Podcast One: Hong Kong Connection - Housing-Hong Kong’s Perennial Problem | 2015-03-12
For ordinary people in Hong Kong, it is not easy to find a place to live. Many families and individuals get by in tiny rooms in sub-divided units. Some are penny-pinching every day in order to make their mortgage payments. Yes, there is public housing, but supply never seems adequate.
For all the rapid development, there are still many old buildings in Hong Kong. Some are grand structures while others are rather dilapidated residential blocks, but a good number of them could be considered to be of historical value. Which should be removed for redevelopment and which should be kept?
Producer: Dora Choi
Social enterprises are supposed to be viable businesses that are also altruistic. There are over 400 of them in Hong Kong now, but even with government subsidies, many are struggling.
The love story between Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and his widow Liu Xia was occupied by obstacles. Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia fell in love in 1989 and they married in a prison cell. Despite years of persecution and isolation, their love endures.
Liu Xiaobo, was diagnosed with liver cancer while still detained. His last words to his beloved wife is, “Live on well.”
After years of house arrest, Liu Xia finally liberates from the authority.
Online scams are rising in number and police and officials regularly warn about the risks and the need to be alert. But those searching for love and romance need to take even greater care as the fraudsters targeting dating sites and social media have perfected their charms, knowing when and how to ask questions to get their way. A lonely person can in such circumstances easily fall prey to a potential suitor who appears attractive, inviting and trusting.
There are problems with tree management in Hong Kong. Understanding the importance of greening and the value of the trees among them, many people are voicing their concern.
Producer: Kwong Chui-kuen
At the construction site of the Shatin to Central Link To Kwa Wan Station, a treasure trove of relics and articles of high historical significance has been found. Should construction continue? Or should preservation take precedence?
Hong Kong as a community is not 100% homogenous. There are about 100,000 people of various ethnicities. Despite being permanent residents, most of them seem unable to get an SAR passport.
Producer: Clara Li