HONG KONG

Chinese wine imports have soared more than ten-fold in the past few years but foreign producers hoping to cash in on the boom are warning the market is fickle and not for the faint of heart. China is on track to import 10 million cases of wine this year, up from 840,000 in 2004, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Asian wine consumption, excluding Japan, is expected to double from this year to 27 billion US dollars in 2017, the council believes, with much of that growth driven by Hong Kong and cash-rich China. In another sign of the growth of ... Read Full Story

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - The Miele Guide to Asia's finest restaurants is written by food experts who know and love the region (www.mieleguide.com). This is a list of the top 5 restaurants in Hong Kong, long renowned as a regional gastronomic hub, and Macau. It is not endorsed by Reuters. 1. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong A stunning restaurant that excels in all areas. The service is as close to perfection as you can find. The food is delicately magnificent, with dishes that are comforting and others that are novel and will thrill the palate and the imagination. The wine list is impeccable. ... Read Full Story

Hong Kong Heavenly King Leon Lai was said to have thrown a makeup wedding dinner just to appease his infuriated boss, Peter Lam, CEO of East Asia Entertainment. According to Chinese news reports, Peter was furious at being kept in the dark of Leon’s secret Las Vegas marriage to Gaile Lok and only discovered it after reading the newspaper. Known for his doting ways on Leon, Peter specially opened a music company, A Music, for the latter to manage. He also stood out and expressed his full support for Leon when he was accused of taking drugs. In other related news, Gaile Lok is ... Read Full Story

Which city lets you captivate its spirit from a laser show, relives the King of Pop’s moonwalk steps, and dazzles you with a colorful feast for your senses? Only Hong Kong, only on Halloween.   By 2:00PM on October 31, the main arteries leading to Lan Kwai Fong, the 2-block heart of the night life on Hong Kong island, have been closed off by police. They meticulously set up the highly efficient entry and exit paths for the thousands of party goers which will descend on the streets in a few hours. Locals, expatriates and even visitors have spent the last few days and ... Read Full Story

Hong Kong has approved a controversial 8.4 billion dollar high-speed rail link with the mainland, an official said Wednesday, part of a bid to boost ties with its cross-border neighbour. The link between Hong Kong and the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou is expected to carry about 99,000 passengers a day after it is completed in 2015, a transport department spokesman said. Travel time between Hong Kong and Guangzhou will be cut by half to 48 minutes on the new trains, which will travel at speeds in excess of 250 kilometres (155 miles) per hour, he added. The link will also reduce ... Read Full Story

I won't pretend to be any great expert on Hong Kong cinema, although I have seen probably several hundred Hong Kong movies over the years, sufficient to know who I like and what I like. It seems to me that it is no longer the hotbed of innovation that it was before 1997 and the reunification with China. Despite some international successes like "Infernal Affairs", the source for Scorsese's "The Departed", and the comedies of Stephen Chow, too many of its recent movies have been draggy affairs. Part of the problem is that so many of the Hong Kong stars of the 80s and ... Read Full Story

Hong Kong must capitalise on China's plans to promote the yuan as an international currency to help preserve the its role as a major financial hub, the city's chief executive said Wednesday. Donald Tsang also said in his annual policy address that the city should not be concerned about the mainland's moves to promote Shanghai as a global centre, saying the two would work together to boost China's advancement. "As the (yuan) moves towards internationalisation, the mainland needs a highly open global financial centre that is fully aligned with the world financial markets to serve as its platform for foreign financial activities," Donald Tsang ... Read Full Story