Christian groups (of the fundamentalist-wacko type) criticize the Hong Kong tourism authorities for promoting the city as a Halloween destination. If they were arguing that it’s a waste of public money, contributing to overcrowding, or other policy grounds, this would perhaps count as ‘soft resistance’. But their complaint is that the contrived and tedious quasi-festival is pagan and death-cultish (and ‘foreign’). So that’s OK, I guess.
The SCMP reports…
Hong Kong suffered a record net loss of 40 kindergartens this year amid a shrinking student population and as the median age of women giving birth to their first child rose to its highest yet, according to official figures.
In its overview of preschools released on Thursday, the Education Bureau revealed that 930 kindergartens were currently operating in Hong Kong, down from roughly 970 in the previous school year.
While some new kindergartens were launched, the net decrease stood at 40, the highest on record. Each of the past four academic years witnessed a net decrease of about 20 preschools.
From 970 to 930 is a 4% drop. But the article suggests a net 120 of 1,050 kindergartens closed over five years – an 11% decline. A population shrivelling before our eyes. It’s almost as if expecting people to raise a family in a 350 sq ft apartment is unrealistic.
A video proving that the ‘AI slop’ aesthetic can work – the secret is that most of the effort involves the sort of creativity and wit that only humans can manage.
My nephews are in their 40s and none of them can afford to live anywhere large enough to form a couple, let alone have children.
If Hallowe’en is “foreign to China”, then surely Christianity is too? Or do they worship a Chinese-born Christ?
Obviously I won’t query the nationalities of Marx, Engels, Lenin, nor where Marx & Engels were based for most of their lives (or mention Lenin’s stints in London & Zurich) as that might be deemed “soft resistance”, as indeed any querying of anything whatsoever can be construed as “soft resistance” these days.
If we’re going to spend a whole bloody month celebrating a scary foreign festival, could we at least get a public holiday out of it, since we only get one weekday off this December?
Yesterday in the Wellcome supermarket my sad eyes witnessed piles and piles of plastic Halloween garbage filled with teeth rotting sweets. 95% of the garish merchandise will end up in landfills. But that is okay, I guess, because it fits in with our new and exciting 5-year economic and development plan. And it is gluten free.
Who would have kids when even operators of educational institution like PLK and Sisters of Precious Blood are coerced into promoting a goose stepping NS curriculum.
Most kindergartens are in commercial leased spaces.
So they will be turned into Taobao shopping pick up points.
Avg household size:
2002: 3.1
2026: 2.4
https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/web_table.html?id=130-06602A¶m=N4IgxgbiBcoMJwJqJqA+gFzTEAGEANCGgA7bS5EDiAEgMppxoBMuuzaAKgPIu7I4Aom3wBfIgEVUIAIw4AYoWJYc+IqXK5xIADITOiAAqDpc6CEXqV55ko0wZo7QGcosYmRjMiAQQAi9GgAGvIBMADaIABKAIYA7mgyACZkJACmAE5oAHYgALraADYwGBkArmmiQA#
So a govt minister, a deputy and numerous underlings trek all the way over to Disco Bay to welcome FIVE very ordinary looking boats into port.
No wonder there are now so many dodgy issues with lifts in hospitals and assisted housing, missing rebars, etc., when manpower is diverted to such non events.
And lets not go into the espenditure on banners, matching tops, setting up stages, etc.
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1874188-20261016.htm
@HK-Cynic
2026 Average Household Size: 2026: 2.4
In my own household my wife accounts for .4 and I account for 2 🙁