How to watch the World Cup in Hong Kong! from Sum
Post categories: World Cup 2010 blog
| 15:44 UK time, Monday, 5 July 2010
Hi everyone,
I am Sum from Hong Kong, although Hong Kong and China didn't qualify in the current World Cup in South Africa, most of the people in Hong Kong still very enjoy the event, I always talk about the event with my colleagues and friends recently, the matches, the players, anything about the World Cup.
Even though a lot of people love football in Hong Kong, we can't enjoy the matches at home, as the matches will not be broadcast through those free-of-charge TV channels in Hong Kong, the matches have been monopolized by a pay television channel, if you want to watch the event, you need to subscribe it, but the subscription fee is a bit expensive for somebody.
If you live in Hong Kong but haven't subscribed the channel just like me, but you want to enjoy the matches, what should you do? You can go to the commercial plaza and watch those matches; some of the shopping centers have installed a big screen for broadcasting World Cup matches, in order to attract more customers for their shops.
Besides it, you can also go to the "Cha chann ten" (a type of restaurant very popular in Hong Kong, you can also call in tea restaurant), some of them provide match-watching services, usually the atmosphere there makes you enjoy the match more than at home.
Due to the monopolization, I think Hong Kong has developed its unique culture on watching football, hope all of you enjoy what I have shared!
Comment number 1.
At 8th Jul 2010, Tienhoa wrote:Hi Sum,
Unlike Hong Kong, everyone can watch the world cup football matches free of charge in my country Vietnam. Similar to Hong Kong, although Vietnam has not qualified for 2010 World Cup, Vietnamese people are very interested in football and they are more likely to gather at cafe and beer shops to watch and comment the matches among their friends and relatives.
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Comment number 2.
At 8th Jul 2010, unkownunkown wrote:Hi Sum,
Thanks for your sharing. Actually, I'm not a football fan. I know World Cup is now a very hot topic in HK. It's very amazing that so many people get togather in pubs, "Cha chann tens", or shoping malls and watch the match! I believe it would be very exciting!
You said people have to pay to watch the WC match on TV, and I think they also have to pay to watch the match in resturants, pubs and cinemas etc. It is a good chance for those businessmen to make more profit during big events like WC, isn't it? Of course, to enjoy the match is important. You must have much fun in watching it, don't you?
I really want to know why football is so popular in the world. There are many worldwide sport events like World Cup, European Cup, Primier League, and national football matches held in lots of countries including Brazil, UK etc. It seems people play football everywhere in the world. Do you know the reason?
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Jul 2010, sum wrote:I think other football leagues have become commodities in the modern world, but I think World Cup is not just simply a commodity for many of us.
I think the world cup should also be a medium to share positive values to the people in this world, such as sportsmanship, fighting spirit, fair play, enjoying the beauty of football, a hot topic of each other, etc. I think the world cup could perform as a modern ritual in our would, in an attempt to remind such values to us in every four years.
If your country could luckly qualify, it is a very good chance for you to love your nation, when you are supporting the team that belongs to your nation, it is a very good chance to unite people in your community.
It is upset for me to know that the world cup has been monopolized by a pay-TV channel in HK, it becomes merely a commercial activity, some of the goals that i have mentioned could not be achieved.
i think the world cup has changed the communities in this world deeply, it is not just a commercial activity, besides considering the profit, the event also has sociological meanings to our world, we need to think about them.
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Comment number 4.
At 11th Jul 2010, Marcelo Soares wrote:Hi Sum,
I'm from Brazil, site of the World Cup in 2014. And in a globalized world we are seeing this opportunity as a great opportunity to put our home and receive visitors todo.Queremos show the world that we are no longer a banana republic and, through democracy and education, we become a power not only economic, but also sports, cultural and intellectual. Our cities are racing against time. I am not political.
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Comment number 5.
At 14th Jul 2010, unkownunkown wrote:Hi Sum, I really agree with you. The World Cup is not only a match, but also a media to remind us of some values like sportsmanship, fair play, etc. I also find that the World Cup has really linked people together from all around the world, because each team in the match is not only back by its own country but also back by thousands of fans from all over the world.
Apart from World Cup, lots of things have become more and more commercialized. What a shame! I heard a saying that "People comsume so that new job vacancies are produced". It means the behavior of buying and selling things creats new job vacancies. Maybe it is a characteristics of Modern City. I do not dislike the commercialization things, but I'm disappointed that some people make profit without doing it in a more humanized way.
Anyway, as the great event comes to an end, life seems back to the ordinary way.
Best wishes
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