Tag Archives: China

     In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the MacLehose Trail, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will hold a hiking challenge named Complete Walk on MacLehose Trail 2019 from September to November. Members of the public are welcome to join to enjoy the fun of hiking and the beautiful natural scenery of Hong Kong.
 
     Opened on October 26, 1979, the MacLehose Trail was the first long-distance hiking trail in Hong Kong, traversing from east to west through eight country parks, namely Sai Kung East, Sai Kung West, Ma On Shan, Lion Rock, Kam Shan, Shing Mun, Tai Mo Shan and Tai Lam. As the most representative hiking trail in Hong Kong and having been named as one of the world’s 20 dream trails by National Geographic magazine, the 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail is divided into 10 sections which embrace magnificent natural scenery, interesting historical relics and a wide range of wild fauna and flora, winding past the coastline, rugged mountains, valleys and reservoirs to provide a diverse outdoor experience for hikers.
 
     A spokesman for the AFCD said, “Complete Walk on MacLehose Trail 2019 is the highlight of a series of celebration events. To encourage members of the public to visit different sections of the MacLehose Trail and enjoy the breathtaking scenery in the countryside, the AFCD will hold this hiking challenge from September 1 to November 30. Hikers may complete different trail sections to experience the uniqueness of each section of the MacLehose Trail according to their physical strength, experience and preference for the routes. Participants can record the information of a completed trail section by taking simple steps with a mobile phone at the checkpoints of each trail section. Hikers will be awarded a souvenir after completing the required number of sections during the period of the challenge.”
 
     Moreover, the AFCD will also hold many other interesting celebration events suitable for different walks of life, including MacLehose Trail 40th Anniversary Celebration Day, “Public Talk: The Legendary MacLehose Trail”, MacLehose Trail Maintenance Workshop, MacLehose Trail Campers and Excursion with Experts at MacLehose Trail. While celebrating the 40th anniversary of the MacLehose Trail, these events will also allow members of the public to learn more about the trail. Hikers are welcome to join suitable events according to their own physical ability, experience and preference.
 
     For details of the events, please visit the dedicated website of the Country Parks Education Programmes: natureintouch.gov.hk.
 
     Furthermore, the AFCD has exclusively produced a series of short videos to showcase the beauty of different sections of the MacLehose Trail, in addition to showing guests sharing their personal stories related to the trail. The trailer video has already been uploaded to the Facebook page of the Country Parks Education Programmes (www.facebook.com/pg/countryparkseducationprogammes), which will be updated with new videos from time to time.

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     â€‹The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, today (August 30) attended the China-Japan-South Korea Cultural Ministers’ Meeting in Incheon, Korea, as a member of the Chinese delegation and delivered a speech introducing the latest cultural developments of Hong Kong. 
 
     In his speech, Mr Lau said many artists and arts groups from Japan and Korea showcase their talents in Hong Kong every year. Artists in Hong Kong also engage in international exchanges with the support of the Arts Development Fund. The first Hong Kong Week will be held in Shanghai in November this year.
 
     Looking ahead, Mr Lau said Hong Kong’s art and cultural scene will scale new heights. The world-class arts and cultural district in Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District, has begun to take shape. Its Xiqu Centre was opened at the end of last year, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ will be completed in the coming years. The Hong Kong Museum of Art will open by the end of this year after renovation and expansion.
 
     Mr Lau started his visit to Korea yesterday (August 29). He first visited Arts Center Incheon and attended the Korea-China-Japan Cultural Festival in the evening. Today he met with the Vice Mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Mr Kang Tae-woong, and visited the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in the afternoon. He will return to Hong Kong from Incheon this evening.

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     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 30) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches that are open for swimming and one non-gazetted beach (Discovery Bay*).   
   
     Twenty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 17 as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are: 
    

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach	Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach	Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach	South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay	St Stephen’s Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach	Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach	Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach	Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach	Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach

 
Grade 2 beaches are:
 

Anglers’ Beach	Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Approach Beach	Kadoorie Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach	Lido Beach
Butterfly Beach	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria New Beach	Pui O Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Silver Mine Bay Beach
Casam Beach	Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Ting Kau Beach
Golden Beach

 
Grade 3 beach is:
 

Castle Peak Beach

 
* Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service.
 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1 and Big Wave Bay Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Clear Water Bay First Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2. 

     “The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,” an EPD spokesman said.

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, including Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a storm or heavy rainfall.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. read more

     In response to a protest today (August 30) at the Social Welfare Department (SWD) headquarters at Wu Chung House, Wan Chai, the SWD issued the following statement:
 
     The SWD has indicated earlier that the Director of Social Welfare is ready to have a candid and serious discussion with social workers of the welfare sector, and a conference room has already been arranged for meeting the representatives of the protesters. However, the protesters declined the arrangements, and a group of protesters including those with masks and helmets blocked the entrances to multiple floors of the SWD headquarters, causing obstruction to colleagues. A spokesman for the SWD expressed regret over these acts.
 
     In fact, in response to the demands for welfare services caused by the recent social disputes, the SWD has maintained continued communication with the sector and has implemented various ad hoc special measures, which include:
 
1. Exercising flexibility for youth service units and family service units’ attainment of output standards so that social workers can provide flexible services for affected teenagers;

2. Setting up of 24-hour hotlines by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide emotional support for needy young persons;

3. Advancement of the implementation of the “two social workers for each secondary school” measure during the summer holiday for counselling students with emotional distress;

4. Provision of cross-district overnight outreach services by an NGO to render immediate services to students and youngsters in need;

5. Extension of a range of youth services to persons aged up to 29; and

6. Youth service units of NGOs may refer emotionally distressed youth to the SWD Clinical Psychology Units for clinical psychological service.

     The spokesman stressed that the department stands ready to have rational discussions with the sector (including front-line social workers) on related issues and appealed to protesters not to affect the normal operation of the department. read more

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (August 30).           The value of total retail sales in July 2019, provisionally esti… read more