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!

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.

Macau: Two Sides of the Former Portuguese Enclave

Many people at the Ruins of St Paul's in Macau

On Sunday morning I made a trip to Macau to visit relatives. I bought ferry tickets the day before to ensure I could get on the high-speed ferries. 

Tickets on the weekend are HK$190 each, and for first class it's HK$329 each; ages ago the return ticket would be worth more, but now they are the same price. Perhaps it's because there are now two high-speed ferry companies, and there are other ways to get to and from Macau, like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

African chicken with pickles and potato wedges

It was a beautiful clear and cool day when I went, but very windy, which resulted in a slightly bumpy one-hour ride. The water kept splashing on the windows as if the ferry was going through a car wash or a rainstorm for the whole trip.

We made it safe and sound to the other side and unloaded off onto the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal, a massive building that has a low capacity; which means passengers have to walk a long way to get to immigration and then out.

My relatives picked me up and we went upstairs to get to the Macau Light Rapid Transit, which is relatively new and few people ride it. It's a pleasant way to get around even though the speed may seem slow. It has convenient stops near all the major hotels, though not many people know about this public transit line or find it a hassle to get to the platform. 

At the end of the line -- right across from Hengqin in Zhuhai -- we got off and wandered a bit, passing by the Tin Hau temple before getting to Restaurante Litoral, a Portuguese dining establishment which has a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide.

Freshly made almond cookies with mandarin peel

We tucked into a big meal of bacalhau, or salted cod cakes, African chicken topped with a sauce that includes shredded coconut and caramelised onions that are browned under a broiler, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and a plate of grilled short ribs. 

Then we attempted to walk off the calories we had just consumed by walking around. We went to a side street to find a shop that sells handmade almond cookies, featuring ground almonds that are pressed into molds and baked.

My relatives were surprised to find the shop had a very short line -- typically the queue goes down the street. We didn't have to wait too long to get into the tiny shop and buy four boxes of these almond cookies that cost HK$85 each! That's because they are handmade, and not churned out by machines. You can even see men in an open-air shop making them with old equipment, the cookies left to cool on round bamboo trays.

As we walked down streets mostly catering to locals, my relatives were also concerned to see a lot of shop fronts that were closed, the shutters down. Either it was because it was a Sunday, or the business had shuttered. My relatives said if a business was not related to tourism, it would be very challenging for it to keep going.

Streets packed with visitors

This contrasted to when we got closer to the Ruins of St Paul's, where there swarms of tourists -- both mainland and Taiwanese. The streets leading up to remnants of the facade of a 17th century church are filled with shops selling all kinds of snacks, like the aforementioned almond cookies that are mass produced, beef and pork jerky, Portuguese egg tarts, egg rolls, and wife cakes. 

There were so many people at the Ruins of St Paul's that we quickly took a picture at the bottom of the stairs and then left via another street.

Macau is anxiously tracking the number of visitors to the city: in January there were over 3.64 million visitors, the vast majority were same-day tourists at 2.15 million, and only 1.49 million staying overnight. 

While the total number of tourists has gone up 27.4 percent year-on-year, most visitors only stay for the day. Those from the mainland can very easily cross the border into Zhuhai to stay the night where it is cheaper before re-entering Macau if they wanted to visit again.

This is a very similar situation in Hong Kong, where hotel rates are also expensive and again quite easy to go back to the mainland to Shenzhen to stay for the night, though most visitors are from Shenzhen and Guangzhou. It's a tough dilemma to solve, particularly for hotels eager to have more people staying in their rooms.

The Grand Lisboa in the distance

We managed to catch a cab along a small street and my relatives suggested I get to the ferry terminal and then they could continue on in the same taxi to get home. They said because cabs were so hard to come by that they didn't want to risk not being able to get another one if they got out and saw me off at the ferry terminal.

Looking for Ways to Generate More Money for HK

Did this help get Hong Kong out of its financial doldrums?

Hong Kong's coffers aren't as flush with money as it used to be, spending freely for things like tourism campaigns with the slogan "Happy Hong Kong", and "Night Vibes Hong Kong", and buying plane tickets to give away. Oh and what about that wall-to-wall advertising reminding people to vote on December 10 while making public transportation free?

So now the city is desperate to find ways to get rid of its budget deficit and some pro-Beijing legislators have a great idea -- tax people when they leave Hong Kong by air, sea or land.

Four lawmakers from the Liberal Party met with Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Monday about their expectations for the upcoming budget.

How about a departure tax on permanent residents

Among the 40 policy suggestions, one was a departure tax on permanent residents to generate more income.

"We do not support a departure tax levied on everybody. Instead, we support one that is imposed on Hong Kong's permanent residents -- whether they leave the city by flights, by vessels, or by cars. We support a short-term tax income to compensate for the current deficit," said Tommy Cheung, after meeting with Chan.

Last month the finance minister had to backtrack on an earlier projection that the government would be in the black in the next fiscal year, saying Hong Kong could expect another year in the red in 2024-25.

Chan believed it would take an extra "one or two more years" before the city would turn a profit. Government reserves were expected to fall to HK$720 billion at the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Gone are the days when Hong Kong had a whopping HK$1.835 trillion in reserves in 2018.

A good chunk was used to build the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge that is hardly used, millions spent on the Hong Kong Police especially during the 2019 protests, and then the Covid-19 pandemic for vaccines and doling out handouts to people and businesses.

Chan open to ideas to generate more money

Another great idea that was pitched was to further develop the "Night Vibes Hong Kong" campaign... does that mean extending night vibes to during the day? Don't people have to work?

If these ideas are from the best and brightest legislators, the city will have to do a lot more to stimulate the economy...

 

Lee Dismisses Absolute Poverty in HK

One of the rare occasions Lee smiles to promote Hong Kong

It's been one year since John Lee Ka-chiu became Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and what has he achieved in that time?

For one he is the face of Hello, Hong Kong, but sadly the permanent pained expression on his face has not motivated visitors to come to the city in droves as he and his government had hoped.

Last year at Lee's swearing-in ceremony with Xi

He seems confident that he can raise Hong Kong's global ranking which slipped from fifth to seventh place in this year's World Competitiveness Yearbook, which had previously won top spot in 2018.

However, as the political climate in the city deteriorates by the day, is it any wonder it will be an uphill challenge for Lee to even change people's perception of Hong Kong after the 2019 protests, the implementation of the national security law, shut down of Apple Daily, jailing over 10,000 people, and the departure of over 200,000 residents?

But he sounds like a broken record, reiterating what previous leaders have said when it comes to tackling serious issues like poverty and housing.

The Census and Statistics Department's latest numbers show that almost one-quarter of Hongkongers in 2020 or 1.6 million were facing poverty before taking into account government handouts.

Many elderly in Hong Kong are in poverty

While Lee claimed last year to have a poverty alleviation strategy, a recent survey had found less than 30 per cent of residents are satisfied with the government's measures.

Yet again the chief executive is studying how to define poverty.

"The poverty problem in Hong Kong is relative because absolute poverty does not exist in Hong Kong," Lee said. "But regardless of the statistical methodology used, it won't hinder the direction of the targeted measures in my policy address to tackle intergenerational poverty."

Why this constant need to define poverty when it's quite obvious when someone is in poverty by asking them how they manage to live day by day. Why does it have to be a numbers game. And for Lee to completely dismiss the possibility that absolute poverty exists in Hong Kong means he doesn't even recognise 1.6 million people exist.

When will Hong Kong get rid of cage homes?

Hong Kong is a wealthy city. Well it was before it spent billions on building the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, on police operations during the 2019 protests, propaganda exercises and so on. Imagine how say a few hundred million could help many people by building decent housing for the poor and helping them get back on their feet?

But no, the authorities don't want to admit there is poverty in Hong Kong and then by extension ignore one-quarter of the population.

This is Lee's attempt to sweep them under the carpet in order to get a good report card from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. 

Will be interesting to see what Xi says... better to have some concrete results, maybe, Mr Lee?

Over 40K Isolation Beds Collecting Dust in HK

The isolation centre at Lok Ma Chau Loop is empty

Remember when Hong Kong rushed to build Covid-19 isolation units, and even brought over mainland Chinese construction workers who built units that featured squat toilets? They had to be retrofitted with sit-down toilets after this were reported to the shock and horror of local residents.

While the pandemic is still ongoing but the latest variant, XBB.1.5 is not as severe though it is more infectious, the Hong Kong government has given up on forcing people into isolation, unless their living situation is such that they need to keep away from others for a few days.

Some were built with squat toilets at first

Only the facilities at Kai Tak and Penny's Bay are being used at the moment.

That means over 40,000 beds in an area covering 72 hectares (177 acres) are unused, the equivalent to 86 football fields.

Who knew the city had that much land -- remember it was suddenly donated by tycoons? Wonder if they want their land back now?

The facilities are in the New Territories in Tsing Yi, San Tin, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Ma Sik Road in Fanling, Hung Shui Kiu, Tam Mi and in the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

Lawmaker Dennis Leung Tsz-wing said he understood the facilities had been closed for more than half a year, and that about 5,400 workers, including security guards and cleaners, were laid off last May. 

Units at Penny's Bay are still being used now

Not to mention it cost billions of dollars to build these units that were used for about a year, if that? And who paid for them?

Pro-establishment lawmakers (as they are the only ones in the Legislative Council these days), are pushing the government on this, suggesting these units not become white elephants, but be quickly repurposed into housing.

Some suggest it be used for low-income housing for individuals or families, or dormitories for large construction sites, or donated to other countries -- how benevolent. 

In response, some think it's too much trouble to repurpose them into housing units, while others say they should be moved elsewhere as some of these are in far-fetched locations.

Surely these units can be repurposed somehow?

Not even trying to repurpose these units just shows how wasteful the authorities are, and can't be bothered to challenge local architects and engineers to think of creative ways to reuse them.

It also reveals the government not even following its own mantra of telling people to reduce, reuse and recycle...

Over 286K HKers Apply to Travel to Mainland

Borders are reopening between Hong Kong and Guangdong

After Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that up to 60,000 Hong Kong residents could cross the border into the mainland daily from January 8, the time slots were quickly filled up. By 8am on Friday, more than 286,000 residents had registered their visits online.

Lee made the quota announcement on Thursday

From Sunday, 50,000 travellers a day can use land checkpoints at the Lok Ma Chau railway station, Man Kam To and then Shenzhen Bay Port to enter the mainland without having to undergo quarantine if they have reserved a spot online. 

There is also a daily quota of 1,000 for drivers and passengers of private and rental cars who use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Meanwhile there is an equal number of places for mainland residents to apply to go to Hong Kong by registering on an Shenzhen government-operated reservation system.

Interestingly there are no quotas for the numbers of travellers entering China via the airport, two ferry terminals and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge shuttle buses. The government estimates there could be around 10,000 visitors through these other routes, but neither side will track these travellers in either direction... wonder why...

Travellers from both sides need to produce a negative polymerase chain reaction or PCR test taken within 48 hours and are not required to quarantine.

Travellers on the bridge won't be subject to quota

Hong Kong lawmakers are pleased with the quota arrangements, but are pushing to increase them further after the start of the Year of the Rabbit.

However, many Hongkongers are terrified of not only an impending invasion of mainlanders -- they are arriving vaccinated or not, as they don't need to show any proof of having had any jabs.

Some have already trickled into the city, though the onslaught is happening in days...