This month, I started working at the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s largest English-language newspaper, as an intern reporter. Here’s some of what I’ve been working on. If you have story ideas on Hong Kong and China, you can reach me at joanna.chiu@scmp.com.
“Peak residents put stop to road barrier” June 22, 2012
The construction of a concrete barrier on Old Peak Road has been halted because of objections from the public, in the latest stand-off over protective structures on public roads and pathways.
On June 5, Melanie Moore, a British corporate lawyer, noticed the barrier being built outside her home near 23 Old Peak Road. She wondered why a barrier was being built right next to a wall…
When Moore, other residents and hikers sent letters asking for a public consultation on the concrete barrier project, construction was halted…
“Study highlights lack of awareness on diabetes” (First edition) June 22, 2012
One in 10 Hongkongers have a type of diabetes that can lead to stroke, heart disease and kidney failure, yet a new study finds that most do not know how to effectively control the disease.
For example, one-third of people with type 2 diabetes, which can be caused by obesity, never self-monitor their blood glucose levels, according to a survey from the Hong Kong Specialist Medical Association (HKSMA)…
Inmates ‘Serve’ Their Time in Jail (First edition) June 21, 2012
Wearing a crisp waiter’s uniform, 36-year-old Ah Fai expertly folds two napkins into fan shapes, arranges chopsticks on the table and then serves a fried pork dish. He’s not working in a restaurant, though – Fai is doing this behind bars.
He is one of many inmates in the city’s 29 correctional facilities taking part in hands-on vocational training programmes to help them find employment after serving their sentences and to stay out of jail…
Student devises formula for stock market success June 19, 2012
Simon Sui Fai beat more than 1,000 other university students to win a citywide investment contest and take nearly HK$13,000 in prize money.
But he did not do it for the cash. The 24-year-old prodigy was already a stock market millionaire…
Perfect Father’s Day beckons for a special dad Jun 16, 2012
Jeffrey Bewsey never thought he would become a stay-at-home father living in Hong Kong. Nor did the 51-year-old Briton ever imagine he would become the main care provider for a child with special needs.
“When I first saw Fei Fei in the adoption centre, to be honest, I was in sheer terror,” Bewsey said. “I thought, what on earth have I got myself into? Can I do this?”…
Celebrated botanist remembered as mother figure Jun 16, 2012
Dr Hu Shiu-ying, a world-renowned botanist and Chinese herbal medicine researcher, never had children. But at her funeral service yesterday, colleagues, former students and family members spoke of her as a loving mother figure who made an indelible impact on all their lives.
One of Hu’s former students, Chinese University professor Dr Leung Yeung-Sang, recalled how he and his classmates often struggled to keep up with Hu, who at the time was in her sixties, as she clambered over the hills in search of rare plants. “She would sometimes even use her hard-earned finds to make soup for us,” he said…
Teachers’ use of playtime in class being rewarded Jun 12, 2012
When Helen Ng was at primary school in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, she remembers spending a lot of time sitting in rows, quietly listening to the teacher, and completing worksheets.
“When my family moved to Canada and I started attending fourth grade [Primary Five], I was very happy to be introduced to the concept of playtime,” says Ng, who moved back to Hong Kong last year to work in education.
Now the Education Bureau is rewarding teachers who use “playtime” to encourage pupils to develop a love for learning…
