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Princess Margaret Hospital responds to the detection of Legionella in water samples          The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office according to established guidelines. The hospital will also cooperate with the CHP to investigate the case. In addition to the above precautionary and improvement measures, the hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of patients in the hospital.
Issued at HKT 21:40

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CHP investigates a case of human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (with photo) 
Case details
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     The case involves a 72-year-old male with underlying illnesses and weakened immunity. On July 9, during a follow-up visit to Queen Mary Hospital for his pre-existing condition, he was found to have abnormal liver function. His blood sample tested positive for rat HEV upon laboratory testing by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch under the CHP. The patient remains in stable condition. He has not developed symptoms and did not require hospitalisation.
 
     The CHP’s epidemiological investigation revealed that the patient lives in Sham Shui Po District and primarily spends his time in the vicinity of Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui districts. He had outbound travel with his family member from late May to early June (within the incubation period). He reported having no direct contact with rodents or rats, nor has seen any rats at his residence or places visited. The CHP does not rule out that the patient might have come into indirect contact with places or food contaminated by rats or their excreta during the incubation period, either locally or during outbound travel. His household contact (also his travel collateral) has no symptoms currently and has been put under medical surveillance.

     ​Investigations into the source and route of infection are ongoing.
 
     Although the place of infection cannot be ascertained at this stage, staff from the CHP and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have conducted site inspections of the patient’s residence and the his routine activity areas to assess environmental hygiene conditions. Investigation staff detected minor signs of rodent activity in the refuse collection room of his residential building, on the streets around his residence, on the streets in the vicinity of his activity areas in Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as in the food premises he had visited. Apart from stepping up the cleansing and disinfection, as well as anti-rodent work in the public areas in the vicinity of the locations visited by the patient, the FEHD will serve a Notice of Elimination of Vermin under section 47 of the Public Health and Municipal Ordinance (Cap. 132) requesting the licensee of concerned food premises and owners’ corporations of the concerned building to take appropriate actions within a specified timeframe to eliminate vermin in the concerned food premises and common parts of the building.
 
     The CHP and the FEHD will continue to investigate and follow up on the case.
 
     This is the second case of human infection of rat HEV recorded so far this year. In the past five years (from 2021 to 2025), Hong Kong recorded an average of zero to two cases of rat HEV per year.
 
Symptoms of rat hepatitis E
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     Human cases of rat hepatitis E virus infection affected mostly immunocompromised persons. Most cases were asymptomatic, while symptomatic patients reported mild symptoms, such as fatigue, abdominal pain and loss in appetite. It is less likely for patients with rat HEV infection to develop jaundice compared to HEV infected patients.
 
Prevention
————–      – Avoid handling rodents with bare hands;
     – Wash hands with liquid soap and water immediately after handling animals, and disinfect contaminated areas; and
     – If a wound appears, clean the broken skin immediately and cover it properly with waterproof adhesive dressings.

     Rodent control requires co-operation from all sectors of society. The CHP urged the public to strengthen rodent prevention and control measures and co-operate with government’s efforts to reduce the risk of rat HEV transmission.
Issued at HKT 20:56

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SED attends seminar on enhancing basic research in higher education institutions      
     Speaking at the conference, Dr Choi said that in terms of strengthening investment in scientific research and deepening collaborative innovation among industries, universities, and research institutes, the Government has continuously expanded the scale of research funding. A new round of the Research Matching Grant Scheme with a funding of $1.5 billion has been launched. Through the General Research Fund and the Early Career Scheme, nearly 1 500 basic research projects are being funded in the current academic year. Meanwhile, the RGC provides the Collaborative Research Fund and the Research Impact Fund to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative research across various sectors. In addition, the UGC is conducting the Research Assessment Exercise 2026 to assess research outputs in accordance with international standards.Issued at HKT 20:15

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“Enchanting Beautiful China, Beautiful Hong Kong” Experience Day marks 105th anniversary of founding of Communist Party of China       
     As pointed out by President Xi Jinping in his important speech delivered at the event on the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, over the past 105 years, the Communist Party of China has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its aspiration and mission. The country has not only achieved rapid socio-economic development, but has also made world-renowned achievements in advancing ecological civilisation. Beautiful China has become a modern blueprint for realising the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and it also serves as the brightest defining feature for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.
      
     Officiating and delivering a speech at the event, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that Hong Kong has always been an active participant and contributor in the country’s ambitious green development strategy. To align with the country’s “dual carbon” targets and the 15th Five-Year Plan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been making every effort to accelerate the green and low-carbon transition, promoting new energy transport and the circular economy with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. 
      
     The Experience Day showcased the achievements of the nation and Hong Kong in ecological and environmental protection and green transition, enabling the public to gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s leading role in environmental technologies, strengthening their sense of identity with and pride in the nation, as well as highlighting Hong Kong’s active participation and contribution.
      
     Other officiating guests included the President of the Friends of Hong Kong Association, Dr Tam Kam-kau; HKSAR deputy to the National People’s Congress Ms Wong Ping-fan; Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Professor Li Xiangdong; and the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui. Several experts and academics delivered keynote speeches, sharing valuable experiences in low-carbon transition and green energy with the attending members of the public and students.
      
     In addition to the “Enchanting Beautiful China, Beautiful Hong Kong” Experience Day, the EPD will organise Green Facilities Guided Tours from July to August. Students will visit the EcoPark, WEEE·PARK, and T·PARK to see for themselves Hong Kong’s achievements in waste management and energy transition. The EPD will also hold thematic exhibitions at Recycling Stations of GREEN@COMMUNITY, allowing the public to understand the nation’s remarkable achievements in environmental protection, as well as encouraging them to actively participate in resource recycling. For details, please visit https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/news_events/events/beautiful_china_hk.htmlIssued at HKT 19:40

Film Archive to screen four classic films to revisit charm of traditional Chinese opera arts  
     Known for its Jiangnan style, Yue opera is renowned for its elegant and melodious tunes, beautiful lyrics and refined costumes. Screenwriter Xu Jin’s Yue opera film adaptation “Dream of the Red Chamber” (1962) is considered a classic among other opera film adaptations of the original novel. Wang Wenjuan as Lin Daiyu and Xu Yulan as Jia Baoyu demonstrate rich stage experience and outstanding acting skills in the film. With the stellar acting performances and music accompaniment of the Second Troupe of the Shanghai Yue Opera Group, the film displays the essence of Yue opera on the silver screen, making it a timeless Chinese opera film masterpiece.
 
     Another selected Chinese opera film, “Bride Hunter” (1961), is a Yue opera comedy co-directed by Hu Siao-fung and the great author Jin Yong under the pseudonym of Lin Huan. Legendary film actress Hsia Moon takes on a male role for the first time as the protagonist Zhou Wenbin, and then showcases her alluring female charm as Zhou disguises as a woman in the story, a performance that continues to delight audiences to this day.
 
     The Cantonese opera film “The Lost Kite” (1957) (2K Digitised Version) features a plot of twists and turns about a maid falling in love with a scholar. Playing an elderly male character for the first time, Ma Si-tsang’s polished singing complements Hung Sin Nui’s unique vocal style, fully demonstrating the mesmerising quality of Cantonese opera.
 
     The Chaozhou opera film classic “So Luk Neung” (1960) (2K Digitised Version) tells the story of So Luk Neung and her cousin, who fall in love over time, only for her father to marry her off to someone else. Upon the film’s release in places including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, the film not only won critical acclaim and box-office success, but also sparked a trend for Chaozhou opera films in the 1960s.
 
     Each screening session will be accompanied by a post-screening talk. Speakers include renowned stage director and playwright Edward Lam, Cantonese opera performer Wang Kit-ching, Chaozhou opera performer Chan Ming-ying, Chinese opera researcher Lio Mio-mei, and film researcher Yuen Tsz-ying.
 
     The Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd. is the partner organisation of this screening programme. Tickets priced at $60 will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk 
     The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public’s sense of national identity and cultural confidence, thereby facilitating patriotic education. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2026 is being held from June to September. For more information, please visit www.ccf.gov.hkIssued at HKT 17:25

Film Archive to present screening programme “Realising Art in Social Realism: The Miracle of Union Film”  
      Union Film was co-founded in 1952 by filmmakers who shared a common goal of elevating the artistic quality of Cantonese film, with productions reflecting social realities and bearing educational significance. This programme features six early works of Union Film including masterpieces of five directors during their creative prime: Lee Tit, Lee Sun-fung, Chun Kim, Chu Kea and Ng Wui, as well as a collectively written and directed anthology works. The selection demonstrates Union Film’s concerns for society and people’s livelihoods, an aspiration for virtuous human relationships, and a philosophy that blends traditional Chinese and modern culture.
 
      Being the longest-serving director at Union Film, Lee Tit was adept at the realistic depiction of the lives of ordinary people in films that resonate deeply with audiences, including “In the Face of Demolition” (1953) (2K Digitised Version), which uses dramatic tension to highlight social issues faced by diverse residents in a dilapidated building, serving as a microcosm of post-war Hong Kong. Although the film’s characters are from different walks of life in adverse circumstances, they lend support to each other and live in neighbourly accord, embodying the solidarity spirit of “one for all, all for one”.
 
      Chun Kim excelled at portraying intergenerational relationships, with “Parents’ Hearts” (1955) (2K Digitised Version) being especially poignant among his works. The film tells the story of a father working day and night with his wife to put his sons through school, eventually falling ill from overexertion. Starring renowned Cantonese opera actor Ma Si-tsang, the film touches on the mutual assistance between impoverished artists outside the storyline of a familial relationship to highlight the compassion and generosity of human nature and reflect the harsh realities of an economic downturn and the decline of traditional art forms.
 
      Adapted from Ba Jin’s renowned eponymous novel and directed by Lee Sun-fung, “Spring” (1953) (2K Digitised Version) tells the quandaries and choices in love and marriage faced by young people amidst traditional and contemporary ideologies. Lee Sun-fung was particularly skilled at conveying the emotions of female characters. In a scene when a young girl, who is about to be forced into marriage, played by Pak Yin, sings “The Death of Daiyu”, her melancholy and misery from a tortured romance is delicately revealed.
 
      Chu Kea, who joined the film industry at the age of 13, drew on his diverse behind-the-scenes experiences from working in various posts to become a master of melodrama. His “An Orphan’s Tragedy” (1955) (2K Digitised Version) is the only film that Bruce Lee and Josephine Siao appear in together, and both deliver standout performances. The film tells the story of the protagonist becoming an orphan after his father has been framed by a villain. When the protagonist has grown up, he is set up by the same villain, forcing the father, who is now a fugitive, to come out of hiding to save him.
 
      Ng was the most prolific director at Union Film and was equally at ease across different genres of film. In the Chinese opera film, “The Precious Lotus Lamp” (1956), Ng masterfully blends the languages of Cantonese opera and cinema, setting a new standard for period musical films. With Union Film’s rigorous approach to film production, Cheung Wood-yau and Tsi Lo Lin, both trained in Cantonese opera, were cast in the lead roles, offering their vocal prowess and refined stage movements and gestures on screen, while veteran Cantonese opera actor Siu Sun Kuen portrayed the antagonist and served as a consultant to ensure the artistic quality of the film.
 
      Marking the second anniversary of Union Film, an all-star lineup of directors and actors came together for the two instalments of “Love” (Part 1 & The Sequel) (1955) (2K Digitised Version) in a spirit of collective creativity to present six stories involving a wide variety of passengers on a ship, shedding light on the relationships between family members, mothers and sons, sisters, spouses and lovers. The film depicts six different forms of human affection and examines the interpersonal intricacies within.

      Tickets priced at $60 will be available from July 17 (Friday) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk 
      The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public’s sense of national identity and cultural confidence, thereby facilitating patriotic education. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2026 is held from June to September. For more information, please visit www.ccf.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:55