The World Skills Competition is reaching its final stages, with each contestant striving to achieve their goals. *Benny*, competing in 3D game skills, faces unexpected challenges. What strategies will he employ? *Kelvin*, with solid fundamentals and quick welding skills, aims to make up for lost time in the air conditioning competition. *Sarah* and *伍泓軼* are working on autonomous robots. Will they successfully navigate their robot out of the maze? As *Mavis* in display design and *Jarvis* in pastry making approach the finish line, what final challenges await them? In the end, who will stand on the podium and bask in their moment of glory?

The 17th March is Saint Patrick’s Day, which commemorates the death of Ireland’s foremost patron saint. It’s celebrated, officially or unofficially, everywhere Irish people have emigrated. On the show later, we’ll be discovering more about what’s happening in Hong Kong to celebrate Celtic heritage and culture. The colour green invariably plays a large part in events related to Ireland and St Patrick’s Day but before we hear more about that, we’re taking a look at the “green fingers” of a Hong Kong father and daughter duo who are maintaining the ancient art of Lingnan penjing, also known as Cantonese penjing. Like bonsai, it’s the art of using plants and other natural materials to create miniature representations of nature, and it dates back to at least the 15th century. Alisan Fine Arts is currently presenting in its Aberdeen art space the debut Hong Kong exhibition by artist and scholar Xie Xiaoze. Xie is fascinated by books, and his works over the past three decades have included paintings, installations, photographs and videos that explore the relationships between knowledge, history and power.

Wing Lee Wai Wines Ltd., founded in Guangzhou in 1876, Wing Lee Wai relocated to Sheung Wan, Hong Kong in 1905. It mainly deals in Chinese wines such as Siberian ginseng wine and rose wine. Mr Ching, the fourth-generation owner, is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner by training, and has passed his recipes on to his son who now runs the business. Looking around the shop, there are many photos and paintings that hold historical significance. Meanwhile, an intriguing tale lies behind the brand’s packaging and logo alone. Apart from being a beverage, wine can also be used as a cooking ingredient – a head chef who is particularly fond of time-honoured Hong Kong brands incorporates the winery’s brews into his French dishes. With the passage of time, raw ingredients became increasingly difficult to source, while high rent and labour costs led the company to move its production line to Macau. The wine-making techniques and the shop’s prized treasure, which have been passed down through the generations, serves as an important source of spiritual support that sustains this business with more than a century of history.

After a whole year of preparation by the participating teams, it’s finally the day of Robocon Hong Kong 2024. Over a hundred tertiary students exuded their youthful vigour and passion for robots, striving to qualify for the international competition held in Vietnam as the representative of Hong Kong, China! This episode will first introduce the remaining team, Team E, then feature rounds of intense robot battles from the quarter-final onwards. It will conclude by revealing to the audience which team won and represented Hong Kong, China in the competition in Vietnam, endeavouring to be the strongest team in the Asia-Pacific region!

The Paris Paralympic Games are just around the corner, drawing widespread attention. For para athletes, stepping onto the Paralympic stage often involves overcoming even greater challenges. Choosing the path of a full-time athlete requires careful consideration, including financial stability and post-retirement security. In recent years, the government has significantly increased resources for the development of para sports. The 2017 pilot scheme for the Elite Vote Support System for Disability Sports provides financial assistance and training support to full-time and part-time athletes. This programme was made permanent in 2019, with increased funding, offering substantial support for elite para athletes to dedicate themselves to full-time training. What challenges do young para athletes face today? Can they uphold the "Paralympic spirit" and achieve new heights?

Episode 82

The beautiful Caribbean coast of Colombia is the birthplace of the iconic Colombian rhythm, cumbia, which has gained popularity across Latin America. The Music Voyager team visits Cartagena, filming acclaimed artist Totó la Momposina performing with her band on the beach as local children join in the dancing. Cartagena is also a hub for champeta music, which blends contemporary African styles with Latin and Caribbean influences. The team interacts with local stars like Louis Towers, producer Lucas Silva, and sound engineer Charles King, exploring the historic yet vibrant city from the old town to the beaches of La Boquilla.

This episode features some highlights of the award presentation ceremony for the Civil Service Volunteer Commendation Scheme, and introduces several winning civil service volunteer teams: Hong Kong Police Force Volunteer Teams – With staunch support from the departmental management, the Volunteer Teams provided a wide variety of volunteer services, and their total number of volunteer service hours was the highest among the various teams. Digital Policy Office Volunteer Team – Being familiar with digital information technology (IT), the Volunteer Team has applied many IT items to the volunteer services, so that the recipients could enjoy the benefits and support arising from the new technologies. Hong Kong Fire Services Department Volunteer Team – Apart from the routine fire prevention and extinguishing work, one of the important items for the Volunteer Team was “After-fire Service”, which provided thoughtful and appropriate assistance to people affected by disasters. Drainage Services Department Volunteer Team – The Volunteer Team has produced a series of short films for the cancer prevention and rehabilitation institutions, so as to provide various types of useful information for rehabilitees and their carers. The hit rate of these short films has already exceeded 100 000. The programme also introduces two veteran civil service volunteers who received individual awards, with a view to demonstrating their community-caring and people-oriented spirit to the public.

CHAN Yiu-fai, the Hongkong Post’s Superintendent of Posts, considers that it is not necessary for Postal Officers to be smarter than others, but they must have a greater sense of responsibility. CHAN Yiu-fai has experienced the challenges during the epidemic and elections. As the management, he had to maintain the public service while ensuring the health and safety of colleagues. During the epidemic, he would always stay until the last moment, and would close the door and leave only after making sure that all colleagues had returned safely. CHAN Yiu-fai considers that both individuals and departments have to keep abreast of the times. He likes to learn from young colleagues so as to better understand social changes and discharge his duties more effectively. In recent years, the department has actively used technologies to launch services and enhance efficiency. However, he considers that human capital of the Hongkong Post is the most important resource after all. As a member of the civil service, it is the responsibility of CHAN Yiu-fai to serve the public with professionalism, positive attitude and dedication. What satisfies him the most is seeing that his service could bring convenience for the public, and won their recognition and trust.

Financial Secretary Phone-in