bc magazine

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2024

They died for our freedom and we should never forget..
At the going down of the sun…
And in the morning…
We shall remember them

Volunteers young & old, are selling poppies in support of the Royal British Legion on the streets of Central on 9 November, 2024.

Poppies can be obtained at the following locations:
Temporary Poppy Depot at Room 1705, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central – 9am to 5pm.

Skybridge, Level L2 at Pacific Place on 9^th November 2024 between 10am to 6pm

Images: Royal British Legion Hong Kong

Never Forgotten: Bali 2002

They were not the brave who volunteered their lives. Or members of a distant generation. They were young men on a trip with their mates playing the game they love.

They could have been you.
They could have been me.
And WE could have been them.

‘I was so naive’: 10 years after Umbrella protests…

Anniversary of pro-democracy demonstration takes place in city where protest has been largely criminalised and activists silenced

Today Hong Kong’s streets are quiet. Protest has been largely criminalised, and many of the leaders of the Umbrella movement have been exiled, jailed or otherwise silenced.

Looking back, Wendy* remembers the feeling of that first day of Occupy. She was 25 and believed in Hong Kong’s Basic Law, and its promise to deliver universal suffrage to the people now that the territory had been returned from British to Chinese control. But instead, China’s government announced that in elections people would only be able to choose from a few candidates handpicked by a mostly pro-Beijing committee.

“It seemed that the government wanted to break their promise,” Wendy tells the Guardian from Hong Kong. “So I went out.”…

Read the full article on The Guardian website

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Festival 2024

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets of Tai Hang resonate with the vibrant sounds of gongs and drums. And the intense smell of incense heralds the arrival of the century-old fire dragon as it dances for good fortune.

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is staged for three consecutive nights (16 to 18 September) on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival to bring good fortune to the neighbourhood and its residents.

The 220-foot dragon is handcrafted each year by the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association, a process that takes around two months. The head and tail sections are constructed of rattan, and the body of thick rope with the dragon’s body then wrapped in chamber bitter leaves.

The dragon’s body is pierced with incense sticks ahead of the consecration ceremony which takes place the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, at the Lin Fa Kung Temple. After the dragon’s eyes are painted on, the fire dragon is alive.

This year the traditional joss sticks have been replaced with 10,000 LED
bulbs and the route extended so more people can enjoy the dance up-close.

images: HK Tourism

30th Anniversary, bc magazine

Happy Birthday to us!

Thirty, yes 30, years ago today, bc magazine debuted on the streets of Hong Kong.

Much has changed over the last 30 years, especially in the last couple Lan Kwai Fong and Wanchai are now unrecognisable from the vibrant social melting pots of the past.

And while you can’t fight change. It does feel a bit sad that many people today seem to care more about a ‘like’ from an invisible unknown digital stranger than engaging with the real people around them.

The melting pot of people around us is after all what makes/made Hong Kong ‘Asia’s World City.’ A place of magic where hard work and a bit of luck (or meeting the right person in a bar) anyone could achieve almost anything.

After all, I could never have imagined when asking two complete strangers in McDonalds if they wanted a job starting a magazine that it’d still be around 30 years later.

A lot of people – staff, friends, advertisers and readers have been involved over the years, thank you for your continued support and strength.

Carpe Diem!

Tiananmen Square 35th Anniversary

Today we remember those who died in and around Tian’anmen Square in 1989.

We take time to light a candle in their memory! Not to make a political statement but because honouring and remembering those who have died is an important and integral part of Hong Kong, Chinese and yes English culture.

That some would threaten violence towards those who wish to remember the dead says far more about them than us… What next, will Ching Ming Festival be banned as well?

Hong Kong Public Holidays 2024

Dates for your dairy… General Public Holidays for 2024

Add Hong Kong’s public holidays to your e-calendar at 1823 Hong Kong Public Holidays iCal Calendar.

Note: As the second day of Lunar New Year in 2024 falls on a Sunday, the fourth day of Lunar New Year will be designated as a general holiday in substitution.

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2023

They died for our freedom and we should never forget..
At the going down of the sun…
And in the morning…
We shall remember them

Volunteers young & old, are selling poppies in support of the Royal British Legion on the streets of Central on 11 November, 2023.

Poppies can be obtained at the following locations:
Temporary Poppy Depot at Room 1705, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central – 9am to 5pm.

Skybridge, Level L2 at Pacific Place on Friday and Saturday 10^th and 11^th November 2023 between 10am to 6pm

Images: Royal British Legion Hong Kong