have allowed their children to do this "rare and honourable mission"...

Meanwhile a non-profit advocacy group is calling on the next government in Hong Kong to do more to help underprivileged youth.

The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) urged incoming chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his administration to help them climb the social ladder.

SoCO urges next government to help youth

In a small online survey of 100 people between the ages of 15 and 25, almost 60 percent said they chose not to "lie flat", a new slang word to describe young people rejecting the rat race and doing the bare minimum to get by.

But some of the respondents said their financial status and the economic environment had forced them to adjust their expectations.

One is Kacey, a second year university student who is also working part-time. She has given up on her goal of buying her own flat.

"Sadly, when property prices were soaring, [young people's] pay was not increasing much, and it's a reality that we were forced to accept. When I saw the sky-high housing prices, my goal of buying or renting a flat that I am satisfied with, while not having too much financial burden, slowly faded away, so I started to lower my expectations," she said.

"Even if I apply for a public housing unit alone, it would still take years, and I might end up only getting a bed space. Whenever I think about the future, I feel helpless."

Some adjusted their expectations of owning a flat

The bleak reality of the housing situation is too much for any young person to fathom, let alone those in families in financial straits.

What hope do they have of ever making enough money to rent a flat let alone own one when they are already struggling to study the best they can but finances are holding them back.

If Lee wants to engage with the next generation, he should go back to his roots -- his humble roots -- and engage with people like Kacey to figure out how the government can help give a leg up to these people who need hope and a lot of financial support to help them realise their dreams.

Because if security is his priority, then surely ensuring the next generation is cared for should be of prime concern too?

Pathetic Coverage of Hong Kong Exits

Harris was attacked by Hong Kong and Beijing officials

It seems that whenever someone on Beijing's list leaves Hong Kong, state media ambushes them at the airport and the incident is splashed on the front page the next day.

It happened to Paul Harris, the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Bar Association, who before his departure, was interviewed at length by the national security police at the Wan Chai police station.

Hours later he was photographed at the airport and Harris claimed he was leaving to visit his mother in the UK.

During his time at the Hong Kong Bar Association, Harris endured attacks from Hong Kong and Beijing officials who described him as "anti-China" and was repeatedly attacked in state-backed media.

Vidler at the airport, takes pics of photographers

This phenomenon most recently happened to another lawyer, Michael Vidler, known for his human rights work. He had announced he was closing his office and was intending to stay a bit longer, but the attacks against him intensified and he had to leave Hong Kong quickly.

Again, at the airport, he was ambushed by state media reporters who took numerous pictures of him and asked if was leaving was because he was a traitor.

"The fact that the state media were waiting for me and also published details of other travel plans for my family -- indicates that this confidential information was obtained by state actors and passed to the state media so that they could be waiting at the airport and publish the details right away," Vidler said, adding plain-clothed immigration officers appeared to watch him board his plane.

To leave suddenly and abruptly is very hard to fathom and one wonders how he got his assets out, what has happened to his flat and all the stuff in it... was it packed up for the most part, or was it literally left behind as it is?

Chow (right) captured at the airport with suitcases

Another person getting high profile treatment from pro-Beijing media was Herbert Chow Siu-lung, the owner of children's clothing retailer Chickdeeduck. His shops were supportive of the 2019 protests, as Chow even had a replica statue of a female protestor in his store called "Lady Liberty". 

Someone complained and the shopping mall operator tried to force Chow to remove the statue, but he wouldn't budge. Is it any wonder that pro-democracy supporters patronised his store?

Then it became harder for him to rent shop spaces, particularly in malls. 

"In the beginning, we imagined there would only be a reshuffling... changing the distribution channel from inside shopping malls to on-street shops," Chow said. "As it turned out it was very different.

"When you run a business which you have to rely on a third party to supply products to you, and you cannot be sure what the third party will have the guts to supply to you... then you have to think whether the business model is still feasible."

Eventually in November last year Chow announced his retail company would exit Hong Kong in the second half of 2022, citing "disturbances from unknown evil forces".

He refused to back down on the protestor statue

At the time Chow said he would not leave the city, but in the end he did, with state media reporters on hand to record the moment.

It's upsetting that these people are forced to leave Hong Kong and they are constantly scrutinised until they board the plane. 

There is no dignity given to them, made to look ashamed to flee, when they have no choice but to leave.

This insecurity on the pro-Beijing side is pathetic. Covering these exits gives them the opportunity to gloat, but it's a hollow victory.

Here is Chow's open letter on Facebook, posted April 21:

To all my blue friends at the hk golf club, the hk jockey club, the chinese recreation club, and my close business friends in the last 35 years including my partners Herman Hu, Raymond Hu, Uncle FK (胡法光), my mentors and ex bosses Michael Ying and Michael Tien,

As my business career and my freedom of speech in hk appears to be nearing its end, I felt obliged to speak to you for one last time as we never had a chance to talk about why I did what I did.

I did not do anything out of character. I only chose to stand with the people, the people who served us food at our private clubs, the people who looked after our horses at the hk jockey club, the people who caddied for us at the hk golf club, the people who cleaned our locker rooms and swept our tennis courts, the people who have always looked after us while we were enjoying life.

I chose not to condemn violence of only one side, I chose only to condemn violence when both sides are being held responsible. Unfortunately up until today, only one side has been punished so therefore I continue to refuse to condemn violence of hk citizens who were on the streets to defend the rights and freedom of the majority, including yours.

I will continue to speak out against injustice. Our people have been asking for affordable homes in the CITY for over 40 years while our government has been sending them further and further into the new territories. I continue to believe that we do not need two race courses. I continue to believe that none of our golf courses, far away in the new territories, are the solutions to our housing problems. “Live closer, play farther” have proven to be a successful formula in many countries around the world to create better harmony in society, to allow the wealth gap to narrow, hence creating a solid middle class.

I hope you will forgive me for wanting to be myself. I hope we can be friends again and can greet each other again when we see each other at our prestigious private clubs and in high society gatherings. I sure hope that we can tee it up again at the hk golf club, enjoy a game of tennis; singles or doubles at CRC, or even own a horse together as a syndicate.

Good health to you all and may God bless your souls.

Yours sincerely,

Herbert Chow