Zolima CityMag

11/09/2025

Arguing with anyone from an older generation is hard. Arguing with a Chinese person from an older generation is extra hard. A commonly used phrase is, "I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice" (我食鹽多過你食米). While it may sound mathematically impossible, many young Hong Kongers can surely relate to the experiences of writer Eva Wong Yi in our latest Pop Cantonese column.

How an absurd expression about salt and rice is used to reinforce the unquestioning authority of elders in Chinese culture.

29/08/2025

OLD HONG KONG: In 1964 Hong Kong, when proper libraries were scarce luxuries, the Jaycees’ mobile library brought literature to doorsteps. Here, queued in their best frocks, children clutch precious volumes, small hands holding enormous dreams. A van transformed into sanctuary, democracy spelled out in borrowed books, one neighbourhood at a time.

Photo source: old Hong Kong Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639311162816368/

28/08/2025

Machine gun bunkers hide behind your local Esso station. Wedding photographers pose couples against forgotten pillboxes. That overgrown concrete structure you walk past daily? It might be where Canadian soldiers made their last stand in 1941. Hong Kong's bloodiest battles left ruins everywhere, but nobody talks about them.

Hong Kong has an impressive military heritage – but most of it lies in a state of ruin, hidden in the hills that surround the city.

27/08/2025

https://zolimacitymag.com/hong-kongs-wartime-hike-stage-two-of-the-wilson-trail/

The underrated Wilson Trail features spectacular natural scenery and a lesson in World War II history.

26/08/2025

Bamboo theatres pop up on football pitches, ghostly offerings burn after sunset and operas play for unseen guests. August in Hong Kong is Hungry Ghost Month, where everyday sights become uncanny rituals. Learn what’s behind the city’s annual dance with wandering spirits.

Why you should forget about taking a selfie this month – and other tricks to survive Hong Kong's Hungry Ghosts Festival.

22/08/2025

OLD HONG KONG: Before the neon exodus, Saigon Street glowed with electric optimism—neon banners announced restaurants like Fu Dou Restaurant (富都飯店), Tsui King Lau (醉瓊樓), and Jui Hung Restaurant (醉紅酒家), as well as massage parlours such as Sei Hoi Mat Sa Cheun (四海蜜沙泉). “Mat Sa Chuen,” literally “honey sand spring,” cleverly echoes the Cantonese pronunciation for “massage”—a nod to Hong Kong’s unique signage culture. Hong Kong’s story, spelled out for all to see.

Photo source: old Hong Kong Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639311162816368/

21/08/2025

Hong Kong’s lesser-known islands have witnessed more than sunsets and ferry rides—they’ve carried the city’s burdens as out-of-sight enclaves for the unwanted. Think lepers, outlaws, or lost souls, all banished to the edge of the map. The untold stories linger just offshore.

Islands have always been a dumping ground for society's unwanted people and objects – and Hong Kong is no exception.

20/08/2025

Once scattered across Hong Kong’s waters, some islands have slipped quietly from the map. From reclaimed shorelines to forgotten fishing outposts, they tell stories of change and memory in a city shaped by the sea — and of places you may not know once floated here.

Hong Kong is made up of 263 islands – but that number is smaller than it once was, and it may shrink even more in the future.

19/08/2025

Just a ferry ride away, Hong Kong’s most remote island hides coral gardens bursting with colour. Tung Ping Chau’s reefs are quietly thriving against the odds, proving nature can still surprise us right on the city’s edge.

Tung Ping Chau has only five inhabitants and no electricity. But its spectacular natural environment is worth the journey.

15/08/2025

OLD HONG KONG: Here we see Cityplaza’s inaugural ice rink, unveiled in 1983 as Hong Kong’s first indoor rink, Olympic-size at 28×56 metre. Located on the third level, it hosted national championships and exhibitions until its relocation in 1999. This pioneering venue laid the foundation for recreational ice sports in the city.

Photo source: old Hong Kong Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639311162816368/

14/08/2025

Hong Kong’s ferries glide between islands, weaving the city together with each crossing. In her 2020 farewell, Alice Miquel captures the gentle rhythm and poetry of life aboard 22 routes. Take an evocative journey across 28 ports and feel the city pulse beneath the waves.

The joy of riding Hong Kong's ferries.

13/08/2025

Peng Chau isn’t just worth a wander itself—the real treat is the little ferry gliding towards Discovery Bay and a peaceful Trappist monastery on Lantau. Whether you’re chasing sunshine or clouds, this pocket of Hong Kong delivers gentle adventure and quiet moments, all in a single afternoon.

There is really no big reason to go to Peng Chau, a small island off the coast of Hong Kong. It doesn’t have a record-setting Buddha statue or an exciting bun festival like the other islands around the region. But...