Hong Kong is home to a one-of-a-kind urban geopark that showcases volcanic activity from around 140 million years ago, within the bustling metropolis. This unique landscape was recognised in 2023 by the International Union of Geological Sciences as one of the world’s First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites, standing alongside renowned landmarks like the Grand Canyon in the United States and Pamukkale in Türkiye. At the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung East Country Park, visitors can spot unique brownish-yellow hexagonal rock columns, which extend across areas like High Island, Kau Sai Chau, Tiu Chung Chau, the Ung Kong Islands, and the Ninepin Group, covering 100 square kilometres of land and sea. Recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015, the area also features 400-million-year-old sedimentary rock layers in northeastern Hong Kong, such as Bride’s Pool, Wu Kau Tang, and Luk Keng. This rich geological heritage, combined with diverse ecosystems like mangroves, feng shui woods, and coral reefs, as well as cultural landmarks like Hakka walled villages, fishing villages, and temples, forms a rare and exceptional natural and cultural landscape unique to Hong Kong. However, according to last year’s Audit Commission report, some geoparks suffer from inadequate facilities, with issues such as visitors damaging rock formations and capturing marine species. The report also highlighted a lack of proper public transport infrastructure, which has resulted in fewer visitors than expected, making it difficult to fully promote green tourism.

Cirque du Soleil’s theatrical, character and story-driven approach, involving no animals and relying solely on the skills of human performers, makes the Canadian company’s circus shows unique. In 2005, The Works went to in Cyberport to film, under the big top, “Quidam”, a story about a bored girl named Zoe. In 2012, characters from “Saltimbanco”, a show in celebration of life, came to our studio. This month, the troupe is returning to Hong Kong after seven years, with “Kooza”. We were at the final full rehearsal before the opening. On show at Tang Contemporary Art, “Montage” is an exhibition of 15 of Yoon Hyup's recent works. Yoon adopts a pointillist technique: simple lines and dots suggest lives and scenes in bustling cities and in modern society. Yoon’s highly coloured points and lines are fluid, abstract and move in all directions to evoke the order and chaos of the cities and the movements of the people who live in them. Tijn Trommelen is a jazz singer and guitarist from the Netherlands. He says music runs in his family and that he knew early on that music was to be part of his life journey. Now in his twenties, Trommelen performs regularly in Europe and has also played in the United States and South Africa. He and his band recently completed a tour of Asia. At the end of April, while they were touring, Trommelen and pianist Robert Koemans made a quick stop in our studio.

The annual International Dragon Boat Races will be held off Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade on June 7th and 8th. Over 100 teams from Hong Kong, Macao, the Mainland and around the world will gather to compete in Victoria Harbour. The Tournament comprises 18 standard boat competitions, and there is prize money for the four Championship events. Another highlight of the event is the “Fancy Dress Competition”. Athletes will dress up in meticulously designed costumes to draw the attention of the audience.

The Oman Downwinder movie intents to show Oman and its conditions for wind powered sports. It is a movie that explores behaviours, the Omani hospitality, the landscape and attractions of Oman within the downwinder route and not, exclusively, a movie about kitesurfing and Wingfoiling. The movie was designed to explore the experience of professional kiteboarders/wingfoilers interacting with amateur riders based in Oman on this 7-day trip along the coast. Also exploring the Oman Kitesurfing community via local actors and their experiences during the downwinder.

Award: Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Physical Education Key Learning Area) School: Newman Catholic College Awardees: Lai Ho-ki Lai Ho-ki is a long-distance runner for over 20 years. His passion is not just in sports, but also teaching. A few years ago, he joined the Newman Catholic College as Physical Education teacher. Sports facilities were limited in the campus. Mr Lai decided that he would try his best to teach the students and promote a sport culture in the school. Limited by the space, students mostly have their PE lessons in the hall. Mr Lai uses various tools, such as speed ladders, low hurdles and electronic devices, for sports training in a limited space. Mr Lai also holds PE lessons in venues like King’s Park Sports Ground or Kowloon Tsai Park to allow more space for sports and give fresh impetus to the students. In addition to standard PE curriculum, the PE group added eight Physical and Arts lessons to the Life and Society curriculum in lower secondary forms including new emerging sport like Kendama and Pickleball. To promote running, Mr Lai organised a long-distance running trilogy – morning run, round-the-school run, and ‘I will run a marathon’. Doing sport is not just for a strong body. Mr Lai wants nurture the students’ positive values and perseverance through sport.

In this episode of the Cantonese travel series "Cantonese Travelogue - Tang Dynasty Architecture," we will first head to Shanxi. Our journey in Shanxi will start from the largest city, Taiyuan, and then we will travel to various cities from there. Although our stay in Taiyuan will be brief, there will still be plenty to see and eat. The most famous and representative breakfast food in Taiyuan is known as "Tou Nao." This specialty snack has a history of three to four hundred years and was invented by the renowned scholar and physician Fu Shan during the late Ming dynasty. It contains lamb, lamb tail fat, yellow wine, and long yam, among other ingredients. Many locals enjoy this as their breakfast. After Taiyuan, we will head to the ancient city of Pingyao, which was praised as the "ancient Wall Street" during the Qing dynasty. After modern revitalization, the city has retained its original appearance, including the city walls and shops. To help travelers experience ancient life, there are interactive theater performances arranged at the banks, escort agencies, and government offices. The two hosts will certainly not miss the opportunity to dress up, with one portraying an ancient general and the other a historical beauty, creating a commotion at the bank. We also enjoyed one of the country's largest immersive theaters, "You See Pingyao," which features several large-scale dramas like "Choosing a Wife in Jin City," "Bathing the Teacher," and "Homecoming Noodle Dance," weaving together stories of Shanxi's humanity and righteousness. In addition, the two hosts participated in a paper-cutting workshop at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Center and tasted a variety of famous Shanxi noodles.

According to the Consumer Council, beauty parlour fraud cases doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year. The Council noted that as permanent makeup becomes more popular, related complaints have also increased, with many cases being serious. Since the Department of Health's guidelines are mostly voluntary, some believe the authorities need to closely monitor service quality of permanent makeup and consider legislative regulation. Over the years, poor sales tactics in beauty parlours have been common, ranging from aggressive marketing to misleading treatment advertisements and sudden closures, all of which harm the reputation of legitimate businesses and undermine industry professionalism. Some have suggested introducing a mandatory cooling-off period; however, the question remains: what measures can truly protect consumers?

Hong Kong startups have been venturing into the Middle East in recent years, tapping into the emerging market with creativity and green technology. Vriko Yu is one of the founders of Archireef. By developing 3D printing technology to create a reef tray suitable for coral growth, it not only saves dying corals, but also pioneers the local marine conservation market. SleekFlow's Henson Tsai, on the other hand, has developed a one-stop instant messaging platform that combines various messaging applications such as SMS and live chat into a single, easy-to-use platform that enables a complete customer journey for more effective marketing, sales and customer service dialogue. Both of them have successfully penetrated the Middle East market and seized the first opportunity.