Yhk 3 1 stepping up innovation in china

INTERVIEWS CY Leung Executive Council, HKSAR Professor Qian Zhang HKUST Chris Law Oval Partnership NEW Shelley Lee’s column FEATURES Internetscope • Arts & culture • City space In the loop Senior HSBC spouses teach English in Tin Shui Wai

Stepping up innovation in China new opportunities for young people

NEW Youth watch Online figures from China and the world

Editorial

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oung people are creative and imaginative, willing to experiment and engage with the new. Whether in technology, thinking or living, they have a natural propensity towards innovation. This is something that we always need to nurture.

With the recent launch of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, a new window of opportunity for young people has opened for them to engage in entrepreneurial, research and social innovation, as they look towards the future of China with optimism.

This issue of Youth Hong Kong explores such innovation, especially through the voices of young people who share their views and vision of how to develop and progress.

We also introduce two new sections which we hope will become regular features. The first is a personal column from Shelley Lee and the second is Youth watch, a snapshot of youth phenomena around the world.

We hope you enjoy your reading and that you will continue to let us know your thoughts.

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP Executive Director The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups March 2011

Stepping up innovation opportunities for young people

March 2011

Youth Hong Kong

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by Rosanna Wong

Introduction 12th

One important area for young people in China's National FiveYear Plan is innovation. The Central government has very clearly understood that the Mainland's astounding economic growth1 over the past 30 years cannot be sustained only by a reliance on exports and investments. Long term economic growth strategies have to include both the boosting of domestic consumption, as well as augmentation and investment in innovation.

While this might be a change in economic policy direction for China, the focus on innovation is regaining currency around the world. Current discourse revolves around what is essentially an acknowledgement that today's global dependence on markets, trade and finance is not sustainable for the long haul.

There have been historical precedents. Innovation as a link to economic development was first made apparent during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. This watershed in human history, coupled innovation creativity and technology with economic, social and cultural progress. The importance of innovation's link to economics was revived in the mid-20th century, primarily through Robert Solow's seminal works2, which explained the link between innovation and growth, remarkably illustrated in the decades following the Second World War.

Renewed demand Now, into the second decade of the 21st century, it is no wonder that the call to step up innovation has been renewed, given the ever expanding global market and the numerous economic crises and downturns. In January, for example, US President Obama declared

Enhancing progress

With innovation so high on the agenda, this is the time for young people to take the lead.

Photos by Chris Lim (Wikimedia Commons), Mr eNil, World Economic Forum, William Hook (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Research spending on innovation, including education, science and technology, is being re-assessed as the necessary spur to economic growth that the 21st century needs. Not only is innovation being examined as means to ensure economic prosperity, but also as a way to enhance human progress and quality of life through employment, food security, energy renewability, environmental protection and other considerations for long-term sustainability.

Power to innovate: (left to right) Xinjiang windfarm; electronic scroll at Beijing Olympics; social innovation workspace at Dalian World E

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in his State of the Union Address that now was “this generation's ‘Sputnik Moment’”. His point was that if America wanted to remain competitive on the world stage, then innovation had to once again become a policy priority, with research and development reaching levels not seen “since the height of the Space Race”.3 Similarly in India, one of China's major rivals, investment in innovation both public and private has been on the increase.

Probably the most famous recent innovation is the so-called People's Car, the Nano from Tata Industries, which hit the roads in 2009. Unlike other cars manufactured in India, the Nano stands apart because it incorporates many cost-effective innovations, including fuel efficiency and low emissions output. Its price of US$2,000 makes it affordable in the Indian market and it is thought to be the world's cheapest car.4

Innovation: the way ahead As the world looks toward innovation as the road to the future, what does this mean, particularly to young people in Hong Kong and the Mainland on the release of China's National 12th Five-Year Plan?5 I believe that what is being afforded them is not only the opportunity to earn a good living, but also the chance to contribute to the longterm growth and prosperity of the nation. They are being offered the chance to help create an economic and social climate that remains dynamic through innovative processes. As Professor Hu Angang of Tsinghua University, one of China's best known economists

conomic Forum; Water Cube in Beijing; smartphone

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has said, investment in science and technology as a priority for economic development must lie in what has come to be known as “Indigenous innovation”. 6 Home-grown innovations could be modifications of existing products or something altogether new. Being creative, imaginative, inventive and ultimately successful are all within the bounds of possibility in conducive business, educational and social environments.

Furthermore, nobody disputes the lengths to which the Central People's Government will go in the effort to create an innovationoriented country by 2020.7

Prospects for young people Innovation is not only the creation or re-creation of gadgetry and hard- and soft-ware. While there is obviously a place for leadingedge technologies, innovation can also be an evolution of new ideas that stimulates healthy competitiveness against economic and social stagnation. It can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and result in an overhaul of the way that we work, think and behave in a sustainable future.

To be innovators, young people need to tap into their creativity and imagination. They need to be fearless and bold in their thoughts and perceptions and I think there are at least three general, though not exclusive areas, in which young people can pursue a path of innovation: entrepreneurial innovation, research innovation and social innovation.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Entrepreneurial innovation With China's current economic climate favouring entrepreneurship, this is an increasingly attractive area for young people with the ideas, the drive and the determination to choose self-employment as a means of livelihood. However, entrepreneurial innovation is not simply about generating income. Instead, it can be seen as a method of linking money-making with improvements in the community. Whether by developing new products, devising new ways of doing things, or targeting new consumers, the aim of entrepreneurial innovation should be to adapt new business initiatives to local communal benefit.

This new model of entrepreneurial innovation can be seen in the Empowering Chinese Social Enterprise Leaders (ECSEL) programme8, with its stated objective to support entrepreneurs who use “innovative, for-profit business approaches to solve social and environmental problems.”

profit organizations in joint and collaborative service activities. These innovative initiatives illustrate the possibility of linking-for-profit enterprises with social development as spelled out in the Five-Year Plan.

Research innovation In a similar out-of-the-box way, innovation in research can extend traditional norms and conventions, both in subjects explored and in investigation strategy. China’s spending on innovation in science and technology has increased by 10% annually for a decade as part of a massive effort by the Central government to develop home-grown solutions. One example can be seen at BGI (formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute).

BGI has more than 1,500 specialist researchers, all aged under 30, in six research centres on the mainland and in Hong Kong, Boston and Copenhagen. The BGI laboratory in Hong Kong will soon have greater capacity for DNA-sequencing than the whole of the United States. As Sumio Sugana, Bioscience Professor at the University of Tokyo put it, “[T]hese young brains… could make BGI the future Apple, Microsoft or Google in the genomics field”.9 The institute was first to clone pigs and has sequenced the genomes of 40 species,

Photo by Toby Simkin (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Two of ECSEL's 2011 Fellows are Wang Chongying and Colin Cao and both have broadened the concept of entrepreneurial innovation to provide inspiration for other young people to think laterally when it comes to setting up businesses. Wang set up the China Autism Development School soon after finishing her doctorate at Oxford.

In a region without the medical infrastructure to support autistic children, it provides them with professional diagnosis, counselling, rehabilitation and training. Cao, studying at Tsinghua University, established a student-powered public relations agency, called ColinCare, which connects universities, corporations and not-for-

A will and a commitment to open the door to the new…

Innovation in technology: Future Technology Pavilion at Shanghai Expo

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including rice, cucumbers and soybeans, pandas, lizards and silk worms plus over 1,000 bacteria.10 Next, the institute will proteincode gene samples from 2,000 Chinese children which will be correlated with intelligence tests in the largest ever experiment on the link between academic performance and DNA.

Social innovation Another area in which young people can test out their creativity and innovative imagination is social or behavioural innovation. This is all about how we live and how we act. Like entrepreneurial innovation, it encompasses new approaches to meet the social needs of the community.

Social innovation can also include green technology, recycling and waste management. Vast areas of human behaviour remain to be explored, including education, ethical consumption and healthy living. I believe that young people can lead the way and pursue transformative social innovations that will have significant impact on behavioural trends in future. Two simple examples are caring for the vulnerable and reducing the household carbon footprint.

Students of Xuzhou Medical College11 have organized volunteer medical professionals to provide mental health services to the poor in Jiangsu Province. They work specifically with scavengers who contribute their physical efforts to recycling. The students organized themselves to care for this vulnerable group of people whom they feel were neglected by other services. In a similar social innovation initiative, students of Yuxi Normal University in Yunnan Province undertook an environmental education programme to encourage

Note 1. In January 2011, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics announced that the country's economy had grown by 10.3%, with GDP hitting 39.8 trillion yuan (US$6.05 trillion). See “Economy expands faster in 2010, tightening fears grow” in Xinhua, 21 January 2011. See China.org.cn at http://www.china.org. cn.business/2011-01/21/content_21788824.htm.

2. Solow was awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Economics for exhibiting the importance of technological innovation as the greatest engine of economic growth. See Nobelprize.org at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/ laureates/1987/.

3. Barack Obama, “State of the Union Address 2011”, 26 January 2011, Quoted from BBC News, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12283237/.

4. More about the Nano from TataNano News at http://www.tatanano.org/.

5. For details of the Five-year Plan, go to http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/ 201103/16/c_121193916.htm.

6. “Predictions for the Next Five Years”, interview with Professor Hu Angang by Lan Xinzhen and Yu Shujun Beijing Review, No. 37, 16 September 2010 at http://www. bjreview.com/Cover_Story_Series/2010-09/13/content_307440.htm.

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households to reduce domestic carbon emissions during cooking, thus promoting a healthier lifestyle and cleaner environment.11 Once again, these examples highlight how expansive the notion of innovation can be.

Conclusion These are exciting times for China, Hong Kong and the world. As we look at the way the country is positioning itself for the next five years, it becomes clear that young people have the opportunity to make a real contribution to economic and social development by being creative and determined. With innovation so high on the agenda, this is the time for young people take the lead.

Young people can lead the way and pursue transformative social innovations.

What makes this particular moment particularly ripe in possibility is that there is a will and a commitment to open the door to the new which is what China's 12th Five-Year Plan is doing. I believe it is now up to young people to accept this challenge, to explore all the abundant opportunities in innovation with equal enthusiasm.

7. In 2006, the Government launched a 15-Year Plan, the “National Medium and Long Term Programme for Scientific and Technologic Development” with the goal to make China innovation orientated by 2020.

8. For more information on this programme, see http://www.ecselfellows.org/.

9. “Hong Kong to become world genomics research hub, mainland gives huge talent advantage” from AsiaFinest Discussion Forum, 27 December 2010, at http://www. asiafinest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=249452.

10. “The Dragon's DNA-the next advances in genomics may happen in China” in The Economist, 17 June, 2010, at http://www.economist.com/node/16349434.

11. This and the next example are taken from the “Caring for China-Google China Social Innovation Cup” which is the country's first nationwide competition aimed at empowering China's youth to address pressing social issues through grassroots, innovative solutions. See http://www.gong1chuang1.com/eng/homepage.jsp for more details and http://www.gong1chuang1.com/eng/2010/projects/project_zs.jsp for this particular project.

12. For more details on this project, see http://www.gong1chuang1.com/eng/2010/ projects/project_jn.jsp.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Interview

12 5 and the future

IT’S UP TO YOUTH With its free market economy Hong Kong occupies a very important niche.

Interview

In the last ten years, Hong Kong’s salience for China has risen sharply and the phenomenal growth on the mainland means Hong Kong watches carefully, especially when a new national 5-year plan is released.

Opportunities abound, but clear focus is needed to maximize competitive advantage. It’s up to young people to profit from the skills and benefits of a Hong Kong upbringing.

CY Leung talked to Youth Hong Kong about the city’s selfimage and its peoples’ attitudes. “Don’t belittle Hong Kong’s importance,” he began. “There has been a tendency to think negatively, to see Hong Kong as ‘just another mainland city’ because growth here seems relatively slow. In fact, with its free market economy Hong Kong occupies a very important niche. It can develop services which complement Guangdong Province and China.”

Hong Kong’s attributes

• international finance centre • free market economy

• centre for international trade • shipping centre

• trade, business and professional ethics • adherence to the rule of law • excellent language abilities

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Don't belittle Hong Kong's importance.

Mr CY Leung chose shipping as his example of an industry where Hong Kong’s special attributes can combine to open up a range of opportunities. “Several nascent service areas that already exist can be developed into a complete tool box for the shipping community. Our skill sets would then provide expertise equivalent to that of London.”

Hong Kong’s container port is third or fourth biggest in the world and does not compete against Shanghai in terms of volume. However, our services can meet the needs of China’s fast-growing shipping and ship building industries.

This would make Hong Kong into a super-hub offering all the services complementary to the shipping industry.

Services to complement the maritime industry • ship finance • sale and purchase of ships

• ship brokerage and chartering • shipping register

• insurance and loss adjustment • legal services and arbitration • ship management services

Head’s up for 2011

• 2001 10th 5-year plan: Hong Kong’s first mention in a single line • 2006 11th 5-year plan: a growing role in two paragraphs

• 2011 12th 5-year plan: First to contain separate chapter on Hong Kong

Programmes in tertiary education are already increasing to support this development. Mr Leung, as Chairman of the Council of City University has already seen through the introduction of a Maritime and Transportation Law stream in the School of Law. Now the College of Business is preparing courses in maritime insurance and finance.

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Interview

❖ Regional balance and Hong Kong's niche Complementary initiatives like these are balanced by development on the mainland. Some coastal cities enjoy double-digit GDP growth. Low value-added industries are moving away from the Pearl River Delta to be replaced by ship building, car manufacturing, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Both regional and municipal planning has heightened significance for Hong Kong, providing young Hongkongers with the opportunity to flex their career-seeking muscles. Nevertheless, as Mr Leung points out, “there are rigidities to be dealt with.”

❖ Harmonizing qualifications and maximizing reciprocity Since 2003, CEPA (the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) has brought bilateral trade and service liberalization between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. Enhanced cooperation means Hong Kong professionals can take simplified tests to get mainland qualifications. Joint undergraduate degrees are being offered by mainland and Hong Kong universities too. In engineering for example, CY Leung notes, such courses can “incorporate a strong element of mainland practice so that students are familiar with both Hong Kong and mainland standards and regulations.”

New spaces for study and work

• mutual recognition of qualifications for mainland jobs • degrees offered jointly by Hong Kong and mainland universities • full range of shipping service industries • regional developments in Shenzhen, the Lok Ma Chau loop and Qianhai1

Another example of maximizing opportunities can be seen in the work of the Hong Kong Coalition for Professional Services, set up

by Mr Leung and 3 other founders ten years ago. Its members now include 11 professional bodies. They represent over 60,000 professionals, many with operations outside Hong Kong, especially on the mainland. Accountants, surveyors, planners and landscape

China has 660 cities so there are openings for everybody, whether you are a hairdresser or a lawyer. architects already offer the full range of their services in mainland China. The huge market means there are clients “who are prepared to pay well for good work and sound professional ethics. Some architects derive 90% of their fees from mainland business and certain professions would now be only half their size if they had not expanded into the mainland,” he says.

Doctors are more limited in what they can do, but medical professionals can offer management services and open clinics or hospitals on the mainland. Surveyors can open offices which provide design skills and experience. “China has 660 cities so there are openings for everybody, whether you are a hairdresser or a lawyer.”

Interview

❖ Countering resistance Despite burgeoning opportunities there is still resistance. Mr Leung says this is connected with deeply ingrained Hong Kong attitudes.

“When you leave here you are definitely on your own. You do not have a collective identity. This is the root cause of many of Hong Kong’s social woes. When people say Hong Kong is home, I think they just mean this the physical place where they and their family live. In fact, I would say living here is like living in a huge hotel. You check in, but you will move immediately to the hotel across the road if it offers a free breakfast.” Looking on the brighter side of things, this mindset is changing for the better.

A more specific and resolvable hurdle which also creates resistance is the absence of a mainland school offering a Hong Kong education. “There is a very large resident Hong Kong population in urban centres such as Shanghai but there is not one mainland school that runs on the Hong Kong curriculum.” This means students have to make a transition each time their parents move.

❖ History in the making Despite resistance, times are changing. “People used to think integration would bring more interference from Beijing, and the loss of a high degree of autonomy. That hasn’t happened,” despite the border becoming more porous so it is easier, quicker and cheaper to go to Guangdong now. Intermarriage between partners on both sides of the border is common. “These are good things. Integration

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has been social as well as economic and we have observed history being created by people, not by governments. Young people now need to plan for their future with the mainland in mind.”

There are good opportunities all round.

Go out and explore.

Confining horizons to a single city, whether it’s Hong Kong or London, just because it’s home, limits choice severely. However great your home city is, however massive its potential, being tunnelvisioned is a mistake.

“Schools are very important in getting this message across, but first-hand experience - seeing, meeting and visiting - has the greatest impact. Young leaders should be arranging this for their peers…

❖ …and remember… …Hong Kong and its young people have many great attributes.

They should not be hidden. There are good opportunities all round.

Go out and explore.”

Mr Leung Chun-ying, GBS, JP, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR, was Secretary General of the Basic Law Consultative Committee (1988-1990). He is Chairman of the Council of City University of Hong Kong, the Asia Pacific Chairman of DTZ, a leading global property services company, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.

Note 1. A university hub for the Lok Ma Chau Loop is being proposed. The Shenzhen 5-year plan is for a key biotechnology, IT and green energy city. Shenzhen will also work with Hong Kong to develop Qianhai as a “mini-Hong Kong”, with its own court and anti-corruption body and special financial status. Twenty Hong Kong companies had signed agreements to invest there by December 2010.

China's opportunities and challenges the views of young professionals

March 2011

Youth Hong Kong

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Youth speak

We asked nine professional young people working either side of the border for opinions on Hong Kong' s future integration with the mainland.

Regional planning, learning about mainland people and future expectations were included in the discussion.

Four essays elaborate on these themes and the role of entrepreneurship for an innovative approach.

Alan Koo, 26, did Chinese medicine and biomedical science at Hong Kong Baptist University then a Master's at Cambridge. Voluntary work in Hangzhou and a clinical internship in Guangzhou were followed by a post with a biopharmaceutical company in Hong Kong.

Clive Lee, 32, went to University of Hong Kong to study electrical and electronic engineering and is now the Director of Empowering Chinese Social Enterprise Leaders (ECSEL).

Armstrong Siu, 25, graduated from the Open University of Hong Kong majoring in management, and now works as Operations Officer with a Hong Kong public transport company.

Poomintr Sooksripaisarnkit, 31, was born in Bangkok, did his LL.M. and PhD at Leicester and is now Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong's School of Law. Jimmy Tao, 27, Cambridge graduate and young entrepreneur; Business Development Director in the Asia Pacific region with a green electronics technology company.

Xiong Yu, 29, from Chongqing, is the Director of the China Management Research Institute at Queen's University, Belfast.

Kate Yang Jia, 28, from Sichuan, graduated at Dongbei University, did a Master's in Hotel and Tourism Management and now researching at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Dan Yip, 30, went to Canada for tertiary education before taking a job as an English teacher in a Tung Chung secondary school where Chinese is the language medium.

Zhang Shuyao, 24, from Beijing, is doing an MBA at Tsinghua University.

Youth speak Integration with the Pearl River Delta (PRD)

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From optimists to pessimists, all these young people have clarity and keen insight to offer about the complex issues involved.

Dan Yip says he's “very optimistic about integration in terms of hardware and infrastructure but in terms of cost of living and poverty I'm afraid. I think there will be more conflict because of an increasing wealth gap. Still, we should keep moving. The longer you discuss the higher price you pay for development!”

Clive Lee is quite optimistic too. “Air pollution is a regional problem and tackling it requires support from different cities. For regional planning, instead of treating mainlanders as competitors, we need to see and develop our own advantages.

That will mean more innovation and technology, instead of over-reliance on finance and tourism.”

Armstrong Siu, who visits relatives in Zhongshan every year, believes that Hong Kong has city planning experience to offer Guangdong. “On the way to Zhongshan, I see old mines, felled trees and a landscape definitely in need of greening after improvements in infrastructure.”

Alan Koo thinks that “although everyone is learning more about 12.5 most of the time we only know what the government thinks. It'd be great if Hong Kong young people sat down with their mainland counterparts and listened to each others’ views.”

Zhang Shuyao, talking about environmental protection says, “Hong Kong is a showcase for the mainland. I support the idea of closer cooperation and exchange. However, given Hong Kong's better established economy, a concordant overall plan would be important as further integration proceeds.”

Jimmy Tao, a big fan of the low-carbon concept, has doubts. “Greenery in Northwest Hong Kong will be destroyed because of transport network development. Look at Shenzhen Bay. I see more luxury resorts and container sites, but fewer trees than four years ago.”

Kate Yang Jia thinks that “the Action Plan is innovative and constructive but

Never before in human history have so many possibilities been so diverse, so visible, so close.

it will take time to plan and coordinate comprehensively because of the stark differences in political and cultural reality. If mutual understanding is lacking, there will be strong conflicts due to varying regional interests.”

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Youth speak

Integration with the PRD is NOT optional

How many of us realize how ignorant we are about mainland China?

by Jimmy Tao

We have to accept the fact that China is our motherland and the Central government has real and absolute power to rule over the Hong Kong SAR. Hong Kong is just like a son of China who spent decades abroad and has a different educational background, but this will never change the fact that they are mother and son. Like it or not, when this son comes home he has to learn to mix well with his brothers and sisters. This relationship is like that of Hong Kong with many cities in the PRD, but even if the average among us knows where to find foot massage shops and cheap restaurants in Shenzhen, how many of us realize how ignorant we are about mainland China?

Real integration is very difficult Hong Kong people are very pragmatic. We rely heavily on blessings from the Chinese government. We realized a while ago that the skin colour of our “boss” had changed from white to yellow when piles of cash began coming from the “North”. Look at workers in service industries who try so hard to speak Putonghua. We are good at adapting ourselves to grab any money-making opportunities.

Shazari (Flickr/ Creative Commons)

However, at the bottom of my heart, as a post-80s person, even though I notice how closely we interact with the PRD in terms of food supplies, tourism and finance I am still quite reluctant about integration. We have been acting as the driver for so long and the feeling of being downgraded to a passenger is not good.

Good integration comes with travel When thinking about driving and integration in the practical sense, some simple things like the freedom to drive from Hong Kong to the PRD need attention. I find it both ridiculous and inconvenient that I can't drive from Hong Kong to the mainland without a very special car license which costs over HK$400,000 on the black market, or a business interest in China with a turnover of something like US$10m a year. No other country on Earth would limit free travel for vehicles on its own territory. I travel to and from China 4 to 5 times a week and would like one of those special licenses. Ambiguous newspaper ads offer “help” to get one but nobody, not even a government official, can tell you exactly how to apply, legally and officially.

The whole system serves only the exceptionally rich. For effective integration, you need options available that make travelling fast and efficient for everyone. At present we do not have them.

We have been acting as the driver for so long and the feeling of being downgraded to a passenger is not good.

Youth speak How do mainlanders and Hongkongers compare

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Perspectives varied according to background and views ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Jimmy Tao “Some mainlanders are confused about Hong Kong. They associate the city with luxury goods and high quality food. Still, most of us don't discriminate against mainlanders despite their queuejumping and littering. They care more about the elderly and are closer to their own culture.

We focus on science and business instead. In business dealings, we shouldn't be complacent about the mainland's economic upsurge, nor should we be tempted by the corruption that oils its wheels. We need to maintain our principles instead of being discouraged by our own social and political imperfections. ” Alan Koo “I'm more positive than Jimmy. Mainland university students work harder and have an international perspective lacking in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is their springboard for Europe and the US. I feel most Hong Kong students don't think global, don't even plan to learn or work in the mainland.

They should also be less concerned about making money and concentrate more on developing talent for innovation.”

Zhang Shuyao “I disagree. When comparing Hong Kong and mainland youth I find that those in Hong Kong have broader horizons and greater aspirations. Mainland youth are more pragmatic and concerned about earning a living.”

Clive Lee “We should learn to appreciate our different facets without feeling superior or privileged. A visiting speaker from Brown University asked, ‘What do Hong Kong people remember? They remember the institution of British rule, not the British people.’ Another speaker said we don't need to take sides about our identity. In general, mainlanders work harder despite less favourable conditions. I believe they take more pride in themselves and are more confident in their national identity.”

Dan Yip “I think mainland youth are less spoiled than young people here. Students there have seen so much injustice. They work hard because they believe they can change things. Mainlanders are proud of being Chinese but they also want to be part of the elite, to go overseas. They are way more competitive. Mainland students at Hong Kong universities raise overall standards.

I feel proud of being a Hongkonger born in the 80s and of the social and political environment I grew up in. With Hong Kong's laws and stability we have something unique. There is nothing to compare in Chinese history.”

Xiong Yu “I find that Hong Kong youth are more dedicated to serving society whereas, there are more ‘angry youth’ ( 憤青 ) on the mainland. Hong Kong youth's innovative ability is stronger than that of young mainlanders.

Kate Yang Jia “I see three major differences. First, there is freedom of expression as illustrated by the Democracy Walls. I think mainland youth are less politically active. On the other hand, their community solidarity is stronger and they are readier to discuss current affairs and public policies. Hong Kong youth tend to pay more attention to their careers, finance and leisure. Last, mainland youth are more interested in folk art, anthropology and other aspects of culture. There's evidence of this in the social media whereas pop culture is overwhelming In Hong Kong.”

Poomintr “I find that Hong Kong youth have a suitable mindset for learning new things and adopting new ideas whereas young people from the PRC are not as flexible. They may work hard but they do not really ask whether they are taking the right approach.”

Armstrong Siu “Mainlanders seem more eager to leave home and have language better skills. I've learned Putonghua since Primary 4 but never used it. I had to speak to Shanghai students in English. However, I recognize that we Hong Kong Chinese are unique. Born in the 80s, I grew up with a mixed culture and a specific sense of belonging. Integration doesn't mean Hong Kong is going to be ‘brought down’ by the mainland.”

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Youth speak

Continuity, change and development: a different view of Hong Kong and China

by Poomintr Sooksripaisarnkit

Hong Kong is in a pivotal position, adjacent to mainland China and within easy reach of other Asian countries. I think it will maintain its significant status as an international financial centre while the Basic Law remains in place. With its more “international-friendly” atmosphere, it will continue to attract tourists, businessmen and investors from around the world.

Stark contrasts Despite being a part of China, Hong Kong is unique in its culture and international standpoint. Hong Kong may be described as “an entity sui generis” 1 In quite stark contrast, the (purportedly) rapid development of mainland China has been rather superficial and many intrinsic flaws are waiting to emerge. Poor human rights are still a grave concern, not to mention the wide disparity between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, the quality of higher education is still in doubt.

Reform or decline If things still continue as they are, without revolutionary reform China will gradually decline. Serious, wholesale reform needs to be done, ranging from the social and economic to educational and administrative. A high quality educational system should be promoted throughout, younger people with talent should lead the country, and the system should be more friendly to international companies.

Note 1. Mushkat, Roda ‘Hong Kong as an international legal person’ [1992] Emory International Law Review 105, 111.

Hong Kong is just like a son of China who spent decades abroad.

Youth speak Where will you be in five years’ time?

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The entire panel agreed that as the mainland got richer Hong Kong young people should not just look for opportunities at home. Broader perspectives would bring gains for Hong Kong and its neighbouring cities.

Alan Koo, whose ambition is to be a leading figure in the pharmaceutical industry, says unequivocally that his future lies in China, “living and growing on the mainland in the next few decades will be an advantage.”

Kate Yang Jia, doing research in tourism at PolyU says, “Tourism is one of Hong Kong's ‘pillar industries’ so I am happy to stay here and learn about it.

Hong Kong also has a mix of culture from east and west, which enriches my career and perspective. For a doctorate, I would opt for the US where I can get research funding.”

Armstrong Siu “might consider study or work on the mainland. It is the most practical way to gain experience with a fast changing world.”

Xiong Yu, director of a Belfast management research institute, wishes to “contribute to the mainland's economy and commerce. For work, I would look for a place which would improve my personal prospects, probably somewhere else in Britain or back to mainland China.”

Jimmy Tao, an entrepreneur who currently runs a mainland branch of an electronics business, has no hesitation. “I will be working or studying in China or overseas. Anywhere other than Hong Kong which has no industries except finance and tourism.”

Zhang Shuyao, doing a Master's degree in business at Tsinghua University says, “I should be working hard, seeking opportunities to further study or a better job. It would be fine to work or study outside my home city for another 3 to 5 years, but I would prefer to stay in Beijing in the long term.”

Poomintr, teaching law at CityU, sees his future in Hong Kong, “thanks to the freedom of speech, international exposure and cutting-edge international higher education sector here.”

Clive Lee, director of an NGO, says “I shall be based in Hong Kong and

Mainlanders are proud of being Chinese but they also want to be part of the elite, to go overseas.

travelling a lot in mainland China and around the world. I foresee putting a lot of effort into training mainland students and see lots of opportunities in social entrepreneurship there.”

Dan Yip, who teaches at a Tung Chung secondary school, is “quite optimistic about the good influence Hong Kong and China can have on each other. I would go and work on the mainland, no problem. China is a place of possibilities. Never before in human history have so many possibilities been so diverse, so visible, so close.”

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Youth speak

Attractions of China and criteria for choice

Disparities grow in parallel and are still the greatest challenge.

by Alan Koo

We all know China is experiencing unprecedented economic growth and that job opportunities will be greater in China than in other parts of the world. The diverse work and study environment in major cities in China will bring people from different countries who speak different languages. I also believe that living and growing up in the mainland over the next few decades will be an advantage to my future family.

Location, reputation and diversity In terms of choice for higher education, I consider location, reputation, and value for money as important. Going to a business school close to a major city like Beijing and Shanghai makes it easier to find a job later. The reputation of the school is also important as it is a key factor for employers looking at one's CV. Inflation and value I also want good value for money. Inflation in China is rising rapidly and tuition fees will approach those of Hong Kong in future. However, cost does not guarantee quality. That depends on several parameters, tangible and intangible. Tangible parameters include salary after graduation. An intangible parameter is personal satisfaction. One should feel right about investing in education there rather than elsewhere.

pamnule (Flickr/ Creative Commons)

Building a strong network The mainland has so much potential for growth and development so. If I don't build a strong network there my career prospects will lag behind. In future, I believe only those with proficiency in Mandarin and strong networking in the mainland will have competitive edge.

Exposure and job satisfaction When choosing a job, first, I would look for exposure to the latest technology, to knowledge and to successful people.

Second, and of paramount importance is to find a job repays your efforts. I think high-tech industries, such as IT, biopharmaceuticals and communications are those with high potential.

It will take time to plan and coordinate comprehensively because of the stark differences in political and cultural reality.

Youth speak

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Social entrepreneurship to reduce China’s disparities

by Clive Lee In 2010 breakthrough news awakens the world - China becomes the world's second largest economy, ahead of Japan. Yet the number of people living in poverty is still nearly 100 million based on the international standard of US$2 a day set by the World Bank. As government policy and socially responsible corporate initiatives generate a great driving force to improve living standards, foreigners in China are amazed by the seeming miracles of giant luxurious buildings as urban areas rapidly develop.

Solving underlying problems However, disparities grow in parallel and are still the greatest challenge even though they are easily forgotten. Since they have various causes across the length and breadth of the country, from north to south and from east to west, NGOs have various levels of effectiveness when tackling each underlying problem. In turn, success will depend on the collaboration of various forms of expertise and the combination of global wisdom and local perspectives.

Disparity-reducing strategy In such circumstances, promoting social entrepreneurship among young people could be a perfect disparity-reducing strategy. The concept of social enterprise is new in China and definitions are very diverse. Nevertheless, I have a great confidence in High Impact Social Ventures (HISC) which do not rely on governmental or NGO support. Such ventures should approach a social or environmental issue with an ingenious business model, preferably focusing on niche markets, envisioned with a long-term strategy.

Innovative models Many social enterprises in Hong Kong or mainland China are not successful because their major financial support comes from either regular or short-term donations. In other words, their models are still relying on resources from society.

However, the best social enterprises use innovative models to change problems into opportunities and generate job opportunities.

Gathering support Therefore, in December 2010, I travelled to twelve cities in three weeks, speaking to over 2,000 young professional leaders in various fields and young student leaders from many prestigious universities such as Tsinghua University and Peking University. I left footprints in Beijing, Dalian, Tangshan, Shanghai, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Sanya, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau and Hong Kong. Those I met have both a strong desire and a passion to use their knowledge and skills to contribute to the world. But they are, realistically, worried about opportunity cost, such as lost job offers from investment banks, or lower future living standards for their families.

Motivation and dreams Until now, the concept behind high-impact social ventures has been to provide a balance between two dreams: to generate great social impact and to make a good income for family support. Of course, the desire to own a business also motivates lots of young people to realize their dreams and execute great business plans. Now, my Renren (Chinese Facebook) group has recruited nearly 5,000 members and I believe lots of Chinese young leaders will be motivated to establish social enterprises for making social or environmental change for the better in the near future.

Entrepreneurial youth hub In March 2011, I will lead a group of 30 Chinese young social entrepreneurs who were selected from over 1,500 applications around the world for an advanced development programme in Hong Kong, the United States and mainland China. Highlights will include meeting former US president, Bill Clinton. I believe the government should cultivate an innovative, entrepreneurial atmosphere by fostering global exchange with youth social entrepreneurs and setting up a social entrepreneur youth hub in universities.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Interview

Inventing and innovating looking for the unexpected Professor Qian Zhang is in her 30s and already a full Professor of Computer Science at HKUST. Since she graduated from Wuhan University she has patented over 30 inventions. Her approach to research, her students and life in general is to see potential innovations everywhere, if you just look and try.

Learning and luck When I was at school I thought there would be no chance for me to go outside China. I thought I'd stay in Wuhan forever! I was born there, went to school there and then went to university there.

I chose to do computer science. Why? No strong reasons. No pressure. It just seemed like a fun subject. I was middleto-top academically till my second year at university when suddenly everything became so easy. I have no idea how this happened. I really believe it was luck.

Coping with competition Life changed for me in 1999 when I was 26. I heard about Bill Gates at a talk on Microsoft's work at Wuhan University.

His vision really attracted me so when a vacancy came up at Microsoft's research lab in Beijing, I applied.

There was serious competition and no Google to help me prepare. Imagine, I just had to use the library! There were many rounds of interviews but in the end I got the job. My first research topic was multimedia transfer and audio through the internet. It was exciting and new and meant lots of teamwork.

You can do theoretical research alone but in system laboratories you need to verify your ideas and build prototypes for large systems. You rely on people with complementary experience. Later, I became research manager of the MSR Asia Wireless and Networking Group.

Most of my colleagues were men of course, but I got used to that!

Motivation and influences If you think you can do something big, something that will be used by many people, it's a great motivator. When your research results really make sense and you can transmit your idea to the product team, imagine how many people you can reach with a Microsoft product.

What you need to do is to make yourself different. Show you have something special.

Interview

People were always good to me as my career developed. That was good luck too. Experienced people from overseas gave me a lot of advice during my six years with Microsoft. The most important person was Ya-Qin Zhang1, director of MSR Asia, just back from the US where he had most of his education and work experience.

Mainland and Hong Kong students compared Since coming to HKUST in 2005, I have noticed a significant difference between the Hong Kong and mainland postgraduates. The mainlanders are very aggressive in their vision and planning.

They take every opportunity to go outside China to be educated and I think they feel more pressure with so many others to measure themselves against.

They want to do something to make themselves stand out.

I know that pressure myself. If there are a lot of people to compete with you,

drive yourself harder to excel. It's not necessarily a good thing because it might mean you miss out something fundamentally important as you grow up, but sometimes it works in the short term.

There are no absolutes and no right answers when you do innovative research.

In comparison with mainlanders, Hong Kong and Taiwanese students seem relaxed, less proactive. They expect the good life, seem less motivated to succeed and are less aggressively competitive. Hong Kong students care about their identified goals. They want to know what is correct and get their MPhils finished within the specified two years.

Making yourself different Actually, as I tell them, there is no

21

“correct�; there are no absolutes and no right answers when you do innovative research, and the goal definitely should not be another qualification. What you need to do is to make yourself different.

Show you have something special. To do that you have to be prepared to take risks.

I don't think Hong Kong students want to take risks. They are used to being comfortable, to doing everything in its own good time. That's OK for some jobs but for others you really need to innovate. You have to take risks and be creative. So to encourage them, I tell students they should just try. Try submitting ideas for publication. Try to get published. If it doesn't happen it doesn't matter, we'll work it out. But as a result of trying excellent scholars will give you valuable comments.

Take the IT field. If you want to work in this area in Hong Kong, the major career opportunities are for members

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Interview

of a support team. However, if you want to contribute and play a leading role, you should look in Shenzhen. Many big telecoms companies are there including Huawei and Tencent. It's not far away and Hong Kong has no such opportunities.

Look around, especially if you don't know what suits you. Try something that looks attractive and then just do your best.

Don't aim for another qualification, try something new. You'll get self-motivation and drive as a result.

Where next I am always trying something new. The first step for any young person who wants to innovate is to find something that interests them. You don't need to be too self-demanding but you do need to be self-aware.

Don’t aim for another qualification, try something new.

Huawei-HKUST Innovation Laboratory

Huawei, leading mainland telecoms company, decided to set up its innovative industryacademic laboratory in Hong Kong in 2006/07. The lab focuses on next-generation communication and networking technologies. Hong Kong was chosen because it is close to the mainland, culturally and geographically, and has higher quality research in this field than mainland universities. It serves as a bridge, facilitating international collaboration.

Untraditional family

Born in 1973, Prof Qian Zhang's family is from the Dong ethnic group. She has two older brothers, not so common for those her age. She says her parents treated her more as a friend than a child. She values that relationship. In fact, when her own son was born she and her husband wanted to follow the same rule. Now that he is 8 and rather argumentative she is not so sure!

Professor Qian Zhang teaches and researches at the Department of Computer

Science & Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

She is also Co-director of the Huawei-HKUST Innovation Laboratory and Associate Director of HKUST's Digital Life Research Centre.

Awards

TR 100 world's top young innovator award (MIT Technology Review) Best Asia Pacific Young Researcher Award (IEEE) Overseas Young Investigator Award (National Natural Science Foundation of China)

Note 1. Dr Ya-Qin Zhang, Prof Qian Zhang's mentor at MSR Asia, became the youngest ever Fellow of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

Interview

Building green in

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China

The opportunities are unparalleled.

New in China, news for the world Chris Law talks about innovative work in green building design on the mainland, providing inspiration that will take many young people northwards. Carbonnegative buildings, renewable sources and sustainable urban communities are his key points.

March 2011

Youth Hong Kong

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Interview

In China, for the first time in the history of mankind we will soon have 700 million people living in an urban environment. The opportunities are unparalleled, if rather daunting, both environmentally and socially. The challenge is to find out how to take part in this growth without ruining either quality of life or the environment.

Sensitivity to the environment Environmental problems are of two kinds. First there is pollution. Even official reports acknowledge heavy pollution of both water and air. Second, there is the wider problem of carbon emissions. In response, we have been researching bamboo for structural, prefabricated building components.

Bamboo: green building solution

The Oval Partnership and the INTEGER Project have worked pro bono with KPMG China, the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) and Chengdu Women’s Federation to build an exemplar green community centre in Cifeng Village Sichuan Province of China.

The 450 square-metre centre is used for local children’s extracurricular activities and villagers’ vocational training. Its main construction materials come from renewable resources such as reconstituted bamboo, agricultural straw fibre panel wall and recycled timber windows. Its 12-metre bamboo span is the longest in the world.

Source http://www.perspectiveglobal.com/pages/pa_results_best

Bamboo is a carbon sink. We use it for building schools and community centres. Natural bamboo is used for scaffolding in Hong Kong but we are using it as a manufactured material, not just for aesthetic purposes but for its structural strength and airtight qualities. It is the first time this has been done anywhere in the world.

A lighter impact When you produce steel and concrete, you create a lot of carbon dioxide, but when you grow bamboo you absorb carbon dioxide.

The bamboo grown in most provinces in China can be used for building houses. Our two-storey bamboo houses are durable, rot-proof and have sandwich panels insulated with straw, old newspaper or wool. These are the first houses built by anyone that are carbon-negative.

Timber is pushed by governments in the developed world as a green building material. Fast-growing soft wood takes twenty years to mature. Bamboo takes four, is a greater carbon sink and, as a species of grass, will die after a couple of years if left unused.

China can change the world. This is just the beginning...

Note The green community centre built from renewable resources, featured above, won the following awards: • The 2010 Perspective Awards Best of the Best / Sustainable Architecture • Gold Award for Innovation, Ministry of Construction, China

Interview

Project are finding ways to engage the public in the design and outcomes of projects.

Now we are building houses up to two-and-ahalf storeys, but we can eventually build up to at least 4 storeys. Once you get to that height you can build a skyscraper, with a steel deck every 4 or 5 floors. That's how we see China building more densely, with a lighter impact on the environment in future. The next thing is to make the costs competitive with concrete and steel and establish a national structural building code for bamboo to help us propagate the technology.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong Here we have green roofs which reduce the radiant heat island effect produced by buildings, but otherwise Hong Kong is risking falling behind its neighbours in adopting green building technology.

It is doing little to refurbish existing building stock or make it more energy-saving. It is really time to convince our decision-makers to build a regulatory framework to allow this to happen. Our young people should get organized and express their views to government.

Alternative energy

The challenge is to find out how to take part in this growth without ruining either quality of life or the environment.

The central Chinese government is well aware of the challenges and the opportunities presented by developing new sources of energy. These are not just part of an alternative lifestyle. Five or six years ago China was already producing solar panel units that could be manufactured, supplied and installed for HK$1,200 each. As a result, today, the majority of households in Kunming city have solar heated water. It is one of several cities where subsidies and tax incentives have encouraged this environmentally friendly development.

Social sustainability Rapid urban development like that in China has great impact on both individuals and communities despite progress in sustainable design and alternative energy. Questions arise about disparities, about what it means to be living in the urban environment, and about the rights of urban citizens. Without tackling these issues, despite a growing economy we will not create a sustainable urban community.

Whether rich or poor, people should have access to a community and an environment where they can lead a healthy life, be educated and find work. In China, the Oval Partnership and the INTEGER

Open city centres

Photo by odb

China can change the world. This is just the beginning of what it can do in the battle against climate change.

It can completely change the costbenefit ratio in green building and alternative energy supplies.

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The recent Sanlitun Village project in Beijing, and another Oval Partnership mixed-use development in Hangzhou city centre, are both realizations of the Open City concept. They integrate shopping malls, residential areas

and offices with public open spaces.

The result is a place where people can live, learn, work and relax in public areas without having to commute.

Chris Law is the founding director of the Oval

Partnership and of INTEGER China. He has received many awards, including the Architect of the Year and the Outstanding Young Person Award.

He is the Chairman of the Family Welfare Society and Chairman of the Committee for Community Development at St. James's Settlement.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Guest column

Courage

from 4 to 94

Have you ever come across a family where all three children are afflicted with cancer?

Or a song and dance troupe made up of teenagers and children who are similarly afflicted – and the youngest barely 4 years old?

I had such a moving encounter at the recent 20th anniversary dinner of the Hospital Authority. Not only were the young cancer patients singing and dancing with precision, they all had radiant smiles on their faces.

Some of us, including Anthony Wu, the current chairman of the Hospital Authority, were involuntarily drawn forwards, to clap in unison for them in front of the stage.

By the end of the performance, there was hardly a dry eye in the Grand Hall of the Convention Centre. We were all moved by the display of courage that had driven the youngsters to forget their pain and give pleasure to others. We were moved by their obvious appreciation of the Herculean efforts of the doctors and nurses and other medical staff to help them. Above all, we were moved by the perseverance of the parents who cheered them on that night, as they did day by excruciating day.

their parents and mentors, and a very special older friend – Sir SY Chung – himself a spry 94. He is the founding chairman of the Hospital Authority, and I remember how he had, against all odds, pioneered and steered through many of the improvements in Hong Kong’s hospital system that are helping our young cancer patients today. It is no exaggeration to say that his convictions, shared by EK Yeoh, Ko Wing-man and their colleagues, led them to take on the then government leadership and open many doors to a better hospital service for Hong Kong.

It was heartening to join our young and old heroes as they cheerfully held up their hands in the proverbial “victory” sign: profiles of courage spanning almost 90 years.

Ms Shelley Lee, GBS, OBE, JP, is the former Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs.

She retired in 2006, since when she has dedicated herself to the promotion of young people’s education, health and welfare.

We welcome readers to this first in a series of regular columns by Shelley Lee, who is fondly known as the “community godmother” ( 眾人契媽 ). Her thoughts, about the touching moments she has experienced with young people, are expressed with candour and feeling. Here she celebrates children and parents with tremendous fortitude.

At the end of the evening, I enjoyed a few private moments with my brave young friends,

Brave smiles from young cancer patients with Sir SY Chung and Dr Ko Wing-man

Feature Internetscope

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Photography, video and film

Social media for self expression

by Michael Lee

Introduction When it comes to self expression, text is inarguably the first tool that comes to mind. Famous people often reveal secrets and we all use words in letters and emails to express ourselves to family and friends. However, not until the twenty-first century did photography, video and film become prevalent among ordinary young people as a channel for self expression. How did this happen, and what are the pros and cons?

Why The use of visual media for self expression has grown with the popularity of social networking and video-uploading websites such as Facebook and Youtube. Within a second you can share your recent photos or videos, with friends and strangers worldwide.

Why do people, especially teenagers, do this? The answer is that lonely people tend to express themselves more on the internet, simply to attract attention. All they want is someone to listen to them and these increasingly popular websites, having million times of visits every day, provide the perfect platform.

Advantages Not everyone was born with great language ability. Therefore, the desire to give voice to our feelings and thoughts should no t be confined to words. The colours and captions of photos, and the movement and sound track of videos let us express our thoughts, feelings and emotions better. It is not just the expresser who benefits. Viewers who prefer graphics over reading are also in favour of the new trend which brings the global internet family closer together.

Potential dangers There are, however, some possible dangers. For example, in April 2010 when the last HKCEE was taking place, a girl named Ruby uploaded a video onto Youtube. Speaking in her flawed English, she

complained about the English level and pronunciation of one of the examiners when she sat the exam, saying that she hoped to reveal this problem to the whole world.

Intended just to express Ruby’s discontent, the video actually elicited attention both locally and internationally. As well as comments criticizing Ruby for the widespread response, other videos were uploaded with people attacking her action as immature.

Some Hong Kong people were infuriated because our image as an international city was damaged, and native English speakers thought she could not complain about others’ English when hers was not perfect.

This case shows that the user-friendly nature of the media can in fact be a disadvantage as well since more people see it and can comment on it. Thus one’s self image and confidence may be harmed because people who go against you may make malevolent comments online.

How to use it well Seeing the potential dangers, we should control our use of photographs, video and film for self expression. If your main aim is to become well known, Ruby’s method is a model. She appeared in magazine advertisements right away. However, if you just want somebody to listen to you and you prefer to use visual means instead of writing, these tools are ideal.

These media, if used in the right way, can make self expression and the process of communication smoother, linking people together more closely. Used badly, they may harm your image and even ruin your whole life. Next time when you are uploading a new album onto Facebook, remember to delete any inappropriate photographs that may irritate others. The same token applies to any other medium. So, make wise decisions and you can get the most out of these useful media!

Michael Lee, 17, a student at Queen’s College, is a Sub-Committee Member of the Hong

Kong Union for Young Leaders. He enjoys reading and watching sports, especially soccer and basketball.

Note HKCEE public examinations have been replaced by the diploma which concludes the New Senior Secondary curriculum.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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F e a t u re Internetscope

and Your Choice

by Agnes Mak

We teenagers are the most frequent internet users. With advanced technology no one would deny that we now have more channels to communicate with others. Messaging, Twitter and blogs have become our choice for expressing ourselves, sharing our feelings and opinions with others.

Easy, fast, convenient When we make new friends and ask for contacts, we certainly ask about Facebook accounts. We chat with friends through messaging and Twitter which narrow the gap between people and allow us to keep up-to-date easily and conveniently with what’s happened recently. Friends, even those overseas, know about our recent movements through the internet.

It’s easier than meeting face-to-face because it’s hard to find a time when everyone is available.

Blogrings and sharing Sometimes, people you do not know read your blog.

This broadens your social life and gives you feedback on your views. There are “blogrings” whose members have their norms and special features. I once joined a blogring called “I love playing volleyball” and wrote about my thoughts such as the difficulties I found in playing volleyball when I was in the school team. A stranger made a response, giving me tips and sharing his thoughts with me.

Face-to-face for clarity

Over-reliance on messaging, Twitter and blogs for communication can reduce face-to-face communication. The intention behind messages cannot be made 100% clear without interpersonal contact. Things like nonverbal gesture cannot be expressed either. Tone cannot be shown through words and this may cause misunderstanding. Sometimes, ambiguity and distortion of messages can also lead to misunderstandings which we definitely do not want.

Mastering the choice

It is always true that eating with friends is much more valuable and memorable than just texting them. Harmonious, long-lasting relationships are impossible to maintain, if not absurd, if all the communication is just based on messaging, Twitter and blogs. The scope of the internet provides us with new means of communication. We should make good use of them but also be the masters of the choice available.

Which format works best for what • •

Twitter trifling photos and messages

Blogs views and experiences that would like to share with other people

• Messaging something not serious • •

Face-to-face more complicated and serious messages which require explanation Telephone when immediate feedback is needed

Awareness of drawbacks There are drawbacks despite the convenience. First on the list is privacy although not many of us are very aware of the need to protect privacy. Information and photos you upload to Twitter or blogs will be browsed not only by your friends, but also by strangers. People can easily and improperly trace your personal information and may become a threat.

Email (20%)

I always think about the consequence before uploading information online. I would not upload photographs with family members or my personal information such as ID card number, home address or phone number.

Phone (20%)

Agnes Mak, 18, is at Holy Trinity

College, Shek Kip Mei. Her dream is to become an outstanding journalist.

She likes playing the piano, singing, dancing and volleyball.

Twitter (10%) Blog (10%) Connecting youth: teen estimates

Messaging (30%)

Face to face (10%)

The advertisement on the opposite page is in gratitude to a long-standing Federation partner.

Microblogging the force that changed China’s news

by Shen Weihuang

The author is a young journalist working in Beijing for the Global Times. In this article he looks at the rapid growth of microblogging in China over the past year and its impact on civil society as an instant information-sharing platform.

phrase, “My dad is Li Gang.” That sentence may well have been the most widely used but also the most sarcastic in China last year.

I can’t remember exactly when Global Times started pitching story ideas with microblog sources during our morning meetings, but this brand new form of communication appeared only last year. I don’t think anyone expected it to play such a crucial role on the Chinese mainland as it does today.

Li Gang was the deputy chief of the local police force and his son was implying, “Catch me if you dare to.”

The popularity of Sina microblogs, also known as “Chinese Twitter” or weibo, is growing at an astonishing pace.

Users have already reached over 65 million and the number keeps on growing. Instead of writing about what they are doing, people tend more and more to update microblogs with what they see and what they hear.

These people form a very special group which I call the “Civic Press”.

ernop (Fickr/Creative Commons)

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F e a t u re Internetscope

The story behind it tells of of a college student in Hebei Province who hit and killed another student when driving on campus. The driver tried to escape but was stopped by other students. When he got out of the car, he screamed at them, “Don’t you know who my dad is? My dad is Li Gang.”

The incident was immediately reported in one of the students’ microblogs, and within a day, it was re-tweeted throughout China. Many people condemned the behaviour of the student driver and started a flesh search1 to discover the identity of Li Gang. Among them were wellknown newspaper reporters, movie stars, writers and government officials.

A few days later, Li Gang appeared weeping on CCTV news. He apologized for his son’s wild

Mobile microblogging

Twitter technology provides a very precious space in which to speak.

Impact of a civic press Among the many famous news agencies like AP, Reuters, AFP and Xinhua, of course Xinhua is the most authoritative for distribution of China’s news. But as we all know, that news is carefully written and censored. Certain standards and rules limit news content and these were implemented a long time ago in Xinhua’s news distribution channels. Ordinary Chinese civilians rarely have access to the other news agencies around the world. But the microblog changed everything.

A recent case, released and discussed on microblogs in mainland China, was given widespread media coverage. It centred on the

behaviour. And his son was sentenced to six years in jail.

Every new development concerning the incident was followed on a microblog, but not in the way a newspaper or a TV programme would follow it. They only care about news of events that have just taken place. In the Li Gang case, the close follow-up created invisible pressure on the authorities. They couldn’t simply bury the case or deal with it low-profile because everybody cared. Everybody was asking and discussing whether justice would be done.

Feature Internetscope

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The fundamental concern among those who work on websites is how far the Chinese government will allow the microblog to go.

Space for self-expression

jeanyim (Fickr/Creative Commons)

Shel Israel, an American writer and speaker on social media issues, said in his book, Twitterville2 that the new Twitter technology would eventually take the place of old communication methods. If you can’t catch up with it, you will be left behind. In fact, for most Chinese people, this new technology provides a very precious space in which they can speak and thus create a “Civic Press” based on the public spirit. But the important thing is that this spirit comes from an elite group of people with social awareness and moral integrity. They check for truth and they correct misinformation.

Another case concerns a report that the famous writer Jin Yong was dead. This story was reposted thousands of times within few minutes, but mainland China’s Phoenix TV reporter Lvqiu Luwei3 cleared up the rumour within 90 minutes. Her statement was then re-posted hundreds of thousands times. The rumour creator was found to be a deputy editor of a small media company. He and another senior editor were both fired the next day.

People like Lvqiu Luwei normally have tens of thousands of followers. They specialize in different aspects of civil society, they create public opinion, and

they are some of the reporters for the “Civic Press”. The rest of the people who contribute to this press generate a huge force which means that news and opinion becomes widespread.

The Shanghai Morning Post called this the “Force of Weiguan” (surround and watch), and the underlying nature of this force is human. Literally, there are enough people to surround the news and watch what happens and finally choose to re-post it if it comes from people they think are reliable sources of information.

The guiding "Force of Weiguan" The elite group I mentioned above naturally becomes the guiding force, but for how long will they maintain their status as group captains of the microblog “ship”?

Many experts are saying that the time will be very short, that soon other people will be managing to control their own “ship”.

This doesn’t mean the “Force of Weiguan” will disappear. It just means the post of captain will rotate. However, the future form and impact of the microblog has been well predicted and the fundamental concern among those who work on websites, whether bosses or employees, is how far the Chinese government will allow the microblog to go.

Hundreds of personnel are dispatched to delete illegal and improper words posted on microblogs, and an editor from Sina told me that they are very careful when dealing with sensitive material. They will even shut the website down if a “wrong message” can’t be controlled by a small group of people. After all, they know that if they allow people to say anything they like on their microblogs, the website will be shut down by the government anyway.

Shen Weihuang is an in-depth reporter for the Chinese English-language

newspaper Global Times, based in Beijing. He covers news of all kinds throughout the Chinese mainland. Previously he worked for ICS, the English-language TV channel in Shanghai after doing his Master’s degree in journalism at HKU.

Note 1. A “flesh search” is a mass social networking phenomenon, predominately in China, using blogs, forums and weibo, for identifying or exposing individuals.

2. Israel, Shel. Twitterville. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 2009.

3. Lvqiu Luwei is also known as Battlefield Rose.

32 Share ideas, show you care

March 2011

Youth Hong Kong

A r t s & c u l t u re

Yuki Yip, a dedicated student artist, told us about winning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 60th Anniversary Poster Design Contest in 2009.

Who suggested you enter the contest?

My visual arts teacher said it could broaden my horizons so I did a bit of research to find out about human rights. The poster is not only a finished product. It also acts as a container for my idea, holding a message which I'd like to send to others.

What made you choose child brides for the design?

In Hong Kong, most human rights are well-protected. But if we look at other parts of the world, it's not the case. Women in many African and South Asian countries are very vulnerable.

Can you explain your design?

I read what the UDHR says about sexual equality and equal rights in marriage then gathered information about forced marriages and child brides. I was shocked so I used black to symbolize the tragedy of the tens of millions of women involved. The Chinese character 囍 (double happiness in marriage), the candles and bouquets all convey ironic meanings and the female symbol in red with dripping blood represents suffering.

What was the prize?

I won a 7-day return trip to Paris. My parents wouldn't let me go at first, worrying about the expense and saying I was too young.

Eventually, I set off a year and a half later when my old English teacher told me about his friend there. She found a group of 20-somethings who looked after me.

I have to thank them for brightening up the trip. Not only did I go to the Eiffel Tower, along the banks of the Seine, and to several museums, I also went to the National Day parade and saw the fireworks. Best of all, I met some local people. Outside the Sacre Coeur, there were artists drawing and painting I admired their carefree life. We also went to a market in a downmarket district where Asians and Africans lived and I could get the real feel of the place.

What do you remember best?

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Vincent van Gogh in the Musée d'Orsay - so many beautiful things, but a young person like me in Hong Kong is stressed by study and exams! I now know I want to be creative and I need space.

I could see French people sitting or lying on the grass, wandering about in parks. They know how to enjoy life.

What have you done since?

Other contests for poster design, comic-drawing, creative makeup, and so on. In January, I joined a creative visual arts exhibition. I used the “fotomo” technique in my artwork to make it look more 3D. I also joined the Arts Ambassadors-in-Schools Scheme and I promote visual arts in Yuen Long District. Ceramics, Chinese paintings and other artworks are exhibited regularly.

Arts & culture

33

And your future plans?

I'm studying visual arts on my own but I also want to do a course related to media production, design and innovation at university.

Not sure about jobs yet but my artistic background does help. I encourage others to show they care about humanity through art like me. That's what I always hoped my poster would do.

Yuki Yip, now 18, is a Form 6 student

at Queen Elizabeth School Old Students Association Secondary School.

Yuki’s fotomo artwork about Tong Lau (old residential building) acquisitions was awarded an “Honourable Mention”

uChannel and uCinema

Visual media and the internet are a necessity for today’s young people. HKFYG’s Youth SPOT 21 developed uChannel for internet radio and uCinema for film production and review in response. uChannel received the Gold Award (Enterprise Category) in the 2nd “Top 10‘.hk’ Website Competition” in January 2011.

YHK: What's special about uChannel?

Eric: It's a pioneer move by an NGO like HKFYG attracting much attention.

Stars and senior government officials want us to interview them so they feel in touch with youth.

Gary: We're also non-mainstream and give youth a voice. After all, if no one speaks their mind, what's the point of exchanging views?

YHK: Doesn't “mainstream” mean “popular”?

Gary: We are gaining popularity because our programmes are positive, with useful information instead of trivial jokes and gossip...

Eric: It's just like newspapers. Most people read page 1 but quite often, the small bits on page 20 or the feature section offer deeper insights and broader

perspectives. We're doing something like the latter.

YHK: Is it difficult to be a radio host?

Gary: Yes if you get an unexpected response in an interview. You need to get to know your guest before the programme starts.

Eric: We keep archives and sometimes it's embarrassing to listen to old programmes. As you get more experience your style changes a lot.

We all felt very encouraged by an interview with Wong Wan-yiu, the cyclist who was injured in the Asian Games but won a medal. We had the Person of the Year 2010 award ready to give to her but it was really hard making contact.

Gary: It helps to get comments, good or bad.

Eric: It's great to hear from listeners.

Sometimes you feel remote but a young lady in the UK who was very ill posted a Facebook message saying how much she loved our music and laughter. It's cool to know you can cheer people up.

Gary: Come and join us! All you need are passion and dreams.

(Left to right) Bell, Eric, Gary

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

34

A r t s & c u l t u re

Best uChannel programmes

We asked the hosts which programmes they would recommend. Of course, they picked their own!

星級旗艦店 (Star Shop)

Hosted by Eric and Tokyo, 9pm on Sundays Pop singers, actors and film directors talk about life.

R 爆頭 (Itching Head)

Hosted by Gary and Bell, 10pm on Thursdays Have you ever talked to an undertaker, a magician or a lion dancer? We don't often meet them in person. Gary and Bell find out how they got their jobs.

YHK: What's unique at uCinema?

June: It's a platform for young people to come together for anything about films, like production, regular showings, commentaries and interviews.

Reeve: We synergize our creative and technical talents, by lining up different project teams. Take June and me as examples. We are from the U Culture group and mainly do interviews with directors and actors in uCinema.

Angus: My group Stand For Film mainly produce short films. End of last year, we were hired by the EEG Music Company, to produce a music video with pop singer Ken Hung Cheuk-lap.

More about uCinema

Established in April 2010, uCinema now closely partners film production-related youth groups including:

YHK: How was it?

Angus: We had to complete within a week!

We did it and the company was amazed! Comments were really good.

Philip: It was mainly thanks to our network with other production houses.

Youth SPOT 21 also helped a lot getting necessary equipment and resources.

X: Editing consumes a lot of time. It drives people crazy because you feel like you're re-shooting from scratch.

YHK: What do you think about partnering music companies and the business sector?

Angus: Film-making as a hobby comes first. Partnership opportunities can be stepping stones for future careers. At least we're learnt what commercial companies expect, what personal skills they need, and so on.

Philip: For example, Stand For Film has been producing short videos for the liberal studies homepage of Hong Kong Economic Times.

June: And U Culture is interviewing pop stars and writing a regular column in Milk magazine. We featured GEM Tang in February.

Reeve: We develop our hobbies, we work hard to improve, and we earn opportunities.

• Stand For Film

• Speed Up Production House • U Culture

• Hong Kong Film Art Association • LYF’s Production

Get up-to-date news with interviews, commentaries and everything at http:// ucinema.hk.

Youth SPOT 21: other features • HKFYG Continuous Learning Centre • HKFYG Xu Beihong Art SPOT Tel 3755 7021

Email spot21@hkfyg.org.hk

Website http://spot21.hkfyg.org.hk

What they do and what they like Reeve (writer, film reviewer) “I didn't think I liked movies until I watched The Drunkard, from the book of the same name by 92-year-old novelist Liu Yichang.”

June (artist interviewer, editor) “My parents showed me The Sound of Music and Audrey Hepburn films when I was 3.

That made me interested in everything about films and performing arts.”

Angus (scriptwriter) “I was totally into movies when I was in secondary school. Sometimes I watched more than 10 movies a week.”

Philip (camera controller) “War films such as Saving Private Ryan are my favourites. I am interested in operating the camera. It's crucial to make a film full of visual impact. ” X (first assistant director, script clerk) “I like cult films and my favourite directors are Tim Burton and Oshii Mamoru. Oshii makes totally unexpected scenes in his films.”

(Left to right) Reeve, June, Angus, Philip, X Angus, Philip and X are shooting an independent film, expected to finish in May, on the theme of life and death. Preliminarily named as 3141, it sounds like “Date of Birth, Date of Death” in Cantonese.

The advertisement on the opposite page is in gratitude to a long-standing Federation partner.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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City space Environment

Shift of pace

by Flora Luk Complementary views in this section explore various ways for reducing pollution and promoting a greener lifestyle.

Rushing, impatient In Hong Kong, a fast-paced society

where people are always rushing, efficient means of transport are essential. Early in the morning, white-collars start filing onto buses and MTR trains, squeezing tightly with hardly any space left between them. On the roads, a maze of colours is seen as private cars, stuck in traffic congestion, interspersed with buses and lorries, all wait impatiently.

A relatively slow pace Busy lifestyles mean citizens get used to swift transport to work. On days off, they may still opt for speed to maximize time at favourite places. However, some people prefer riding on trams, ferries or cable cars for a relatively slow pace which lets them enjoy the scenery, easing away tension and relieving stress.

Nevertheless, most motor vehicles, trams and cable cars rely on fossil fuels or electricity. We should make changes to alleviate the intensifying problems of pollution, climate change and energy crisis.

Altering our mode of transport may be the place to start.

Promoting green options In response to the save

energy movement led by green organizations, more environmentally friendly options like cycling should be introduced. With Hong Kong's small size, it is feasible to promote cycling and cyclists could appreciate the environment while taking exercise to improve their health. At the moment, cycling is most common in new towns or outlying islands where people can also hire bicycles. If it is encouraged in urban areas too, cyclists would be able to enjoy their exercise in town as well.

The advertisement on the opposite page is in gratitude to a long-standing Federation partner.

Networking with escalators Other green options

include trolleybuses and escalators, both of which rely on electricity but are more environmentally-friendly than vehicles that use fossil fuels because they do not emit greenhouse gases. Escalators similar to those in Mid-Levels which transport people to and from Central could be constructed in other parts of Hong Kong, strengthening its green transport network.

Government support, sustainable city To kickstart the green transport promotion campaign, good government support is necessary. Low fares for trams and trolleybuses would certainly attract people. As for cycling, there are currently very few bike paths. More of them linking up different parts of the city should be constructed and more parking spaces for bicycles should be provided. Such measures would surely develop a more sustainable city and help it become greener in future.

Cycling incentives

Britain's Cycle to Work Scheme encourages commuters to cycle by offering them incentives, while a tax-free system encourages employers to lend bicycles to employees. Hong Kong could offer funding for purchasing bicycles or introduce a system that counts the number of days employees cycle to work then give a tax rebate.

More bike parking needed

K.C. Tang (Wikimedia Commons)

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

38

City space Environment

Trolleybus power

Guangzhou had trolleybuses for 50 years and 35 new ones arrived for the Asian Games. Rome chose trolleybuses after examining all options for cleaner urban air. Hybrid trolleybuses which can do without overhead cables will soon be in Russian cities.

Critics say generating electricity from fossil fuels shifts pollution up the energy chain to the power station but even with lowgrade coal producing large amounts of CO2, electric traction used by trolleybuses almost completely eliminates carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

Source http://www.yutong.com/ english/news/press/12/17902. shtml

Flora Luk, 17, is a student at Diocesan Girls’ School. She is a Sub-Committee Member of the Hong Kong Union for Young Leaders and apart from sports she likes to take photographs and enjoys reading.

City space Environment

39

by Armstrong Siu In a congested city that relies on excellent public transport, strong demands for high quality services seem to contradict strong demands for reduced pollution.

Upgraded fleet

Bus companies have been purchasing environmentallyfriendly buses since the mid-1990s. They meet Euro standards for carbon dioxide emissions and current Euro regulations.

Currently, in my company, less than 30% of the entire fleet has pre-Euro or Euro 1 engines. 2008, Euro 5 buses are scheduled to replace these by the end of 2012.

Despite these efforts, the public still blames roadside air pollution mainly on bus companies. Whenever there is traffic congestion people see many buses and they associate traffic jams with buses and

deteriorating air quality. Then they demand a reduction in the number of franchised buses in Hong Kong but ironically, they also demand enhanced services which would inevitably increase fleet size.

Shared solutions Responsibility for

eliminating traffic jams should not rest solely with bus companies. It should be borne cooperatively by introducing solutions like Electronic Road Pricing System, restricted access zones, limited registration of private cars etc. On the other hand, the government should subsidize the upgrading of all public vehicle engines.

Contradiction and controversy

According to Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department, more than 400,000 private cars and taxis were on the road in 2009 and 13,000 public and private buses.

There are 11 million journeys on public transport each day so if 13,000 buses are not enough to cater for such demand, do we not need to reconsider downsizing?

Source http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/FileManager/ EN/Content_807/transport.pdf

I think these are more practical suggestions for improving air quality than simply complaining about too many buses on the road.

Armstrong Siu, 25, is an Operations Officer with a Hong Kong public transport

company. He loves to travel and his mission in life is to care about the city and help people in need.

Beware: road signs for the future

What will our city be like in 18 years time? That's the question asked by a team from HKFYG's Hong Kong 200 Leadership Project for the Get it Green competition. The imaginative road signs they came up with were worthy of a sci-fi story: mutant fish, CO2 injections for babies, breathable bottled air. Eight different signs won Dixon Kwong and his team mates the championship in the competition organized by Civic Exchange during the C40 Hong Kong Workshop last November. The prize for Dixon and his team is a trip to the South Pole this month with Sir Robert Swan, arctic explorer. We'll be hearing all about it in the June issue.

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

40

In the loop

volunteer teachers in Tin Shui Wai

It’s Wednesday afternoon at the HKFYG Lee Shau Kee Primary School (LSKPS) in Tin Shui Wai. What would take a group of wives of senior HSBC executives out there? Mrs Camay Wong, wife of Mr Peter Wong, HSBC’s first Hong Kong Chinese CEO for Asia Pacific, told us.

The genesis of the HSBC Spouse Programme “It has always been my dream to motivate people to do voluntary work. When you travel as an expat wife you have time to spare and can show you care by doing more than just giving money. Putting these two ideas together, and remembering that charity should begin at home, I talked to senior HSBC expat wives here and many wanted to volunteer. That's when we heard about the HKFYG primary school in Tin Shui Wai.

Right away, Laurie Constantinides, a very enthusiastic English teacher with 20 years’ experience, asked for volunteers to teach English. After collaborating with Pelly, the teacher now in charge of organizing the programme, Laurie found her idea took on momentum. The positive response shows the programme is working extremely well so far and we hope it will continue well into the future. This is our first spouse volunteer initiative and I'm very pleased that it involves education, especially English teaching in a middle-class area of Tin Shui Wai.”

In the loop The volunteers say…

“We see their eagerness winning over their shyness.”

“It’s a joy to teach them.”

“They become more confident even within the course of a session.”

“American students could learn a lot from them about good class participation!”

The students say…

41

Tom (Primary 6) “I enjoy the class. It is very useful because I can learn new vocabulary. The class should be longer. At least two hours twice a week.”

Carmen (Primary 6) “I like to practise speaking English with a foreigner.”

Henry (Primary 4) “I don’t have much opportunity to speak English so I enjoy this programme.”

Alice (Primary 5) “The teachers are very good. I wish they could come every day.”

Essential input for future confidence “It is the input that is essential. You cannot force the output and it doesn’t always work, it will come later,” Laurie said.

Wednesdays are “English Speaking Days” at LSKPS in Tin Shui Wai. The children are encouraged to speak English with each other and with teachers, so the volunteer programme gives added incentive. The LSKPS pupils are taught by the school’s sole native English teacher in Primary 1 to Primary 3, but for their last three years of primary education there is no regular timetabled interaction with a native speaker.

The volunteer visits, which take place on Wednesdays, have a dual format. Fifteen minutes of fun story-telling come first, during the lunchtime recess. The stories are chosen to match the listeners’ level and a question-and-answer element is included.

Interview skills training for Primary 6 students follows during early

afternoon lessons. These pupils will be interviewed for secondary school admission and need practice answering questions. The small group format works very well, with one-to-one situational role-play that gives highly practical experience of interview scenarios. Laurie commented on how impressed she was by the support from the school and the fact that the children were so well-behaved.

Together, these sessions will help build a foundation for future competence in a foreign language, an essential component in the lives of successful graduates from any school. For bright students in Tin Shui Wai, this is a chance they may never otherwise have had.

“If this programme means just one child goes to a really good secondary school, I would feel we had achieved our goal,” Laurie said with feeling.

“This is our first spouse volunteer initiative and I’m very pleased that it involves education, especially English teaching in a middle-class area of Tin Shui Wai,” concluded Camay.

42 Online, young and growing

March 2011

Youth Hong Kong

Yo u t h w a t c h

figures from China, Hong Kong and the world

This new section looks at phenomena that characterize the world of the young. Beginning with the most outstanding feature, we see that China has more internet users than any other country, but relative to population size the figure is low.

The number of young people who use the web in China, especially for entertainment, is already high, and over 88% listen to online music.

Online activity worldwide Other (email, commerce, search, etc) 36%

Viewing content 42%

Social networking 22%

Social networking and microblogs on Twitter reached about 65 million a day in 2010. In China, Sina has about 100 million active microblogs, estimated to reach 150 million by end 2011.

Languages used online Other 17.4%

Korean 2.1% Russian 2.5% French 3.2%

Chinese 22.6%

Arabic 3.3%

A greater proportion of people in English-speaking countries currently use the internet than elsewhere. The use of Arabic online has increased most and Chinese has grown by 10% in the last ten years.

German 4.0% Portuguese 4.3%

English 27.5%

Japan 5.3%

Spanish 7.8%

Youth watch

43

Online activity in China Ages of China’s internet users

88.1% 78.5%

73.9%

77.0% 77.2%

Age 60+ 1.9%

68.8%

67.0% 56.5%

50.9%

Age 30-39 21.5%

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Age 10-19 31.8%

30.5%

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Age 10 1.1%

Teenagers in China comprised 35% of all the country's web surfers in 2010. If you include youth in their 20s, the figure rises to 67%.

Internet penetration rates and users of the world (in millions) 82.5% 77.4%

825

61.3% 58.4% 475 266

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Mobile online access dominates among the young in China with 85.7% of all university students using their mobiles to hook up to the net.

No. of young internet users (in millions)

Penetration rate among youth (%)

% of all internet users

195 2.39

54.5 95.0

50.7 49.1

Notes and sources - Data is the latest available for each sector in March 2011 - Youth in figures for China is defined as those aged 6-25 - Online activity worldwide: http://www.visualeconomics. com/how-the-world-spends-its-time-online_2010-06-16/ - Teenagers in China: http://www.marketwatch.com/ story/story/print?guid=12F94881-515C-4A08-AEC1BA341FBCD1FA - Online activity in China and mobile online access: http://www.marbridgeconsulting.com/ marbridgedaily/2010-04-26/article/35444/cnnic_chinas_ young_internet_users_reach_195_mln - Languages used online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_ Internet_usage; http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7. htm; http://thenextweb.com/asia/2010/12/21/chinese-thenew-dominant-language-of-the-internet-infographic/; http:// mashable.com/2010/11/15/business-foreign-languageweb/ - Ages of China’s internet users: http://www.scribd.com/ doc/48493050/Asia-B2C-E-Commerce-Report-2010-byyStats - Internet penetration rates and users of the world: http:// www.internetworldstats.com; http://www.censtatd.gov. hk/; http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2010-01/01/ content_9253846.htm - Background world map graphic inspired by TNS Digital Life

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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HKFYG news Youth entrepreneurship

Enterprise, opportunities and innovation HKFYG supports innovative, enterprising young people early in life. Here is the news about local events and programmes, with examples from China and some background reading.

The Third Hong Kong Youth Leadership Forum: Hong Kong Stepping Up to the Opportunities of the National 12th Five-year Plan, was on 26 March with 1,000 young leaders talking about opportunities for Hong Kong in the light of the National 12th Five-year Plan at Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre.

Mainland domestic consumption, preparing talented youth with appropriate education and training, regional cooperation, reduction of carbon emissions and environmental conservation were among topics discussed. The Guests of Honour included The Hon Donald TSANG Yam-kuen, GBM, Chief Executive, HKSAR and Mr PENG Qinghua, Director, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR. Main speakers were Dr Raymond Kuo-fung CH'IEN, GBS, JP, Chairman, MTR Corporation Ltd and Chairman, Hang Seng Bank Ltd, Dr Louis Chi-yan CHEUNG, Director, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd and Mr CHO Yan-chiu, Chief Consultant, Hong Kong Economic Journal Company Ltd. Visit http://leadership21.hkfyg.org.hk for more details.

Youth Business Hong Kong: supporting home-grown entrepreneurs YBHK young entrepreneurs

Edison Wong

As technology grows ever more complex, progress and innovation depend increasingly on collaboration and networking. The rise of the internet has made this easier, as have global diasporas. Collaboration is very valuable for young entrepreneurs and is given strong support from HKFYG via Youth Business Hong Kong (YBHK) business mentors. YBHK is based on the Youth Business International model. It marshals the resources of the business community to provide mentoring, interest-free seed funding, skills training and networking support.

YBHK facts

• • • •

average loan size HK$57,000 repaid loans to date 95% survival rate to date 65% business mentors recruited 300+

For further details visit http://ybhk. hkfyg.org.hk and for the story of one of YBHK’s successes see Youth Hong Kong December 2010.

Inspired by a book called Be a Boss, Edison decided to run his own IT company in 2009 after spending a few years working in industry. He received an interest-free loan of HK$80,000 from YBHK and his mentor, YP Tang, played a crucial role, providing advice based on his is professional knowledge of accountancy and his entrepreneurial experience. In consequence, Edison realized he had been thinking of himself as an employee even Edison and YP though he ran his own business. YP taught him to apply management and analytical skills and to develop a sense of entrepreneurial wisdom when planning for the business.

Eunice Ng

Eunice received overwhelming support for her comic, Genius Cat ( 崩耳貓 ), at the 2003 Hong Kong Comics Festival. It gave her the confidence to quit her old job, but years of unsteady income and uncertain prospects followed. YBHK’s loan of HK$30,000 enabled her to establish her own brand and her own shop. However, although Eunice always did her utmost to develop her own styles she didn’t realize the importance of copyright. Her mentor, Joseph Chow, a solicitor and entrepreneur, told how her how to protect the designs and used his business network to help her find more reliable distributors. With copyright protecting creativity, Eunice can now focus on her unique talents.

Eunice and Joseph

HKFYG news Youth entrepreneurship

45

Measuring entrepreneurship and innovation

In today’s economic climate, where innovative talent and entrepreneurial acumen are king, tools used by economists to rate countries by level of enterprise-friendliness are useful. The Heritage Foundation produces an annual index of economic freedom, in which Hong Kong came top in 2011. The World Economic Forum tracks competitiveness and in its latest annual report and Hong Kong came 11th. The latest tool is the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index, released this March with the aim of measuring both how ambitious start-ups are as well as their number.

Ratings for countries will be available soon.

More information http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking http://www.gemconsortium.org/download/1299469372084/GEM%20GLOBAL%20REPORT%202010rev.pdf http://www.thegedi.org/products/index

Youth Business China

• average loan size RMB50,000 • small enterprises supported since inception 1,600 • job opportunities created 45,000 • business mentors recruited 5,000 Sources http://www.ybc.org.cn/ http://www.gdlnap.org/uploads/files/ pdf/China-Paper.pdf

Thriving in China

Mei’s pre-school education consultancy and publishing business in Shanghai employing 22 was registered in 2008. It received RMB50,000 of seed funding from YBC in 2009 and Li Xiaoming, CEO of a trading company became Ma Mei’s mentor. The capital helped her with a magazine on parenting and other pre-school teaching materials, published in cooperation with the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, Shanghai Population Planning Committee, Ma Mei (left) Fudan University Publishing House. She recently received another RMB100,000 in funding from the Shanghai Charity Foundation helping her to organize events such as a baby food safety conference and an international baby product exposition.

Qiao Yaru Yaru’s embroidery and handicraft manufacturing business in Yinchuan, Ningxia Autonomous Region, with 380 workers and a management team of 8, received RMB50,000 of YBC seed funding in September 2008. She used this injection of capital to diversify and boost production. Yaru’s mentor, a county official called Feng Xu, liaised with the YBC office in Ningxia and Yaru received the interest-free loan. Her Qiao Yaru husband also helped, designing new handicrafts, all of which were then showcased at the Yinchuan Cultural Town.

Thirty years ago, most business in China was controlled by the state. Today, an estimate of the share of GDP produced by enterprises that are not majority-owned by the state is 70%.

These businesses are thriving and the number of registered private businesses grew at an average of 30% annually from 2000-09.

Source http://news.economist.com/cgi-bin1/DM/t/ eCXmT0Quroe0Mo0TCps0ET

Youth Business China

Youth Business China (YBC) is the mainland’s government run equivalent of YBHK. Initiated in November 2003 by the All China Youth Federation, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and 7 other organizations, it is now mplemented by the China Youth and Children Foundation for Social Education at 33 offices in 12 provinces in China.

Youth Business China

Youth Business China facts

Ma Mei

New books about innovation

The question of whether Asia will eclipse America as the power source of innovation is the subject of two new books, Adam Segal’s Advantage, published by WW Norton, and Henry Chesbrough’s Open Services Innovation, published by Wiley. An open, risktaking culture is key to innovation, rather than top-down policies, says Segal, Writing about services related to knowledge industries that engage customers with products, Chesbrough says, “Innovating in services is the escape route from the commodity trap.” Peter Drucker, management guru and author of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, reminds us that “Entrepreneurs innovate… innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship.”

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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HKFYG news

Two new centres for assessment, help and guidance Providing healthcare for the addiction-prone

The HKFYG Youth Wellness Centre (YWC), in the Rehabilitation Block of Tuen Mun Hospital, is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. It helps young people who are trying to give up drugs, tobacco, alcohol, the internet or gambling.

A multi-disciplinary professional team, including specialists in clinical psychology, counselling, social work, psychiatry and nursing, assess the seriousness of problems and give advice on strategies for recovery.

The Centre’s clinical psychologist says, “After exploring the underlying reasons we motivate young people so that they believe in their own ability and see they have the power to change.”

Anyone aged 10-35 can turn to the staff for advice or guidance when in need. Parents and schools can contact YWC, when normal family communications break down or school results begin to deteriorate. Young people are also referred to YWC by the Hospital Authority.

How YWC and the Hospital Authority collaborate Miss W: abuse by her father led to self-abuse and addiction

A social worker and a doctor talked to Miss W at YWC. She told them how much time she spent on the computer and that she felt very unhappy and emotional.

Abused as a child She said she had often been beaten up by her father when young, and feared being abandoned.

Self-abuse She did much worse at school than her siblings and when she felt very bad about life she hurt herself, slashing her wrists and banging her head on the wall. She didn’t really understand why.

Addiction When she was 14 she started to use the computer a lot.

Eventually she was at her keyboard up to 6 hours a night, staying up late to avoid facing the future. It helped her to cope with her mood swings but she knew something was wrong.

Today Talking to non-stigmatizing YWC staff about it helped and

was much easier than going to a doctor or psychiatrist. They provided access to medical personnel for assessment and treatment then gave her counselling for her psychological problems.

Mr C: stress led him to cough mixture abuse, gambling and near-suicide

Family and work-related stress got too much for Mr C and during the 7 years before he came to the Tuen Mun Hospital Abuse Clinic. He had been taking up to 2 bottles (500 ml) of cough medicine a day to calm himself.

Gambling He began in his late teens especially on horse-racing and football. His bets went up till he owed $400,000 and then he went bankrupt, but still he accumulated gambling debts.

Depression One day, he lost $15,000 and became so depressed he

took a large amount of cough mixture and planned to commit suicide.

Relatives, several of whom also suffered severe depression, found him and stopped him. They took him to Tuen Mun Hospital.

Today With anti-depressants he has gradually improved, stopped

heavy gambling and reduced the cough mixture, but his moods are still up and down. Referred by the hospital to YWC, he now has help to build self-esteem with voluntary work and job enhancement programmes.

Note Some details are hypothetical to preserve anonymity.

Preventive programme with schools

Addiction statistics

At YWC, the guiding principle is to nip problems in the bud and deal with bad habits early on. Talks at schools, publications, the website and a multi-pronged proactive educational programme target young people from senior primary school upwards. The Centre’s supervisor reminds, “By the age of 9 or 10 children can start to pick up bad habits. By the time they are in junior secondary school those habits can start to become ingrained.”

In 2010 the Be Netwise HKFYG survey of nearly 4,900 respondents revealed over 11% of 10-17 year-olds with internet addiction symptoms. YWC then ran a survey with 1,508 students in the 31 secondary schools where HKFYG offers social services and results were available in January 2011. The students were given a set of addictive symptoms and asked how often they had been experienced. The tables on the next page indicate responses.

Pilfering

Taking drugs

Making sly videos

Gambling

HKFYG news

Drinking

Smoking

Going online

Never Rarely Sometimes Often

Don't know / hard to say 30.4%

Figure 2 If you thought you were addicted, would you seek help?

Going online Smoking Drinking Gambling Making sly videos Taking drugs Pilfering

Probably 22.1%

Definitely 13.0%

Definitely not 10.2% Probably not 24.3%

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Figure 1 How often have you been aware of symptoms of addiction to the following?

Often 31.4% 2.8% 2.4% 2.0% 1.0% 0.6% 0.5%

Sometimes 31.4% 1.5% 8.0% 2.9% 2.4% 0.5% 3.0%

Other 1.3%

Don't want anyone to know 24.1% Worry that seeking help is complicated 16.5%

Rarely 14.4% 2.7% 18.0% 10.2% 7.4% 1.3% 2.3%

Never 14.6% 82.8% 58.2% 74.7% 76.9% 91.0% 87.1%

Not familiar with service or help available 1.7% Don't Know / hard to say 14.3%

Figure 3 What do you think would stop somebody seeking help if they thought they were addicted?

Don't think the problem is serious 19.1%

Think they can cope alone 23.0%

Sources of statistics YWC Survey on Youth’s Views on Addictions, http://yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/chi/p203.html Be Netwise survey Research Study on Internet Education, http://www.benetwise.hk/download/ Final_Report_Internet_Study_5July2010.pdf

For more information contact HKFYG Youth Wellness Centre, 7/F, Rehabilitation Block, Tuen Mun Hospital, 23 Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories email ywc@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2465 2828 fax 2465 2466

Working with kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools Cooperation HKFYG understands the importance of cooperating with schools to help youngsters solve problems and such cooperation is the principal strategy of the new HKFYG Jockey Club Student Support Centre (SSC). It is staffed by social workers and a clinical psychologist who work with schools, parents and professionals.

Users All the students in Hong Kong’s kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools are potential users, as well as their teachers and parents. The service is two-way, providing walk-in help from SSC staff who also go out to give training and talks.

Special needs Assessment of dyslexia, autism, hyperactivity and emotional difficulties takes place if required, with diagnosis, treatment and referrals. Training for dyslexic children, including multi-sensory activities and games, as well as summer courses and camps are arranged.

Training and education Teacher training and parent education are offered at seminars and workshops. Talks and self-help groups are also organized to improve parenting skills and parent-child relationships.

For more information contact HKFYG Jockey Club Student Support Centre, G/F, 54 Bedford Road, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon email ssc@hkfyg.org.hk tel 3422 3161

fax 3422 3165

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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HKFYG news

seasoned talent, budding stars, young beginners Standing up in front of an audience can be daunting but it can also bring out the best in people of all ages. Comparing oneself with others, being compared and being watched, can act as a keen motivator, as the festivals, concerts and contests hosted by HKFYG amply show.

A Cappella Festival time A cappella means harmonizing without instrumental accompaniment. It incorporates jazz, swing and pop and provides scope for great innovation in technique and great entertainment for audiences at the Hong Kong International a cappella Festival. This is the highlight of the Federation’s musical year and the energetic, fun nature of a cappella music makes for a perfect match with young people.

Hong Kong International a cappella Festival March–April 2011

The festival is packed with performances by famous singers from the UK, the US, Japan and Sweden, as well as master classes and workshops that take a cappella to the heart of the community.

The international line-up includes The Swingle Singers (UK), Vybration (US), Solzick (Japan), Peder Karlsson (Sweden), Chet Lam and the HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers (HK). With the launch of a new HKFYG a cappella Centre during the festival, we are looking forward to the full blossoming of the genre.

Supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, Prince Jewellery and Watch Co, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Sino Group, Hopewell Holdings Ltd, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department.

Courses at the new HKFYG a cappella Centre

• exclusive joint programme for amateur groups and schools with The Real Academy's Peder Karlsson • secondary school courses and demonstrations with the Hong Kong Melody Makers • vocal percussion courses for all levels by Kaichiro Kitamura • comprehensive summer courses suitable for all

HKFYG news

HKFYG Standard Chartered Hong Kong English Public Speaking Contest 2011 More than just a contest The HKFYG Standard Chartered Hong Kong English Public Speaking Contest has been run with The English Speaking Union since 2004. Young people who want to hone their skills in public flock to take part every year.

There were 2,129 applications in 2011, a record number. The Grand Finals on 9 April 2011, with Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuetngor, GBS, JP, as Guest of Honour, featured live audience voting to elect two speakers for the Audience Favourite Awards.

Largest of its kind in Hong Kong

• 2,129 applications • 194 secondary schools participating • 98 judges including senior teachers, lawyers and executives from the public or private sector • Workshops, tips and videos practice can make perfect!

The overall champion has the chance to represent Hong Kong at the London International Public Speaking Competition.

Karen Chan was the Champion last year. She did Hong Kong proud,

coming in as runner-up against entrants from all over the world. Now in her first year at the University of Hong Kong, she says: “During the competition in London I made friends in 47 different countries, found out about many different subjects and experienced a new, innovative way of learning. The prize was simply a cherry on the top!”

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Caption! Create!

Youth Hong Kong is looking for creative writers. To start the search we invite teachers to ask students aged 9-19 to caption one or more of these images. Send ideas to youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk.

Get published!

Mr Benjamin Hung (Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong, Ltd) said of the contest: “English has become a platform for communication across geographical, political and cultural lines, helping people of all nationalities to better understand each other’s cultures and beliefs. Standard Chartered is committed to contribute to this mission and is proud to be making an investment in our younger generation and our community as the sole sponsor of Standard Chartered English Speaking Contest.”

Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival at HKFYG Building

This festival promotes interest in western and Chinese music, speech and drama, poetry and prose, among all the city’s schools. HKFYG is very pleased that its headquarters in North Point is home to some festival events. A primary school pupil, on her way to take part, smiled shyly, saying, “I play the piano, but I’m not very good.”

Her father added, “Before she goes on stage she’s often nervous but when she starts to play it disappears. As long as she doesn’t find it stressful, it’s good experience.”

Youth Hong Kong March 2011

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Factsheet

Advertise in Youth Hong Kong Youth Hong Kong is for all who are concerned with young people. Published four times a year, it focuses on themes such as the internet, education, careers, health, the environment, arts and culture.

Please visit youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk for details on advertising rates. For more information, please contact Andrey Leung (3755 7041) or email youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk.

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Fax this form (3755 7155) or email youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk.

HKFYG Service Directory

The advertisement on the opposite page is in gratitude to a long-standing Federation partner.