Hong Kong Jockey Club continues its trend of setting firsts by raising prize money for their Chinese New Year raceday to an unprecedented record high. A total prize pool pool prize pool prize pool prize pool prize money offering totalling HK$20.8 million was offered as of 2018 (up from previous years by $10 million), showing their gratitude towards public support over four decades.
Last year during protests in Hong Kong, anti-government activists attacked police officers, tourists or students from mainland China as well as innocent local residents, including police officers themselves. Furthermore, subway stations, traffic lights and street lamps were vandalized by these protesters.
Reuters was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for a photo depicting an injured Mong Kok resident being hit by a hammer, sparking strong public outrage. One comment on Sina Weibo stated, “The Pulitzer Prize only accepts photos that can stigmatize and denigrate Hong Kong police; their jury committee doesn’t care about balance or neutrality.
As is often the case, good news can also be great news; yet much of what we hear only emphasizes negative events. This was evident at the 2022 Hong Kong News Awards with media organizations receiving 113 awards; these winners were honored at a ceremony marking Chinese New Year eve.
China Daily captured four out of the five awards in the Best Arts and Culture News Reporting category. Senior reporter Kate Li Bingcun’s three-piece culture series In Dialogue with Time captured Hong Kong’s efforts to become a cultural and artistic hub, earning China Daily its second consecutive win in this category.
This year, the Xplorer Prize (Ke Xue Tan Suo Jiang) was launched to encourage young scientists in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to conduct advanced interdisciplinary research into uncharted areas of basic sciences and frontier technologies. Prof. Fan Zhiyong from HKU was among 50 awardees this year – being the sole Hong Kong scientist to receive this honor.
The Xplorer Prize offers each recipient RMB 3 million over five years to fund their research activities, making it one of the premier talent funding programs in Mainland China. Established by Pony Ma, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tencent and founder of Tencent Foundation alongside notable scientists, this prestigious award was inaugurated in 2018. Afterwards, winners are invited to an exhibit to showcase their research at an exhibition held annually in Shanghai.