The annual marathon, the biggest such event, offers positive lessons for Hong Kong, Standard Chartered HK Chief Executive Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng believes

TEXT  ADELE WONG     PHOTOS JIMMY LUK

Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng tells The PEAK that he is more the sprinter type. But that certainly does not discourage the director and chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) from being passionate about the city’s annual marathon, half-marathon and 10-kilometre races at the end of this month.

Although you will not see him sweating his way through 42.2 kilometres (26 miles) of closed-off highways between Tsim Sha Tsui, the New Territories, and Victoria Park, you will be able to catch Hung in action during the Standard Chartered Marathon 2010 Leaders’ Cup, a two-kilometre competition he devised to run alongside the regular races to inspire some friendly competition among his executive friends, including the athletic Jardine Matheson director James Riley. Hung will also be on the sidelines and keeping busy from 3am up to the conclusion of the races, encouraging marathon runners and cheering for Hong Kong.
 

Leading figures from business,  government and academia converged at a summit organised by the think tank, Bauhinia Foundation to address key issues related to creating a Pearl River Delta metropolis, a unified district linking Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau as envisioned by the research centre in 2008. Research centre chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk updates The PEAK about the summit as well as research findings to be presented in a new book

TEXT ELLE KWAN

Where did the idea for a book come from?

The Financial Secretary had said why not do a book on this subject, but it so happened that the report came first. We published our report [Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the PRD] back in 2008, October. That was the first real in depth research of this concept and so it attracted a lot of attention. In fact, if you look at our press cuttings, our research was quoted almost everyday in the mainland press. But a book was the original thought.

The research outlined 22 policies across 11 areas, embracing the idea of a Pearl River Delta Metropolis. What does that vision mean for you?

It means that if I look at this metropolis in 2040, my vision is of one of the top metropolis's in the world. The living environment is a green environment, it is cultural. People come in and out in a seamless flow. Yes, its One Country Two Systems but, its a level playing field. Hong Kong residents working in Guangzhou can go and see a doctor of their choice and be happy there. Imagine, I have an Octopus card and I take the MTR, take the Hong Kong rail to Guangzhou, then I use it on the Guangzhou underground, and shop in the Seven-11 there. It's little things that will make the region seem as one. Like getting my Blackberry out and not having to pay a roaming charge.
 

Composer Tan Dun says he is into organic sounds and sees elements of nature in rhythms and tempos

TEXT ALEX LAI          PHOTO JIMMY LUK

It was a foggy day when we were riding the shuttle bus and ventured through rugged tracks along the hills of Lantau Island.

Thoughts of meeting Tan Dun became a mixture of confusion and interest as we reached a monastery, an hour’s drive from the central business district.

Then, not long after we met the composer, he was heading to the forested hill with his cap on, busy shooting for a television crew and digging up soil.