bc magazine

Rugby Week 2023

After the individual creativity of Art Week, the wonders of team creativity are on display as Rugby Week 2023 scrums down.

Unfortunately, the traditional rugby week curtain-raiser Kowloonfest has been postponed again until 2024 – the old and venerable taking longer to recover and reboot post covid.

This year’s action starts with, perhaps the best rugby of the week, the Hong Kong 10s at Hong Kong Football Club on Wednesday 29 March. Proper scrums and brutal power forward play are features of the Tens, especially on Thursday night. It’s perhaps the closest we in Hong Kong can get to seeing modern rugby up close and personal. Select teams packed with talent and big names, new and old, from around the world put a physicality and rawness to images seen on television that really needs to be experienced in person.

Amidst the Sevens partying, a rugby tournament takes place… After November’s empty stadium, harsh crowd restrictions and drab atmosphere – can the Sevens recover its allure as one of the world’s great sporting/social events?

Here are the dates for your Rugby Week 2023 diary.

Kowloon Fest
When: postponed to 2024
More info: www.rugbyfest.org

Hong Kong Tens
When: 29-30 March, 2023
Where: Hong Kong Football Club
How much: $120
More info: www.hkfc10s.com

HK Sevens
Date: 31 March – 2 April, 2023
Venue: HK Stadium
Tickets: $1,950
More info: www.HKsevens.com

Hong Kong Art Week 2023

The art world focuses on Hong Kong in March with three exhibitions bringing thousands of art pieces from emerging and established artists.

As the old cliche goes ‘one man’s art though is another’s trash’ and you’ll wonder exactly what the attraction of some pieces are – but there’s enough variety that you’ll likely find a few things to discus, enjoy and perhaps even buy.

Art Central
A contemporary art fair in the heart of Hong Kong with over 100 exhibitors showcasing the next generation of talent alongside some of the most established galleries from across Asia.

Art Central
Date:22-25 March 2023
Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets:$275, $225, $175 from HKTicketing
More info:
23 March: 2-5pm / 5-8pm
24 March: 12nn -4pm / 4-8pm
24 March: 12nn -4pm / 4-8pm
25 March: 11am -3pm / 3-6pm

Art Basel
Many of the world’s leading modern and contemporary art galleries display paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, prints, photography, film, video, and digital art by over 4,000 artists.

Art Basel
Date: 23-25 March, 2023
Venue: HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets: $1,560, $1,290, $1,020, $850, $600, $530, $430, $320, $280 from HKTicketing
More info:
22 March: 5-9pm
23 March: 2-8pm
24 March: 2–8pm
25 March: 12 noon–6pm

HK Art Week 2023
Date: 22 – 25 March, 2023
Venue: HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets: Free, tbc

Throw away CBD Products Before 1 February

The latest changes to Hong Kong’s drug control laws – Cap 134 Dangerous Drugs Ordinance – take effect on 1 February when cannabidiol (CBD) will be criminalised and treated the same as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine among some 200 substances classified as “dangerous drugs.” The government today reminded HongKongers to dispose of any CBD items they may have by the end of January.

“It is a tradition that families will clean their homes before the Lunar New Year, so it is a good time to throw away any CBD products to avoid violating the new law, which will soon take effect after the Lunar New Year holiday,” a government spokesperson said today.

Under the new law, possession and consumption of CBD will be subject to a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment and a fine of HK$1 million. The penalties for the trafficking and illicit manufacturing of CBD are a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.

Hong Kong Harbour Fiesta

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region the Hong Kong Tourism Board has announced a special edition of A Symphony of Lights. The Hong Kong Harbour Fiesta will run daily throughout July from 8pm – 8:10pm.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/202207-Hong-Kong-Harbour-Fiesta/i-HBcMZ8h

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/202207-Hong-Kong-Harbour-Fiesta/i-NV8Gsnw

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/202207-Hong-Kong-Harbour-Fiesta/i-vpDBN7w

images: Hong Kong Tourism Board

Ghost Bikes Memorial

James Ockenden’s “ghost bikes” project remembers the nine cyclists who lost their lives on Hong Kong’s roads last year. White painted bikes with white silk flowers and a memorial card with details of the person who died were placed at each of the fatal accident spots.

Ockenden, who organised the ghost bike memorial after the annual Ride of Silence 2022 was made a virtual event, said of the people who died – I think it is important to remember that these accident victims were not racing, but just getting around in an easy and environmental-friendly way, and we should be supporting that as a community.

The Ride of Silence is an annual international bicycle ride that pays tribute those killed or injured when cycling on public roads. The ride had been held in Hong Kong on the third Wednesday of May for the last 16 years.

After the 2021 memorial ride organised by the Hong Kong Cycling Alliance, the police accused riders of violating Covid-19 social distancing rules and ticketed everyone.

The Ride of Silence 2022 livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NBihAt2Pao

Ride of Silence 2022
Date: 7pm, 18 May, 2022
Venue: Hong Kong
Tickets: Free

images: hkghostbikes

Cinemas to Reopen 21 April

After months of watching films from your sofa or on your phone, it’s time for some big-screen surround sound entertainment as local cinemas will reopen from 21 April, albeit at 50% capacity.

So what’s there to see, that you might haven’t watched already at home/need to be seen on a big screen:

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Moonfall

Schemes in Antiques

The Hong Kong Photo Contest 2021 Winners

The winners of The Hong Kong Photo Contest 2021 organised by National Geographic – for photos taken in Hong Kong before 3 December 2021 – have been announced. There is no overall winner, just winners in each of the six categories: City; Wildlife; Landscape; People; Mobile and Short Video.

“It has allowed me to once again renew my perspective on Hong Kong’s urban, cultural and natural features,” said National Geographic Documentary director Andrew Yao about judging the entries. “A video entry that chronicled the Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building before its demolition impressed me the most this year. Using time-lapse photography, the videographer [So Ka Chun] succinctly captured the tenseness of Hong Kong’s daily life as well as the monotonous, if not mechanical pace of the city. It is a requiem for historical buildings, which when combined with its wonderful ending and soulful soundtracks, makes for a touching and deeply impressive piece of video work.”

There is a virtual exhibition of the winning entries at hkphotocontest.com/exhibition.asp which is online until 31 July 2022.

Instagram links to winners added – some beautiful images of Hong Kong.

City Winner: Cheung Chun Him, Jeremy – Man in the Mirrors

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-PM3XWBW

Wildlife Winner: Lee Ying Wah – Caught It!

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-Q8Bb3V4

Landscape Winner: Tse Hon Ming – Blossom in the Sea

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-rj8fn3t

People Winner: Leung Hon Shing – Duty

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-Bz9bKNn

Mobile Winner: Chiu Bong Chi, Dominic – Crimson Tide

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-pvszWt2

Short Video Winner: So Ka Chun – Stay

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/The-Hong-Kong-Photo-Contest-2021/i-LndLmMP

An exhibition of winning entries will be held at Gallery by the Harbour, Harbour City dates to be confirmed.

Cheung Chau Bun Scramble and Piu Sik Parade 2022 Cancelled

The organisers of the annual Cheung Chau Da Jiu, Cheung Chau Bun Festival, have again cancelled the Bun Scrambling Competition and the Piu Sik (Floating Colours) Parade due to ‘Covid’.

The Cheung Chau Jiao Festival takes place on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar year, and runs from 6-9 May this year.

Legends say that the festival began after Cheung Chau was devastated by a plague in the late Qing dynasty. To dispel the plague Chiu Chow natives invited Taoist priests to set up a sacrificial altar near the Pak Tai Temple to pray to deities, offer repentance and to comfort departed souls. The residents also paraded deity statues along village lanes.

The plague ended soon after the ritual. Since then, residents on Cheung Chau have been organising the annual Jiao Festival to express gratitude to Pak Tai for blessing the area with peace.

Cheung Chau Da Jiu, Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Date: 6-9 May 2022
Venue: Cheung Chau
Tickets: Free