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Newsgroups: soc.culture.hongkong,news.answers Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!gatech!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!psinntp!jho!john From: john@jho.com (John Ho) Subject: soc.culture.hongkong FAQ, Part I Message-ID: <schk1_733204148@jho.com> Followup-To: soc.culture.hongkong Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) on the soc.culture.hongkong. Please read this posting before posting to the newsgroup. Sender: john@jho.com (John Ho) Supersedes: <schk1_730357205@jho.com> Reply-To: john@jho.com Organization: JHO Company, Dallas, Texas USA Date: Sat, 27 Mar 93 03:49:39 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Expires: 10 May 1993 03:49:08 GMT Lines: 1276 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu soc.culture.hongkong:35961 news.answers:7001 Archive-name: hongkong-faq/part1 Last-modified: Mon Mar 22 12:29:47 EST 1993 Version: 2.1 O F F I C I A L FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR SOC.CULTURE.HONGKONG PART I - GENERAL QUESTIONS If you have any questions regarding addition/deletion/modification to this FAQ, please contact John Ho at "john@jho.com". Your comments will be appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS: 0) TOPICS: HISTORY OF soc.culture.hongkong 1) What is soc.culture.hongkong? 2-9) (reserved) 10) TOPICS: GENERAL INFORMATION 11) How to access SCHK? 12) How do I get the lastest version of this FAQ? 13) How do I receive the lastest HK news? 14) Are there any other Chinese networks? 15) How do I find a job in HK? 16) Can someone recommend a recruiting company in HK for me? 17) How do I renew my passport? 18) What are the differences between the BNO/BDTC passport? 19) Do I need a passport to visit UK? 20) Are there any short wave radio station from HK? 21) Is it cheaper to buy a PC in HK? 22) How do I wire money to Hong Kong from US? 23-299) (reserved) 300) TOPICS: NETWORKING IN HONG KONG 301) Is Hong Kong University (HKU) / Chinese University (CU) / Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on the net? 302) Do they have access to SCHK? 303) How to send mail to CU? 304) How to send mail to HKUST 305) How to send mail to HK Polytechnics? 306) How to send mail to HK Baptist College? 307) How to send mail to City Polytechnics of HK? 308) How to send mail to HKU? 309) What other network connections are there in HK? 310) Can I send mail to HK through Fidonet? 311) Who else have connection in HK? 312-349) (reserved) 350) TOPICS: TRAVELLING, DOING BUSINESS AND RETURNING TO HK 351) Where can I find the lowest air fare to HK? 352) Courier service, anyone? 353) Which is a good travel book to read? 354) What can I do in HK? 355) Where can I go in HK? 356) Where can I shop for computers in HK? 357) Where can I shop for cameras in HK? 358) Where can I find more information before I start the trip? 359) Which hotel should I book? 360) Are there any other sources? 361) What is HKTDC? 362) Where is the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office? 363) Where is the American Chamber of Commerce in HK? 364) Can I bring a celluar phone to Hong Kong? 365) Is there any youth hostel in Hong Kong? 366-399) (reserved) 400) TOPICS: CDs/BOOKs/MAGAZINEs/VIDEOs 401) Where can I buy the lastest CDs/Books/Magazines? 402) How do I subscribe to Chinese newspapaers? 403) Is there any mail order place for these items? 404) Why can't I watch HK video tapes in the US/Canada? 405) What should I do when I receive a PAL tape from HK? 406) Are there any free HK magazines? 407) How do I subscribe South China Morning Post? 408) Where do I buy Computer Science books? 409) Where do I purchase publication from the Hong Kong Government? 410-449) (reserved) 550) TOPICS: GATHERINGS/LOCAL GROUPS 551) Anybody out there from XYZ Secondary School? 552) How can I start an e-mail alumni association? 553) Are there any local gathering groups? 554-700) (reserved) 700) TOPICS: LEGENDS 701) Who is Deanna? 702) Who is Jan? 703-999) (reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0) TOPICS: HISTORY OF soc.culture.hongkong(SCHK) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) What is soc.culture.hongkong? In April, 1989, Wilson Ho, then a graduate student from UC Davis and a small group of Hong Kong (HK) students studying in the United States got together and formed an e-mail mailing list called HKNET. It did not take long before the number of memebrs (more than 800) outgrown the capability of the mail relay server. Same year, Fred Ho from University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada started the newsgroup creation process for soc.culture.hongkong (SCHK) The first posting went out on July 28, 1989. The original intent was to off-load the more serious topics (such as news, announcements, etc.) from HKnet to SCHK, and keep the more "light weight" casual conversations in HKnet. As it turned out, it was exactly the opposite. Today, HKnet carries almost exclusively news from HK and China, and announcement from Chinese organizations. SCHK, on the other hand, has evolved to become an on-line meeting place and discussion forum for netters with HK background or interests to make friends and to receive lastest news from HK. There are estimated 35,000 netters in SCHK worldwide. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-9) (reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) TOPICS: GENERAL INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) How to access SCHK? The fact that you are reading this FAQ implies you get some form of connections to SCHK, either your friend has access or you just accidentally step into this wonderland. The best way for you to access SCHK is through USENET, you can ask your friend or your system administrators and find out if your local site has news connection. The other way is to subscribe SCHK through e-mail. You require an e-mail account which has connections to the Internet You can send mail to "postmaster@ahkcus.org" and ask to be added to the SCHK mailing list. To post in SCHK thru email, send your article to "soc.culture.hongkong@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) How do I get the lastest version of this FAQ? If you have ftp (File Transport Protocol) access, the latest version can be retrieved as /pub/usenet/news.answers/hongkong-faq from pit-manager.mit.edu [18.172.1.27], or, try (but please don't abuse mail servers, there has been history of mail servers taken down because of excessive load)---sending an email message to mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu with "help" and "index" (only, because the daemon reads and responds to your message) in the body on separate lines for more information. Other archives are---cnam.cnam.fr [192.33.159.6] in /pub/FAQ; ftp.uu.net [137.39.1.9 or 192.48.96.9] in /pub/usenet; ftp.cs.ruu.nl [131.211.80.17] in the anonymous ftp directory NEWS.ANSWERS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) How do I receive the lastest Hong Kong (HK) news? The Alliance of Hong Kong Chinese in the US (AHKCUS) maintains a mailing list called "hknews@ahkcus.org" which are mainly articles from major news wires with news clipping primiarily focused in HK, China and Taiwan. You can add your name to the AHKCUS Hong Kong News mailing list by sending a request to "request@ahkcus.org". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) Are there any other Chinese networks? The Alliance of Hong Kong Chinese in the US (AHKCUS) maintains a mailing list for its members and people who are insterested in the democracy and human rights in Hong Kong and China. To subscribe please contact "request@ahkcus.org" [192.55.187.25]. Hong Kong Net (HKNet) can be reached by sending mail to "cst@hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu" or "so@cs.wisc.edu". Please mail all posting to HKnet to "hknet@cs.wisc.edu". South East Asia Online is a free mailing list with interests in Southeastern Asia. It covers areas from Burma/Myanmar to HK, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. To subscribe, mail to "listserv@msu.bitnet" or "listserv@msu.edu" with a one line message "SUB SEASIA-L <your real-name>". The service is made possible with the support of the Center for Asian Studies at Michigan State. China News Digest is a regular posting of lastest China news in an on-line magazine format. To subscribe or get info, mail to: "cnd-info@djohn-sun.sdsc.edu" or if you want to contribute, you can send your mail to: "cnd-editor@djohn-sun.sdsc.edu". China Study Forum can be reached at "csf-adm@postgres.berkeley.edu" China Study Forum - Books review can be reached at "csf-books@postgres.berkeley.edu". HXWZ is a weekly electronic magazine in the Chinese language published by China News Digest (CND). To subscribe to CND Chinese Magazine: Send mail to "LISTSERV@UGA.BITNET" with a one line message, "sub CCMAN-L <full name>". To quit from CND Chinese Magazine: Send mail to "LISTSERV@UGA.BITNET" with a one line message "unsub CCMAN-L". For more information, please contact "LISTSERV@UGA.BITNET" and please include a one line message, "GET CMHELP INDEX". The BITNET node name UGA.BITNET is equivalent to internet "uga.uga.edu". Don't forget to check out soc.culture.china, soc.culture.taiwan, soc.culture.asean, talk.politics.china, talk.politics.taiwan and alt.chinese.text. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) How do I find a job in HK? There is a brochure "Returning To Hong Kong" published by the American Chamber of Commerce in HK. It is targeted towards students studying in the US who are planning to return to HK after graduation. They also publish books like "Hong Kong Employment Guide 1991," "Doing Business in Today's HK," "Living in HK," etc. The publications are available by sending request to AmCham HK center. Their address is: 1030 Swire House Central, HK. Ph: +852 5260165/+852 5259215/(fax)+852 8101289 terryk@microsoft.com (Terry Kwan) regularly posts the list of prime jobs from the Higher Education Employment Service (HEES). You can also write to HEES and ask them to send a copy to your school CSA. Their address is: Higher Education Employment Service Labour Dept. 6/F Harbour Building 38 Pier Road, Central, HK Ph: 523232 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) Can someone recommend a recruiting company in HK for me? terryk@microsoft.com (Terry Kwan) provided the following information. SCHK has no connection with these headhunter firms - it is listed here for your own reference. Use it at your own risk: Staff Service (HK) Co Ltd.: USA 1-212-332-8000 Australia 022350800 Hong Kong +852 810-9822, fax +852 845-3427. Gemini +852 5257283 +852 8106467 Suite 508, Shell House, 24/28 Queens's Rd, Central, HK AJ +852 3673383 +852 3678765 Rm1004, Far East Consortium Blg, 204 Nathan Rd, kln, HK Asia Progress +852 5213151 +852 5371583 Rm1642 A, Wire House, 11 Chater Rd, Central, HK New City +852 5439282 +852 5439861 904 Champion Bldg, 289 Des Voeux Rd, HK Pak's +852 5261065 +852 8452455 1710 Lane Crawford House, HK Future Light +852 8504828 +852 8504418 Rm1602, Haleson Blg, 1 Jubilee St, Central, HK Willowave +852 5411552 +852 5431809 15/F, Wing's Blg, 110 Queen's Rd, HK Amanda +852 3110916 +852 7244381 Suite B, 10/F, Cameron Plaza, 23-25A Cameron Rd, TsimShaTsui, HK Nimble +852 5416113 +852 5414073 605 Won Hing Blg, 74-78 Stanley Street, central, HK Lindy Williams +852 8456777 702 Double Blg, 22 Stanley St, HK Sara Beattie +852 5079333 +852 8270426 3/F Sun Hing Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Rd, HK D&R +852 7822968 +852 7820292 Rm1004, Park In Com Centre, 56 Dundas St, HK Eternal +852 5265601 +852 5252508 9/F United Chinese Bank Bldg, 31-37 Des Voeux Rd, HK Prefect Way +852 8155109 +852 8156629 Rm 904, Kai Tak Comm Blg, 66-77 Stanley St, Central, HK WatNet People +852 8773686 +852 8452185 10/F Sin Hua Bank Blg, 2 Wellington St, Central, HK Arron & Associate +852 5261128 Smart +852 5761866 +852 5761822 Levin +852 8542228 +852 8504061 HK Employment & Secretarial +852 7219268 +852 3113289 T&C +852 8931168 +852 8916646 Everbright +852 5441863 +852 5449859 Julie's +852 5211166 +852 8452620 Elton Linda +852 5488785 +852 5487797 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) How do I renew my passport? In US, please contact the British Counsel in Washingtin, DC Their voice number is 1-202-986-0205 and the fax number is 1-202-797-2929. Office in other area will no longer handle passport renewal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) What are the differences between the BNO/BDTC passport? BN(O) BDTC --------------------------------------------- - Retention BN(O) status can be retained BDTC status cannot be of British retained for life. retained after nationality 30 June 1997. - Validity 10 years from date of issue cannot be made valid of issue. beyond 30 VI 1997. - Replacement can be replaced both before cannot be replaced after before and after 30 VI 1997. 30 June 1997. - Right of will bear an endorsement with will be an endorsement abode with reference to the holder's stating the holder's right Hong Kong permanent ID card of abode in Hong Kong. stating his rights of abode in HK. - Special will bear the following no such endorsement. endorsement endorsement: "In accordance with the United Kingdom Immigration Rules the holder of this passport does not require an entry certificate or visa to visit the United Kingdom." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) Do I need a passport to visit UK? Neither BDTC nor BNO passport holders require to obtain a visa in order to visit the UK for short visits. However, a visa is required if they intend to seek employment or follow a course of study. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) Are there any short wave radio station from HK? No. but if you have a shortwave (Duan3Bo1) radio, you will hear "the Voice of Free China" (Zi4You2 Zhong1Guo2 zhi1 Sheng1) broadcasting in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and Taiwanese (Min3Nan2Yu3), etc. In North America try listening around dinner time on 5950, 9680, 11860 kilohertz; in Europe: 21720, 17750; in Australia: 9765; in Japan: 15345, 7130, 9730, 11745. There are several other regions/languages it broadcasts to/in. Write: "The Voice of Free China, P.O.Box 24-38, Taipei, TAIWAN, R.O.C" for a schedule. (They don't also tell you the schedule of Zhong1Guang3 Xin1Wen2 Wang3*, though. But it uses the same frequencies.) [Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) Is it cheaper to buy a PC in HK? A 486-33 system only need around HK$10000 (include 1.2M & 1.44 floppy, 120M hard-drive, and HI-Color SVGA with monitor). A 386-40 with the above config only need around HK$8000. It's about 20% cheaper than that in the beginning of this year. [Date: 7/30/92 akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au (Alan Yim)] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) How do I wire money to Hong Kong from US? 1. If you intend to go to HK, bring an ATM card from a US bank which is on the PLUS ATM network. Using a Plus ATM card, you can withdraw money directly from your US account in HK, at various ATMs of the Hongkong Bank which display the Plus symbol. Of course, if you are going yourself, you can also consider Traveller's Check or even cash if the amount is still reasonable to do so. 2. You can send the recipient a US Dollar personal check, which they can deposit with their bank. However, the check will take about 1 month to clear. 3. Go to a branch of a Hong Kong based bank in your area, eg. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. or Hang Seng Bank in any major metropolitan area with a significant Chinese population, and purchase a Bank Draft or Cashier's Check. Enquire if they can issue drafts in HK$ drawn on their account with their HK parent. Otherwise, check if they have provisions to clear their checks quickly (eg. if deposited with a particular HK bank). 4. Of course, you can always tell your bank to initiate a wire transfer, or get a HK based bank in your area to do it (probably better, since they are used to doing it). Going the other way: a. ETC International (similar to 1. above, but subject to transaction fee) This is actually quite popular in Canada now. b. Bank Draft. Every bank in HK that issues US$ Bank Draft can draw on their accounts in the US, so worst case is 7 days to clear. Add the time to deliver the physical draft to the recipient (2 - 7 days). c. Cable/Telex/Wire transfer. Yes they are all different (in speed), and subject to service charge. Hang Seng Bank seems to charge a fixed fee for amounts up to some large number, and is probably cheapest. Note that the recipient will ALSO be charged a fee, typically USD 10 to USD 15, so if you wire $5000, they may only get $4990. This is caused by the Fed Wire Transfer between the correspondent bank (ie. the bank that, for example, Hang Seng deals with), and the receiving bank. d. Cash, USD Traveller's Checks are all okay. Special thanks to Onward Lam (onward@fsg.com) for the answers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23-299) (reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 300) TOPICS: NETWORKING IN HONG KONG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 301) Is Hong Kong University (HKU) / Chinese University (CU) / Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on the net? CU is connected to the NASA location in Mountain View, California. This hub also serves other connections in Australasia, taiwan, singapore, and Korea. All Internet mail now goes directly to individual colleges but all BITNET mail will route thru "hkujnt.bitnet". In regarding to the USENET feed, CU is now feeding HKU, UST, CPHK, Baptist, and most recently, Lingnan. However, HKP is not that eager to get on the Internet, nor usenet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 302) Do they have access to SCHK? Yes. But the actual readership is unknown. Someone from CU said that there are a lot more fun things to do in HK than sitting in front of a dumb terminal. :) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 303) How to send mail to CU? The easy way is to look up the person who you want to send mail to by: finger "names of person"@ns.cuhk.hk e.g. finger "so and so"@ns.cuhk.hk (remember to use the double quote) To reach the Computer Science dept, you can use "person@cs.cuhk.hk". If you have problem sending mail to CU, please contact "postmaster@cucsd.cuhk.hk". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 304) How to send mail to Hong Kong Univ. of Science & Technology (HKUST)? You can try: <username>@usthk.ust.hk ! VMS accounts (Internet) <username>@usthk.bitnet ! VMS accounts (Bitnet) <username>@uxmail.ust.hk ! Unix accounts (Internet) If you have problem sending mail to HKUST, please contact "postmaster@usthk.ust.hk" or "postmaster@uxmail.ust.hk". [ Steven Wong (Postmaster at USTHK) CCSTEVEN@usthk.ust.hk ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 305) How to send mail to HK Polytechnics? You can try: <username>@hkpcc.hkp.hk If you have problem sending mail to Hong Kong Polytech, please contact "postmaster@hkpcc.bitnet". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 306) How to send mail to HK Baptist College? You can try: <username>@ctsc.hkbc.hk [192.133.72.1]* /* Staff only */ <username>@bc785a.hkbc.hk <username>@bc750.hkbc.hk <username>@vaxa.ctsc01.hkbc.hk [192.133.72.4] /* telenet */ <username>@vaxa.ctsc01.hkbc.hk [192.133.72.4] /* telenet */ <username>@maths.hkbc.hk <username>@carol.comp01.hkbc.hk /* Computer Science */ <username>@ada.comp01.hkbc.hk Baptist College also gives out guest accounts, for more information please contact: Mr. Jimmy Tsang USS Section CTSC HK Baptist College 224 Waterloo Road Kowloon If you have problem sending mail to Baptist College, please contact "postmaster@ctsc.hkbc.hk". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 307) How to send mail to City Polytechnics of HK? You can try: <username>@cphkvx.bitnet <username>@cphk.cphk.hk [144.214.4.1] <username>@cphkvx.cphk.hk [144.214.2.1] <username>@cpccspc.cphk.hk [144.214.5.254]* City Poly have a centralized mailbox for everyone. To send mail a person whose 8 digit userid is 12345678, you MUST do the following: In your message. Add these two lines: To: polylink@cphkvx.bitnet Subject: 12345678@polylink If you have problem sending mail to City Poly, please contact "postmaster@cphkvx.bitnet". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 308) How do I send mail to HKU? You can try: <username>@hkuxb.hku.hk [147.8.16.15]* /* Computer Center */ <username>@hkucc.bitnet <username>@hkucc.hku.hk <username>@csd.hku.hk [147.8.134.1]* /* CS Dept. */ <username>@hkueee.hku.hk /* EE Dept. */ If you have problem sending mail to HKU, please contact "postmaster@csd.hku.hk". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 309) What other network connections are there in HK? Compuserve: For more information about CompuServe Hong Kong, or to order a Membership Kit, just fax this coupon to +852 877-4523, or call +852 867-0118. (9am-6pm, Mon. to Fri., 9am-12pm, Sat.) Hutchison-AT&T: For more info on ATT mail connection provided by the Hutchison-AT&T, you can contact Helena White at "helenawhite@att.com" by e-mail or you can contact her at her office. Her number is +852 8345848. Fidonet: Fidonet was established in Hong Kong in the early 1980's. The first BBS was established by a computer users' club and was known as SEANet. Today there are over 400 nodes in Hong Kong, making the Hong Kong network one of the largest in the world. There are believed to be around 50,000 active users, giving FidoNet far greater penetration than any of the commercial electronic services. Hong Kong and Macau are grouped together in Fidonet Region 61, and are part of Zone 6, which covers Asia. Most Fidonet BBSes in Hong Kong are single-line systems run by their sysops using an IBM PC clone. The largest of the systems is run by ComputerWorld, with 12 phone lines, and is free to all users. In fact, over 90 percent of the BBSes do not charge their users for access, while those that do usually charge a nominal amount to help pay for the cost of equipment and connections to international echomail conferences that have to be brought in from overseas. HKIGS: Hong Kong Internet & Gateway Services Limited (HKIGS) provides leased-line based site connectivity to the Internet. HKIGS services are oriented towards commercial firms and other organizations seeking integration of their LAN environments to the Internet, although individuals desirous of a dedicated connection are as welcome to subscribe. Individual dialup accounts are not being offered currently. Interested parties should call +852 5277777 (voice) or +852 5274848 (fax) for more information, or mail to info@hk.net. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 310) Can I send mail to HK through Fidonet? Yes, most of the 400 FidoNet sites in Hong Kong are now attaches to the Internet through the e-mail gateway machine operated by the Hong Kong PC Users Group. Users can now send and receive Internet mail on these system. Contact Samson Luk (samsonluk@ATTMail.Com), FidoNet Regional Coordinator of HONGKONG & MACAU, for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 311) Who else have connection in HK? There are a few corporations which have network connection in HK. The known ones are Digitial Computer, Xerox, Oracle, HP and SGI and IBM. Also, you can contact Smason Luk at "samsonluk@ATTMail.Com" for a FidoNet connection or Tom Yan to get on the Global Network Comunication Technology Co. 's BBS. His number is +852 492 5025 in HK or you can reach him at "tomyan@gnct.com". They charge HK$80/month for e-mail and USENET connection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 312-349) (reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 350) TOPICS: TRAVELLING, DOING BUSINESS AND RETURNING TO HK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 351) Where can I find the lowest air fare to HK? Try some of the Chinese travel Agency and bring a Chinese friend with you if you are not Chinese. You get better price that way. :) Also, check into the FAQ for rec.travel and it has a lot of tips on how to save your precious dollars on travel expense. Here is a list of travel agency in New York City: reliance smas tours (sing shung) 212.966.1919 sandy tours & travel (on wing) 212.966.6868 (wah on) 212.431.0303 travel 2000 (may bo) 212.431.4477 (hong fook) 212.964.3951 c a tours (man lai) 212.219.3943 * fair town tours (fai tung) 212.226.2007 grand hong kong travel (kong lung) 212.941.8776 sarah's travel (sing wah) 212.925.3366 c l travel (chung wah) 212.925.7731 patrick tours & travel (fai tart) 212.431.6500 jade travel (fai tsui) 212.349.1350 * (wing on) 212.219.3228 wing on (wing on) 212.233.8383 sampan travel (shun fung) 212.431.3557 judy's travel (tsing may) 212.219.0980 (chun sin may) 212.226.0778 lucky trip & travel (sing kee) 212.925.1677 * innova travel (lai chuen) 212.925.3393 (fook hong) 212.334.8088 travel w'us (foo wah) 212.431.7909 new asia travel (sun ah) 212.791.3228 yeung shun travel 212.962.3838 transatlantic travel (hong tai) 212.766.8782 prince international tours (sing sung) 212.349.3888 new golden horse tours (tin ma) 212.964.6664 (ho king) 212.941.7790 kuo feng tours (kwok fung) 212.219.8383 sun shine vacation (lai ming) 212.274.0266 amerasia travel (man lai) 212.227.9224 [provided by Wing Keung Au wkau+@cs.cmu.edu] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 352) Courier service, anyone? IN US, there are at least two express mail service that service HK, the Federal Express and DHL. Federal Express charge US$38 to ship a one pound package and their number is 1-800-247-4747. DHL charges a little bit more and their number is 1-800-225-5345. They do pick up as well. It takes approx. 3 business days to get to HK. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 353) Which is a good travel book to read? One netter recommended the "Lonely Planet Guide" for HK. ISBN# 0-86442-142-7. Current edition is printed in May, 1992 and it has extensive coverage in Hongkong. Macao and Canton. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 354) What can I do in HK? Shopping. Eating and have fun! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 355) Where can I go in HK? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 356) Where can I shop for computers in HK? Computer Places recommended by readers: (1) Admiralty/Hoi Fu Centre, 2/F; (2) Computer Centre, at Mong Kok, a new shopping centre for computers; (3) Golden Shopping Centre, at Shum Shui Po; (4) Silver Cord Centre, basement 2, at Tsim Sha Tsui. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 357) Where can I shop for cameras in HK? Places recommended by readers: (1) Broadway - the chain stores that sell basically all the popular common items; (2) Stanley Street in Central - there are a number of stores there, unfortunately, I don't have the names with me...(may be the HK readers can help me out with those). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 358) Where can I find more information before I start the trip? You can contact the Hong Kong Tourist Association. They have offices around the world and if you cannot find one in where you live, you can contact their head quarter office in HK. The address is: 35/F Jardine House Central Hong Kong. (852)-8017111 Telex 74720 HX Cable Luyu hongkong Fax (852)-814877 Other offices: 4/F, 125 Pall Mall Wiesenau 1 London, SW1Y 5EA 6000 Frankfurt am Main 1 UK Germany (071)-930-4775 (49)-69722841 c/o Sergat Espana S.L. Suite 1220, 10940 Wilshire Bvld Apdo. Correos 30266 LA, CA 90024 08080 Barcelona USA Spain (310)-208-4582 (93)-280-58-38 347 Bay St, Suite 909 38 Avenue George V Toronto, Ontario M5H 2R7 (Entree 53 rue Francois ler 1er) Canada 75008 Paris (416)-366-2389 France (331)-4720-3954 (331)-4723-0965 (fax) c/o Sergat Italia 590 Fifth Ave. Via Monte Dei Cenci 20 NY, NY 10036-4706 00186 Roma USA Italy (212)-869-5008 (06)-6869112 333 North Michigan Ave. 4/F, Toho Twin Tower Bldg Suite 2400 1-5-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku Chicago, IL 60601-3966 Tokyo 100 USA Japan (312)-782-3872 (03)-3503-0731 4/F, HK & Shanghai Bank Bldg Level 5, 55 Harrington St. 3-6-1, Awaji-machi, 3-chome The Rocks, Sydney Chuo-ku, Osaka 541 NSW 2000 Japan Australia (06)-229-9240 (02)-251-2855 13-08 Ocean Bldg PO Box 2120 10 Collyer Quay Level 1, 5 Averill Ave. Singapore 0104 kohimarama, Auckland 5 (65)-532-3668 New Zealand (09)-521-3167 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 359) Which hotel should I book? Hotels in HK price anywhere from US$25 to $300 per night. Please check with your travel agents. The HK Tourist Association also has brochures to hotel accomodations in HK. Also Check out the following hotels: YWCA Guest House 5 Man Fuk Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)713-9211, Fax: (852)761-1269 Caritas Lodge 134 Boundary Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)339-3777, Fax: (852)338-2864 YMCA International House 23 Waterloo Rd, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)771-9111, Fax: (852)388-5926 YMCA of Hong Kong 41 Salisbury Rd., Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)369-2211, Fax: (852)739-9315 The Salvation Army Booth Lodge 11 Wing Sing Lane, Yaumati, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)771-9266, Fax: (852)385-1140 Holy Carpenter Guest House (near Whampoa Gardens) No. 1, Dyer Ave., Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)362-0301, Fax: (852)362-2193 STB Hostel 2/F Great Eastern Mansion, 255-261 Reclamation St., Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852)710-9199, Fax: (852)385-0153 Info provided by Frank Chui (fkc00@duts.ccc.amdahl.com). Chung Ming Travel Service Room B, 2/F., Newtown Mansion 6 Cleveland St., Causeway Bay, HK Telephone: 852-8950028 852-8950061 Fax: 852-5765174 Contact Person: Ms. Y.S. Ng Info provided by Zhou Liping (lpzhou@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 360) Are there any other sources of travel information? There is a good travel guide called "Lonely Planet Guide" for HK. No ISBN#. Sorry. It should be available in all better bookstores. :) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 361) What is Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)? Their primary mission for HKTDC is to promote Hong Kong to other countries. Below are the addresses for the Councils, as of 7th December 1992. Head Office: 38th Floor, Convention Plaza, Office Tower, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, HONG KONG. Tel: (852)-584-4333 Fax: (852)-824-0249 New York Office: Panama Office: 219 East 46th Street, Condominio Plaza Int'l New York, NY 10017 Primer Alto, Oficina #27, USA Edificio del Banco Nacional Tel: 1-(212)-838-8688 de Panama Fax: 1-(212)-838-8941 Via Espana y Calle 55, Panama, Chicago Office: Republica de Panama 333 North Michigan Avenue, Tel: 507-69-5894 Suite 2028, Chicato, Fax: 507-69-6183 IL 60601, USA San Francisco Trade Enquiry Tel: 1-(312)-726-4515 Counter: Fax: 1-(312)-726-2441 c/o HK Economic & Trade Office Dallas Office: 222 Kearny Street, Suite 120, World Trade 4th Floor, Suite 402 Center, San Francisco, CA 94108, 2050 Stemmons Freeway, USA Dallas, TX 75207, Tel: 1-(415)-677-9038 USA Fax: 1-(415)-421-0646 Tel: 1-(214)-748-8162 Fax: 1-(214)-742-6701 Toronto Office: Suite 1100, National Los Angeles Office: Building, Los Angeles world Trade 347 Bay Street, Center Toronto, Ontario, 350 South Figueroa Street, M5H 2R7, Suite #282, Canada Los Angeles, CA 90071-1386 Tel: 1-(416)-366-3594 USA Fax: 1-(416)-366-1569 Tel: 1-(213)-622-3194 Fax: 1-(213)-613-1490 Miami office: Courvoisier Centre Suite #402, 501 Brickell Key Drive, Miami, FL 33131 USA Tel: 1-(305)-577-0414 Fax: 1-(305)-372-9142 Mexico Office: Manuel E. Izaguirre #13, 3er piso, Ciudad Satelite, Estado de Mexico 53310, Mexico Tel: 52-(5)-572-41-13 Fax: 52-(5)-393-59-40 Vancouver Office: Suite 700 1550 Alberni Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada Tel: 1-(604)-685-0883 Fax: 1-(604)-681-00933 V6G 1A3, Amsterdam Office: Spain Office: Prinsengracht 771 Balmes, 184, Atico 3, Ground Floor 08006 Barcelona 1017 JZ Amsterdam, Spain The Netherlands Tel: 34-(3)-415-8382 Tel: 31-(020)-6277101 Fax: 34-(3)-416-0148 Fax: 31-(020)-6228529 Stockholm Office: Frankfurt Office: Fungsgatan 6 Kreuzerhohl 5-7 S-111 43 Stockholm W-6000 Frankfurt/Main 50, Sweden Germany Tel: 46-(08)-115690 Tel: 49-(069)-586011 Fax: 46-(08)-7231630 Fax: 49-(069)-5890752 Turkey Office: Greece Office: Piyalepasa Bulvari 48 Aegialias Street Kastel Is Merkezi 2nd Floor D.Blok Kat:5 Paradissos 80370 Piyalepasa, GR 151 25 Amaroussion Istanbul, Greece Turkey Tel: 30-(1)-685-0830 Tel: 90-(1)-237-02-25 Fax: 30-(1)-685-0832 Fax: 90-(1)-254-98-67 London Office: Vienna Office: Ground Floor, Swire House Rotenturmstrasse 1-3/8/24 59 Buckingham Gate, A-1010 Vienna, London SW1E 6AJ, Austria England Tel: 43-(01)-533-98-18 Tel: 44-(071)-828-1661 Fax: 43-(01)-535-31-56 Fax: 44-(071)-828-9976 Zurich Office: Milan Office: Seestrasse 135 2 Piazzetta Pattari PO Box 20122 Milan CH-8027 Zurich Italy Switzerland Tel: 39-(02)-865405 Tel: 41-(01)-281-31-55 Fax: 39-(02)-865715 Fax: 41-(01)-281-31-91 Paris Office: 18, rue d'Aguesseau 75008 Paris, France Tel: 33-(01)-47-42-41-50 Fax: 33-(01)-47-42-77-44 Beijing Office: Shanghai Office: Room 901, 9th Floor, Room 1004, 10th Floor, CITIC Building Shanghai Union Bldg, 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie 100 Yanan Dong Lu, Beijing, Shanghai 200002, People's Republic of China People's Republic of China 100004 Tel: 86-(21)-3264196 Tel: 86-(01)-500-2255 Fax: 86-(21)-3287478 Ext. 3910 Fax: 86-(01)-500-3285 Singapore Office: 20 Kallang Avenue Guangzhou Office: 2/F, Pico Creative Centre, Unit A, 26th Floor, Singapore 1233 Guangdong Int'l Building Tel: 65-2937977 Annex A, Fax: 65-2927577 339 Huanshi Dong Lu, Guangzhou, Sydney Office: People's Republic of China 71 York Street, Tel: 86-(20)-331-2889 Sydney Fax: 86-(20)-331-1081 NSW 2000 Australia Korea Office: Tel: 61-(02)-299-8343 No. 720/721 KFSB Building Fax: 61-(02)-290-1889 16-2 Yoidodong Youngdeungpoku Taiwan Office: Seoul 7th Floor, Korea 315 Sung Chiang Road, Tel: 82-(02)-782-6115/7 Taipei, Fax: 82-(02)-782-6118 Taiwan Tel: 886-(2)-516-6085 Middle East Office: Fax: 886-(2)-502-2115 New Juma Al-Majid Building, Dubai Sharjah Road, Thailand Office: Dubai, 20/F TST Tower UAE 21 Vibhavad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 362) Where is the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office? British Embassy, 1233 20th Street British Consulate General N.W. Suite 504 680 Fifth Avenue, 22nd Floor Washington, DC 20036 New York, NY 10019 (202)-331-8947 (212)-265-8888 British Consulate General British High Commission 180 Sutter Street, 4/F Consular Section San Francisco, CA 94104 80 Elgin Street (415)-397-2215 Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5K7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 363) Where is the American Chamber of Commerce in HK? Chamber of Commerce of US 1030 Swire House International Division Central, HK 1615 H Street NW (852)-526-0165 or 525-9215 Washington, DC 20062 Fax 810-1289 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 364) Can I bring a celluar phone to Hong Kong? Yes, but AT&T Hutchinson makes it very difficult for you to take a foriegn mobile phone to Hong Kong. If you really want to do it, you can follow some direction from C.W. Chung (cw@orion.uucp): 1. You need to bring your passport in person, the invoice of the sale of the phone, and the phone itself to the Hutchison branch in HungHum. The invoice should spell out the date and the name of the purchaser so that Hutchison is satisfied that the purchaser did buy the phone personally outside of Hong Kong. 2. Hutchison will cost you HKD$1000 to reprogram your phone, and another $1000 to activate your phone. 3. It'll take about 3 months(!) to process your request. When it is approved, you'll have to go to the HungHum office to sign the paperwork *in person*. 4. Thereafter, the phone could be used and transferred just like any other Motorola phones sold by Hutchison in HK. 5. You could however set up a roaming service right away. There is a daily charge something like HKD$50 a day in addition to the usual charge based on time of usage (I think it is HKD $2 per min). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 365) Is there any youth hostel in Hong Kong? Check out IYAC, it is a private dorm style hostel at 21A Lock Rd, TsimShaTsui, Kowloon. The rate is about HK$40/US$5 per night. [lindsay@watarts.uwaterloo.ca (Stewart Lindsay)] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 365-399)(reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 400) TOPICS: CDs/BOOKs/MAGAZINEs/VIDEOs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 401) Where can I buy the lastest CDs/Books/Magazines? Try Annie.Chan@EBay.Sun.COM, she has just started a Karaoke/CD mail order outfit. No details. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 402) How do I subscribe to Chinese newspapaers? You can subscribe Sing Tao Daily by contacing: Sing Tao Limited 185 Canal St. Basement 246 Harrison Ave New York, NY 10013 Boston, MA 02111 234 W. Cermak Rd. 2/F 126 N. 10th St. Chicago, IL 60616 Philadephia, PA 19107 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 403) Is there any mail order place for these items? Not right now but some netters mentioned that they have something similar in the making and I think they will let us know as soon as they are ready. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 404) Why can't I watch HK video tapes in the US/Canada? It is because the tape from HK are recorded in the PAL format and you probably have a NTSC system. They are not compatible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 405) What should I do when I receive a PAL tape from HK? You can convert the tape from PAL <=> NTSC by contacting some service company. In US, There are two that are recommended by the SCHK netters: DAKE International SOMI International 3208 Foxboro Dr. 50 Summer St. Richardson, TX 75082 Edison, NJ 08820 (214)-234-8518 (908)-548-3065 INTERNATIONAL VIDEO CONVERSION 520 Harvest Lane Raleigh, NC 27606-2217 (919) 233-8689 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 408) Where do I buy Computer Science books? Here is a list of book stores in Hong Kong which carries computer science books. Go check it out. Info provided by Leo So (leoso@cs.arizona.edu) Hon Wing Book Co., Ltd. 63A, Tung Choi Street, Kowloon 391-0585 World Book Co., Ltd. Argyle Street (Near Sincere), Mongkok 394-1025 USTHK University Bookstore Level 123, Entrance Piazza, Hong Kong University of Science & Tech. 358-6400 HKU Swindon Book Co., Ltd. University of Hong Kong 546-8412 CUHK Swindon Book Co., Ltd. Fulton Building, Chinese University of Hong Kong 603-6760 Swindon Book Co., Ltd. 13-15 Locke Road, Tsimsatsui, Kowloon 366-8001 Caves Books Co,. Ltd. 4B Ferry Street, G/F., Yaumati, Kowloon 780-0987, 771-2298 Shop M124, Jackson Rd,. MTR Central Station, HK 524-8857 Academic & Professional (A&P) Book Center 1H Cheung Ming Building, 80-86 Argyle Street, Mongkok 398-2191 Man Yuen Books Co., Ltd. Parkers Street, Jordon, Kowloon 730-0594 (*) means rich in CS books. (!) means rather expensive. ($) means cheap. In addition to the list of Book Shops in the FAQ, please go and look for UNI-HALL LEED & WOOD LTD. Uni-Hall has three retail shops across the harbour. One in Upper Basement of Silvercord in Canton Road, Tsimshatsui. Another one in Computer 88, Star House, Tsimshatsui. The last one is in Far East Financian Tower, Admiralty. Uni-Hall is specialized on Computer Books on all platforms as well as Software retailling for the PC and Mac. Discounts is offered to members of the Uni-Hall Readers Club on books and software. Enrolment fee for Readers Club is around HKD100.00 which is redeemable upon termination of memberhsip. Last but not least, those chain book stores like Chung Wah and Commercial Press had been having a corner for Computer books for a few years. Although the prices are slightly being marked up, it's worth a look if you are around. [Thomas Ngan <100267.15@CompuServe.COM>] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 409) Where do I purchase publication from the Hong Kong Government? You can contact the Government Information Services (GIS) Publications Centre. Their address is: General Post Office Building Central, Hong Kong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 410-449)(reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 550) TOPICS: GATHERINGS/LOCAL GROUPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 551) Anybody out there from XYZ Secondary School? We often see posting from SCHK netters looking for lost classmates. Michael Yip from Digitial Equipment Corporation had spent considerable amount of time and effort to compile a high school list which he post very regularly. If you have missed the last issue, you can contact him at "yip@wsl.dec.com". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 552) How can I start an e-mail alumni association? Check with the High School List first before you start. There is a small chance that such a mailing list already exist. Here is the known alumius/aluma mailing list: a) Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, email John Ho, "john@jho.com" for details. b) Choi Hung Est. Catholic Secondary School, email Dominic Ng "cstdxek@csv.warwich.ac.uk" for details. c) Ho Lap College, email Johnny Chow "vcsc335@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu" for details. d) Lutheran Middle Sch, email Johnny Chow "vcsc335@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu" for details. e) Maryknoll Convent School, for enrollment (both alumnus and others), mail to Elizabeth Luk "achiever@u.washington.edu". f) Queen's College - mail to "qcnet@athena.mit.edu" for details. g) St. Francis Xavier School, TW - send mail to Thomas Kwan "nkkwan@descartes.uwaterloo.ca" for details. h) SPCC 88 (cert year) - send mail to "hkspcc88@athena.mit.edu" for details. i) Tin Kwong Rd Govt Sec Sch - email Edward S.N.Chiu "chiu@cs.unr.edu" for details. j) WYCHK - send mail to "wychk-request@kccs.com" for details. k) WYK - send mail to John Chiu "chiu@ccsf.caltech.edu" for enrollment. l) Diocesan Boys' School has a DBSnet for DBS old boys. To register, send a hello email to "dbs-admin@athena.mit.edu". m) Queen Elizabeth School - mail to "tychan@unccsun.uncc.edu". n) DGS - contact Connie Li at "pcli@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca". o) HKTA Student Ambassador - mail to Albert Pang at "albert@brahms.insl.mcgill.ca" for details. p) Good Hope School - contact Peggy Lee at "cs106275@sol.yorku.ca". q) St. Joseph - Internet Address Listing for Josephian - contact Eddie Chan at "ab138@freenet.carleton.ca". r) SPSS - contact Alice Tsang at "umtsan20@ccu.UManitoba.CA" for details. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 553) Are there any local gathering groups? In Dallas, Texas, you can get in touch with John Ho at "john@jho.com". The SCHK Texans get together for Dim Sum, Karaoke, BBQ, eat and plain BS. Tons of fun. Everyone welcome. In San Jose, California. You can contact the Club Bauhinia (CB) - "Care Hong Kong" group in the San Jose area. They are an associate member of AHKCUS. In the past they printed booklets about Hong Kong and worked with HK students from the University of California at Berkeley in publishing booklets, staging Hong Kong Week and other conferences and seminars. They also created multimedia slide shows about HK. For further information, please contact Dennis Lee at "albee@eng.sun.com". In Bay area, you can contact the BAGgers - (Bay Area Gethering) They hold semi-regular gatherings for fun in the Bay Area e.g. BBQ, Bowling, fishing, rafting etc. And they have a regular soccer game every other week. There are usally 20 to 30 players. For more information, please contact Nelson Chan at "nchan@cup.hp.com" or Lawrence Chow "lawrence.chow@eng.sun.com". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 554-699)(reserved) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 700) TOPICS: LEGENDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 701) Who is Deanna? During (what month?) 1991, in response to all those usual "looks + intelligence = constant" silly talks, a student called Deanna from University of Pittsburgh posted a message claiming "I am pretty and witty." This bold assertion stunned the hitherto male-dominated schk and Deanna became the Marilyn Monroe of schk overnight. More than 100 articles were posted in a few days and a See_Deanna_Club was eventually formed. Deanna has left Univ of Pittsburgh since but she left with us a very fond memory of hi-tech romance. Thank you Deanna. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 702) Who is Jan? Jan is a Yale student with unknown gender. In May, 1992, After series of claims of a lonesome male from HK who has the voice of Jackey Cheung, the look of Andy Lau, and the smile of Leon Lai. Jan suddenly identifies HIMSELF as a HERSELF. Later on, Jan announced this whole event was indeed HER on going experiment conducted by the Department of Psychology in Yale University. Netters were mad and some even send letter to the Dept. chair to complain about the so-called experiment as unethical. Later, Jan turned into a HIM and he (should it be she) tried to defend HIS and HER position. Today, Jan's gender and identity remains a mystery. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- John Ho from Dallas, Texas, USA. (john@jho.com) -- John Ho from Dallas, Texas, USA. (john@jho.com)