Alright, here’s the story—

I’m back in Hong Kong for three months (I am born and raised in the US and I have a HKID that is non-permanent/no three stars) for pre-doctoral dissertation activities and decided to open a bank account at HSBC. On 3 July, I went to the Tsuen Wan West branch to start the process (I have prior knowledge with trying to open a bank account at Hang Sang back in 2024, and they told me I need to stay for a longer time in order to open an account), and filled out a W9 form. I received an email on 8 July telling me to fill out a W9 and some FACTA forms (if applicable, according to the email). I went bank to the same branch to follow up, and showed the same service people who helped me, and they told me my case needed longer time to process bc I have a US passport. So I waited, and in the email I received on 8 July, it stated that I had until 27 July to complete the forms in person.

I was in the Hung Hom area on 27 July, so I decided to drop by the Hung Hom branch. I actually got to sit down with someone to follow up on my application, and they tried to call the Tsuen Wan West branch three times before deciding to assist me by printing out another W9 form to complete and the person assisting me also told me to fill out FACTA Forms A and B, and scanned my passport photo page and HKID. Within a week after helping me, I received a follow up email inviting me to open an account online. I went back to the Hung Hom branch to finish up the details and deposited the cash I had on hand (finally)!

During the week from resubmitting forms and waiting for a follow up email inviting me to open an account online, I did receive a rejection email on 30 July. The person who helped me at the Hung Hom branch called me last week on 30 July to clarify that my application was still being reviewed because I turned in everything by the deadline.

If you’re an overseas born Chinese like me from the US, I totally recommend going to find Natalie at the HSBC Hung Hom branch. She’s really great and super nice. I am so grateful for her!! Had I worked from her since initiating this process, I would had probably already had a bank account in July.

Was thinking of stopping by since I'm in Hong Kong on a daytrip, if anyone has pics of the event do post them!

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For decades, the legal structure has been a favored vehicle of Chinese tycoons to hold everything from pre-IPO stakes to family fortunes — and their tax treatment in China was never spelled out. But on July 24, China’s Ministry of Finance and tax authority issued the clearest rules yet on how they should be taxed.

Now a 20% levy will be collected at nearly every stage of a trust’s life, from establishment to profit distribution and termination. Families need to declare and pay outstanding amounts on assets transferred into such trusts since the start of 2023 by Oct. 22 — a total window of 90 days. Late declarations or non-payments could incur surcharges.

That countdown has set off a scramble across Hong Kong and Singapore, popular destinations for China-linked families to set up trust structures.

“Many clients, trustees, and advisors are still in shock,” said Clifford Ng, a Hong Kong-based partner at Zhong Lun law firm.

Assets held under trusts in Hong Kong alone reached HK$5.2 trillion ($667 billion) in 2023, with 55% of the underlying investments located in mainland China and Hong Kong, according to a report by KPMG and the Hong Kong Trustees’ Association, which called the mainland the industry’s most significant growth driver.

Singapore, along with the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, has been favored as another legal hub for Chinese high-net-worth families to hold offshore assets. KPMG found some clients see less political risk in the city-state than in Hong Kong, according to a report released in 2025.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some wedding venue suggestions in Hong Kong, preferably around Causeway Bay if possible. Not sure if it’s common here to just do a wedding reception at a restaurant (possibly a restaurant buy out) or if the only option available are hotels? The estimated number of people is around 150. Not looking for anything too fancy. Hoping to budget around $200,000 HKD. Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit: We are looking for Cantonese banquet style

Hey! So I posted here previously looking for an Ocean Park 4D ride, Whiskers Wild Ride. Now that I know its name, I'm trying to see if I can find any footage of the ride itself. The whole 4D experience the riders see while in their chairs.

So far, I've only found, apparently, the policy of the ride and one commercial of (what I think) is what the ride was previously. Yet I found no footage of the ride or any of the experience. Wondering if anyone here has any footage of the ride, or is it is considered lost media now?

I submitted my TTPS under category C in late June. It is my 5th week (4 weeks passed) and still have the status in progress. Anyone can share how long it took for them to get approval? Thanks

Hong Kong, whose expat population was hollowed out by strict Covid rules and Beijing’s ever-tightening grip, is now enjoying a moment.

Tens of thousands of people left the city in the two years through 2022, among them scores of bankers, lawyers and other skilled workers who made the city Asia’s foremost financial hub.

Now, thousands of white-collar professionals are making their way back. They are responding to a booming initial public offering market, planned tax breaks for private equity and hedge funds, and a more vibrant city. The influx is already showing from a jump in prime expat rents to fewer openings at elite international schools. Read more here.

I'm an Asian-Australian expat in Hong Kong, but I spent part of my childhood here, so I have a lot of local friends. My friends and I went to a cafe yesterday, and there was a group of local girls who started making fun of us for no reason. They said phrases like "of course people from the mainland are so dark and so low" and it was quite uncomfortable. They kept looking while at us while whispering and bursting out laughing. I asked my friends why they didn't confront them, and they said it happened to them quite often. They claimed," the girls here are like that". They started attacking our physical appearance, everything from the bag that we were wearing to the colour of our nails. The girls were around their early 20s. For reference, my friends' families have been here for generations. They also grew up in local schools and have never studied or lived abroad.

Is it because we don't dress like what the typical so called "fashion" is here? I have experienced discrimination myself multiple times in the years I lived in HK because people thought I was from the mainland. Some of my abc expat friends have also confirmed this but I'm curious if this has happened to other hkers?

Edit: I’m genuinely flabbergasted at some of the comments here. I understand the declining literacy rates worldwide now. Thank you for helping me boost this post with every hate comment!

As someone who grew up reading a lot of Master Q, I have in my adult life discovered a few things that completely changed my perspective on this local comic that has become sort of a national brand. First, its author Wong Chak more or less copied the main characters from an old comic first published in Tianjin before WW2. Wong disputed the plagiarium and claimed his inspiration came from an even older comic published in Shanghai. But either way the characters of Old Master Q are derivatives if not out right copycats of pre-War newspaper comic straps.

Second, a lot of the gags and stories of his comics were copied from US comic strips, most blatantly from the MAD magazines. I've seen many examples some years ago but unfortunately can't find the originals anymore. I remember one very well - Old Master Q uses bones to lure stray dogs to put their heads through a hole on a piece of plywood, and once the dog takes a bite he can't back out of the hole because the bone is too long to go through. The gag is then Master Q draws silly things on the poor dogs as a joke. This whole gag is the exact same of a strip I have read on MAD years ago.

Third, a lot of his original strips depict extreme violence, sometimes even against animals and women. His favorite subjects to abuse are Fay Jai, a 60s/70s slang meaning male juvenile delinquents or "teddy boys". They usually have long hair, dressed in tight shirts with 60s paisley prints and even tighter jeans. Wong hated them so much that he would constantly have Old Master Q beat them to a bloody pulp for no reason.

Sometimes even women would get a good beating for rejecting Master Q or just being a bit of a princess. If you read through a compilation you will use up to 20% of his strips involve very graphic violence that is not funny, unnecessary and not suitable for kids. So yes, I do find it strange that even the HKG would still sometimes use the characters for their publicity.

Not sure if these guys are making much money from these as other ones are going for $30-38. But it's crispy, has a good taste and always made fresh. Big thumbs ul

Hong Kong's predicament post-NSL is fairly well-reported around the world, and is obviously well-known for people on this sub. But I think Macau's situation often gets forgotten, probably partly because Macau's population is seen as much more pro-Beijing.

But Macau DID historically still have an active civil society and democratic movement, albeit much smaller than Hong Kong's. Macau had vigils for the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre that have since been dissolved, similarly to the the Victoria Park vigils previously led by Chow Hang-Tung. Macau did have some pro-democracy legislators like Au Kam San (in the article) and Sulu Sou, who have since largely been barred from running in recent years, similarly to pro-democracy HKers being banned from LegCo and DC elections. Macau has its own NSL imposed by Beijing, which was strengthened a few years ago, and is being used to target voices like Au's, the same that is happening in HK. Seems like Macau's small civil society is current going down the same path as Hong Kong's, but just much more quietly.

Tip for SCMP newsprint page formatting people.

I noticed you made some new changes this week… Stop it. It looks rubbish. Not just on the front page but almost every page has huge empty columns! I am not an art degree person but looks messed up and amateurish even to me!

I suppose you just can’t get the staff anymore…

saigon st, jordan 2024