Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [28]
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MEDIA
A total of 44 daily (or almost daily) newspapers and upwards of 700 periodicals are published in the well-read territory of Hong Kong. The vast majority of the publications are in Chinese. Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Pao and Hong Kong Commercial Daily all toe the government line and are pro-Beijing. According to independent surveys, the most trusted newspapers are Ming Pao, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record, and the business-orientated Hong Kong Economic Journal.
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CHINESE MEDICINE
Chinese herbal medicine remains very popular in Hong Kong and seems to work best for the relief of common colds, flu and chronic conditions that resist Western medicine, such as migraines, asthma and chronic backache. The pills on sale in herbal-medicine shops are generally broad-spectrum, while a prescription remedy will usually require that you take home bags full of specific herbs and cook them into a thick, bitter broth.
It is a widely held belief in China that overwork and sex wear down the body and that such ‘exercise’ will result in a short life. To counter the wear and tear, some Chinese practise jeun-bó (the consumption of tonic food and herbs). This can – but in Hong Kong does not usually – include, for example, drinking raw snake’s blood or bear’s bile, or eating deer antlers, all of which are claimed to improve vision, strength and sexual potency.
Like herbal medicine, Chinese acupuncture is used to treat long-term complaints rather than acute conditions and emergencies. The exact mechanism by which acupuncture works is not fully understood. The Chinese talk of energy channels or meridians, which connect the needle insertion point to the particular organ, gland or joint being treated. The acupuncture point is sometimes quite far from the area of the body being treated, and knowing just where to insert the needle is crucial. Acupuncturists have identified more than 2000 insertion points, but only about 150 are commonly used.
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This is all relative, however; the press is not entirely free and journalists are inclined to self-censor. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders placed Hong Kong 51st in its press freedom ranking for 2008, a slump from 18th place in 2002. Mainland Chinese influence, both overt and covert, has corroded press freedom, given the eagerness of many Hong Kong media owners to curry favour with the mainland. That said, the determination of journalists to uphold it should not be underestimated. For example, investigative reporting into the disproportionately high number of school children deaths in the May 2008 earthquakes in Sichuan revealed that many schools were built with substandard materials.
Two English-language dailies, the South China Morning Post and The Standard, compete for the expatriate and Westernised Chinese markets, though there is also an English-language version of China Daily on sale as well as other international dailies, including the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. For details, see Click here. For information on Hong Kong radio, see Click here, and see Click here for information on TV.
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FASHION
Gone are the days when entire streets in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui were studded with the boutiques of local fashion designers. Ever since the centre of garment manufacturing shifted to the mainland in the mid-1990s, the Hong Kong fashion industry has slipped out of its sequined party dress into something less comfortable. Many designers have turned their focus to overseas markets as well as the mainland market, where their sense of style