For the past few years, media reports of suicide, abuse and unemployment in Tin Shui Wai’s public housing areas have earned the community the title ‘City of Sadness’, and it is true that there is an eerily empty vibe around the immaculately clean, ultra-quiet housing district flanking the MTR station. However, even a single glance around the elevated MTR stop suggests more is to be seen in Tin Shui Wai than suburban decay. Not even 500m from the station’s E3 exit stands the hexagonal, 600-year-old Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, the only ancient pagoda in Hong Kong. This structure marks the start of the kilometre-long Ping Shan Trail, HK’s first official Heritage Trail, which includes a walled village, the Tang Ancestral Hall and the Kung Ting Study Hall. At the same exit, you can take the Light Rail 705/706 to the greenery, conservation education and Pui Pui, the resident crocodile, at the HK Wetland Park. Farther afield, Tin Shui Wai Park is a more urban space featuring a semi-enclosed model-car racetrack, a lake with a designated model-boat arena, a children’s maze garden, a palm garden and a massive, ornate water fountain.

The Find:Penalty Card Games (Hard Type)
Final price: $10
Where found:Jusco $10 Shop, Sheung Wan

If planning party games gives you a headache, we have a suggestion for your next gaming night out. This Penalty Card Game – the “Boy meets girl version” – is designed for partygoers and drinkers who fancy a bit of extra excitement. Each of the 24 cards has a provocative penalty instruction written in Japanese and English. Participants could possibly be “Sitting on the lap on your left person face to face” or “Saying ‘This is my weak spot’ pointing there”. You can also make up your own rules and write them on two blank cards – or, if you are kind, just make them penalty-free cards. The game is both an ice-breaker and a chill-out activity among friends, although the caveat on the case warns “This game doesn’t always let boys meet girls” and, most importantly, “Don’t get it wet”.

1. Darren, Settlement Trainee
Medecins Sans Frontieres

2. Stella, Admin Manager
WWF

3. Nicolo Bellotto, Corporate & Tax Manager of M&A Advisory Firm
Red Cross

4. Fabrice, Partner of M&A Advisory Firm
Oxfam, Salvation Army

5. Sam, Wealth Planning Consultant
The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association