The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     To welcome the Year of the Dragon and be in complement of the Government's Day and Night Vibes campaign and encouragement of local consumption, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has put up festive New Year decorations and arranged a series of celebratory events for shoppers to enjoy and help boost the economy.

     "The HA strives to provide a variety of programmes in its shopping centres to enhance the shopping ambience and increase patronage. For the coming Lunar New Year, there will be celebratory events in a number of our shopping malls. At the HA's regional shopping centre, Domain, in Yau Tong, we have put up festive decorations under the theme of "Blossoming Love" and have organised a series of festive events and programmes to encourage local spending and provide a joyful shopping experience so that customers may shop and at the same time enjoy the various exciting events or programmes," a spokesman for the HA said today (February 2).

     At Domain, there are plenty of festive decorations featuring blooming blossoms and their reflections in mirrors. Highlights include a 5-metre-long blossom mirror walk and a 4m-tall real peach tree with blossoms at the G/F atrium, symbolising prosperity for the new year. In addition, there are decorations of floral lucky draw sticks, floral charms of fortune and blooming blossoms offering visitors, their friends and family members photo-shooting spots.
 
     To encourage local spending and enhance patronage, Domain will hold a Lunar New Year Fair at its open plaza from February 3 to 9. There will be about a dozen stalls including some run by primary and secondary school students in the neighbourhood. In addition, on every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday from February 3 to 25, Domain will launch the Super Lucky Day・Instant Draw. Customers who have completed their membership registration via the Domain Club mobile application may participate in the scratch card reward activity subject to spending requirements, and participants may have a chance to win cash coupons from Domain or the shops in Domain. During the same period, other fantastic programmes will include parades of the God of Wealth, Valentine's Day promotions, lion dances, game booths and festive workshops, etc.
 
     In addition, Domain will launch a special shopping reward programme, the Being・Well bonus points reward from February 7 to 18. Domain Club members may earn bonus points at designated time slots upon spending, and may redeem e-coupons or selected gifts with points. Details are available on the website of Domain and the Domain Club mobile application.
 
     To boost local spending and to provide a free platform for youngsters to show their talent, the HA has organised the "Dream On Stage" competition for young people, with the preliminary rounds to be held at Wah Fu Shopping Centre, Queens Hill Shopping Centre and Ching Long Estate Podium Landscape Courtyard on February 3, 4, and 13 respectively. Finalists will participate in the "Dream On Stage" final competition to be held at Domain on February 17 to win attractive prizes.
 
     As for the HA's other shopping centres, there will be parades of the God of Wealth and lion dance performances on February 17 and 18 as follows:
 
February 17 (Saturday)                                        

• Kai Chuen Shopping Centre
• Ching Long Shopping Centre
• Kwai Chung Shopping Centre
• Lei Muk Shue Shopping Centre
• Choi Tak Shopping Centre
• Ping Shek Estate
• Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 6 Retail Facilities
• Hoi Lai Shopping Centre
• Lai Tsui Shopping Centre
• So Uk Shopping Centre

February 18 (Sunday)

• Shui Chuen O Plaza
• Mei Tin Shopping Centre
• Queens Hill Shopping Centre
• Shek Mun Shopping Centre
• Pok Hong Shopping Centre
• Yau Lai Shopping Centre
• Wo Tin Shopping Centre
• Yan Tin Shopping Centre
• On Tat Shopping Centre
• Nam Shan Shopping Centre

     Furthermore, there will be "Extra Lucky Day" at HA shopping centres on February 3, 4, 17 and 18 from 4pm to 8pm. Shoppers may have a chance to redeem a surprise gift subject to spending requirements with quotas on a first-come, first-served basis. Details are as follows:
 
February 3-4 (Saturday and Sunday)                                                   

• Ching Long Shopping Centre
• Choi Tak Shopping Centre
• Mei Tin Shopping Centre
• Lei Muk Shue Shopping Centre
• Kwai Chung Shopping Centre
• Nam Shan Shopping Centre
• On Tat Shopping Centre
• Kai Chuen Shopping Centre
• Shek Mun Shopping Centre
• Shui Chuen O Plaza

February 17-18 (Saturday and Sunday)

• Hoi Lai Shopping Centre
• Lai Tsui Shopping Centre
• Yau Lai Shopping Centre
• So Uk Shopping Centre
• Queens Hill Shopping Centre
• Wo Tin Shopping Centre
• Yan Tin Shopping Centre
• Pok Hong Shopping Centre
• Ping Shek Estate
• Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 6 Retail Facilities

 
     On Valentine's Day, chocolates will be given out for free as gifts in the evening from 4pm to 8pm at all of the above-mentioned shopping centres while stocks last.
 
     To encourage visits to the HA's shopping centres, free parking will be provided to Domain Club members subject to specified spending requirements at Domain and Yau Lai Shopping Centre. For details, please refer to the notices at the shopping centres and on the Domain website. 

            

     The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA)'s latest exhibition, "Small Small World Panorama", opened today (February 2). The exhibition challenges the audiences' traditional impression about a museum gallery by turning it into a carnival-like space. The exhibition incorporates interactive installations and art accessibility facilities to engage visitors of different backgrounds and abilities to explore the museum through seeing, hearing and touching.
      
     The HKMoA offers a world of contrasts in art. Visitors may find themselves in a treasure hunt when they visit the HKMoA. Diversity in art is the point of departure of the "Small Small World Panorama". Understanding the collections of the HKMoA from the angle of daily experiences and biodiversity in nature, 60 students, coming from Pat Heung Central Primary School, Bui O Public School and Ebenezer School, who joined workshops organised by the HKMoA earlier, demonstrated their creativity by crafting buddies for their selected artworks from the collections. Together with a group of multidisciplinary artists, the students co-created an interactive exhibition with movable installations to encourage visitors to search for diversity and coexistence in art and life through games.
      
     Visitors can ride on a monorail to visit the buddies in the Hush Forest, explore different exhibits in other galleries at the HKMoA following the hints in the fruit trees and have the opportunity to redeem a small gift by taking photos. They can also learn more about the students' source of inspiration and the creation process through the videos in the gallery.
      
     This exhibition specially provides accessibility facilities such as a tactile map, a braille and tactile guide book, simple words, audio descriptions and wheelchair-friendly access with a view to expanding the range of sensory experiences and enabling visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds, of different ages and with different abilities to explore the treasures of the museum through the lens of diversity.
      
     The exhibition is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by the HKMoA. The school workshops co-creation partner is Make A Difference Institute (MaD). Stephanie Cheung is the curatorial partner while Kingsley Ng is in charge of the exhibition design. Beyond Vision International is the consultant of the tactile booklet design and accessibility.
      
     The exhibition, which will run until January 1, 2025, is being held at the Attic on the fifth floor of the HKMoA (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon). For details of the exhibition, please visit the website at hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/exhibitions-and-events/smallsmallworld.html or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.
      

      

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements in Causeway Bay and Tin Hau to facilitate members of the public visiting Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair.
 
A. Road closure
 
     Depending on traffic and crowd conditions, the following roads may be closed daily from 8am to 00.01am of the following day between February 4 and 6, and daily from 8am to 3am of the following day between February 7 and 8:

– The unnamed road section at the northern entrance of Park Towers car park, except for vehicles accessing Park Towers car park;
– Hing Fat Street between Causeway Road and Lau Li Street, except for franchised buses and green minibuses;
– Lau Li Street between Hing Fat Street and Ngan Mok Street; and
– Part of the traffic lanes of Electric Road between Gordon Road and Yacht Street.

     Depending on traffic and crowd conditions, the road closure area may be extended to cover the following roads daily from 4pm to 00.01am of the following day between February 4 and 6, and daily from 4pm to 3am of the following day between February 7 and 8:

– Paterson Street;
– Great George Street;
– Sugar Street;
– Cleveland Street;
– Kingston Street;
– Northbound Gloucester Road between Causeway Road and Great George Street;
– Northbound Gloucester Road between Great George Street and Tai Hang Road flyover, northbound Tai Hang flyover towards Central will remain open;
– Southbound Gloucester Road between Causeway Road and Causeway Bay flyover;
– Lockhart Road east of Percival Street (between February 7 and 8 only) ;
– Jaffe Road east of Percival Street (between February 7 and 8 only) ; and
– Cannon Street(between February 7 and 8 only).

B. Pedestrianisation
 
     The following roads will be pedestrianised from noon to 00.01am of the following day on February 4; daily from 4pm to 00.01am of the following day between February 5 and 6; and daily from 4pm to 3am of the following day between February 7 and 8:
 
– Lockhart Road east of Cannon Street;
– East Point Road; and
– Great George Street west of Paterson Street.

C. Suspension of parking spaces
       
     All parking spaces in Hing Fat Street Public Car Park will be suspended daily from 8am to 00.01am of the following day between February 4 and 6, and daily from 8am to 3am of the following day between February 7 and 8, except for disabled parking spaces.

     All car parks within the above closed road area may be suspended and vehicles may not be allowed to enter or exit the car parks, until the roads are safe for re-opening.

     All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.  

     Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport to visit the Fair. Actual implementation of traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     The Land Registry today (February 2) released its statistics for January 2024.

Land registration
——————
* The number of sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in January was 4 401 (+16.9 per cent compared with December 2023 but -0.6 per cent compared with January 2023)

* The 12-month moving average for January was 4 834 (0.04 per cent below the 12-month moving average for December 2023 and 0.2 per cent below that for January 2023)

* The total consideration for sale and purchase agreements of building units in January was $33.7 billion (+0.3 per cent compared with December 2023 and +3.6 per cent compared with January 2023)

* Among the sale and purchase agreements, 3 477 were for residential units (+18.7 per cent compared with December 2023 and +14.0 per cent compared with January 2023)

* The total consideration for sale and purchase agreements in respect of residential units was $27.8 billion (+14.3 per cent compared with December 2023 and +9.3 per cent compared with January 2023)

     Statistics on sales of residential units do not include sale and purchase agreements relating to sales of units under the Home Ownership Scheme, the Private Sector Participation Scheme, the Tenants Purchase Scheme, etc, unless the premium of the unit concerned has been paid after the sale restriction period.

     Figures on sale and purchase agreements received for the past 12 months, the year-on-year rate of change and breakdown figures on residential sales have also been released.

     As deeds may not be lodged with the Land Registry until up to 30 days after the transaction, these statistics generally relate to land transactions in the previous month.

Land search
————-
* The number of searches of land registers made by the public in January was 372 718 (+27.1 per cent compared with December 2023 and +16.0 per cent compared with January 2023)

     The statistics cover searches made at the counter, through the self-service terminals and via the Integrated Registration Information System Online Services.
 

     Ho Land International Limited was prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for violation of the Employment Ordinance (EO). The company pleaded guilty at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (February 2) and was fined $52,000.
      
     The company failed to pay four employees, in accordance with the requirements of the EO, wages totalling about $234,000 within seven days after the expiry of the wage periods and termination of their employment contracts, as well as the awarded sums of about $520,000 within 14 days after the date set by the Labour Tribunal (LT).
          
     "The ruling will disseminate a strong message to all employers that they have to pay wages to employees within the statutory time limit stipulated in the EO, as well as the sums awarded by the LT or the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board," a spokesman for the LD said.

     â€‹"The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees' statutory rights," the spokesman added.