The SCMP, happy for an excuse to run the above photo (as am I!), reports that 30,000 people have signed an online petition asking that models be banned from the HK book fair.

The five young ladies shown above are featured in a book published by Sony called, ahem, Summer Blooming.

K.L. Chan, occupation not given but apparently an expert on literature, is quoted as saying:


… the albums were not proper books and the models sent the wrong message to young people. “These are not books. The models are likely to set bad examples to children, telling them that they can earn a lot even if they don’t read enough.”

So some paper bound together and featuring text and photos isn’t a book? And, yes, around the world, good looking people can earn a lot even if they don’t read enough. Sarah Palin, Britney Spears, Donald Tsang ….

But bikinis or not, some patrons want them barred. Isaac Cheung Chun-hoi, 18, who is organising the concern group, said sexing up the fair was indicative of a wider malaise.

“This is not just about the pseudo models. The book fair’s quality is deteriorating and, in fact, many people are not happy with cultural matters,” he said, pointing to concerns over the West Kowloon Cultural District. “We want to get more people involved to pay attention to this issue.”

Mr Cheung said his group had 20 members and would meet for the first time tonight.

Twenty whole members? The Trade Development Council must be collectively trembling in their Crocs.

(And clearly the above is not a reference to Victor Isaac Cheung, famous HK blogger who is slightly older than 18 and if he organized a group, it would have far more than 20 people in it and most of those in the group would be wearing bikinis.)

Elsewhere, two lunatics university professors in Guangzhou have decided that Hong Kong is faced with a severe land shortage and the answer is:


…. reclaiming the waters between Lamma, Cheung Chau, Peng Chau and two smaller islands.

The reclamation would create 25 sq km of extra land – roughly the amount of built up land on Hong Kong Island, they say. The ambitious plan would cost HK$11.2 billion.

May I be the first to say to these lunatics professors, “Sod off!”

Elsewhere, the SCMP takes the bold step of trodding on the toes of Hong Kong’s elite with two articles in the “Life” section. The first says that tap water may be healthier and safer than bottled water – the two major purveyors of bottled water in HK being Swire (Bonaqua) and Li Ka-Shing (Watsons). The second is an article that I cannot find online that finds that real estate advertisements and brochures might be misleading!

Oh brave new SCMP, nibbling at the hand that feeds you.

Hongkie Town
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