Dave Besseling

Hong Kong

Longreads Editor at South China Morning Post

Hong Kong, previously Johannesburg, Berlin, Bombay, Madrid, Delhi, Chiang Mai, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and the Mighty Patch of Peter Ontario

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Articles

Where once stood a quarry, rose Hong Kong’s first open-air theatre complex

1 month ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“The Urban Council will soon give Hongkong its first open-air theatre, complete with tennis courts and garden, at a cost of about $16 million. The project is earmarked for Ko Shan Road in Hunghom,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 27, 1978. “The theatre will accommodate 3,000 people. One thousand seats will be under cover and the remainder in the open.
When John Baptist Wu was the first Hong Kong bishop to visit China since 1949

1 month ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“The Roman Catholic bishop of Hongkong, the Most Rev John Baptist Wu, will head a five-member delegation to China soon at the invitation of the Chinese Government,” reported the South China Morning Post on March 14, 1985. “Bishop Wu will be the first Catholic Bishop from Hongkong to visit China officially since the communists took power in 1949. This visit is seen as a significant step by both sides to begin a dialogue despite Peking’s opposition to the Vatican’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
A man was tortured for 3 weeks, murdered then dumped at a pier in 2004

1 month ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Eleven people, including a 15-year-old girl, were arrested yesterday over the murder of a mentally handicapped man who police believe died after being tortured,” reported the South China Morning Post on March 13, 2004. “Police said they thought the victim had been tortured for several weeks over a dispute about money with some of the suspects.
In 1973, Tom Jones was set to thrill Hong Kong - then he showed up late

2 months ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Pop singer Tom Jones will be under tight security during his 48-hour visit to Hongkong next month,” reported the South China Morning Post on January 14, 1973. “Promoter Pato Leung, of Just Good Productions, is acting in an advisory capacity for the show’s organisers. He said yesterday that the 32-year-old singer would be accompanied by four bodyguards. He would also have police protection, Mr Leung said.
When Hong Kong built its first wind turbine, on Lamma Island

2 months ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Hongkong Electric and a green group have teamed up to explore the feasibility of wind-generated electricity in the SAR,” reported the South China Morning Post on December 27, 2000. “The power company has commissioned the Friends of the Earth to conduct a $1 million exploratory project on wind power. “They hope to produce a ‘wind atlas’ to show the power potential of different areas and persuade the Government or private developers to invest in wind power.
When Hong Kong asked for men to be birth-control-pill guinea pigs

2 months ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Wanted: 15 healthy Chinese males willing to help mankind, receive free medical care for 10 months, be paid $200 and test a new male contraceptive ‘pill’,” reported the South China Morning Post on January 26, 1977. “This was the plea from the Hongkong Family Planning Association yesterday. Since last February the association and the University of Hongkong have been conducting a study on the effects of the new Pill at the request of the World Health Organization.
When a millionaire who caught the CIA’s attention died in a Hong Kong fire

2 months ago | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Police and firemen are probing the death of an American multimillionaire who died yesterday when his luxurious home in Sai Kung was destroyed by fire,” reported the South China Morning Post on February 6, 1977. “The charred body of Bill Crum (57) was found in the gutted ruins. “Mr Crum left a legend studded with tales of yachting deeds, flamboyant escapades and a lifetime made rich from the spoils of America’s wars in Asia.
In 1977, a local teacher murdered his wife in a brutal hacking in Hong Kong

Jan 23, 2025 | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“Homicide Squad detectives were early today questioning a 56-year-old primary school teacher in connection with the murder of a woman whose torso was found on a hillside off Wan Tsui Road, Chaiwan, early yesterday morning,” reported the South China Morning Post on January 24, 1977. “The head, arms and legs of the murdered woman had been hacked off [and the victim] identified as 50-year-old Tsang Yuen-wan [ …] police believed she was the common-law wife of the suspect.
In 1977, a local teacher murdered his wife in a brutal hacking in Hong Kong

Jan 23, 2025 | flipboard.com | Dave Besseling

4 hours agoThe Meta CEO said the company will ramp up spending that includes building a data center “so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Friday that the company plans to build a massive data center in Louisiana to power its newest AI model, Llama 4, …
When China put a journalist under 2-year house arrest in retaliation for jailing of correspondents

Jan 19, 2025 | scmp.com | Dave Besseling

“China today decided to restrict the personal freedom of Reuters’ correspondent in Peking as a reprisal for the ‘unjustified persecution’ of Communist reporters by the British authorities in Hongkong,” reported the South China Morning Post on July 22, 1967. “Peking Radio said the Chinese Government had told the correspondent, Mr Anthony Grey, that he would not be allowed to leave his residence in Peking until further notice.