This is the 1593rd issue of "Hong Kong One Day".
As of 4 p.m. today, more than 350,000 people had left Hong Kong
According to data from the Hong Kong Immigration Department, as of 4 pm today (25th), there were about 530,000 people entering and exiting Hong Kong's ports, and the number of exits exceeded 353,000, of which the Lok Ma Chau branch line and Lo Wu Port had the largest number of departures, with more than 72,000 and nearly 70,000 respectively, followed by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, with more than 48,000 passengers.
As regards Hong Kong arrivals, more than 175 000 persons entered Hong Kong through various control points, with a relatively large number of arrivals passing through Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Lines and the airport.
During the Christmas holidays, many Hong Kong people went north, and the West Kowloon Express Rail Station was crowded this morning. Source: Point News
According to the figures of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, more than 630,000 people left the country at various ports in Hong Kong yesterday (24th). According to Hong Kong media reports, today is the third day of the Christmas long holiday, and many citizens are still seen at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station, many of whom are "families" heading to the mainland.
Many Hong Kong residents who are preparing to go to Futian said that they chose to go to the neighboring cities of the mainland for a holiday because of the proximity and the fact that they can reach it without taking a plane; some children said that Hong Kong has a single type of food, while their parents said that there are more dishes in the mainland and the consumption is about half cheaper than in Hong Kong, and a meal for three people in Hong Kong may cost thousands of dollars (Hong Kong dollars, the same below), but the mainland only needs a few hundred yuan.
According to the report, some Hong Kong parents plan to take their children to Guangzhou during the holidays, believing that spending in the north is the current trend, and the entertainment facilities in the mainland are also more interesting, and children will like them. In addition, there are also couples who plan to go to Guangzhou to soak in hot springs, saying that they will go north to spend first, and then return to Hong Kong to consume, because the Christmas holiday is longer, so "half and half, both sides are used".
Some members of the Hong Kong tourism industry estimate that about one-third of Hong Kong people will travel to the Mainland or other places during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Source: Radio Television Hong Kong
The Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, Mr Chui Ting-pong, said in a radio programme today that during the long holiday, Hong Kong people are keen to sign up for tour groups to travel to the Mainland, and the registration situation has exceeded the pre-epidemic level. Chui Ting-pong pointed out that the mainland's travel expenses, food and beverage consumption are more cost-effective, and the hotels are luxurious and the tourists have a good experience. In addition, the number of flights to Taipei, Japan and South Korea is still relatively small, and air tickets are relatively expensive, which makes many Hong Kong people eventually choose to travel to the mainland. He predicts that during the Christmas holidays, one-third of the people in Hong Kong will choose to travel.
Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, pointed out that a large number of people took advantage of the long Christmas holiday to travel and go north to spend, which hit the business of Hong Kong's catering industry. He said that yesterday's Christmas Eve catering business turnover was about 380 million, a decrease of more than 10% over the same period last year, many restaurants were not full yesterday, and some hotel restaurants did not even need to book in advance.
Cheung Su-mei, director of the Hong Kong Lan Kwai Fong Association, said that the flow of people in Lan Kwai Fong on Christmas Eve yesterday was about 10% less than last year, but the atmosphere was still good. She also said that many mainland tourists visited the venue yesterday, and the proportion of mainland tourists visiting is increasing, and it is expected that business and people will be more prosperous on Chinese New Year's Eve than during the Christmas holiday, as many citizens have completed short-term trips to return to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Government House Entertains Teenagers for the Holidays Lee Jiachao: Delivering a message of love
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said on social media this morning that Christmas (December 25) is a holiday full of love and sharing love, and wished the public a Merry Christmas.
Mr Lee said that earlier he and his wife had invited the youths of Ebenign Home for the Blind School, "Create Bright Teens" and students and graduates of colleges under the Vocational Training Council to share joy and warmth with him at Government House in Hong Kong to promote the establishment of a caring and inclusive Christmas atmosphere.
Source: Lee Jiachao's social media platform
It is reported that Li Jiachao and his wife watched the music performance of the students of Xinguang School and chatted with the students. Subsequently, Li Jiachao and his wife worked with the students to make small crafts and assist in making holiday food. During this period, Li Jiachao also tasted the special drink made by his wife and praised: "This Christmas is really sweet. In addition, Li Jiachao also received a heart card made by the students of "Co-creation Teen", and said with a smile: "You painted me as a beautiful boy (more handsome)!"
Lee said that this special day reminds us to care for people with different backgrounds and needs, to convey a message of love to them, and to build a society full of warmth and kindness.
Source: Lee Jiachao's social media platform
The Secretary for Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Tang Ping-keung, also posted on social media today, saying that this is the first Christmas after the epidemic, and he and the disciplined forces bear family wish the public a warm and happy Christmas.
As can be seen from the pictures released by Deng Bingqiang, he has many bears in his arms and a puppy decorated with antlers, which is very cute. He also attached captions to the posts, such as "It's like I'm holding a bear cub (like I hug a bear)", "Whether you stay in Hong Kong or travel abroad, you have a happy Christmas" to send warm wishes to the public.
Source: Tang Bingqiang's social media platform
Hong Kong issued removal orders to 20 illegal luxury homes this month and prosecuted 4 owners
As at mid-December, the Buildings Department (BD) of the HKSAR Government had issued removal orders to owners of 20 unauthorised detached houses for removal of unauthorised building works and rectification of illegal site formation works, and had prosecuted the owners of 4 of them.
In September this year, the torrential rain of the century hit Hong Kong, and landslides poured on Hongshan Peninsula, a luxury house on Hong Kong Island, exposing the occupation of official land and illegal construction of detached houses. Subsequently, the Buildings Department (BD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) launched a large-scale operation on the problem of illegal building of detached houses, and this month they inspected detached houses on Beau Long Peninsula in Tuen Mun.
Hong Kong Island luxury house Hongshan Peninsula (data map) Source: Hong Kong 01
On December 25, the BD replied to enquiries that in the past, based on reports, it had issued removal orders for illegal building works and illegal site formation works of individual detached houses, and instituted prosecution against owners who failed to comply. However, aerial photographs show that there are still other detached houses in the estate involved in illegal construction, illegal site formation works and illegal occupation of government land. Therefore, the Buildings Department (BD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) have decided to target the detached houses on the coast or near the slope to carry out the operation, and issue removal orders to the remaining owners of the detached houses with non-compliance in batches, and follow up on the compliance with the removal orders issued.
Author丨Lai Chenlu, the chief writer of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News