Hongkongers go to Macau (by Patrick Lee)

Nowadays Hong Kong is an international city which successfully in tourism. Lots of sight attract mainland Chinese and Foreign tourist. However, when Hongkonger want to leave the city and have a short vacation, Macau, another Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, recently being popular from Hongkonger.

What makes Macau become so popular? Last week, I have visited Macau for a site seeing to discover what the reasons are. There are one-stop services for Hongkongers traveling to Macau. Firstly, Hongkoner are streesed and busy on their work, therefore it is difficult for them to travel oversea for a long time, and the immediate departure allows Hongkonger spend only two hours to arrived Macau. The trip in Macau can only spend two days which suit the employee in Hong Kong. After arrived at the pier, there are free sutual buses connect different hotels and casinos. In the casinos, there are free drinks and foods provide for the grambalers, dancing shows and lucky draw which let people stay in the casinos.

In Macau, siteseeing nolonger the most attracting activities new site such as Fishman’s Wharf also build Hotels and Casinos nearby, in contrast, gambaling and resorts being promoted not only the tourism, but also by the tourist and Macau citizen. As the gambling right being opened in 2002, famous casions such as Wynn, Sands, and Venetian build their cusino in Macau. Nowadays, there are already 22 casions in Macau. Also, MGM, Four Seasons, and Grand Hyatt are becoming open in Macau too.

Another reason that Hongkongers enjoyings in Macau is the illusion of classes presented in the casinos. In the casino, people are presented as a guest that privilleged than others; they are willing to be served, to get relax, to enjoy the entertainment, and the whole atsmophere.

Hongkonger go to Macau are experiencing the similars and differences. Hong Kong and Macau is both colonial by the west, and become China’s SAR, the capitalist enviornment, the same spoken language, Cantonese, and the conveniences of the currency get comfortable feeling to Hongkongers. On the other hand, Hongkongers are willing to expreiences the Portuguese atsomopheres, the gambling cities, Las Vegas style nightlife which Hong Kong cannot experience.

In compare with Shenzhen and Macau, Hongkongers are becoming more willing to go to Macau than Shenzhen, since the price level of Shenzhen are not as cheap as before, and the exotic feeling which is more attracted Hongkongers. Furthermore, Shenzhen is becoming more similar than Hong Kong.

As Macau’s economy highly relied on gambling related industry, Hong Kong is still one of the important tourists. There is no doubt that Hongkoners go to Macau is being a trend, once new casino open, Hongkongers will rush into Macau and experience the Hotel’s facilitities, playing in casino, and relax in the resort.

However, the trend also reveal that local Hong Kong sites is much less attract Hong Kongers, even Disneyland and Ocean Park, the attraction are decreased since there are not much eveloation, and Hong Kong are forbidden of gambling.

Octopus Card let you spend more (by Patrick Lee)

There is a discourse that using Credit Card causes a lot of debt. However, in my own opinion, Octopus is also a device that let us spend more. The logo of Octopus is the symbol of number eight, “8”, also a mathematical symbol “infinity”, means “infinite” possibilities in official explain, but in my own opinion, it may also remind us that if we use it carelessly, we will spent infinite by using Octopus Card.

Nowadays, Octopus Card is very convenient in Hong Kong, not only use it for transportation, but also can use in fast food shop, supermarket and car parking, or even use it for login campus, library or residents. Accordingly, there are more than 95% of 16 – 65 years old Hong Kong citizen using Octopus.

Compare with other electronic payment system, Octopus are more convenient than other system like Credit Card or EPS. Octopus only need put upon the receive machine and wait until a “do” sound, it can also automatically add value in the card linked with personal bank account.

However, the advantages are also the disadvantages because of the securities. The conveniences of Octopus Card lead to conveniences of spending, not only the signature or password procedures skipped, but also to urge consumer to spend without thinking. When we spend by credit card, we need to check the bill, and signature to confirm; when we spend by EPS, we also need to type the password; even when we use cash, there are times we consider the amount during we count the bank note. But the appearances of Octopus totally change the trading procedure, since the amounts are small, the environments are in hurry, people sometimes haven’t got enough times to think, but have already connected to receiver machine. Furthermore, the amounts spend in Octopus Card are small, it is so convenience that people spend without checking, until the value in the card is zero.

Despite taxi, Octopus can solve all the travel expends in Hong Kong, having lunch and dinner in fast food shop, buying magazines in convenient shop, preparing the commodity in supermarket, paying the car park’s bills, and finally entering the resident by using the card. Also, Octopus developed a rewarded system, provide coupons and discounts in supermarket, restaurants, or products, Octopus developed a huge system that the trading procedure are in a short period of time. People’s habit have shift by using Octopus rather than cash or other systems.

Nowadays, the global are actively promoting wireless electric payment system used in transportation fee and trading without change, but there are not much cities that as successful as Hong Kong that Octopus Card dominate the market and hence increase the conveniences and widely used.

There is no doubt that Octopus Card is so useful in Hong Kong. However, using Octopus rather than cash brings the problems that we need to eliminate the change and the wrong counting situation; the value counted in the card cannot easily change. And people will spend more due to the value is too small and the procedure is too short that people won’t think deeply.

The Shopping Mall Culture (by Patrick Lee)

Along with the development of new town, nowadays the structure of living is standardized, a large residents housing, railway connected for transportation, with an integrated shopping mall which provides everything you need. In recent years, more and more shopping mall opened, shopping mall is being necessary in Hong Kong.
While malls are omnipresence, it changes the life style of Hongkongers. People can spend the whole day in malls, they can buy commodity in the supermarket, they can eat in the restaurant, and they can buy clothes in the mall too.
Yesterday I went to a new shopping mall in Kowloon Station, Elements, which is developed and managed by MTR Corporation. Elements positions itself as a high class shopping centre, most shops are international brands.
Apart from streets, the final objective of shopping malls is consumption; people are hardly escaping from the consumer area in shopping malls. There are two methods that people are focused to consume, convenience shopping and compulsory shopping.
Convenience shopping means people are easier to consume, constrains are decreased and lots of benefits that attract people consume. Shops are welcome in EPS, Credit Cards or even Octopus Card which ensures most of the people can afford if they are interest. Also, shops like IKEA and Broadway, provide delivery services, consumer no need to worry about the trips after shopping. Shopping malls always held activities and create theme decoration to increase flow, let consumer enjoy to stay in the mall, increase the chance of consuming.
Compulsory shopping is another methods that credit cards rewards and coupons encourage people to consume a much higher to get a discount. For example, a $100 coupon can be used when consumed $1000 clothes.
Malls are an integrated consuming area which encouraged consuming. The “ingredients” in the malls are well formulated. Besides restaurants, clothing, and entertainment shops, banks is another important issues that determine the successful of the malls, malls with banks ensure people can get the money and continue consume.
In order to have a higher rental in the shopping mall, the owner will attract big store like Marks and Spencar, H&M, and Body Shop. Because these international chains stores can bear a high rental and increase the shopping centre level. Big stores are in oligopoly situation in malls which small store are hardly entering the market. Big stores also dominate the promotion of their products, which affect consumers’ ideology, believe that big shops must better than small, unique shops. Big shops dominate the market lead to the control of prices, while bearing a high rental, the prices of the product are relatively increase. Also, the illusion of choice is created, people in the malls seems can choose what they like, but actually choice are limited, we can only consume what the chain store provide.
Nowadays, shopping malls are being important in Hong Kong retailing, the consumption mode of Hongkongers have changed, people are much more like to spend in shopping malls than streets, and we are get used to stay in shopping malls, as well as stay in the consumption area.

Hong Kong Fondue (“Cheese Hot Pot?”) – Product of Hybrid Food Culture (by Patrick Lee)

When the weather becomes cold, Hong Kong people like to have “Hot Pot” in Chinese restaurant. Hot Pot (In Chinese: 火鍋) basically means people put the food in a pot with some soup over the burner and eat immediately. When people gathering, no matter how many people, they sit around a table, put everything into a pot, forget about hygiene, eating without discipline. Having Hot Pot is a good gathering activity because it generates harmony. Usually Hong Kong style Hot Pot’s ingredients include meats, sea foods and vegetables.

Fondue is a western dish from Switzerland. In western, different kind of cheeses mixed with wine and kept it as liquid in a pot over an alcoholic burner. People use a fondue fork to dip the cubed crusty bread into the pot. Fondue is a dainty dish for western, cheese is a serious topic as well as red wine. Usually serves 4 people, with a romantic atmosphere.

Hot Pot and Fondue is 2 different kinds of food. Hot Pot is a popular meal while Fondue is comparatively elite. However, in Hong Kong, these 2 dishes seem grouped together. The Chinese name of Hot Pot is “Huo guo” (火鍋) while Fondue is “Zhi shi huo guo” (芝士火鍋, literality: Cheese Hot Pot).

The Chinese name makes the meaning of Fondue in Hong Kong’s different from the westerns’, Hong Kong people understand Fondue as a western Hot Pot rather than a unique western dish. Fondue becomes a sign of winter product, and a sign of western product.

Last year winter, Fondue was popular in Hong Kong. Café de Coral, one of the largest fast food restaurants in Hong Kong, promoted Hot Pot and Fondue at the same time. In fast food restaurants, both Hot Pot and Fondue are no longer server for a group, each people have their own Pot, with their own set of meal, everything put on a plate, and everything is standardized. In this situation, Fondue became popular, but the quality was decrease. Also, Hot Pot and Fondue became similar; the uniqueness of Fondue is decreasing while the symbol of “kind of Hot Pot Product” is increasing.

Yesterday I went to Spaghetti House with a friend; we tried the season special, Fondue Combination. There are not only baguette cube, it also include vegetables, pasta and a either seafood or meat platter. The ingredients are modified to satisfy Hong Kong people’s appetite, include meat and seafood, and make it as a dinner.

We are expected not only baguette cube, we also expected some western food, like pasta. And something that we usually have in Hot Pot which makes us full, such as the meat or seafood platter. We won’t feel any problems because the food is “correct”.Under Globalization, we can experience many foreign products, since companies need to satisfy local appetites, localization is often appeared. One of the characteristic of Hong Kong culture is absorb different kind of foreign cultures and mixed with local habit, behavior and culture and regenerates Hong Kong style products. Hot Pot is nowadays a hybrid food culture in Hong Kong. We categorized Fondue as “kind of Hot Pot product”, and there are many new foods or soups we added in Chinese Hot Pot, Hot Pot are not only specific means a dish, it is generally means a cooking style, wither what soup or ingredient, either eastern or western.

The Reborn of Bay Phoon Town (by Patrick Lee)

Long ago, one of the symbols represent Hong Kong is a yacht (this symbol is still being used by Hong Kong Tourism Board).

Bay Phoon Town(In Chinese: 避風塘), as well as a Typhoon Shelter, one of the facilities appears beside Hong Kong Aberdeen Harbour and Victoria Harbour, to protect yachts and boats from Typhoon.

Hong Kong is a place that often affected by Typhoon. In the past, Hong Kong was a fishing city, many Hong Kong people are Tanka or fishermen, and they are living on boats in Typhoon Shelter. They have their unique culture as well as unique cuisine style on seafood, called Bay Phoon Town-style cuisine. One of the famous dishes is Bay Phoon Town (BPT) -style fried Crab.

As the development of Hong Kong, the descendants of fishermen have moved onshore. Nowadays, people can no longer taste BPT-style cuisine on boat, but in shop on shore, with traditional Cantonese Seafood Restaurant style: a huge glass vat with seafood in outdoor which the seafood can be chosen by the customers, the floor have an carpet but still wet because waiter will show the raw seafood to the customers before cook, the setting is light but with unsanitary environment which won’t give customers a comfortable feeling. As Hong Kong people are becomes hygiene; there are less and less restaurant still serving BPT-style cuisine.

Today I went to MongKok, a place far away from shore, but having a dinner in a Restaurant named Chow’s Bay Phoon Town. The idea of Chow’s Bay Phoon Town is fusion BPT-style with Japanese Izakaya style, serving traditional BPT-style dishes like Fried Crab and Vegetables with Japanese drink for example Sake, and snacks like Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). The environment is nice and comfortable, it designed as a boat, the walls and floor are wood in dark brown color, lots of boat lamps and boat windows as decoration, the setting is dark which create an relax mood to the customer. Furthermore, there are number of rooms for two to three people, a comfortable space for gathering. As a customer, I like this restaurant very much.

However, the successful of Chow’s Bay Phoon Town reveal the problem of the Mass Culture. The successful of the restaurants become a successful formula; Chow’s Bay Phoon Town has 3 branch shops, located in urban cities, fusion with Japanese Izakaya as gimmick and also attracts middle class. There are not much different between each shop.

In the past, dishes are depends on what and how many the fishermen got; nowadays, in order suit for the mass, most of the food in the menu are standardized, the quality and quantity of materials are standardized, even the price are also standardized.

The system is developed, and controlled by computer; include order system and the VIP system. People can only order what they have seen in the menu; there are no any customized services. The VIP system, giving a discount especially the month of his/her birthday, which provide an illusion of customized services, however, it is also a calculation from the computer.

In my opinion, Bay Phoon Town is reborn as a commercialized product. Under the Mass Culture Theory, are we really consuming BPT-style cuisine food or only consuming the feeling of BPT-style?