Elsewhere in the world, orchestras are often struggling to maintain interest and audiences. As the Hong Kong Philharmonic passes its 40th anniversary, morale has never been higher.
Max Johnson, 21 years younger than his half-brother, the former British prime minister, speaks Russian, lived in Beijing and Hong Kong, and married a Brazilian I was born in 1985 in Brussels, where my father was working for the European Commission. My sister, Julia, is three years older than me and I have four half-siblings…
What is it? A brand new 266-room hotel on its own island (below) within the Venice lagoon. Isola delle Rose is an artificial island, built in the 19th century, and JW Marriott spent several years transforming what had been a sanatorium before the hotel opened in March.
The power had gone out. I was lying on the floor in the pitch black, listening to waves crashing on the beach outside, wondering whether the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had heard similar sounds as he fell asleep here.
It’s been six years — 2007, if you’re into counting numbers — since the once sleepy fishing port of Macau surpassed Las Vegas as the world leader in gambling revenue.
Wild Swans author, who appeared at the 2017 Hong Kong International Literary Festival, still has mixed feelings about China. She admitted good things have happened there, but notes ‘my books are still banned’
Hong Kong has long been a magnet for many seeking to make their fortunes. But does the city’s talent have what it takes to make its local businesses go global?