Story 4 Carry on racing
Story 4 Carry on racing
Carry on racing
Carry on
horseracing, but one important change in Hong Kong's way of life, that is the
medium of instruction is schools aim to develop bilingual (Chinese and English)
in reading & writing, and trilingual in speech (Cantonese, Putonghua,
English) abilities. The curriculum emphasizes academic knowledge, values,
skills, and lifelong learning capabilities. However, learners are facing the
challenge of coping with two forms of Chinese Language: Simplifies and
Traditional. Some years ago, I was impressed with Hong Kong kindergarten kids reciting
English alphabets together with Putonghua and Cantonese, i.e.
“ A
apple 苹果pingguo 蘋果pan4 gwo2，B book 书
shu 書
syu1，C car 车che 車 ce1,
D duck鸭ya鸭 aap3, E egg蛋dan 蛋daan6…” It’s not so easy, right?!
The Hong Kong
Jockey Club, founded in 1884, is one of the oldest institutions in Hong
Kong. The first racecourse is at Happy valley. This club is a non-profit
organisation providing horse racing, sporting and betting entertainment in Hong
Kong. It holds a government-granted monopoly in providing pari-mutuel betting
on horse racing, the Mark Six lottery, and fixed odds betting on overseas football
events. The organisation is the largest taxpayer in Hong Kong, as well as the
largest community benefactor and one of the city's major employers. In
2022/2023, The Hong Kong Jockey Club contributed a record HK$35.9 billion to
the community. This comprised a record HK$28.6 billion in betting duty, profits
tax and Lotteries Fund contributions, and HK$7.3 billion in approved charity
donations. It carries on horse racing during September to June, except when
there is a typhoon signal #8 like Toraji on 2024 Nov 13 for which I couldn’t
sleep the whole night. It so happened that on Nov 12 I flew in to prepare for
the Immigration Department interview on Nov 14 to renew my certificate of
identity card.
Sha Tin Racecourse
is the second racecourse in Hong Kong, inaugurated on 7 October 1978. On
weekends and Wednesdays, the two racecourses in Sha Tin and Happy Valley take
turns hosting horse racing events. The Sha Tin Day Race on Sunday, November 30,
2025 was held behind closed doors to commemorate the tragedy of the Grade 5
fatal fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po. The Club will also donate the total
proceeds of the day's betting volume (estimated at $70 million) to support the
affected people and the families of the deceased. In addition, there was a
moment of silence in the horses' appearance circle before the race, and the
national flag, regional flag and the Jockey Club were flown at half-mast in
mourning.
Happy Valley’s Connections
Happy Valley is located in the southern part of the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong Island and is one of the earliest developed areas in Hong Kong, named after the proximity to Happy Valley Racecourse. Tai Kwun staged a major heritage thematic exhibition ”Happy Valley: A Cultural Landscape” from 8 November 2024 to 23 February 2025. There was a topographical model for perspectival representation of the Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Tank—an engineering marvel for flood prevention. This tank with a capacity of 60,000 m³ is sized to accommodate a 50-year flood event. The Happy Valley Spur Line of the Hong Kong Tramway, goes by Wong Nai Chung Road, connecting with Causeway Bay and Wan Chai，there are also buses connecting with Central and North Point. With a superior location, horseracing and sports, and some famous schools and restaurants, it has become a pricy residential area. There are many famous people living in Happy Valley, such as Professor To Cho Yee, musician Zhao Mei Bo, poet doctor Wu Tian Fang, master photographer Ho Fan, Cantonese opera famous actresses Yam Kim Fai and Bai Xue Xian, media & public relations senior consultant Madam Kitty Yip, film stars Joey Yung and Aaron Kwok, etc.
The name for Happy Valley is originally came from the British landed in Hong Kong in 1841, and many British soldiers died from malaria. The British believed that the afterlife was happy. This coincides with the blissful world of Buddhism. The Hong Kong Cemetery area has Hindu, Zoroastrian, Catholic and Islamic cemeteries. In the early years, the people buried there were British and Japanese, and it was not until 1913 that there were no Chinese. At that time, Sir Robert He Dong, the richest man in China, and his first wife Mak Sau-ying, as well as Chinese members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, Sir Ho Kai, were buried in this cemetery. The couplet outside the gate, "Tonight my body returns to my homeland, tomorrow yours be the same." was the first couplet I learned. The first Buddhist monastery on Hong Kong Island Tung Lin Kok Yuen was founded in 1935 by Lady Ho Tung （Clara Cheung Lin-kok）， was named after Ho Tung's "East" and Cheung Lin Jue's "Lotus". She also founded Po Kok Free School （now Po Kok Middle School） and Po Kok Buddhist Society in the early years. Many senior relatives of mine have their spiritual plaques in the ancestors’ memorial hall of Tung Lin Kok Yuen. I used to go there to pay respect to them on occasions like Ching Ming Festival when I was in Hong Kong.
Another connection in Happy Valley is the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital. Some of my relatives like my 4th Aunt Mrs Dickson Yeung benefitted from the medical care there. A recent incident showed the high professional standard of this hospital. My cousin Prof Delano Chong’s wife Helen shared the story that on 2023 Oct 22 during the stopover at Narita Airport, his legs gave out and could not function. Upon arrival in Hong Kong he was rushed to this Hospital and operated on at 1:14 am. Due to old age (90 plus), he had chronic bilateral hyperdense subdural hemotoma. While feeling very grateful that the operation was successful, they were also somewhat disappointed in the medical system in Canada. Back in September-October, they enjoyed cruise trip sailing from Dover to Lisbon. Before the cruise, Delano woke up one morning with a blood-shot eye and a darkened face. When he went to UBC Hospital for emergency medical help, he was told that he fell but had forgotten about it, that the dark face would disappear in 8 to 10 days, and that the red eye would go away with some eyedrops. I was so impressed that cousin Delano could recover from the major surgery so speedily; also very glad to catch up with him and Helen in Hong Kong on Nov 26, Day 3 of my 4-day trip to have research meetings with professors in counselling and social work, get updating on the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, the Tanner Hill (the 1st non-subsidised senior housing by Hong Kong Housing Society) and Ninna Home(a private nursing home) .
As residents of Happy Valley, the Lui family’s record dates back to 1930s-40s, my grandparents dwelled on Shan Kwong Road. When my family moved from Canton to Hong Kong in 1949, I lived with aunt Lui Yee Sau, uncle Ho Kwan Cheng and cousin Ho Fan on Yik Yam Street, while my parents and siblings lived in the flat of my fourth aunt (Mrs Dickson Yeung) on Leighton Road, Oi Lian Mansion. A year later they migrated to Singapore. 1951 Ho Fan’s family moved to Yan Ping Road, and 10 years later they moved to MacDonnell Road. At that time, I went to St. Paul's Co-educational Secondary School for high school. 1964-68 I studied Social Work and Sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Immediately after graduation, I became an Assistant Social Welfare Officer, and in 1971-72 my father (Mr. Lui Man Pui) came to stay in Hong Kong with me. We returned to Happy Valley, this time at his friend's flat on Blue Pool Road.
In addition to dwelling in Happy Valley, I often visited my grandaunt and the Chong family. They have lived in Shan Kwong Road Zenith Mansion, Leighton Road Yee Hing Building, Wong Nai Chung Road Happy Mansion then finally Village Road Tsui Man Court （1974 to 2017）. Grandaunt and my grandmother are in-laws and Buddhist friends. Two of them and several relatives and friends often worshiped Buddha and chanted scriptures together. Later, the duo became card games pals (Domino and Mahjong). Thanks to Cousin Delano Chong’s record, I got to understand our four-generation kinship. My great-grandfather married his great grandaunt, my grandfather and his grandfather were first cousins, my mother and his father were second cousins, then he and I are third cousins.
In the yesteryears my grandmother often took me to Chong’s house for meals and games, grandaunt and family liked me very much, and her fifth daughters (Madam Julia Chong) and son-in-law (Mr. Chan Hon) took me as their god-daughter. The above-mentioned names of the Chong family's residences were given to me by their son (Mr Victor Chan). My godfather, a heroic strong man, lived to ripe old age, 102 years. He bid us farewell in 2017.
Audio File - Story 4 (English)
Happy Valley in 1950 photo from Prof To Cho Yee
杜祖贻教授寄来的跑马地五十年代照片
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