Hong Kong Free Press Yum Cha

The image of Hong Kong's neon-lit streetscapes is, like the signs that lent their glow to those cinematic scenes, largely a thing of the past. But although bureaucracy has stripped many buildings of their illuminated adornments, a new generation of neon artists - like Chankalun - are working to keep the draft alive.

HKFP Yum Cha's guest this week is Carol Liang, the deputy CEO of mental health charity Mind HK. Carol has been with Mind since it began in 2017, and over the years, she has worked tirelessly to change attitudes towards mental health in Hong Kong. We discussed why greater mental health awareness in the city has not resulted in reduced stigma, why so many people in Hong Kong experience mental health conditions in isolation, and why normalising talking about mental health is essential. 

No one is quite sure how Hong Kong's yellow-crested cockatoo population came to nest in the city's cotton trees, but how the critically endangered birds arrived in Hong Kong is unequivocal - via the pet trade. Dr Astrid Andersson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong has dedicated her scientific career to investigating the invasive species - and raising awareness of Hong Kong's role in legal and illegal wildlife trade - with the hope of helping conserve yellow-crested cockatoos before it is too late.

Photographer and artist Xyza Cruz Bacani knows what it is like to grow up without a mother present; hers was overseas working in the home of a Hong Kong family to provide a better life for Bacani and her siblings, who remained in the Philippines. Years later, Bacani joined her mum to work in that same Hong Kong household as a migrant domestic worker, a move that proved fateful for the young Filipina, as she discussed in the latest episode of HKFP Yum Cha.

Behind Hong Kong's clean streets and 24-hour convenience is a web of workers, many in low-paid positions, who toil tirelessly to keep the city going. Cynthia Cheng and Maxime Vanhollebeke have made it their mission to honour the people whose work too often goes unnoticed through social impact storytelling platform Hong Kong Shifts, which aims to put shift workers in the spotlight, and give them the recognition they deserve.

Journalist turned historian Vaudine England offers a fresh take on Hong Kong's origin story, dispelling the cliched dichotomies of East and West, old and new, rich and poor, Chinese and British, and focusing instead on how those who existed in the in-between space were integral to the making of the city.

Former Hong Kong security chief and convenor of the government's top advisory body Regina Ip discusses the recent "patriots only" District Council race, why the city needs more security legislation, and what is "soft resistance," a vague term increasingly used by officials.

Journalist turned pro-democracy lawmaker Emily Lau is Yum Cha's first guest. She discusses challenging late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on Hong Kong, becoming the first woman elected to the city's legislature, and receiving an early-morning knock on the door from national security police officers.

HKFP Yum Cha, the first podcast from Hong Kong Free Press, will launch on December 23, 2023. Here's a taster of what to expect...