Need any more proof that Hong Kongers are fed up with mainland shoppers raiding their shelves of milk? On Tuesday, someone submitted a petition to the White House for the Obama administration to "request for international support and assistance," which is vague, "as babies in Hong Kong will face malnutrition very soon," which feels like an insult to places where babies are facing actual malnutrition. More t ...

The Hong Kong government has recently been criticized by Internet users for using a Putonghua (common tongue Mandarin) term in its new Chinese opera theater’s English name. Instead of giving it an actual English or even Cantonese name, the new facility is simply the Xiqu Centre (戏曲中心). The government explains that Chinese opera is different from Western opera, so "Xiqu" is used to differentiate itself. Yes, ...

Mothers in Hong Kong have been complaining (again) that they can’t get sufficient milk powder for their babies because mainland shoppers are buying the powder in bulk. According to the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong government, last year the city imported more than 37,900,000 kg of baby milk powder. The government has already increased the import by more than 30% in recent months, but sad ...

Hong Wrong puts it perfectly: Thousands of Hong Kong Christians were unified in intolerance yesterday during a protest against homosexuality at government headquarters… In a city that loves to protest -- everything from its chief executive to luxury brands -- this might be the worst: people demonstrating against a perceived brave new world in which they're no longer allowed to be openly bigoted homophobes. ...

I'm guessing if you're not a businessperson, you'll likely disagree with a recently released ranking by leading conservative Canadian think tank Fraser Institute that places Hong Kong above the US, Canada, and all Scandinavian countries in terms of "human freedom." In Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom, the institute "focuses on creating the first comprehensive and conceptually consistent index of f ...

Police estimate that about 2,600 protesters participated in a pro-government rally in Hong Kong on Sunday (or "as many as 40,000," if you believe organizers). It was the first half of a doubleheader of protests, with the nightcap coming yesterday -- the anti-government variety -- attended by 17,000, according to police. (In proportional hyperbole, organizers declared 130,000 people showed up.) ...

Hong Kong had fireworks at Victoria Harbor. Shanghai had a 4D light show on the Bund. Beijing had a beam of light out of the China Millennium Monument (a sundial you probably haven't been to, because Haidian district). We love our home city, but am also kind of okay admitting that Beijing loses this round (though these photos are pretty cool). Shanghai vs. Hong Kong - who takes it? [polldaddy poll=6801636] ...

They're marching in Hong Kong again -- and again -- as competing rallies express support and opposition to Hong Kong's government. The first rally -- the pro-gov variety -- does not augur more civil public assemblies. As SCMP reports: ...

Hong Kong and the mainland can't seem to stop offending one another. The latest rumpus, as explained by Bad Canto, began after the Hong Kong TV series Friendly Fire depicted two pregnant women -- one local and one from the mainland -- arguing in a hospital. The controversial scene is above. Via Singapore Yahoo: ...

BJC's "An Expat Christmas" series shifts to Hong Kong, where Pete DeMola, a longtime mainland resident who relocated not long ago, prepares for a double celebration in the special administrative region. By Pete DeMola I’m one of the few people I know who can probably recount all thirty of my Christmases without skipping a beat: I was born the day before the Big Day, and I have a twin brother. ...

We have no question that Chi Lin Nunnery in Kowloon's Diamond Hill is a beautiful complex, possibly one of the most beautiful temple complexes in Hong Kong. It is apparently 33,000 square meters of tranquility and natural splendor, with the main building buttressed by hills, ponds, orchids, and topiaries, all against a backdrop of soaring skyscrapers. Here's the thing though: it's 14 years old, having been ...

This video by Gregory Lane, "So Long, My Hong Kong," presents dozens of beautifully rendered shots of the true Pearl of the Orient. I've said it before but it bears repeating: Hong Kong does not seem like a city built by men of this world, such is the ambition of its design and overwhelming beauty. You get a glimpse of that here. The music is Nino Rota's "La Dolce Vita." (H/T Marshall Wang) ...

On Saturday, a record 4,000 people took part in an LGBT rights parade in Hong Kong themed "Dare to Love." The above image -- and several others after the jump -- is via NetEase. A few videos are embedded after the jump as well, while chinaSMACK has a round-up of mainland Chinese reactions to the big event. Meanwhile, Gay Star News has details of the march: During the march, pro-gay rights lawmaker Gary Fan ...

We're as sick of Gangnam Style parodies as everyone else, but this latest, "Nasty China Style," has a few redeeming factors. First, it's sung in Cantonese; I tend to think all Gangnam parodies are bad mostly because of the lyrics, but it helps when you don't know what they're saying. (There are subtitles though.) Second, file this one under "Red Army Orchestra meme" -- it'll help you get over the anti-Gangn ...

Here are two sets of impressive visuals featuring Hong Kong, both uncovered by the blog Hong Wrong. In the first, by Edwin Lee, we see an array of motion time lapse shots taken from 13 different locations – Lion Rock Peak, International Centre of Commerce, 39 Conduit Road, Harbour City, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Fa Yuen Street Market, Allied Plaza, Cosmopolitan Centre, Prince Edward, ICC, Lai King, Statue ...

Were you somewhere other than Hong Kong this weekend? You mean you weren't watching the city's first-ever soapbox derby, sponsored by Red Bull? You sad, sad fool. The blog Hong Wrong says about 30,000 people turned out, and judging by the video, it was quite the spectacle. The Telegraph notes: The teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and speed. Food seemed to be a recurring theme, such as the 'Hot P ...

What happens when you mix the characters of Super Mario with the mean streets of Hong Kong and classic elements of Triad flicks? The folks at Dayside Productions have an answer for you. From the YouTube video description: Synopsis: Bowser, the shroom drug lord, kidnaps the mayor's daughter, Peach, to call off a drug investigation. The mayor calls Mario to seek revenge and rescue Peach. And make no mistake, ...

More pictures here via AP. Another Golden Week tragedy, this time out of Hong Kong. Thirty-six people are confirmed dead after a ferry, the Lamma IV, capsized after colliding with a tug boat off Lamma Island. Many of the 120 onboard were off to Victoria Harbor to watch Hong Kong's annual October 1 fireworks display, one of Hong Kong's three fireworks shows. From the above-linked AP writeup: ...

Picture via the Guardian, caption: "Gigi Chao (right) is already taken, having apparently married her partner of seven years, Sean Eav (left), in France recently. Photograph: Apple Daily/AFP/Getty Images." Gigi Chao says she's "really quite touched" by her dad's HK$500 million bounty for her hand in marriage, and with applicants like this, we can see why! hi Gigi Chao I desire to marry you if I married you ...

Hong Kong property developer Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, looking very much like a tycoon in the above picture, has offered HK$500 million for the man who marries his daughter, Gigi Chao. Emphasis: man. For you see, there is one slight problem, as reported by South China Morning Post: Rejecting suggestions Gigi, 33, is a lesbian and describing news of her union as "false reports by newspapers", the 76-year-old own ...