Hong Kong has an enormous number of trees, with over 16 million trees planted by various government departments in the past decade alone. In this crowded city, trees enhance our quality of life by improving air quality, lowering the temperature and beautifying our landscape. These precious natural assets are treasured and valued by all of us. However, just like all other living organisms, trees are subject to the laws of nature and go through the natural life cycle of birth, ageing, illness and death......

With the geographical constraints of its mountainous terrain and shortage of flat land, Hong Kong has limited land available for development. However, Hong Kong can be proud to have been able to develop such a small place into a modern, safe and accessible metropolis with a comfortable environment in which more than 7 million people can live and work. To maintain Hong Kong’s long-term development, we need an abundant and stable land supply to address the various needs of the community and grasp the future economic opportunities in a timely manner......

This morning Victoria Harbour was bustling with activity, with over 1,000 swimmers participating in the cross-harbour swimming race, which resumed three years ago. Large crowds of spectators watched the race on both sides of the harbour. To us, Victoria Harbour is a harbour for the people and also Hong Kong’s world-class public heritage. In an earlier blog post, I outlined our progress in harbourfront enhancement in recent years. Last Friday, the Harbourfront Commission held a symposium with the theme of “Unleashing the Potential of the Waterfront”. During the symposium, overseas speakers shared their successful experiences in harbourfront enhancement and we all looked forward to our future harbourfront development......

Technology is advancing rapidly and has changed our lives thoroughly. Nowadays the use of a smart phone or a tablet computer has brought us much convenience, as these can also serve as a computer, a television set or even a filing cabinet. For example, if you need to visit an unfamiliar place, previously you would have had to look it up on a map or a street guide to search for its location and plan the route. Today, you can simply use the map app in your smart phone or tablet computer to easily identify the location and be led to your destination with the help of the Internet and the Global Positioning System.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s athletes achieved remarkable results in the 12th Chinese National Games, bringing home a total of seven medals including one gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Our well-known cyclist Lee Wai-sze, who grew up in the poor neighbourhood of Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, won a track-cycling gold medal in the women's keirin event with her great sprinting prowess, fully demonstrating her pedigree as an Olympic bronze medallist. In addition, Chan Chun-hing and Cheung King-lok won bronze medals in the men's mountain bike cross-country event and the men's individual time trial event respectively......