The return of the traditional Gafencu Christmas story on why Santa went missing

The Generals mumbled in the tunnels and couldn’t quite catch the eye of anyone passing by. Frown met frown half a kilometre down and a sense of deserved gloom swept from room to room. With a note of clear regret, “There really is no sign yet…” said a junior radar tracker. And the mood got even blacker.

Fists thumped desks of metal, but the question stayed unsettled. And no one quite believed that this late on Christmas Eve there’d yet to be a sign, no flicker along the Rhine, no jubilant Argentine long-awaited confirmation that some distant listening station had finally got to hear an airborne reindeer and a trail of festive fairies touch down in Buenos Aires.

“This is quite beyond precedent. What shall we tell the President?” a chap aghast gasped at last. No one replied though somebody tried to stifle a sigh as everyone gathered wondered quite why there was no sleigh to be seen on any tracking screen as they continued to wait as the day grew late…

Up above, throughout the town, little did they know of the panic down below. Could it really now be true that for Christmas two thousand and 22 Santa would not be appearing, wouldn’t his deer-pulled sleigh be steering to each every and family home from downtown Rio and to Rome, from Rangoon to old Kowloon? Certainly, it was well beyond debate, he’d never left a delivery quite so late.

The grown-ups shuffled, all ashamed, ashenfaced lest they got blamed. The innocent looks of girls and boys, sadly deprived of any new toys saw them sore upbraided, left bereft and distinctly jaded. They could not meet the downbeat gaze of those who’d waited many days for the sleigh-borne gifts crafted during the many shifts of Santa’s crew of keen toy makers and extraordinarily able Christmas cake bakers.

Shivering, cold and clearly, then spoke up one young lad: “Alas, alas, alas, how has this now come to pass? While in every preceding, Santa’s been sure to visit here. Dispensing joy, toy by toy, to children far and children near.

“Never before has he seen fit to let us down, no not one bit. How has every girl and every boy somehow managed to annoy the kindest man to ever live, the kind of man to give and give, the kind who must be sorely riled to break the heart of every child? We must have done something awful something fantastically unlawful, something mean and something cruel, maybe at home, maybe at school, something wicked and something bad, something we wish we never had…”

In every home in every place, a tear ran down nearly every face as girls with curls and boys with no toys took the news with such good grace, blaming themselves for not being good, not behaving as they should, shamefaced that it was their generation that prompted this aberration most shocking of Santa filling not a stocking. Indeed, beneath the boughs of every festive tree, the space was empty, the space was free, where presents should have been, nothing at all could be seen.

The hopes were forlorn, their little hearts battered and the luckless children sat and chattered.

And at last, there came a relieved cheer, a confirmed sighting of both sleigh and deer. Using some magical Santa tricks, however, some enchanted means so clever, the sleigh flying high crossed the sky above every town and every place, delighting every upturned face. Indeed, as the world gazed up that night, all could see the exact same sight – Santa and his sleigh so brightly.

Then, suddenly, it began to write…
What could be behind Santa’s decision to etch with laser-like precision a message written in letters so tall, a message clearly meant for one and all? Up above the world so high, words sparkled in the darkening sky, words of import for those below, words that were far from “Ho, ho, ho…”

Spelled boldly out across the night, a series of words came into sight, each letter carved out with great deliberation as Santa reached out to every nation:

“SORRY FOLKS TO BRING BAD CHEER TO ONE AND ALL FOR ONCE THIS YEAR…
“WHILE ALL THE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN GOOD, KIND AND POLITE, THAT’S UNDERSTOOD…
“…THERE WILL BE NO PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE, NO FESTIVE GIFTS LEFT BY ME.
“NO CHIMNEY VISITS WILL I BE MAKING, A MOVE I KNOW IS QUITE HEARTBREAKING.
“FOR EVEN THOUGH YOU KIDS HAVE BEEN GREAT, THE WORLD IS IN A TERRIBLE STATE.
MUMS AND DADS AND UNCLES TOO ARE FIGHTING WARS, DESTROYING THE CLIMATE AND SETTLING SCORES. LYING TO ONE ANOTHER, FALLING OUT WITH SISTER AND WITH BROTHER.
“THE PLANET IS IN A TERRIBLE MESS AND I REALLY MUST CONFESS, NO MORE GIFTS SHALL I BE LEAVING ON THIS OR ANY OTHER EVENING.
“CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, IT IS THE ADULTS YOU MUST BLAME, FOR TERRIBLE DEEDS, SOME TOO BAD TO NAME, FOR WICKEDNESS WITH LITTLE SHAME. THIS IS WHY YOU PAY THIS THIS PRICE, FOR GROWN-UPS WHO ARE NAUGHTY AND NEVER EVER NICE…”

WHO ARE NAUGHTY AND NEVER EVER NICE…”

And with that final flourish, Santa was gone, though his words still glowed and lingered on. And all the children everywhere fixed the adults with a deadly stare. Their look said it all, showed they felt sore and deprived of festive gifts that never arrived.

And the grown-ups were shamefaced one and all, as every unworthy deed did they did recall. “Listen,” they said to every child, who paid attention quite beguiled, “we’ll do better, yes we will, our promise to you we will fulfill. No more cheating, no more lying, we’ll build a better world and keep on trying to make you happy and bring Santa back, with gifts for all within his sack.”

And maybe they’ll succeed and maybe they’ll fail, maybe they’ll be a sequel to this tale.

In the meantime, Happy Christmas from us to you, and Happy Christmas from all here at Gafencu!

How Dutch know-how crafted the world’s most famously-French brandy

It’s fair to say that few grasp the true scale of the global Cognac market. If your best guess was anywhere in the region of US$4.03 billion, you are better informed than most. It’s a more than sizable figure, even though it pales in comparison to the US$435 billion representing the global wine industry, it still represents a fairly formidable 31-percent year-on-year increase.

Undeniably, demand for Cognac has soared with more than 223 million bottles sold in the past 12 months. While sales dipped when Covid was at its peak, this more recent uptick has largely been driven by the changing tipple trends in both the US and China markets, with premium vintages apparently finding particular favour. This recent resurgence, however, is just the latest in a series of triumphant returns to form for the French-made brandy industry, a sector that has weathered many serial setbacks throughout its centuries-long history.

Drilling down into the absolute bare necessities, first, it must be distilled twice, using copper pot stills and then aged for a minimum of two years in French oak barrels. It can only be distilled between October and March and cannot be produced with any wines containing a surfeit of sulfites. In addition, it must be made specifically in and with grapes from France’s Cognac region – in much the same way that Champagne can only be officially produced in the eponymous region of France.

Interestingly, it is the 16th-century Dutch whom we must truly thank for creating what would eventually become this most famously French of spirits. Keen fans of Gallic grape-related beverages, such traders found it something of a struggle to keep their purchases drinkable during the long journey home. Their ingenious solution was to distill the spirit into an eau-de-vie – brandewijn (‘burnt wine’), which later gave rise to the term ‘brandy’. Double-distilling the end product soon became the norm, with the higher strength of the resultant spirit also helping save precious shelf space aboard the exporting ships.

It was, however, another two centuries before some of the most iconic Cognac maisons (as we know them today) came to prominence. Martell, in 1715, was the first to open its doors, followed 10 years later by Rémy Martin and then a host of others. Over the following years, it burgeoned in popularity both at home and abroad. It was then, however, that things became unwelcomingly complex.
With the 1870s, came the dreaded phylloxera outbreak – an aphid infestation – which saw vineyards devastated, with the space under cultivation falling from 280,000 hectares to 40,000 hectares in just two decades. Given that it takes 10 litres of white wine to make just one cognac, it’s not hard to imagine the knock-on consequences. It wasn’t until the eventual introduction of phylloxera-resistant vines several years later that any degree of equilibrium was restored.

Fast forward to the twilight years of the 20th century, Cognac was still having a turbulent time. While sales in Japan suddenly skyrocketed, demand across Europe flatlined. Then, in 2001, it suddenly became a top tipple among US quaffers, largely – apparently – on account of it being name-checked in a variety of popular tunes back then.
Not only is its conventional incarnation now a mass-market favourite, but demand for its more premium varieties has never been stronger among the more well-heeled. For any novice drinker, there are several things to bear in mind. Cognac is broadly split into three categories – VS (Very Special, aged for a minimum of two years), VSOP (Very Special Old Pale, aged for a minimum of four) and the exclusive XO (aged for a minimum of six), with the finest example of the latter often up to a century in the making.

(Text: Tenzing Thondup)

The apps on our digital devices befuddle and bamboozle. Is it time to go offline?

For many of us, the first thing we do every morning is to scan our smartphone and check if we haven’t missed anything particularly vital or particularly titillating while we slept. While this may seem innocuous enough, it’s actually just one more sign that we’re spending too much time screen-grazing and dissociating ourselves from what is actually going on around us.
This is especially the case when it comes to social media, a digital distraction that is notoriously addictive. As well as the time it steals from us, it can also affect us in many other insidious ways, such as leaving us prone to cyberbullying, body image issues, depression or exposure to deliberate and sustained misinformation.

While this has, arguably, been something of a sustained problem for quite some time now, belatedly, people are beginning to recognise just how pernicious an issue screen addiction really is. The trouble is, identifying there’s a problem is way less than half the battle. The truly tricky bit is actually doing something about it.
As with many other addictions – whether those related to alcohol, non-prescription pharmaceuticals, shopping, big cakes or serial illicit sexual encounters – going cellphone cold turkey is not necessarily something best undertaken unsupported. Indeed, if you’re serious about digital detoxing, there are specialist agencies you can connect to and even phone-free boot camps you can sign up for.

Should you, however, deem your own phone fixation something you have sufficient steely resolve and iron will to tackle alone (and free of charge), there are a number of relatively straightforward steps you can take to put yourself well on the road to handset-free heaven.

Don’t take your phone to bed
According to science, Perusing your phone late at night adversely affects sleeping patterns, keeping you awake longer and making it difficult for you to properly relax. Staring at a screen while lying down is also bad for your eyesight with this close exposure to blue light both potentially retina damaging and apt to contribute to the formation of cataracts. In order to counter the worst effects, make sure you stash your digital device of choice away at least an hour before bedtime. Then use the time you gain to relax, meditate or read a book. In extremis, you could even talk to your partner. In-person that is. Not via WhatsApp.

Replace your scrolling habit with something high brow
Most of us habitually scroll through our feeds as it doesn’t require much effort and there’s always the – usually vain – hope that something truly interesting is just one more swipe away. This, though, is really just your phone being a handy, pocket-sized thief of your time, with the endless trivia you are exposed to – the belligerent cat videos, the teasing but ultimately tedious promises of Hollywood insider scoops and the endlessly unfunny screeds of clearly forged wrong text responses – stopping you from doing something truly useful and productive with your spare moments. In truth, the opportunity cost of each baleful feline frown you download could be half a dozen words of Flemish that you will now never learn while every non-nugget of Tom Cruise trivia that trickles across your screen could have taken away the time you needed to master macramé at long last. “Is it worth the risk?” ask yourself.

Axe your apps
While it may seem like something of a drastic move to uninstall all those apps you’ve come to rely on – to incapacitate Instagram, wave goodbye to WeChat and permanently farewell to Facebook et al – it could be the decisive gesture you need to truly liberate yourself from all those mind-numbing mini-apps that see you too pre-occupied to engage with your family or anyone else you’ve accidentally ended up moving in with. All told, though, it’s probably best to temporarily disable them rather than permanently delete them. After all, you never know, real life just might not be your kind of thing.

Overcome the fear of FOMO
Our brains are very adept when it comes to fooling us in into believing that really exciting stuff is going on somewhere and, if we stay up to date with social media, we might not only get to find out, but we also might get invited along to participate. This is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and it’s one of the key things that keeps us in thrall to our digital devices night and day. The truth is though – and you have to convince yourself of this – there really is nothing exciting going on. None of your friends are actually having a better time than you. They’re all just ploughing through filtered photos on the ‘Gram and eating three-day-old pizza in their sweatpants. Same as you.

Embrace solitude
For untold millennia, personkind did perfectly well without Wi-Fi-enabled pocket pals that kept them in intimate contact with friends and family no matter how far distant they found themselves. Similarly, our resolutely analogue ancestors fared well enough without instant access to vast online repositories of knowledge, which, nowadays, equally allow us to bone up on the finer point of Sumatran architecture as well as to rapidly win or lose a bet as to which player in the English Premier League had the overall flattest forehead in the 2021-2022 season.
Rejecting the siren call of those small-screened seductresses that seek to sap our wills and keep us informed of events of global import is a challenge that we all need to gird ourselves to meet. Indeed, this battle against the mortifications of the megabyte world will never be truly won until each and every one of us is sat in the solitary splendour of our personal cave, insulated from contact with the contaminations of modern times and left only to wonder what to do when the last ember of our makeshift fire finally flickers out.

(Text By Zaira Abbas)

Local shops bringing festival and merry cheer to the city

While Christmas might seem like the most abiding of holidays, with its traditions so time honoured as to be almost unassailable, the festival has, incrementally, changed over recent years. And in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The dawn of online communications has not been great news for disparate families, with brief avatar-ed appearances trumping jet lag, airline cuisine and compulsory Covid testing.

But all is not lost. There is still hope that tradition is returning to at least one aspect of all-things Christmas – gift-giving. While, not so long ago, Amazon and Esty had stealthily become the go-to providers of presents for loved ones both near and far, there’s been a distinct shift of late. Suddenly, it’s once again de rigueur to buy your presents and Christmas trinkets locally and in person. Thankfully, for those in Hong Kong, this is one challenge many of the local shops and assorted other outlets are more than up to meeting.

Flower Power
The Anglo-Chinese Florist started as a small flower boutique in 1946 at a location that couldn’t appear more apt – Lyndhurst Terrance in Central, a thoroughfare better known to many as “Flower Street”. Inevitably, as you near this ever-popular outlet, the fresh aroma of Christmas pine will help you find your way. It offers a huge selection of high-quality Christmas trees, as well as a fine array of wreaths and lights, with prices varying between HK$900-3,600.

Today, as part of its commitment to quality, the florist prides itself on importing only the freshest trees, plants and flowers from Holland, South Africa and New Zealand. In terms of its special Christmas offering, its services range from creating small, bespoke multi-candle centrepieces to decorating 10-feet-tall Christmas trees from scratch.

Festive Eats
Something special for the festive season is also promised by the Hong Kong-based food and beverage firm, The Pirata Group. As to just what makes its festive offer stand out from rivals, is its no reservations policy, meaning you’re always in with more than a chance of finding a table at one of its three outlets – Pici, The Pizza Project or Pane e Latte.

These three restaurants are big on holiday cheer and specialise in curated festive goodies that infuse the brand’s expertly prepared dishes and Italian treats with timeless holiday flavours. Make it a December to remember with one of their special festive goodies, with the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Pizza, a particular favourite.

Bread Ringers
Ali Oli is Hong Kong’s oldest European bakery, and with Christmas fast approaching, its festive menu includes turkeys sourced from Italy and Canada for those wanting to step away from cooking and just relax during the holiday. It also provides such Christmas classics as mince pies, stollen, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.

The 36-year-old bakery offers some of the highest quality European and Western baked products, which perhaps accounts for its enduring reputation for maintaining a hugely extensive and innovative product list.

Cake-out Artist
The perennially pastel-shaded pop-up store of the celebrity-beloved Vive Cake Boutique is opting to showcase its signature black sesame temptation and its complete collection of edible art, to a new range of wholly imaginative festive offerings.

The patisserie’s newest creation, the four-tier Prince Sesame Cake, is a must for lovers of nutty and slightly bitter-sweet sensations. Since 2014, the bakery has been known as the crème de la crème among Hong Kong’s bespoke dessert-makers and, as result, has accrued an enviable celebrity client list.

Claus Encounters
For four days only, The Murray Christmas Market is morphing into pretty much the perfect destination for any last-minute Christmas shopping. This will see the five star hotel transform into a marketplace full of all things Christmassy, with a vast array of festive lifestyle products, including food and wine, jewellery, clothing and more.

As if that wasn’t enough, the celebrity mystery guest Santa will be travelling from The North Pole to Hong Kong for photo opportunities and Claus encounters with young revellers, to complete this wonderful and festive experience.

(Text: Joseff Musa)

How the New Year is celebrated in different ways on different dates

While the coming New Year is celebrated in many different ways (and at different precise times) around the world, there is an almost universal desire to mark the sense of annual renewal as winter peaks and the slow saunter towards spring begins. Regardless of climate variations around the world, there is an innate human need to celebrate the cyclical nature of the seasons, one that manifests itself in myriad different ways.

Even just within Asia, new year celebrations in many of the continent’s constituent nations are incredibly diverse, often rooted in cultural traditions that date back centuries. Among the most notable example is Chinese New Year, an event tied to the lunar calendar and celebrated in spring as the most important festival in China as well as in many East- Asian countries. Marking the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, it is considered an auspicious time to honour both ancient deities and family forebears, as well as a particularly apt time to spend with loved ones. Falling somewhere between January 21st and February 20th every year, it is one of the most eagerly anticipated holiday periods across the mainland and far beyond.

Typical Chinese New Year activities include decorating your home, offering loving tributes to your ancestors, staging reunion feasts with family members on New Year’s Eve, gifting red envelopes, letting off fireworks, and watching colourful lion and dragon dances. Among the favourite new year dishes of many are fish, dumplings, noodles, spring rolls, rice cakes and rice balls. It is also traditional to display an array of tangerines and oranges, fruits believed to be synonymous with future prosperity.

Over in South Korea, the three-day Seollal festival more or less coincides with Chinese New Year, except that, every few years, they take place a day apart. The custom here is to stay awake until midnight on the designated New Year’s Eve and watch the first sunrise of the year. The following morning then begins with a serving of tteokguk, a rice cake soup associated with both longevity and new beginnings. Koreans then usually make time to pay their respects at ancestral graves, eat together, play traditional games and participate in sebae, a time-honoured ritual that sees children and students bow to their elders and receive gifts of money in return.

Several other Asian countries also celebrate the lunar year in a similar fashion to China. The Vietnamese, for instance, celebrate Tet (New year) and believe that rearranging and decorating their homes eliminates any lingering troubles from the previous year. In Mongolia, meanwhile, New Year is called Tsagaan Sar (“White Moon”) and sees Mongols dress in all-white, ride white horses, and eat only dairy products during the celebrations. Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia also celebrate the lunar year and share many of the traditions observed in China.

In Indonesia, the Islamic and Balinese Saka new year is celebrated by different communities – the former by the Muslim community and the latter by Balinese Hindus. On Nyepi day – New Year’s Day in the Balinese Saka Calendar – the lights across the island of Bali are all turned off, while silence prevails with traffic and day-to-day activities all coming to a halt. Local residents typically meditate and enjoy an uncharacteristic spell of serenity. Later, the traditional celebrations see Ogoh-Ogoh, huge papier-mache giants, paraded along the beach to the strains of loud gamelan music.

By contrast, many South and Southeast Asian countries follow the solar calendar when marking the beginning and the end of the year. Cambodian New Year- known as Choul Chnam Thmey or Sangkranta – is traditionally celebrated with, fireworks, parties, and feasts. It also coincides with the traditional solar new year festivities in several parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand.

Songkran, for its part, is the annual celebration of a new beginning over in Thailand and marks the start of the Buddhist New Year (also known as the Water Splashing Festival). Images and statutes of Buddha are bathed, while younger Thais show their respect to local monks and their elders by sprinkling water over their hands.

Within India, there are at least 10 different traditional New Year celebrations, with many states having their own rituals associated with the occasion. Diwali, the beginning of the Hindu New Year, is one of the country’s major festivals and is usually celebrated in October or November. It’s a five-day affair that includes lavish food, fireworks, coloured sand, decorative candles and lamps, with the latter accounting for its designation as the “festival of lights”.

Baisakhi in Central and Northern India, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Naru and Ugadi in Andhra Prades, meanwhile, all hold their new year celebrations around the middle of April in honour of the looming harvest season. This sees local residents don new clothes while paying their respects to elders and families unite for lavish and lengthy feasts. Sinhalese New Year over in Sri Lanka is celebrated around the same time and typically revolves around rhythmic beats on the rabana (a one-sided traditional drum), sweet delicacies, and the melodies of the koel, a stringed instrument used to soundtrack the incoming New Year.

In most countries along the traditional Silk Road routes – including Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Albania, Georgia and the central Asian countries – Nowruz (Persian new year) is still celebrated by millions, with the festival coinciding with the spring equinox. Dating back to at least the 6th century BC, the celebration is widely believed to be rooted in Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest faiths.

As, by far, Iran’s most significant annual festival, Nowruz is celebrated in many different ways, including huge firework displays, jumping over bonfires (apparently as a symbol of the renewal of life) and the release of sky lanterns bearing the hopes and dreams of locals. The festival is also celebrated in all five of the ‘Stans’ – Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – where it traditionally inspires a host of floral and light decorations, special meals and desserts, family gatherings, colourful street parties, the playing of traditional board games and the staging of major sporting events, notably wrestling and horseracing.

However and wherever it is celebrated, New Year is among the most significant festivals for people and cultures the world over. There’s something almost primordial about the compulsion to acknowledge the arrival of a fresh 12-month cycle. So, no matter where you find yourself this year and no matter how the locals opt to mark the occasion, immerse yourself in every passing moment and welcome in this new beginning as wholeheartedly as you can.

(Text: Zaira Abbas)

Best Bids Bulletin

Take a look at Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Mailyn becoming the most expensive artwork, Royal Mughal pashmina carpet selling for a princely sum, 1898 Peugeot Type 15 topping the bill at car auction and an Ancient God’s herm selling for twice its estimate.

Simply Divine

Ancient relic sells for twice its estimate

In a true celebration of ancient relics and artworks, Christie’s recently had up for auction a private collection of New York Antiquarium, The Devoted Classicist, which featured more than 40 lots of ancient art from the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Egyptian eras. Among the various distinctive pieces up for grabs were Athenian vases, Egyptian portrait heads and Roman marble statues of gods, goddesses and Imperial individuals, with one of the most notable sculptures featuring three depictions of the Greco-Roman God Dionysus.

The 8.5-inch marble masterpiece fetched an astonishing US$151,200 (HK$1.8 million) surpassing its estimated value of between US$70,000-US$90,000. Known as the God of fruitfulness, vegetation, wine and ecstasy, the Dionysus pieces date back to the second century AD.

Its Archaic portrayal shows a God with a layered spadeshaped beard, angled moustache and two rows of tight culrs falling on each shoulder, while the classical side has a pointed beard, full moustache and vertical locks on forehead. The late-classical style has a long moustache and long tendrils over the shoulders.

Centre Sage

Warhol’s work takes top billing at New York sale

The Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by pop art icon Andy Warhol became the most valuable of all his paintings, after being sold at a Christie’s auction in New York for US$195 million (HK$1.5 billion). It also became the most expensive artwork of the 20th century breaking the record previously held by Picasso’s 1955 artwork Less Femmes D’agler, which sold for US$179.4 Million in 2015. For its part, Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn dates back to 1964 and forms part of a series of five paintings made on a 40 square-inch acrylic and silkscreen on linen.

Tellingly, it was estimated to sell for around US$ 200 million, setting a record for the highest pre-auction estimate of any artwork ever, The sale of this piece was the undoubted highlight of the auction, which saw 36 other works contributing to total takings of US$318 million. The item was from the collection of two late Swiss gallerists, Thomas and Doris Ammann, the cofounders of Thomas Ammann Fine Art in Zurich. All proceeds from the sales will fund the foundation’s work of investing in global healthcare initiatives for underprivileged children and young adults.

Mat Effect

The Royal rug goes for a princely sum

An extraordinarily rare Royal Mughal pashmina carpet, woven for the court of the Indian Emperor Shah Jahan, circa 1650, sold at Christie’s for a hefty £5,442,000 (HK$ 48.6 million), going for more than twice the pre-sale estimate. Competitive telephone bidding for the Mughal Carpet lasted more than 10 minutes – a long time in auction terms. The carpet itself is square in shape, with each side measuring 275 cm and features geometrical traditional floral patterns.

It is one of only four 17th-century pashmina carpets remaining in private hands known for its brilliant colours and intricate pattern with a Lattice and Flower design. Due to the fragility of the silk and the finely spun pashmina pile, very few examples survive, making a carpet of this size and condition an extraordinarily rare memento of the golden age of Imperial Mughal carpet production. The carpet was the undoubted highlight of the Art of the Islamic & Indian World (including Oriental Rugs and Carpet) sale, which raised a total of £15,989,352 (HK$142.8 million). The auction comprised 265 lots, including works of art, paintings, carpets and manuscripts from the ninth through to the 20th century.

Vintage Voyage

Classic car drives high bids

A Victorian-era 1898 Peugeot Type 15 topped the bill at the recent Bonhams London Golden Age of Motoring 2022 classic car auction, which took place just before the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Selling for a staggering £494,500 (HK$ 4.4 million), it went way over its pre-sale estimate of £275000 -£325000. Peugeot is one of the most well-known French motoring marques and the only long-established firm to still be manufacturing two-cylinder engine cars, with its current portfolio of models ranging from 8hp to 5hp.

This fully-restored Peugeot offers four-speed plus reverse transmission and an early form of cruise control, advanced features for its day.

This car’s early history suggests that it was first purchased by someone in 1898 in the Mauriac region of France. It also appears that this car received special attention as evidenced by the larger than usual number of nickel-plated parts in addition to Peugeot’s liberal stamping of the car number on the chassis, body, and various other components. These were discovered during restoration, confirming the car’s unusually high degree of originality.

What’s On? Things to do this December in Hong Kong

As Hong Kong relaxes its covid restrictions, there is a lot to look forward to in the city for this festive season, with cultural events, shopping fests for Christmas and Sports competitions.

The Nutcracker

Hong Kong Ballet is proudly presenting The Nutcracker, with this production of the perennial favourite coming courtesy of long-time creative director Septime Webre and his ever-innovative team. This particular interpretation sees Hong Kong’s history and traditions provide the backdrop for this truly classic ballet with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, rickshaws, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and shadow puppet theatre all added into the mix. With Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s much-loved compositions, lavish costumes and extraordinary production values, this promises to be a truly magical spectacle.

When: 16-31 Dec
Price: From HK$180 to HK$1200
Location: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

HK Brands and Products Expo

For those looking to purchase a fine array of last minute gifts, the superb selection at this outsized outdoor fair could be just about the perfect shopportunity. Boasting more than 860 stands, the expo organisers promise a myriad of high-quality products, great prices and even better discounts. Among the themed zones tipped to be particularly popular this year are several hardy perennials, most notably food and drink, groceries, noodles, beauty and healthcare, fashion and style and household. There’s everything you need to be a self-made Santa.

When: 7-24 Dec
Price: From HK$10
Location: Victoria Park, Causeway Bay

For more information: hkbpe.com.hk

African Culinary & Drink Making

For those whose culinary curiosity stretches beyond Cantonese dishes, this diversion allows you to explore an appetising fare traditionally prepared in a host of African nations. The event promises dance displays and the opportunity to experience authentic renditions of African tales. Participants will have the chance to make egusi stew, pound yams and mix pineapple ginger drinks. The half-day event will conclude with an exquisite luncheon buffet.

When: 10 Dec
Price: $400
Location: Africa Centre Hong Kong, 21 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

For more information: africacenterhk.com

Hong Kong Cyclothon

Backed by the peerlessly philanthropic Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong Cyclothon is set to see a selection of cyclists from across the world compete to prove their pedalling prowess in and around Asia’s World City. With just 3,000 premier professional cyclists permitted to participate, all of the event’s categories – 50 km, 30 km, CEO charity, celebrity, men’s open, women’s open and team time trial – are expected to be fiercely contended. This is an epic event for spectators and sportsmen alike.

When: 18 Dec
Price: Free for spectators
Location: Tsim Sha Tsui

For more information: sportsforcharity.com

Christmas Fantasia

Nothing says Christmas like the trademark effervescence of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus. These talented tunesmiths have teamed up with the Hong Kong Children’s choir and legendary conductor Apollo Wong for an evening that promises a fine selection of classic carolling and a selection of memorable melodies from Handel’s Messiah and Tchaikovsky’s works. There’s no finer way to tune into the Christmas spirit than by securing a ticket.

When: 23-24 Dec
Price: From $220
Location: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

For more information: hkphil.org

Home Furnishing Trends Expo

Homex is likely to prove the one-stop destination for any and all required residential reinvention inspiration. A dedicated showcase for all things home furnishing, it brings together the latest fads in furniture, décor, smart home systems, household equipment and appliances all in one fairly capacious space. Showcasing the finest homeware from across the world, it’s a must-visit event for aspiring space explorers.

When: 24-27 Dec
Price: From $20
Location:Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai

For more information: home-expo.com.hk

Chinese Opera Festival

Black Box Chinese Opera Festival features four innovative productions. Among the highlights are two original and daringly experimental Cantonese operas. Asura Judgement, has been trailed as a uniquely demanding one man adaptation of Law Ka-ying’s Rashomon-inspired ensemble work. No less intriguing is The Imperial Decree, a thought-provoking meditation featuring the talented duo of Keith Lai and Janet Wong.

When: Until 3 Dec
Price: From $230
Location: Cultural District, West Kowloon

For more information: westkowloon.hk

DeTour Design Festival

One of the most feted annual festivals for the design and creative communities bounces back into the city this month. Organised by PMQ, the event promises to be an immersive design experience, with attendees engaging both physically and virtually. The programme also includes 40 workshop sessions, 12 designer dialogues, several film screenings and a series of guided tours.

When: Until 4 Dec
Price: Free entry
Location: PMQ, Central

For more information: detour.hk

Longines Hong Kong International Races

This year’s edition of the Longines Hong Kong International Races promises a truly distinguished ensemble of 127 elite equine entrants. The event will comprise four international G1 races – the Hong Kong Cup, the Hong Kong Mile, the Hong Kong Vase and the Hong Kong Sprint – with a total of HK$110 million of prize money. It is sure to prove a highlight of the international horse racing calendar.

When: Until 11 Dec
Price: Prices vary
Location: Sha Tin Racecourse

For more information: campaigns.hkjc.com

Diabeating- Avoid being one of the two million people who die from diabetes

While a long happy life is the blessing everyone craves, all too often an unhealthy lifestyle ensures this is one dream never likely to come true. One lifestyle-related illness that has reached almost epidemic proportions over recent years is diabetes, an ailment that has spiked on a global basis over the last 20 years. Indeed, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than two million deaths were directly attributable to diabetes in 2019 alone.

A chronic condition, diabetes is caused by the failure of the pancreas to produce a sufficient level of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. These subsequently raised sugar levels damage nerves and blood vessels, leading to possible kidney or heart failure and the general deterioration of many bodily functions.

Type 2 is the most common form, a non-inherited variant that accounts for 95% of all diabetes cases. Often triggered by obesity or an inactive lifestyle, there are a number of steps you can take to avoid succumbing to the condition or minimising its impact if you already have it. As the lack of a strenuous exercise regime and poor diet choices are the two biggest risk factors, minimising your susceptibility is a relatively straightforward process.

Take an exercise break
It should go without saying that the benefits accruing from regular exercise are so widespread and so profound that it is all but impossible to list them all. When it comes to warding off diabetes, though, strenuous activity can both help you maintain a healthy weight and see any excess blood sugar used to maintain energy levels. A number of studies have also shown that those who exercise on a daily basis have heightened insulin sensitivity, a condition that makes their cells more efficient when it comes to managing blood sugar levels.

Perhaps reassuringly, in order to be effective, any workout doesn’t have to be intense; it just has to be regular. In line with this, many health experts now advocate brief “exercise breaks” as the best way to avoid the damage wrought by a sedentary lifestyle. In simple terms, this should see you avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time, with getting up and flexing your limbs recommended as the perfect way of punctuating any extended sedentary session. Adding such activities as swimming, hiking, brisk walking or dancing into your weekly routine will also pay dividends.

Sleep well
Getting less than seven or eight hours of sleep a night can slow down your bodily functions and affect your ability to make routine decisions, while also causing stress and making you feel lethargic or anxious. Lack of sleep can also play havoc with your blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, putting you at risk of developing diabetes at a relatively early age.

When the body doesn’t get enough rest, it often tries to compensate by stimulating the appetite, with an unhealthy gain in weight the likely consequence. Sleep deprivation also tends to disrupt hormone activity, which can, in turn, lead to raised cortisol levels, a condition that adversely affects the body’s natural capacity to manage blood sugar levels.

In order to avoid this, it is advisable to adopt an effective sleeping routine, one that optimises both the quality and quantity of your nocturnal downtime. A simple approach to this is to relax your mind and dispense with all distractions before settling down to sleep while making your bedroom an oasis of quiet and calm.

Carbohydrates and fibre
Consciously planning your meals and ensuring the required intake of essential nutrients on a daily basis can help reduce your susceptibility to a variety of diseases. In the case of diabetes, maintaining an appropriate level of carbohydrate consumption is important as it plays a key role in maintaining blood sugar levels as it is broken down into glucose, which is then stored as an energy resource. A diet disproportionately carb-heavy, however, may disrupt insulin production, resulting in unhealthy high blood sugar levels.

In order to counter this, prioritise foods with a low glycaemic index (a measure of how quickly carbs are broken down and absorbed by your body) such as oats, beans or barley. It is also advisable to increase your fibre intake as this helps maintain glucose levels by restricting the amount of sugar absorbed into the bloodstream, with soluble fibres the most effective when it comes to countering the effects of a high-carb diet. Also ensure that fruit, vegetables and whole grains form part of your daily diet as they are rich in fibre and help regulate digestion.

Chromium, magnesium and vitamins
Diabetes can often be caused by micronutrient deficiencies, which are typically the legacy of a poor or badly balanced diet. Overall, it is a deficiency of minerals such as chromium or magnesium that are most commonly associated with high glucose levels.

Chromium plays an essential role in the treatment and prevention of diabetes as it promotes the metabolisation of carbohydrates and fats, while magnesium boosts protein synthesis and sustains much of the body’s muscular and nerve functionality. A deficiency in both nutrients has also been linked to insulin resistance, one of the core syndromes underlying the onset of diabetes.

When it comes to regulating diabetes and even preventing its onset, Vitamins C, D, E, B6 and B12 all have vital roles to play. While Vitamin C suppresses sorbitol (a harmful sugar that can trigger such diabetic complications as retinopathy, neuropathy and kidney damage), D and E promote insulin sensitivity and blood oxygenation. For their part, B6 and B12 help treat diabetic neuropathy, the damage done to the nervous system by overly-concentrated sugar levels.

Stay hydrated
Among the many benefits of drinking water is a significant reduction in the likelihood of developing diabetes. This is because keeping your body hydrated helps it to effectively dispel any excess sugar, while also suppressing the urge to binge on unhealthy food.

High glucose levels can also cause dehydration, with maintaining a high level of water intake is the best way to avoid any such risk. Such a routine can also help prevent blood sugar levels from becoming too concentrated, which can act as another gateway to diabetes. For those at high risk (as well as those already diagnosed with diabetes), it is best to avoid soft drinks and soda altogether in favour of water or unsweetened green tea.

(Text: Zaira Abbas)

Anya Taylor-Joy’s stratospheric rise to stardom

Rewind to some 10 years back and Anya Taylor-Joy was just another aspiring actress looking for a big break. Today, though, she’s widely acknowledged as one of the hottest leading ladies in Tinseltown, with an impressive CV that covers everything from horror films (2015’s The Witch, and M Night Shyamalan’s Split a year later), to the eponymous leading role in Jane Austen’s Emma.

More recently, her note-perfect portrayal of troubled chess prodigy Bess Harmon in Netflix’s multi-award-winning The Queen’s Gambit saw her lap up yet more limelight. Offscreen, her undoubted talent has seen her notch up a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while she has also been nominated for an Emmy. Amid all this, it’s sometimes hard to remember she’s just 26 years old.

It’s also fair to say that her career trajectory continues to be stratospheric. She did, after all, kickoff 2022 with the release of The Northman, a hugely multiplex-friendly Viking epic starring Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman. Then, just last month, she could be found heading up Amsterdam, a period comedy thriller that saw her sharing the top billing with such Hollywood luminaries as Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington.

This month, her busy year continues with the release of The Menu, a black comedy featuring such renowned knockabout A-listers as Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult. It seems like her name is getting better known by the minute, however, there’s probably still quite a lot you don’t actually know about Ms. Taylor-Joy.

Citizen of the World

Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy, to give her full name, has something of a multicultural background. Her father, retired banker Dennis Alan Taylor, is Argentinean of English / Scottish descent, while her psychologist mother, Jennifer Marina Joy was born in Zambia but has both English and Spanish heritage. For her part, Anya, the couple’s youngest child, was born in Miami on 16 April 1996. It was not, however, her home for long.

Globetrotting Childhood

Although this undoubtedly glamorous leading lady may be a US citizen, she actually spent many of her early years in Buenos Aires, with her family having decamped there soon after her birth. As a result, Taylor-Joy’s first language is actually Spanish. After six years, much to her apparent dismay, her parents then decided to relocate to London – a move she objected to so strongly that refused to learn English for two years in the hope this would ensure her swift return to Argentina. It didn’t.

School Struggles

Her unhappiness was compounded by the vicious bullying she was subject to by her British classmates (she attended the prestigious Kensington-based prep school Hill House, the alma mater of such luminaries as songstress Lily Allen and newlycrowned King Charles III).

Recalling this turbulent time, she says: “Argentina was all green and I had horses and animals everywhere. Then, all of a sudden, I was in a big city and couldn’t speak the language. I didn’t really feel like I fitted in anywhere. I was too English to be Argentine, too Argentine to be English and too American to be anything.

“The other kids just didn’t understand me in any shape or form. I used to get locked in lockers. I spent a lot of time in school crying in bathrooms. When I was 16, I then dropped out to pursue acting.”

Road to Stardom

Although acting was undeniably her passion, she initially began work in the fashion industry after her potential as a model quickly became apparent. As fate would have it, one of her first shoots took place on the set of Downton Abbey, the award-winning UK period soap opera. Here a chance encounter with actor Allen Leech (more popularly known as “Tom Branson”, the show’s Irish chauffeur) led him to introduce her to his agent.

Recalling this particularly lucky break, she says: “I’m still so amazed he did that as he had no reason to and there was no benefit for him. Cat, the agent in question, said that he really pushed me and kept asking her if she’d contacted me, telling her: ‘You really need to call this girl!’”

Unbeknownst to all concerned, this kindhearted gesture would transform Taylor-Joy’s life. The apparently reluctant agent went on to send her script for The Witch, the 2015 award-winning horror movie that saw her make her big-screen debut.

Seminal Year

In 2019, when many of her peers were just really setting out on their careers, Taylor-Joy was already starting to gravitate towards the big league.

Indeed, it was over these 12 months that she undertook three gruelling back-to-back projects – director Autumn de Wilde’s 2020 interpretation of Jane Austen’s Emma, horror film Last Night in Soho and The Queen’s Gambit ¬– with just a day’s break between each. Recalling this exhausting period, she says: “While I survived on Diet Coke, cigarettes and coffee, by the end of it, I was like: ‘I need to eat a vegetable.’”

Golden Globe Gaffe

The immense success of The Queen’s Gambit saw Taylor-Joy lauded by critics and the general public alike. Among the many accolades she received for her portrayal of chess prodigy Beth Harmon, was the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie. Given her Argentinean heritage, this technically made her the first Latina star to win the award.

When certain New York-headquartered magazine dubbed her “the first woman of colour to win the category since Queen Latifah in 2008 and only the fifth woman of colour to win overall since 1982, when the category was introduced,” the article went viral and the internet exploded at this apparent racial misrepresentation. Soon thereafter, the publication removed the offending sentence and publicly acknowledged the actress as a “white Latina”.

What’s Next
At present, the actress shows no signs that she’s likely to slow down any time soon. She’s already been signed up to voice Princess Peach in the upcoming The Super Mario Bros Movie, while she is also wrapping production on Furiosa, the prequel to post-apocalyptic cult classic Mad Max: Fury Road, which sees her take over from Charlize Theron as a younger take on the title character.

(Text: Tenzing Thondup)

Moneyopolis- which Metropolis has more mega-rich residents than any other place in the planet?

Much has been said and lists have been created by numerous groups and publications with their own ranking of which city tops other cities in terms of its Gross Domestic Product, number of millionaires and all other varying elements.

In a city like Hong Kong, where any house and estate owner can easily be considered a millionaire due to the high property and land rate, we take it a notch higher and count the billionaires in these cities instead. The high-net-worth people or the “individuals with net assets of USD $1 billion or more”, or the billionaires who reside in these cities on the list, were taken into account.

With cities from the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Oceania and Swiss cantons, a new metropolis has proven itself a better base for the mega-rich. A quick peruse of the updated Rich List, as ever, makes for a fascinating reading.

20. Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is home to 12 billionaires, 149 centimillionaires and 97,300 millionaires, as well as several of Australia’s leading companies, including ANZ, BHP, Rio Tinto and Telstra.

19. Zurich, Switzerland
Almost tied with Melbourne, The Canton of Zurich is also home to 12 billionaires, including 258 centimillionaires and 105,100 millionaires, as well as three globally-leading private banks – Credit Suisse, Julius Baer and UBS.

18. Tokyo, Japan
Joining this triple tie is Tokyo, which is also home to 12 billionaires, including 263 centimillionaires and 304,900 millionaires, with its wealth spread largely across lower-tier millionaires, as evidenced by the relatively low level of its billionaire population but ranks 2nd highest in terms of millionaires. Honda, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Sony are among the most significant businesses with headquarters in the city.

17. Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt, the wealthiest city in continental Europe, is home to 14 billionaires, including 161 centimillionaires and 117,400 millionaires.

16. Paris, France
There are 15 billionaires, 121 centimillionaires and more than 88,600 millionaires in Paris. Key industries include financial services, luxury products and hospitality. The city is home to many of the biggest businesses in Europe, including BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

15. Sydney, Australia
Sydney, which has 16 billionaires, 188 centimillionaires and 129,500 millionaires, has had very high wealth development over the past 20 years and is quickly rising to the top of the list of global financial hubs. Bellevue Hill, Darling Point, Double Bay, Dover Heights, Longueville, Mosman, Point Piper and Vaucluse are a few examples of affluent suburbs.

14. Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is home to some of the world’s most highlyprivileged people, with about 18% of its population classified as high-net-worth persons. It is tied with Sydney with 16 billionaires, but with 345 centimillionaires and notably high concentration of 90,300 millionaires, and is home to prominent businesses like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Pictet.

13. Toronto, Canada
Toronto is home to 17 billionaires, 187 centimillionaires and 116,100 millionaires. Brookfield Asset Management, The Four Seasons Hotel Group, the Royal Bank of Canada and Scotiabank are just a few of the notable businesses with headquarters in the metropolis.

12. Dallas, Texas
There are 18 billionaires in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, including 211 centimillionaires and 92,300 millionaires, with American Airlines, AT&T, CBRE, ExxonMobil and Southwest Airlines also all calling it home.

11. Seoul, Korea
There are 25 billionaires, including 241 centimillionaires and 102,100 millionaires living in Seoul, while Hyundai, Kookmin Bank, LG and Samsung also call it home.

10. Houston, US
Entering the top 10 is Houston, Texas with 25 billionaires same with Seoul, but with 314 centimillionaires and 132,600 millionaires. In terms of wealth expansion over the past 20 years, the city has been one of the fastest growing in the world. It also leads the US in a number of important sectors, including engineering, oil, gas and aviation.

9. Singapore
Singapore is Asia’s second-largest millionaire enclave after Tokyo. But at present, the city state is said to be home to 26 billionaires, including 336 centimillionaires and 249,800 millionaires. It has also been deemed one of the world’s most business-friendly cities.

8. Hong Kong, China
10 years ago, Hong Kong was the second wealthiest city in the Asia-Pacific region after Tokyo. Although it has slipped down the ranking, it is still home to 28 billionaires, 280 centimillionaires and 125,100 millionaires. Many of Asia’s richest business people continue to reside in the city and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is still one of the most significant stock markets in the world.

7. Chicago, US
Chicago, the largest inland city in the US, has a highly diversified economy with strengths across a number of important industry sectors. Tied with Hong Kong, it is home to 28 billionaires, including 340 centimillionaires and 160,100 millionaires. Notable firms including, McDonald’s and Boeing, have their headquarters in the city.

6. Los Angeles, US
It is estimated that there are 34 billionaires living in the region, along with 393 centimillionaires and 92,400 millionaires living in the region. This figure includes wealth held in the city of Los Angeles, as well as in nearby Malibu, Beverly Hills, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Santa Monica. Entertainment, IT, retail, and transportation are the region’s key sectors.

5. London, United Kingdom
At present, the British capital is said to be home to 38 billionaires, including 406 centimillionaires and 272,400 millionaires. Particularly favoured by the mega-wealthy are the houses and apartments with views of Hampstead Heath, Regents Park or one of the city’s other green spaces.

4. Shanghai, China
Shanghai, the most populous city in China, is home to 42 billionaires, 350 centimillionaires and 130,100 millionaires, as well as being regarded as the country’s financial hub. According to market cap, the Shanghai Stock Exchange is the third biggest in the world (after the Dow Jones and NASDAQ).

3. Beijing, China
Beijing, makes it to the top 3 having a particularly high number of billionaires – 44. It is also home to 363 centimillionaires and 131,500 millionaires. In addition, Beijing is home to the majority of China’s biggest corporations.

2. New York, US
Settling in for number 2, the Big Apple has 59 billionaires, including 737 centimillionaires and 345,600 millionaires. It is also home to the world’s two largest stock exchanges by market cap (the Dow Jones and NASDAQ)

1. San Francisco Bay area, US
This year, San Francisco Bay Area takes the top spot and claims its status as the Richest Billionaire City in the World. In all, the city has more members of the four-comma club than any other metropolis on the planet, with 62 billionaires, including 623 centimillionaires and 276,400 millionaires. Home to wealthy tech millionaires, Silicon Valley has been consistent on the list of billionaire hubs.

(Text: Joseff Musa)