Tag Archives: China

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (November 10) that stalls at the 2024 Fong Ma Po (FMP) New Year Fair at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po will be put up for open auction on November 24 (Friday).
      
     A spokesman for the FEHD said the annual FMP New Year Fair will be held for 15 consecutive days from February 10 to 24, 2024. A total of 22 dry goods stalls and six wet goods stalls will be put up for auction, with upset prices of $780 and $770 respectively.
      
     The auction will be held at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, on November 24 (Friday), from 2pm until completion of the auction.
      
     Bidders for FMP New Year Fair stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. Anyone can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in person with his or her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD, or he/she will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.
      
     The FMP New Year Fair site will be made available to the licensees three days in advance of the fair (February 7 to 9, 2024) for the setting up of stalls. In the event of any unforeseeable incident that will result in shortening of the whole licence period (including the duration for setting up stalls and the business period of the fair), the Government has the right to postpone the commencement date and shorten the duration of the period. The bidding price (licence fee) paid will be refunded to the successful bidder on a pro-rata basis without interest.
      
     The FEHD reminded licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the FEHD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show or sell any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, contrary to the interest of national security, immoral or incompatible with the object of the FMP New Year Fair, the FEHD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such activity and the licensee must immediately comply with such direction.
      
     Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at or in the vicinity of the stall. They must completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise) from the licensed area before 6pm on February 24, 2024.
      
     According to the licence agreement, except inside designated stalls, licensees shall not keep, store or use helium cylinders in the licensed area. Whereas licensees of the designated stalls could keep, store or use helium cylinders in the licensed area, the quantity of helium should be such that a licence is not required pursuant to the Dangerous Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulation 2012 (Cap. 295E), i.e. equivalent to 150 litres of helium. Sales of floating LED glowing balloons and aquarium fish by stall licensees are prohibited at the FMP fair.
      
     In addition, as stated in the licence agreement, for wet goods stalls with a height of more than 3 metres from ground level, the licensee must, at his own cost, provide the FEHD with a certificate issued by an authorised person, a registered structural engineer, or a competent person under the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59I) to certify the structural safety of the stall structure before the FMP New Year Fair is opened to the public. The height of wet goods stalls must not exceed 4.5m from ground level.
      
     Successful bidders shall comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the FEHD is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.
      
     Details of the 2024 FMP New Year Fair such as the public notice, the location and layout of the fair venue, commodities allowed for sale at the fair stalls, open auction arrangements and related rules, as well as a sample of the licence agreement, are available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the FEHD’s Tai Po District Environmental Hygiene Office at 3183 9162 or 2657 1137. read more

     The Town Planning Board announced today (November 10) that the Secretary for Development has referred the approved Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Kwun Tong Town Centre (KTTC) – Main Site Development Scheme Plan (DSP) to the Board for… read more

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (November 10) released the latest grading of water quality for nine gazetted beaches that are open for swimming in November.

     Five beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), three as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Clear Water Bay Second Beach	Repulse Bay Beach
Golden Beach	St Stephen’s Beach
Middle Bay Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:

Big Wave Bay Beach	Silverstrand Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach

Grade 3 beach is:

Silver Mine Bay Beach

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Clear Water Bay Second Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Silver Mine Bay Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.

     “The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,” an EPD spokesman said.

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD’s beach thematic website. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, November 10, 2023 is 106.4 (up 0.3 against yesterday’s index). read more

     The annual Cantonese Opera Day, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will be held on November 26 (Sunday) afternoon at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) and the Hong Kong Space Museum (Space Museum). Admission is free with tickets for “Cantonese Opera Excerpts” performance, talks and demonstration sessions being available through online registration starting November 14 (Tuesday) on a first-come, first-served basis. A small quantity of tickets will be reserved for walk-in participants while stocks last.

     The “Cantonese Opera Excerpts” performance of this year’s Cantonese Opera Day will be staged from 2pm to 5.30pm at the Concert Hall of the HKCC, where young Cantonese opera talents will take turns to perform classic excerpts. To allow participants to learn more about Cantonese opera, a world intangible cultural heritage item, from multiple perspectives, a number of talks and demonstration sessions covering areas such as Cantonese opera make-up, costume dressing, singing technique and appreciation, as well as craftsmanship of hair accessories for huadan (female lead), will be held at Level 4 of the Administration Building, HKCC. Another talk entitled “Cantonese Opera Chat and Learn” will be held at the Lecture Hall of the Space Museum, where tutors and their young students will share their experiences and thoughts about acquiring the skills of Cantonese opera.

     Tickets for the “Cantonese Opera Excerpts” performance, talks and demonstration sessions are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public can collect free admission tickets through the following methods:

Online registration
——————–
     Online registration will be open from 10am on November 14 at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1632.html. For “Cantonese Opera Excerpts” performance at the Concert Hall of the HKCC, each person is entitled to two tickets with free seating. For talks and demonstration sessions (i.e. activities at the Space Museum and Level 4 of the Administration Building, HKCC), each person can receive one ticket with free seating for each activity, with a maximum of two talks/demonstration sessions to be chosen, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.

On-site ticket distribution
—————————
     Tickets for “Cantonese Opera Excerpts” performance will be distributed at the entrance of the Concert Hall of the HKCC from 1.15pm on the event day (November 26). Tickets for talks and demonstration sessions will be distributed at the entrance of individual venues 15 minutes before the commencement of the programme. Each person is entitled to one ticket with free seating, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.

     In addition, a foyer programme will be introduced from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at the Foyer of the HKCC. This year. The Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra of the Music Office will perform familiar Cantonese music pieces, followed by exciting performances by the winners of this year’s Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Cantonese Opera Competition. The “Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong” exhibition, which is co-organised by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will also be held at the Foyer Exhibition Area. Admission is free and no admission ticket is required for foyer events. Members of the public are welcome to join on the spot.

     For programme and ticketing information of Cantonese Opera Day 2023, please visit the above-mentioned website or call 2268 7325.

     This year, various Cantonese opera-related programmes such as film screenings, Cantonese opera performances and an exhibition will be held at various LCSD venues (including the Hong Kong Film Archive, Ko Shan Theatre and Red Brick Building) in support of Cantonese Opera Day 2023. Please visit the above-mentioned website for the relevant programmes and web links. read more