Tag Archives: China

     To safeguard food safety, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Hong Kong Customs have launched joint blitz operations from October 25 to inspect selling points of hairy crabs in various districts and combat the illegal sale of hairy crabs, with a view to ensuring that hairy crabs on sale in the market comply with relevant requirements under the laws.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said today (November 3), “Up till today, officers from the Centre for Food Safety, the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the FEHD and Customs officers have inspected more than 60 premises selling hairy crabs, including food premises and public market stalls. The source documents and health certificates of the hairy crabs were checked to ensure that the hairy crabs sold at the premises are in compliance with the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) as well as the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) (Cap. 362) and are fit for human consumption. The FEHD and Customs officers also distributed promotional leaflets to the operators of the premises, reminding them to pay attention to food safety and comply with relevant requirements under the laws. During the operations, no contravention was found.”

     Under the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X), save with the written permission of the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH), no person shall sell any restricted foods, including shellfish. Operators selling hairy crabs (including physical premises and online sales) shall obtain the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD. Furthermore, the relevant regulatory condition also stipulates that hairy crabs for sale shall be obtained from a reliable and reputable source. A copy of the health certificate issued by the relevant authority and acceptable to the DFEH shall also be kept. Under the Regulation, any person who operates an unlicensed food business or sells restricted foods without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     In addition, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender in this regard is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction. Under the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612), any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the record-keeping requirement relating to movement of food commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

     Customs reminds traders not to apply a false trade description to goods or services, or to supply or offer to supply goods or services to which a false trade description is applied. Those who violate the TDO are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years. Customs also attaches great importance to the protection of consumer rights and will take appropriate enforcement action once activities in violation of the TDO are detected in the market. 

     The FEHD and Customs remind the trade not to import or put on sale hairy crabs with an unknown origin, and consumers should make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD.

     If members of the public suspect that there are operators selling hairy crabs without the relevant permits/permissions or the hairy crabs are not accompanied with health certificates, they may make a report by calling the FEHD hotline at 2868 0000 or through email (enquiries@fehd.gov.hk).

     In addition, members of the public may make a report to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/) if they suspect that hairy crabs bought are of a falsely claimed place of origin.

  

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels), Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund are supporting the screening of six Hong Kong films at the 11th Asian Film Festival Barcelona being held in Barcelona, Spain, from October 25 to November 5.

     The six Hong Kong films are Lawrence Kan’s “In Broad Daylight”, Tracy Choi’s “Lonely Eighteen”, Andy Lo’s “Once in a Blue Moon”, Lau Kok-rui’s “The Sunny Side of the Street”, Au Cheuk-man’s “Stand Up Story” and Cheuk Wan-chi’s “Vital Sign”.

     Speaking before the screening of a Hong Kong film on November 2 (Barcelona time), a representative of HKETO, Brussels highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been promoting creative industries and grooming talent in the film sector, strengthening Hong Kong’s role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The representative added that recently in “The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address”, new initiatives were announced to further develop the film market, including the Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme to sponsor film projects co-produced by Hong Kong filmmakers and their Asian and European counterparts. 

     The Asian Film Festival Barcelona specialises in Asian cinema, with a programme of more than 100 films from around 25 countries and cities in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 3) that an aquatic product and seaweed products from regulated Japanese metropolis/prefecture were suspected to be in breach… read more

     The Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances, which enable the public to appreciate different cultural features of Asian ethnicities, will be held on November 12 (Sunday) from 1pm to 5pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and Foyer, showcasing the arts and cultures of different parts of Asia through a variety of folk dances, musical instrument performances, a fashion show and a martial art performance. The event is also one of the highlights of the newly launched Asia+ Festival this year. Members of the public are welcome to join and admission is free.
 
​     With the theme of “Crowning the Harvest Hues”, this year’s Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances will manifest how Asian people celebrate the abundance of nature, showcasing the cultural essence of over 20 Asian countries and regions. Performances include a dragon dance; folk dances of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Türkiye and Sri Lanka; as well as a Korean traditional percussion performance and more.
 
​     Members of the public can also enjoy the rarely seen Kazakhstan dombra and Mongolian horse fiddle performances as well as a traditional handicrafts display, while families are also welcome to join the Sri Lankan drum workshop and Korean fragrant sachets workshop on-site.
 
​     Meanwhile, an exhibition entitled “Charm of Hues – National Costume and Headdress Exhibition” will be held from November 12 to 19 at the Foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The eight-day exhibition showcases beautiful costumes and decorations that people wear during festive events and arts performances. These include dance costumes of the Indian Bhangra dance, Nepal’s Gurung tribe Ghatu dance and Japan’s Tokushima traditional dance; northern Vietnam’s traditional hat Nón Quai Thao for New Year celebrations, a Cambodian Apsara crown; the traditional costumes thobe and abaya worn by men and women of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and more.
 
​     In addition to the live performances and the exhibition mentioned above, the Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances will also offer an online programme recapturing the event highlights, to be broadcast on November 26 at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Community Programmes Office (CPO) website (www.cpo.gov.hk/activity/en-aecp-2023-carnival/).
 
​     Twenty-three countries and places will participate in the event, including Hong Kong, China; Macao, China; Bangladesh; Cambodia; India; Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea; Kuwait; Laos; Malaysia; Nepal; Mongolia; Pakistan; the Philippines; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Türkiye; the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. For details of the programme, please visit the website of the CPO or call 2591 1340. More details of the Asia+ Festival can be found here: www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/asiaplus/index.html.

          

     Following the world tour of “The Great Tamar”, internationally acclaimed Greek choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou will return to Hong Kong and perform onstage for the first time in a decade. Papaioannou’s works have always been known as being visual spectacles. For his latest production, “INK”, the master of spectacle will create a water-filled stage and present together with young German dancer Šuka Horn.

     “INK”, which is one of the highlights of this year’s New Vision Arts Festival (NVAF), will be staged from November 9 to 11 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. All three performances will be performed by Papaioannou and Horn.

     Under the magical illusionary spell of Papaioannou, “INK” is set on a dark stage flooding with water. The dance-like push and pull between the two dancers, juxtaposing stillness with violence, portrays a primal state, drawing the audience irresistibly into the artists’ nightmare.

     “INK” was initiated by Papaioannou at the start of the pandemic when the young dancer Horn was stranded in Greece, creating an opportunity for the two artists to become close collaborators. Papaioannou was inspired by his interests such as painting, religion, aliens, sci-fi and Greek mythology, creating a duet performance that allows audiences to enter the conscious and subconscious mind of the master.

     “INK” received the Ubu Award for best foreign show presented in Italy in 2021. The programme is on a world tour starting from this year.

     “INK” will be held at 7.30pm on November 9 and 10 (Thursday and Friday), and at 3pm on November 11 (Saturday) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Tickets priced at $200, $280, $360, $460 and $580 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288, or use the mobile ticketing app “URBTIX”. Various discount schemes, including the newly introduced weekend package booking discount, are being offered.

     “INK” contains nudity. Audiences below 16 will not be admitted. A meet-the-artist session will be held after the performance at the Grand Theatre on November 10.

     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the NVAF is running from October 20 to November 19, showcasing an array of interdisciplinary programmes by overseas and local performing groups and artists. For programme enquiries, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.nvaf.gov.hk.