Some of our best and most popular coverage of 2015 included exclusive scoops, features, photography pieces and our live blogs on events such as the first anniversary of the Umbrella Movement and the Beijing WWII parade. Our team reported closely on local stories such as the HKU Council debacle and on national stories, such as Beijing’s crackdown on lawyers. Our explainers on major local events such as the lead water contamination scandal and the 2015 District Council Elections also became trademark features. More of our favourites stories are listed below.
1. Exclusive: Jasper Tsang secretly recorded telling racist joke about Africans – July 3, 2015
A secretly recorded audio clip surfaced of the beleaguered LegCo President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing repeating a racist joke at a private talk held at the height of last year’s umbrella movement protests.
2. Asleep on the job: Hong Kong Airport probe launched after security guards caught napping – August 27, 2015
Security at Hong Kong Airport came under the spotlight after a set of pictures emerged that appear to show guards in restricted areas falling asleep on the job.
3. Exclusive pictures of Jack Ma’s HK$1.5 billion new pad on The Peak: Asia’s most expensive home – August 16, 2015
HKFP was granted exclusive access to pictures of Jack Ma’s new home on The Peak before and after its makeover. The Chinese internet mogul reportedly purchased the property for HK$1.5 billion, breaking Asia’s record for the most expensive home by square-foot.
4. Special Feature: Hong Kong SAR at 18 – One Country; Incompatible Systems – July 1, 2015
A feature on the incompatibility of “the Chinese Communist Party’s need for ultimate control and the Hong Kong people’s attachment to their core liberal values,” on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China.
5. Gloomy glass recycling trade is half empty in Hong Kong – October 24, 2015
A feature on the dismal situation of glass recycling in Hong Kong owing to the low value of glass, and the use of crushed glass in the making of eco-bricks.
6. Feature: Poor as dirt and nowhere to call home: the lives of Hongkongers who fall through the safety net – June 29, 2015
A feature on the homeless in Hong Kong – a growing population that calls streets, parks, public toilets, hospital emergency rooms and other public places home – and the inadequate role of social welfare policies such as the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).
7. HKFP Lens: Ladybeard – a crossdressing pro-wrestling metal singer who left HK to find fame in Japan – July 19, 2015
A photography series on Ladybeard, who is an Australian, bearded, cross dressing, pro-wrestling heavy metal singer and ex-Hong Kong resident currently whipping up a storm in Japan with his band Ladybaby from the emerging genre of “kawaii metal.”
8. HKFP Lens: No one should work this way – domestic worker abuse highlighted in photo exhibition – July 2, 2015
A photo exhibition hosted by the International Labour Organization to highlight the plight of domestic workers who have been abused during their time working in Hong Kong and beyond.
9. Where is Hong Kong’s mainstream feminist discourse? – August 20, 2015
A feature on feminist discourse and activism in Hong Kong in light of the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant.
10. LIVE: HK Chief CY Leung faces Legco at quarterly Q&A – July 9, 2015
A live blog of Chief Executive CY Leung’s quarterly address to the LegCo.
11. LIVE: One year on, Hong Kong commemorates the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement – September 28, 2015
A live blog of the one-year anniversary of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.
12. LIVE: Hong Kong District Council Elections 2015 – November 22, 2015
A live blog of the voting day of the 2015 District Council Elections.
13. Explainer: The HKU Council pro-vice-chancellor debacle – September 20, 2015
Frequently asked questions about the University of Hong Kong’s controversy surrounding the appointment of the pro-vice-chancellor.
14. Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern – July 13, 2015
Frequently asked questions about the water lead contamination scare.
15. HKFP Explainer: Hong Kong’s 2015 District Council elections – October 27, 2015
Frequently asked questions about Hong Kong’s 2015 District Council elections.
