The journal / Visions of Asia

Stories & observations

An elderly resident gets vaccinated with Biontech.

Hong Kong: the vaccine paradox

Since the beginning of 2021, Hong Kong has the incredible privilege of not only having two vaccines available, but also of being able to choose its vaccine. Despite this, we have seen a form of “vaccine paradox”, where the city has one of the most performing vaccines available worldwide, and also the possibility of choosing […]

High-altitude staff are dropped on Kowloon Peak

Missing hiker on Kowloon peak found dead

Despite warnings about the danger of hiking Suicide cliff, people continue tempting chance. A 24-year old lady, Shek Lok-kiu, was reported missing yesterday, 17 April 2021, after telling her family she was going to hike the Lion’s rock. This makes it another hiker missing on Kowloon Peak, after several similar incidents in the past few […]

A couple posing in front of the tori

Kyoto in Autumn: encountering japan’s soul

A long overdue post on my fall trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, last fall, before the coronavirus virtually grounded all of us. Visiting Kyoto in Autumn is the occasion of navigating between “zen” and trend, as the Japanese city shines in the fall colors. Traveling to Kyoto There are two ways to get to Kyoto, […]

Hong Kong, 11 Jul 2020 A volunteer helps an elector to handle the electronic vote system at the Whampoa booth for the pan-democrat primaries. The Hong Kong Governement denounced these as a "violation" of the National Security Law, and the police raided the offices of the firm organizing the vote on the evening prior to the vote, thus delaying its start to 12.00 noon.

Hong Kong: the big lockup

We took the habit since a few months now, of waking up every morning and checking our social media to know who was arrested this time. This week, we woke up to a big lockup of opposition activists in one fell swoop: 53 members of the pan-democrat camp were arrested and accused of plotting to… […]

Hong Kong airport, ground staff passes through the arrival hall

An airport in minimalist mode

Prior to the pandemic, the Hong Kong International Airport was one of the busiest in the world, mainly catering to crowds moving to and from China. It was one of those regional hubs, handling 71.9 million passengers in 2019. Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport survives by being an airport in minimalist mode. Entrance […]

Grandma Wong and her British flag

Grandma wong : from the pan into the fire?

Grandma Wong is a well-known figure of the Hong Kong protests. With her full name Alexandra Wong, she has often been seen in 2019 at the forefront of protests with a British flag. Born in 1956, and aged 64, the lady (who does not have children and is thus not a grandmother) moved to Shenzhen […]

A deserted battlefield strewn with umbrellas

Death by a thousand cuts for hong kong

After passing the National Security Law, on July 1st, China set out to radically transform the political landscape of Hong Kong. Although many hailed the law as the death knell for Hong Kong, it appears today that it was only the prelude and the mechanism by which to inflict “death by a thousand cuts” for […]

Fire dying out

Fiery night in Mongkok

On 24 May 2020, the day started with a failed attempt to mobilize protesters against the national anthem bill. This attempt was foiled by a huge police deployment in Causeway Bay and Admiralty and mass arrests. Despite this, protesters managed nevertheless to create a fiery night in Mongkok. Difficult mobilization New police tactics at work […]

Staring contest between riot police and an old lady

Hong Kong: in the eye of the tiger

The enactment of a national security law directly by China has placed Hong Kong in the eye of the tiger. Namely, Beijing has now direct control over freedom of expression and activities in what was once an autonomous city. As a direct consequence of this takeover by China, the July 1st protests (which generally was […]

A young man holds a flickering light

A flickering light

Hong Kong had a tradition of commemorating the Tienanmen massacre every year on 4th June. This year, the Hong Kong government refused a letter of no objection to hold the protest in Victoria Park. Despite this, hundreds of protesters flooded the park, entering to hold their traditional vigil, hence keeping a flickering light alive for […]