They were not the brave who volunteered their lives. Or members of a distant generation. They were young men on a trip with their mates playing the game they love.
They could have been you.
They could have been me.
And WE could have been them.
Category: 2024
East Asia Cup 2024
After a break of six years, Hong Kong’s rugby league players defend the East Asia Cup against Japan in Hokkaido on the 13 October.
Hong Kong won the East Asia Cup in 2018. It was the first-ever test victory for Hong Kong’s rugby league team in only their second test match.
If you’re in the area drop in and support Hong Kong or watch the match here https://espn2broadcast.takemaster.org/rugby.php
Hong Kong v Japan – East Asia Cup
Date: 13:30, 13 October, 2024
Venue: Hokkaido, Japan
Tickets: Free
Additional reporting and images: HK Rugby League
Cricket Sixes Return
After a seven-year absence, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes return to the Tin Kwong Road Cricket Ground on 1-3 November, 2024. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman, UAE, and Hong Kong will compete in 50-minute matches.
“Between 1992 and 2017, the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes was a highlight of our sporting calendar. We are excited to bring it back, not just as a cricket event, but as a celebration of our city and its potential in the world of sports. With cricket’s inclusion in the LA Games 2028 and possibly Brisbane 2032, this event will help propel the sport’s growth in East Asia,” said Burji Shroff, Chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong.
HK Cricket Sixes
Date: 1-3 November, 2024
Venue: Kowloon Cricket Club
Tickets: $1,200, $700, $600, $350 from HKticketing
Galloping Horses in the Sky
The evening sky over Victoria Harbour became a canvas as 1,500 drones paid tribute to Chinese painter Xu Beihong recreating his paintings as Galloping Horses in the Sky.
Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) the cover image is Xu’s most renowned work, “Galloping Horses”. It shows six horses charging forward in unison with unstoppable momentum.
Xu’s Galloping Horse created in 1942, the magnificent stallion embodies boundless power.
Based on Xu’s 1934 work “Vigorous with New Life”, the roaring lion leaps in hope, reflecting HongKongers “Lion Rock Spirit”.
Xu’s “Chinese Redbud”, an illuminated bauhinia blossom signifies Hong Kong’s vibrant and colourful nature.
Galloping Horses in the Sky – National Day Drone Show
Date: 8pm, 28 September, 2024
Venue: Victoria Harbour
Tickets: Free
image: HK Tourism
‘I was so naive’: 10 years after Umbrella protests…
Anniversary of pro-democracy demonstration takes place in city where protest has been largely criminalised and activists silenced
Today Hong Kong’s streets are quiet. Protest has been largely criminalised, and many of the leaders of the Umbrella movement have been exiled, jailed or otherwise silenced.
Looking back, Wendy* remembers the feeling of that first day of Occupy. She was 25 and believed in Hong Kong’s Basic Law, and its promise to deliver universal suffrage to the people now that the territory had been returned from British to Chinese control. But instead, China’s government announced that in elections people would only be able to choose from a few candidates handpicked by a mostly pro-Beijing committee.
“It seemed that the government wanted to break their promise,” Wendy tells the Guardian from Hong Kong. “So I went out.”…
Read the full article on The Guardian website
Nikola Estates Wine Dinner @ Frites North Point
Frites North Point hosted a wine dinner on 25 September: the fine flavours of USDA-certified beef and pork accompanied by 6 delicious wines from Nikola Estates.
Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.
images: copyright bc magazine/Simon Durrant
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Festival 2024
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets of Tai Hang resonate with the vibrant sounds of gongs and drums. And the intense smell of incense heralds the arrival of the century-old fire dragon as it dances for good fortune.
The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is staged for three consecutive nights (16 to 18 September) on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival to bring good fortune to the neighbourhood and its residents.
The 220-foot dragon is handcrafted each year by the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association, a process that takes around two months. The head and tail sections are constructed of rattan, and the body of thick rope with the dragon’s body then wrapped in chamber bitter leaves.
The dragon’s body is pierced with incense sticks ahead of the consecration ceremony which takes place the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, at the Lin Fa Kung Temple. After the dragon’s eyes are painted on, the fire dragon is alive.
This year the traditional joss sticks have been replaced with 10,000 LED
bulbs and the route extended so more people can enjoy the dance up-close.
images: HK Tourism
Swimmer Jasmine Ng Wins Paralympic Bronze
Teenage swimmer Jasmine Ng Cheuk-yan won her first Paralympic medal in Paris Sunday night, becoming at 14 Hong Kong’s youngest-ever Paralympic medalist.
At the Paris La Défense Arena, Ng finished third in the SB6 100-meter breaststroke final behind British swimmer Maisie Summers-Newton, who in winning smashed the Paralympic record and China’s world record holder and silver medalist, Liu Daomin.
In taking bronze Ng broke the previous record set by legendary sprinter So Wa-wai, who was 14 years and 10 months old when he won his first Paralympic gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games.