Latest news with #TaiWai
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Relaxed Aussie lifestyle shapes Hong Kong home
Feeling hemmed in by Covid restrictions several years ago, Alan Lau toyed with swapping his family's Mid-Levels flat for the laid-back way of life he had enjoyed in Brisbane, Australia, where he had worked decades earlier and still has business interests. Advertisement His wife, Lydia, having studied in Sydney, understood the attraction. However, not wishing to transplant their two adolescent children and leave a large extended family behind, the couple reached a compromise. As much as possible, they'd try to replicate in Hong Kong the relaxed lifestyle synonymous with Australia. Living room detail. Photo: Tan Hai Han A three-storey attached house in Tai Wai, complete with outdoor terrace and pool, hit the mark. With 2,100 sq ft of internal space to work with, plus an outdoor area of about 1,200 sq ft, Ivan Wong Wei-him, architect, designer and founder of In-between Architects, would realise the couple's vision during a year-long renovation, completed in May 2024. It wasn't just about aesthetics, Wong stresses. 'With their children still young, the family would be building their memories in this house,' he says of the three-bedroom home. 'My first thought was, 'What's best for them?'' Aside from a poolside barbecue terrace – a must – Wong regarded the ground-floor kitchen as the heart of the home. Happily, the size of the existing kitchen was adequate. Removing a wall to integrate it with the dining area allowed an island to be built, its cantilevered countertop providing additional space for four. Kitchen. Photo: Tan Hai Han The now open-plan social zone extends to a second terrace (half a level below), which comes in handy when family and friends visit for meals, as they often do.
South China Morning Post
03-08-2025
- South China Morning Post
A bad cycle: why is Hong Kong's Sha Tin district littered with bikes?
Outside Tai Wai MTR station in Hong Kong's Sha Tin district, a resident from the nearby Mei Lam Estate stops near a long row of parking racks with dozens of bicycles packed tightly together. It took the resident, surnamed Wong, minutes to rummage through the clutter before he could find a spot next to some old bikes with pieces missing. 'There are lots of bikes, and it is harder to park when it's working hours,' said the 70-year-old, who regularly cycles to the station to catch the train and shop at the nearby shopping centre. Residents and community leaders told the Post that the clusters of bikes were a long-time challenge for the district, with some people using the free public parking spaces as dumping grounds for their old bicycles. Others have also exploited the system to park their bikes for extended periods, believing they will not be caught for breaking rules that cap parking at 24 hours per session. Lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-Wing and Sha Tin district councillors said they and the government had been receiving complaints from residents for years about illegal bike parking, including cases of bicycles being abandoned, in areas such as cycle tracks and public transport interchange stations.
South China Morning Post
03-08-2025
- South China Morning Post
A bad cycle: why is Hong Kong's Sha Tin district littered with bikes?
Outside Tai Wai MTR station in Hong Kong's Sha Tin district, a resident from the nearby Mei Lam Estate stops near a long row of parking racks with dozens of bicycles packed tightly together. It took the resident, surnamed Wong, minutes to rummage through the clutter before he could find a spot next to some old bikes with pieces missing. 'There are lots of bikes, and it is harder to park when it's working hours,' said the 70-year-old, who regularly cycles to the station to catch the train and shop at the nearby shopping centre. Residents and community leaders told the Post that the clusters of bikes were a long-time challenge for the district, with some people using the free public parking spaces as dumping grounds for their old bicycles. Others have also exploited the system to park their bikes for extended periods, believing they will not be caught for breaking rules that cap parking at 24 hours per session. Lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-Wing and Sha Tin district councillors said they and the government had been receiving complaints from residents for years about illegal bike parking, including cases of bicycles being abandoned, in areas such as cycle tracks and public transport interchange stations.
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's Taipan bakery shuts after 41 years as city's retail struggles deepen
Taipan Bread and Cakes, a bakery chain from Hong Kong that invented snow skin mooncakes, has closed all its branches after 41 years in operation. Notices about the closure were spotted at various branches of the chain on Tuesday. 'Due to many unpredictable and irresistible shocks recently, our company regretfully announces that it will officially cease operations from [Tuesday],' a notice said. 'Thank you for your support and love for our company over the years. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.' Three branches at the MTR stations of Choi Hung, Tai Wai and Whampoa had stopped operating earlier. The chain was previously sued by landlords for unpaid rent, with some of its employees also reporting delays in receiving their wages. Taipan earned its reputation in 1989 by creating the snow skin mooncakes, also known as snowy mooncakes, which feature a chilled, glutinous rice flour skin instead of the classic pastry. A 68-year-old woman, surnamed Lee, said she learned about the closure of two stores from a Facebook post the previous day and planned to use her HK$120 (US$15) in coupons at the Causeway Bay branch on Tuesday. McDonald's location in Hong Kong poised to become world's busiest 'How could you have known? They all closed suddenly. Now, my coupons are nothing but out-of-print souvenirs,' the retiree, who had a Taipan membership, said. Lee said she had observed signs before the closure. 'As a member, I am entitled to a 10 per cent discount, but the machine [at the Causeway Bay store] has been out of service for two weeks, so I haven't been able to use it. I guess it's not entirely unexpected,' she said. Lee added that her friend also noticed the North Point branch had little stock on Monday, despite it usually being filled with cakes and tarts. A 77-year-old woman, surnamed Cheung, who had planned to shop at Taipan in the morning, expressed regret over the frequent closures of local chains. 'I thought it was its last day and wanted to buy its bread one final time,' she said after reading the news about the bakery chain's financial situation. 'Even the shops that have been around for decades are closing down. It is such a pity,' Cheung said. 'It's hard to do business now. People are spending in mainland China and the economy is bad.' Taipan is the latest chain to close in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's retail sales dropped for a 14th consecutive month in April, falling by 2.3 per cent, year on year, to HK$28.9 billion (US$3.7 billion). For the first four months, retail sales were down by 5.6 per cent over the same period last year, as witnessed in a string of chain closures.
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Bring back the Hong Kong that eats together without table dividers
The other day, I had the pleasure of sitting down in a small local restaurant in Tai Wai to enjoy some dim sum with my wife and my son. It was a rather large table, and after a few minutes, another nice elderly couple came and sat across from us and ordered their meals. As we greeted each other, a conversation ensued. We didn't discuss anything too deep or life-changing, but our exchange was engaging and insightful and soon we were leaving, the experience having enhanced what was already a pretty good weekend meal with family. In contrast, although tables are also shared in the teahouse my family and I typically frequent, that restaurant still uses Covid-era dividers for shared tables . It occurs to me that this is one aspect where Hong Kong has yet to make a full comeback (like the few souls who still wear masks even when they are not sick) and needs to. It's not so much about letting the world know we beat Covid-19 and it didn't beat us; it's more about keeping an aspect of Hong Kong culture alive. Hongkongers have an amazing capacity for goodwill, kindness and building connections. Remember the public flats in the 1970s, when neighbours felt more like family members, or the local businesses and dai pai dong that once filled the streets in some of the more populated areas. People in this compact, robust city have always taken pride in caring for one another in ways I never knew possible. This type of engagement is a part of Hong Kong that cannot disappear for new generations. As parents or grandparents, we need to keep the tradition alive and underscore its importance to our children or grandchildren. Take down the barriers at the restaurant next time. Join another group at a large table if you can. Meet other interesting Hongkongers and be that much richer from the experience. These are experiences that make all of our lives richer.
