Kate Whitehead

A mother who gave birth in a Hong Kong public hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic recalls a lack of communication and being denied basic comforts When Monique discovered she was pregnant during the Covid-19 pandemic, she expected challenges and restrictions. What she didn’t expect was to spend so much of her time in hospital arguing…

How Contagion Works by Paolo Giordano Weidenfeld & Nicolson 5/5 stars The coronavirus pandemic has left many of us reeling, struggling to adjust to a “new normal” of school closures, working from home and travel restrictions. Looking beyond the personal impact to the seismic implications for the world as a whole is daunting, but the…

Jami Gong, founder of the first full-time comedy club in Asia, TakeOut Comedy, talks about growing up in New York and the thrill of watching an audience laugh My mum was born and raised in Hong Kong and lived through World War II (1939-1945) there, and my dad is from Toisan (in Guangdong province). They…

Former civil servant becomes Hong Kong’s only dedicated author of adult genre

Former BBC reporter Andrew Shaw gave up his career in journalism and life in England to become the only foreign master jade carver in China Former BBC reporter Andrew Shaw is the only foreigner to have learned how to carve jade in China. Born and raised in north London, the 62-year-old’s passion for jade was…

Hong Kong’s literary festival offers a packed programme of foreign and local writers. Kate Whitehead takes her pick