Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 9) investigating an imported case of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, and hence reminded the public to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene against intestinal infections.

     The case involves a 65-year-old woman with good past health, who has presented with vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea since December 21 last year. She was admitted to a private hospital on December 24 and was discharged on the next day. The patient has been in a stable condition all along.

     Her stool specimen grew STEC upon laboratory testing.

     Initial enquiries of the CHP revealed that the patient had travelled to India from December 12 to 24 last year. Investigations are ongoing.

     “Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains, however, such as STEC, can produce powerful toxins and cause severe food-borne disease. The most recognised serogroup of STEC is E. coli O157:H7,” a spokesman for the CHP explained.

     Preventive measures for STEC infection are similar to those recommended for other food-borne diseases. The public are advised to observe good personal and food hygiene:
 

• Adopt the 5 Keys to Food Safety in handling food, i.e. Choose (choose safe raw materials), Clean (keep hands and utensils clean), Separate (separate raw and cooked food), Cook (cook thoroughly) and Safe Temperature (keep food at a safe temperature) to prevent food-borne diseases;
• Wash hands properly with liquid soap and water before handling food, after handling raw meat or poultry and before eating, and after going to the toilet or changing diapers;
• Cook food and boil water thoroughly before consumption. When cooking or reheating, the core temperature of the food should reach at least 75 degrees Celsius;
• Avoid consumption of unpasteurised milk or undercooked food; and
• Consult your doctor immediately if you have symptoms of STEC infection, particularly bloody diarrhoea.
   

     The public may visit the CHP’s STEC page for more information. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      The spokesperson for Tung Wah Eastern Hospital made the following announcement today (January 9):        Six patients (aged 78 to 93) in… read more

     The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present “Worth a Thousand Words: Adaptations of Foreign Literary Classics” as part of its “Archival Gems” series. From February 10 to September 8, two films adapted from the same foreign literary classic will be screened each month. Seminars will also be held on the screening days to explore how different filmmakers adapted the classics and examine the cross-boundary interaction between the films and the literature.
 
     The 16 selected films were adapted from a wide range of literature genres including a folktale, a fairy tale, novels and dramas. The Middle Eastern folktale “One Thousand and One Nights” was adapted to make the Western film “The Thief of Bagdad” (1924), and the latter inspired Hong Kong Cantonese opera and film writer Ma Si-tsang to create the Cantonese opera “The Prince of Thieves”. Luk Bong then adapted the opera into a film with the same title (1958), in which a thief hides his identity in a competition for a chance to marry the princess. They fall in love even though the thief’s identity is later revealed. Later, caught by an evil prince, the princess is rescued by her lover. As in the original “One Thousand and One Nights”, the princess in “New Arabian Nights” (1947), directed and scripted by Dan Duyu, is sold but luckily rescued in time.
 
     The well-known German fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” has been adapted into various art forms. The HKFA will screen the Cantonese movie “Snow White and the Seven Fellows” (1955), a light-hearted musical romance in which a bitter stepmother tries to make her stepdaughter’s life miserable. In the Chinese setting, disappointed by her assassin’s failure to kill the stepdaughter in a temple, the stepmother prepares a Chinese BBQ pork bun as a second pitfall. But the stepdaughter is ultimately rescued by a rich young man riding a white horse. “Snow White” (1916), the first movie to originate from the fairy tale, was lost for almost 80 years, but a copy was found in Amsterdam in 1992. Although missing some parts and silent, this version is certainly worth watching after being restored and given English inter-titles.
 
     When it was published, the American novel “Sister Carrie” was controversial as the main female character is not punished for cohabiting unmarried, for being a home-wrecker and leaving her lover for money. In “Carrie”, which debuted in 1952, the story is “cleaner” and Carrie becomes a tragic character caught in circumstances beyond her control. “Eternal Love” (1955) is recognised as the Hong Kong version of “Sister Carrie”. The male leading character marries a rich lady and is constantly insulted by his wife’s family. But he cannot help falling in love after getting to know Carrie. However, the relationship does not last when faced with life’s challenges. With an open ending, viewers are left to wonder whether the lovers will reunite.
 
     The famous Russian novel “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy gives Anna a sweet marriage at the beginning, though her husband turns out to be overly controlling. Consequently, she has an affair with a young soldier and bears his child. Surviving obstructed childbirth, Anna requests a divorce but is rejected. She runs away from her husband and suffers from his contempt. Finally, Anna commits suicide when abandoned by the soldier. As in the original, Anna of “Anna Karenina” (1935) runs away with her forbidden love and sacrifices her life. “Anna” (1955) is the only Chinese adaptation of the novel. Though the Chinese Anna is loyal and obedient, she is presumed to have an affair and is expelled by her autocratic husband. The story depicts women’s agony in a patriarchal society.
 
     “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” is the sad story of a young lady born in an English village, who is rejected by her lover after disclosing her secret of being raped in her early years, and is finally executed for killing the rapist when he harasses her again. The two selected Mandarin films, “The Wedding Night” (1956) and “A Night to Remember” (1961) both feature brides-to-be writing a letter to their lovers about their tragedies of being raped. However, neither letter reaches its intended receiver and the relationships are almost ruined. Luckily, the two men learn the truth and both couples have a happy ending.
 
     William Shakespeare’s drama “The Taming of the Shrew” describes the unusual strategies that a husband uses to “tame” his wife. The Cantonese opera masterwork originating from the drama later inspired the creation of the movie “Unruly Princess, Arrogant Husband” (1957). A rude princess who angers the neighbouring country is arranged by the emperor to marry a marshal who uses tricks to force her to apologise. The unwilling princess is finally tamed by her husband, but the power struggle between the two is intriguing. In the modern comedy “The Spoiled Princess” (1948) the male chauvinism of the original play is diluted. Sometimes quarreling yet accommodating each other, the spoiled princess played by Hung Sin Nui and her husband (played by Ma Si-tsang) sometimes quarrel but still work out a harmonious relationship.
 
     The renowned Russian comedy “The Inspector General” is an ironic story about a group of corrupt officials mistaking a junior officer who loves gambling as a government inspector. They dote on the fake inspector without gaining any benefits but expose their own hypocrisy. When the real inspector arrives they are full of regret. The storyline remains similar in the Hong Kong movie “The Inspector General” (1955), with corrupt officials flattering the wrong inspector and allowing him to reap profit. A Chinese New Year movie, “The Prince Incognito” (1961) features a scholar posing as a key official who uses his identity to help the poor instead of cheating others. However, he is jailed when his real identity is disclosed. Unexpectedly, the real key official is the scholar’s long-lost twin brother. The twins reunite and are promoted in their career paths.
 
     “The Beauty and the Dumb” (1954) and “Precious Daughter” (1956) are adapted from the French drama “The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife”. The three story lines are quite different except that the three leading actresses are all dumb (voiceless) at the beginning but regain their voices as the films progress. In the original, the wife becomes too talkative after regaining her voice and the annoyed husband prefers to become deaf. The dumb female protagonist in “The Beauty and the Dumb” falls in love at first sight with a bank heir. To help his dumb daughter land a rich husband, the greedy father appropriates a large sum of money to cure her. Luckily however, the bond between the couple is strong enough. “Precious Daughter” follows a woman who becomes dumb after a road accident. After getting married, she then fails to please her sister-in-law, which almost ends her marriage. Frightened again, she regains her voice as the story comes to an end.
 
      Each pair of screenings will be accompanied by a seminar hosted by film critics and scholars Lam Kee-to, Poon Kit-man, Dr Mary Wong, Ng Wing-han, Joyce Yang, Professor Chan Sau-yan, Cheng Ching-hang and Dr Yau Ching. The seminars are conducted in Cantonese. Admission is free.
 
     “New Arabian Nights”, “The Wedding Night”, “A Night to Remember” and “The Beauty and the Dumb” are in Mandarin. “Prince of Thieves”, “Snow White and the Seven Fellows”, “Eternal Love”, “Anna”, “The Spoiled Princess”, “Unruly Princess, Arrogant Husband”, “The Inspector General”, “The Prince Incognito” and “Precious Daughter” are in Cantonese. “Carrie” and “Anna Karenina” are in English. “Snow White” is silent (with music accompaniment).”Snow White” has English inter-titles and Chinese subtitles. “Carrie” and “Anna Karenina” have Chinese subtitles. “The Beauty and the Dumb” has English subtitles. The others are without subtitles.

     Tickets priced at $55 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme details, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/2019ag-foreign/index.html.

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​     The latest test results of the opening-up investigation in the second stage of the holistic assessment strategy for the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project (as at January 9) are now available at the Highways Department’s website for the SCL project (www.hyd.gov.hk/en/road_and_railway/railway_projects/scl/index.html) for reference by the public. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (January 9):

Question:

     Some members of the public have relayed to me that a number of villages in the New Territories with long histories not only have many buildings with conservation value but also have been preserving many traditional customs (e.g. sek pun (basin feast), lantern lighting ceremony, jiao festival and unicorn dance). However, since the closure in June 2016 of the New Territories Heritage Hall, a permanent gallery of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Government has not implemented any project in public museums for promoting the cultural heritage of the New Territories. Besides, there have not been significant increases in the number of tourists visiting the Ping Shan Heritage Trail and Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail over the years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
(1) of the respective operating expenditures and attendances of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in each of the past five years;
 
(2) of the respective numbers of guided tours conducted at the Ping Shan Heritage Trail and Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail and the respective numbers of participants in such tours, in each of the past five years;
 
(3) of the expenditure incurred in each of the past three years by the Antiquities and Monuments Office on restoring and repairing the built heritage in the New Territories, and the details of the works projects concerned;
 
(4) whether it has formulated short and medium term plans for setting up permanent galleries in public museums or discussed with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and Mainland/overseas museums the collaboration in the planning of exhibitions, with a view to promoting the traditional cultural customs of the New Territories; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(5) of the measures to increase the attractiveness of those museums and heritage trails at remote locations, so as to let more members of the public know about the traditional cultural customs of the New Territories; and
 
(6) as the Chief Executive has announced in this year’s Policy Address that the Government will allocate $300 million to strengthen the preservation, promotion and transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), of the details of the relevant work; the specific plans to promote the relevant work among ICH bearers, the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk, various rural committees and District Councils, and assist inexperienced ICH bearers in preserving and promoting ICH?
 
Reply:

President,

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region attaches great importance to the preservation of traditional customs of the New Territories, and has been promoting relating cultural heritage to the general public through various means. Our reply to various parts of Hon Kenneth Lau’s question is as follows:

(1) The operating expenditure (excluding staff salaries) and attendance of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in the past five years are at Annexes 1 and 2.
 
(2) The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) offers free docent services of heritage trails for local registered charitable organisations, non-profit-making institutions and schools. In the past five years (i.e. 2014-18), 1 060 guided tours were conducted at Ping Shan Heritage Trail and 191 guided tours at Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail with the total numbers of participants at 29 722 and 5 178 respectively.
 
(3) Expenditure incurred in each of the past three financial years (i.e. 2015-16 to 2017-18) by AMO on restoring and repairing the privately-owned Declared Monuments in the New Territories, and the details of the works projects concerned are set out at Annex 3.
 
(4) The museums under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) endeavor to promote the traditional cultural heritage of Hong Kong. The permanent exhibition of the Hong Kong Museum of History showcases, among other things, the cultural heritage of the New Territories including the traditional lifestyles, customs, beliefs and festive activities of the major ethnic groups. In addition, three other LCSD museums namely the Sam Tung Uk Museum, Law Uk Folk Museum and the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum were originally Hakka village houses converted into public museums after restoration. Their exhibitions illustrate the lifestyle of Hakka people in the old days. Furthermore, the “Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Centre” was established in the Sam Tung Uk Museum in 2016 as a display and resource centre dedicated to showcasing ICH items, many of which highlight the cultural heritage of the New Territories. Notable examples include Hakka unicorn dance, Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, Tai O dragon boat water parade, spring and autumn ancestral worship of clans, Tin Hau Festival, etc. With the opening of venues in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) in coming years, LCSD also welcomes collaboration opportunities in the promotion of traditional cultural heritage.
 
     The museums and the ICH Office under the purview of LCSD will continue to promote the traditional cultural heritage of Hong Kong and collaborate with Mainland/overseas museums for organising outbound exhibitions.  Recent examples include an exhibition at the Prince Kung’s Mansion in Beijing in December 2018 and January 2019 showcasing the 20 items on the Representative List of the ICH of Hong Kong, including the items related to traditional culture of the New Territories.
 
(5) LCSD regularly organises education and extension activities related to traditional culture of Hong Kong at small museums at remote locations with a view to enhancing the attractiveness and public awareness. These activities include demonstrations and workshops, school visits through the School Culture Day Scheme. To further promote these small museums and built heritage, LCSD organised special activities such as “Hi! Houses” which was an art project organised at Law Uk Folk Museum, Sam Tung Uk Museum, old house at Wong Uk Village, etc. in 2017, as well as “Muse Fest HK 2017” which included a wide range of programmes such as “Hi! Mini-Concert at Wong Uk” and “Museum Hopping Tour” to different museums in the territories.
 
     AMO has been collaborating closely with village representatives of Ping Shan in Yuen Long and Lung Yeuk Tau in Fanling. Discussions with the villager representatives on the repair and opening of historic buildings along the trails as well as the ancillary facilities of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail and Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail are held frequently. In order to enhance the attractiveness of Ping Shan Heritage Trail, AMO has, in recent years, garnered the support of Ping Shan villagers to include Yan Tun Kong Study Hall and Tat Tak Communal Hall, after their renovation, into the trail to open to the public. AMO will continue to co-operate with local villagers in organising field trips and guided tours of heritage trails to promote historic buildings as well as the traditional festivals and celebrations held there, such as ancestral worship, lantern lighting ceremony and Jiao Festival, to increase the attractiveness of the heritage trails.
 
(6) With the funding approval of the Finance Committee of Legislative Council, LCSD will launch a new ICH funding scheme with a commitment of $300 million to engage the community to participate in the safeguarding, research, education, promotion and transmission of ICH, and to enhance public awareness and understanding of the ICH of Hong Kong. The funding scheme will provide support to the identified projects and activities organised by or in partnership with community organisations and ICH bearers. Major target recipients include bearers or bearer organisations of local ICH items; individuals or organisations related to local ICH items, holding techniques and knowledge, or transmitting ceremonies and traditions of local ICH items; cultural organisations or academic institutions conducting researches on local ICH; and individuals or organisations promoting local ICH items in the community.
 
     Projects/activities to be funded must be non-profit by nature. The funding scheme will accept applications from Hong Kong residents; approved charitable institutions, recognised non-profit making organisations, local societies and groups; and local tertiary education institutions. The ICHO will set up relevant webpages and hold briefings to introduce the details of the funding scheme. For individual ICH bearers and community organisations that might not have the requisite knowledge or experience to apply for the funding, the ICHO would provide the necessary advice and assistance wherever appropriate. read more