Creating a digitally-inclusive society

Thirty people - actors, directors and backstage staff - gathered in the Macau Cultural Centre, to rehearse their latest theatrical production, Fanshen, the true story of a revolution in a small Chinese village. Hong Kong’s award-winning director Fredric Mao selected each of them to participate as part of his theatre mentoring project. It is a fine example of the type of cultural co-operation the Hong Kong and Macau governments are seeking to achieve.

Most of us take the ability to communicate freely for granted. When robbed of this ability through accident or illness, a person feels devastatingly isolated. To help severely paralysed people to reconnect with friends and loved ones, the Chinese University of Hong Kong has developed a system to allow them to share their thoughts.

How does enjoying jazz music beside Victoria Harbour or on The Peak sound? Local swing group the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra has joined the 2012 Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department. Under the scheme, the band members conduct free outreach activities at indoor and outdoor venues. Its members not only perform, but also teach swing jazz to aspiring young musicians.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre has developed three video games that help stroke victims regain their mobility in a fun and compelling way.

Scattering cremated ashes at sea is a sombre and dignified send-off for a loved one. To promote this practice, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has enhanced its free ferry service, hiring a larger vessel to accommodate growing demand and refining every stage of the final farewell.

Thinking of buying a rabbit for your family or friend this Easter holiday? Know the answers to some key questions before making a hare-brained decision about a new companion animal.

For a group of seniors in Sham Shui Po, learning to present their real-life stories in an oral history theatre project was transformational. They describe how their fading memories came alive in the limelight.

Among the first, and most exciting, decisions a couple about to be married must make is where to have their wedding ceremony. For Wan Yim and Stanley Lee, the choice was easy: the historic assembly hall at the Lei Yue Mun Park & Holiday Village in Chai Wan, one of six scenic Leisure & Cultural Services Department venues available for exchanging vows.

Marriage is a commitment a couple make, to love and support each other through good times and bad. Not everyone finds it easy to live happily ever after, though. Sometimes a spouse turns violent when there is a conflict, and intervention is necessary to help rebuild harmony in the home. Two husbands who joined the Social Welfare Department’s Batterer Intervention Programme pilot project after their marriages soured say it helped them realise the harm they were inflicting and taught them how to control their emotions.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department has launched the City Hall 50th Anniversary Photo Collection Campaign to celebrate the building's Golden Jubilee.

For a glimpse of Hong Kong, from anywhere at any time, people can now turn to their handy mobile device and download a free mobile application, “This is Hong Kong”. 

Prof Nancy Ip of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology has won a top national award for her discovery of proteins that affect brain cell communication. Speaking to news.gov.hk, she described the breakthrough as a step forward in finding a cure for neurodegenerative disorders.

Bornean orangutan twins Wan Wan and Wah Wah will meet the public at the Zoological & Botanical Gardens from February 10.

Imagine being handed a fandangled instrument with a big airbag and pipes sticking out of it and being told you will learn to play it. Then you may understand how 18-year-old Tat, not his real name, felt when he was assigned to be a bagpiper and undergo marching band training while serving at Cape Collinson Correctional Institution.

Craftsmen from the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conversation Department have transformed used barbeque forks, plastic bottles, paintbrushes and other waste into lifelike sculptures of wildlife such as a black kite, python and wild boar. Visitors can spot 15 of these works along a walking trail at the Lions Nature Education Centre in Sai Kung.

Students who choose to attend Mainland universities can attain more than a valuable degree, they also gain insights into the nation and its people. Two graduates explain the benefits they reaped from a Mainland tertiary education, highlighting the value of a new pilot scheme that will exempt Hong Kong students from taking the Joint Entrance Examination for Universities in the Mainland.

Jackie Wong and her family brought year-old Labrador Retriever Dolly into their home in March, when they joined the Police Force Puppy Outwalk Programme. Dolly’s parents are working police dogs. In about six months, she will return to the Police Dog Unit headquarters to start a 15-week formal training programme. If she performs satisfactorily, Dolly will also join the force as a working dog.