The Vertical City, Part VI: A Hundred Hong Kong Towers at the Venice Biennale

Christopher DewolfMay 31, 2018

Hong Kong brings its skyscrapers to the world’s largest architecture exhibition, asking how high-rise living can become more humane...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments631 views 19 min read

Hong Kong’s Concrete Stories: The Rooftop Photos of Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

Christopher DewolfMay 29, 2018

A new book by Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze explores Hong Kong's rooftops....

ArtBooksCulturePhotography0 Comments924 views 07 min read

Sham Shui Po: The Future of Hong Kong’s Maker Hub is Rooted in the Past

Christopher DewolfMay 18, 2018

Sham Shui Po has always been a neighbourhood that made things – and a new generation of businesses is tapping into that legacy, if redevelopment doesn't get in the way....

HistoryInspring ItinerariesUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments982 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s War Ruins, Hidden in Plain Sight

Christopher DewolfMay 11, 2018

The last remnants of Hong Kong’s bloodiest day of fighting are now hidden behind an Esso station on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. Walk past the fuel dispensers and the mini-mart and you’ll notice a weather-worn path leading up to a group of concrete bunkers tucked into the thick vegetation of the hillside. When Japanese […]...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments6345 views 111 min read

Why a Canadian University is Fascinated by Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 25, 2018

As local identity becomes a sensitive topic, the University of British Columbia has launched a new Hong Kong Studies Initiative that examines Hong Kong's culture, history and language. ...

BooksCultureHeritageHistoryLanguage0 Comments1269 views 010 min read

The Jamia Mosque, an Unexpected Oasis in Central Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 18, 2018

Inside the lush historic compound that is home to Hong Kong's oldest mosque – and a surprising community of squatters. ...

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments6900 views 07 min read

The Vertical City, Part V: An Art Village Full of Hope for Hong Kong’s Future

Christopher DewolfApril 12, 2018

An ordinary building in Wan Chai is home to a surprising creative cluster....

ArtInspring ItinerariesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments599 views 06 min read

Hong Kong’s Independent Bookshops Nourish the Soul

Christopher DewolfMarch 29, 2018

Hong Kong's independent bookshops give the city a place to think, talk and exchange ideas....

A Little BreakBooksCultureWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1658 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Street Art Festival Returns to its Roots – But With Some Cutting-Edge New Tools

Christopher DewolfMarch 23, 2018

HKWalls is back for another round of live mural painting – along with new enhanced reality projection mapping that takes street art to a new level....

ArtInspring ItinerariesStreet ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments668 views 03 min read

A Hong Kong Wet Market is Reinventing the Apron

Christopher DewolfMarch 15, 2018

In Tsuen Wan, an overlooked piece of wet market apparel is being rethought by a team of designers and hawkers....

CultureDesignFashionFood0 Comments1151 views 06 min read

How the Blue House is Keeping Hong Kong’s Heritage Alive

Christopher DewolfMarch 7, 2018

After years of renovations, a landmark tenement building in Wan Chai is once again home to a close-knit community. ...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments7865 views 19 min read

Hong Kong’s Jewish Governor and the Road that Bears His Name

Christopher DewolfFebruary 28, 2018

There's a surprising history behind the concrete façades of Kowloon's most famous street....

HistoryPeoplePortraitsUrbanismUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments15001 views 17 min read

Hong Kong on Two Wheels: Can Cycling Thrive Here?

Christopher DewolfFebruary 21, 2018

Thousands of people get around by bicycle every day in Hong Kong, but it has never been considered a cycling-friendly city. The arrival of new bike share systems could change that....

A Little BreakCultureSportWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2352 views 18 min read

How a Hong Kong Designer Transformed Shenzhen

Christopher DewolfFebruary 8, 2018

A pioneering Hong Kong designer helped turn a Shenzhen industrial park into a cultural destination....

A Little BreakArchitectureDesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments542 views 05 min read

The Shenzhen Village That Once Ruled Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfJanuary 31, 2018

The latest edition of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture is shining a spotlight on Nantou, a 1,700 village that was once a regional capital....

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments1129 views 010 min read

Grey Metal Fences Are Taking Over Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfJanuary 18, 2018

They're everywhere – and they're becoming more common. As roadside fences proliferate around Hong Kong, some people have come up with ingenious ways to make them useful....

HistoryUrbanism0 Comments9760 views 07 min read

How to Live in Extreme Density: Hong Kong’s Architecture Biennale Has Some Ideas

Christopher DewolfJanuary 9, 2018

This year's edition of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture looks at innovative ways Hong Kong designers and architects have responded to the city's high density. ...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments605 views 06 min read

Gérard Henry, Hong Kong’s Quiet Observer

Christopher DewolfJanuary 3, 2018

After documenting Hong Kong's cultural scene for more than three decades, Gérard Henry makes his own contribution to the city's artistic legacy....

ArtBooksCultureVisual Art0 Comments900 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Gets Dressed Up for Christmas

Christopher DewolfDecember 20, 2017

Thousands of people once flocked to Tsim Sha Tsui East to see the Christmas lights. While the crowds have thinned, the displays still shine....

CultureSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments1017 views 05 min read

The White Girl and the Precarious Village: Jenny Suen and Christopher Doyle’s New Film

Christopher DewolfDecember 14, 2017

Jenny Suen and Christopher Doyle imagine Hong Kong as a brooding fishing village in a new film about a ghostly girl, a Japanese drifter and a street kid....

CinemaCulture0 Comments501 views 04 min read

December 1941: Hong Kong’s Christmas Tragedy

Christopher DewolfDecember 7, 2017

The Battle of Hong Kong cost 10,000 lives and plunged the city into a brutal occupation – and yet little is done to commemorate it....

Big StoriesHistory0 Comments16847 views 010 min read

A Plague, a Cure and Some Art: the Museum of Medical Sciences

Christopher DewolfNovember 30, 2017

Founded as a laboratory to prevent disease, the Museum of Medical Sciences is now dedicated to the history of medicine in Hong Kong – with some surprising art exhibitions on the side, including a new show by artist Daphné Mandel....

ArtHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanismVisual Art0 Comments725 views 07 min read

Eric Yim and the Business of Design

Christopher DewolfNovember 30, 2017

At the dawn of another Business of Design Week, designer-entrepreneur Eric Yim reflects on his role in bringing people together...

ArchitectureDesignInterior DesignPeoplePortraitsProduct Design0 Comments708 views 07 min read

A Historic Alleyway Barbershop Prepares to Say Goodbye – But Why?

Christopher DewolfNovember 22, 2017

As Wan Chai gentrifies, a quintessential Hong Kong barbershop may be forced to close....

CultureHistoryTraditionUrbanism0 Comments1219 views 19 min read

Spicy Hong Kong, Part I: Yu Kwen Yick, Sai Ying Pun’s Century-Old Chilli Sauce

Christopher DewolfNovember 15, 2017

In the first of a new series on Hong Kong's homegrown hot sauces, we look at Yu Kwen Yick, a family business that has survived for nearly a century....

CultureFood0 Comments2314 views 07 min read

Clockenflap 2017: Mike Hill and the Business of Culture

Christopher DewolfNovember 1, 2017

This year's Clockenflap brings Feist, Massive Attack and others to Hong Kong – and in the background, Mike Hill makes sure it all happens according to plan....

ArtInterviewsMusicPeoplePerforming Art0 Comments374 views 05 min read

Waterfall Bay, Where Ghosts, Gods and Speedo-Clad Swimmers Converge

Christopher DewolfOctober 26, 2017

Hidden on the edge of Hong Kong Island is one of the city's most spectacular — and spiritually significant — stretches of shoreline....

A Little BreakHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3319 views 09 min read

The Lines Between: Madeleine Thien on Writing, Language and Family

Christopher DewolfOctober 18, 2017

After a year of touring the world to promote her acclaimed novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien is back in Hong Kong, a place loaded with meaning for the Chinese-Canadian author....

BooksCultureInterviewsLanguagePeopleUncategorized0 Comments435 views 011 min read

Bathed in Neon: Greg Girard’s Nocturnal 1970s Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfOctober 11, 2017

Canadian photographer Greg Girard unveils a new collection of Hong Kong photos from the 1970s and 80s. ...

ArtBooksCultureHeritageHistoryVisual Art0 Comments2191 views 08 min read

Why Do Hong Kong Restaurants Serve Borscht? The Overlooked History of Russian Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfOctober 4, 2017

As many as 20,000 Russian refugees passed through Hong Kong in the 20th century. They left behind a fascinating historic legacy....

Big StoriesHeritageHistory0 Comments24405 views 112 min read

Take a Peek Inside King Yin Lei, Hong Kong’s Chinese Renaissance Landmark

Christopher DewolfSeptember 27, 2017

With no plans for its future, the historic King Yin Lei mansion sits empty – but visitors are allowed inside on a few rare occasions....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments3566 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Literary Freedom Fighters

Christopher DewolfSeptember 21, 2017

Hong Kong 20/20 takes the pulse of present-day Hong Kong, bringing together a diverse group of 41 writers and illustrators to share their thoughts on the city....

BooksCulture0 Comments531 views 18 min read

The Heroes Behind a Mysterious New Hong Kong Brewery

Christopher DewolfSeptember 14, 2017

More than 500 craft beers will be available at this year's Beertopia – including Heroes, which taps into the community of beer lovers for ideas....

A Little BreakCultureFoodWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1182 views 16 min read

Hong Kong’s Salty History: Rebellion, Smuggling and Shrimp Paste

Christopher DewolfSeptember 7, 2017

Salt was power in ancient China – and Hong Kong's illicit salt fields kept imperial armies on their toes....

CultureFoodHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1116 views 05 min read

Why Jason Li is Paying Homage to His Mother’s Childhood in a Hong Kong Shantytown

Christopher DewolfAugust 25, 2017

A Hong Kong comic artist finds creative inspiration in his family's roots....

BooksCultureLanguage0 Comments419 views 08 min read

Designing the Lion Rock Spirit: The International Design Furniture Fair Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfAugust 17, 2017

IDFFHK is back for a second edition, showcasing high-end furniture alongside exhibitions and talks that explore the more philosophical side of design....

ArchitectureDesignInterior DesignProduct Design0 Comments419 views 06 min read

In Pictures: The Depot Where Hong Kong’s Historic Trams Are Being Rebuilt by Hand

Christopher DewolfAugust 2, 2017

Inside the Whitty Street Depot, Hong Kong's fleet of unique double-decker trams are being completely rebuilt for a new generation....

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments1726 views 06 min read

Escape the City at Cheung Chau’s 70-Year-Old Beach Bar

Christopher DewolfJuly 25, 2017

For three generations, the Liu family has run a store at Kwun Yam Beach. ...

A Little BreakCultureFoodWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1640 views 05 min read

A Collection That Speaks to the Soul: Alan Chan’s Art and Design Objects

Christopher DewolfJuly 13, 2017

How a global collection blurs the boundaries between different cultures....

ArtDesignPeoplePhotographyPortraitsProduct DesignVisual Art0 Comments506 views 17 min read

Sir Murray MacLehose, the Unexpected Father of Modern Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfJune 29, 2017

How a gangly Scotsman nicknamed Jock the Sock ended up as Hong Kong's longest-serving governor – and one who laid the groundwork for many of the city's most important institutions....

HeritageHistoryPeopleUrbanism0 Comments4878 views 08 min read