Hong Kong’s ‘can-do spirit’ embodied in 26 award finalists

Twenty-six outstanding individuals have been nominated for the South China Morning Post’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards this year, the fourth of the annual series to honour the work of well-known as well as unsung heroes who make a difference in this city.

Over the next few weeks, the Post will run stories about these nominees, ranging from a teenager on a relentless eco-quest to a strong-willed mother single-handedly changing lives, a blind technologist with a noble vision, and a septuagenarian who refuses to let age stop her bringing sunshine into people’s lives. They are all impressive in different ways, but what links them together is how they embody the “spirit of Hong Kong”.

“Hong Kong faces much economic uncertainty and social turmoil this year, but there is also plenty of hope when we look at the individuals who, on their own or though their organisations, contribute so much to this city,” Post Editor-in-Chief Tammy Tam said. “There are unsung heroes as well-recognised figures among them, all demonstrating the spirit of Hong Kong.

“This year the Post will once again seek out and pay tribute to the people who succeed against all odds, sacrifice personal gain to help others, blaze new trails in their fields, and make this city a better place for everyone.”

“What is the ‘spirit of Hong Kong’? People might have different ideas, but to me, it’s simple – it’s what I would call the ‘can-do’ spirit,” said Dr David Pang Ding-jung, chairman of Armada Holdings, formerly known as SCMP Group. Pang has been on the judging panel right from the start of the awards in 2013.

“Hong Kong people have always had that spirit to make it happen; make something out of nothing; make the impossible possible,” he said.