Hong Kong

Bruce Lee passed away 50 years ago, but his spirit lives on.

The skyline view from one of the world’s largest natural harbors, Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, is a wonder to behold, displaying the city’s towering skyscrapers, lush green hills, and a harbor filled with boats. And along this waterfront, a transformation is taking place, in efforts to maintain its cultural heritage while bringing new life to the district.

Venise Chan is a Cambridge University graduate and former tennis champion. Ranked #1 in Hong Kong, she played all four junior grand slams. She tells our Host James Chau why Hong Kong is always “home”.

Once known as a “cultural desert”, Hong Kong is now home to major institutions including the newly opened M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum, as well as the Hong Kong Museum of Art – which is celebrating its 60th birthday. Our Host James Chau speaks to Nancy Lee, Chair of the Friends of HKMoA.

Six decades ago, the Hong Kong Museum of Art began a journey that has positioned its home city on the global cultural map. Our Host James Chau speaks with Dr Maria Mok, HKMoA’s Museum Director.

The future of jobs is a challenge for many parts of the world as young people find a way to learn and thrive during a pandemic, and as the global economy heads towards a possible recession. In Hong Kong, a youth employment scheme is trying to match college graduates to new opportunities, and broaden their horizons in the Greater Bay Area — an economic zone led by Hong Kong, Macau and Gangzhou. This story by our Host James Chau.

For almost a decade, Art Basel has positioned Hong Kong on the global map of contemporary art — and created a community that is second to none. Leading that movement is Adeline Ooi, who is bringing 130 galleries to this year's edition. She speaks with our Host James Chau as part of The China Current's collaboration with the world's most important art show.

With mountains, rivers, and waterfalls, Chinese artists have long enjoyed a close connection with the natural world that continues to fascinate them. Daphne King, Director of Alisan Fine Arts, speaks with our Host James Chau about how today's artists are finding a modern language for a historic form of painting. This interview is part of The China Current's collaboration with Art Basel.

For a third year, The China Current is collaborating with Art Basel on a special series of interviews. In this video, we feature Johnson Chang, one of Hong Kong's best-loved cultural figures. For 40 years, he has showcased Chinese classical and later contemporary works — long before their importance in the global art market. Our Host James Chau speaks with the Founder of Hanart TZ Gallery.

Audrey King's unlikely story as a Hong Kong Olympic skier has inspired people in her hometown and beyond. In this conversation with James Chau, she and her father discuss the focus, sacrifice, and passion that is necessary for a shot at success.

The slogan of the Beijing Olympics called on the world to unite. But what does it mean to the athletes who competed at these Winter Games? Our Host James Chau speaks to Hong Kong's Audrey King, alpine skier and 2022 Olympian.

Audrey King is a 19 year old student athlete, who's headed to Harvard in the fall. Born in Hong Kong, a subtropical city, she competed in the Beijing Olympics in downhill skiing. But how did she do it? Our Host James Chau speaks to Audrey.

The China Current is on the road! We're taking our stories to schools and sharing the issues shaping the planet. In this video, our Host James Chau visits one class in Hong Kong.

Chinese ceramics brought Amber Lei to China from the UK. Now, she operates a studio and gallery in Hong Kong. Amber meets with Host James Chau to discuss her journey and exploration of her craft and her heritage.

For the first time since the pandemic, the world gathers a major cultural event. Art Basel in Hong Kong is a truly hybrid fair with an audience that is physical and virtual. Local galleries are showing physically, but exhibitors from outside the city have flown in their works — while a new digital initiative called Art Basel Live offers online viewing rooms, virtual walkthroughs, and daily broadcasts. In this special interview, James Chau, Host of The China Current, speaks with Adeline Ooi, Director Asia of Art Basel. Watch and listen to this conversation on video and podcast.

Anna Ning is a leading gallerist with a focus on 20th century Chinese artists such as Zao Wou-ki, San Yu, and Chen Yifei. She is also a mainstay of the annual Art Basel fair in Hong Kong—and this month, have been invited to participate in the inaugural 'Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel', a special event that celebrates one city and its art community. Our Host James Chau asks her about the role of culture in a pandemic, and how her childhood in Beijing impacts the way she views the world.

Alan Lo is a restaurateur and art collector whose interest in paintings began with his family's own collection of Chinese ink-on-paper works. In honor of 'Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel', a special event that celebrates one city and its art community, our Host James Chau speaks to Alan Lo about his personal story and his role as an Art Basel Global Patron. What is the future of art fairs and will the nature of collecting change in these unfamiliar times?

Art Basel brings people together at the major fairs it stages annually in Basel, Miami, and Hong Kong. But in these socially-distanced times, it has gone an important step further, creating 'Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel', a physical event that celebrates one city and its art community. In a special set of interviews, our Host James Chau speaks to collectors and galleries—and, in this episode, he interviews Art Basel's Director Asia, Adeline Ooi.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of Asia’s major holidays– and everyone who celebrates it is familiar with mooncakes– a pastry that comes in a variety of flavors that are baked special for the occasion. At Hong Kong’s Ying Jee Club, Chef Siu’s mooncakes have earned a coveted Michelin star. Our Host James Chau visited him to learn what makes his mooncake so special, and to hear the storied history of the mooncake in Chinese culture.

Hong Kong has achieved one of the lowest infection rates in the world during the current outbreak, thanks in part to rigorous testing and tracing measures. With no new cases for several days in a row, this Asian financial center is now beginning to ease restrictions, using methods grounded in epidemiological research and political planning. Our host James Chau looks at the science-based approach that has shaped Hong Kong's response, and how its experience facing SARS almost 20 years ago has prepared the city and its people.

The COVID-19 response is being led by leaders in politics, science and health. But one teenager in Hong Kong is reshaping that narrative with a platform she's created to involve people young and older. With a simple but effective action list, she is calling on everyone to participate in impactful solutions - and at the same time, reminding us to stay at home and to wash our hands. The message here is 'kindness' - and woven into it is a nuanced mission, she says, to demonstrate that the young people of Hong Kong, a city already battered by months of protests, are able to craft a happier future for themselves, and for everyone.

After living, marrying, and starting his family in the US, First Chief Executive of Hong Kong Tung Chee-hwa says that Hong Kong is ready to return the kindness that the West afforded him in his youth. Situated at the southern coast of China, Hong Kong serves as a financial center for Asia and the world.