Last day - Hang Heung Factory, Home Sweet Home

After hearing much talk about the famous wife’s cake (Lao Po Bing) in Hong Kong, it was finally the day to visit the Hang Heung factory, which is one of the factories in Hong Kong that specialises in Lao Po Bing. To boot, it is also one of the local’s favourites! 

We visited the factory in order to learn more about the real-life application of Economics concepts including economies of scale, production and cost, market structure, as well as Geography concepts of Small Medium Enterprises. Before entering the factory, we were asked to wear a mask so as to keep to the hygiene standards of the factory. 

As we entered the building, we noticed that it was largely labour intensive, with rows of factory workers skillfully kneading the dough for the pastries and nimbly shaping them into the right size for baking. This is in contrast to what we saw at Coca-Cola plant yesterday. In Coca-Cola bottling factory, the entire production is highly capital intensive. The reluctance of Hang Heung to replace labour with machineries could be due to its long history as a family business. It could be due to their belief that such skills to ensure its superb quality can only be maintained by their loyal and skilful workers of many years. The personal touch of kneading and shaping the pastries by hand adds to the traditional belief that “home-made” pastries always taste better.

From the tour, we learnt that the production process of the factory is mainly produced on demand. For example, they only produced mooncakes during the Mooncake Festival. In addition, the pastries are produced accordingly to the Just-In-Time production method, where there is minimal wastage of resources. This is so that the amount of pastries produced will be adjusted according to demand in that period of time. This is to ensure that there will be no excess supply and hence, maximum profits can then be achieved.

We also observed specialisation (division of labour) at the factory. As seen in the photo above, some workers are tasked to knead the dough, some to put in the fillings and shape them, while some scrap the baking trays to remove residue and another worker is seen washing the trays. Specialist workers become quicker at producing goods as they can concentrate on what they are good at and build up their expertise. This results in increased in productivity of each labour, hence leading to falling unit cost of production. However, we also learnt that the workers are multiskilled. This implies that most of them actually know one another area of work. For example, the workers kneading dough for old wife’s cake are also capable of making mooncakes. Hence, during the mid-autumn festival where the firm needs to produce mooncakes, they can assign existing workers over. This reduces the need to train or hire new workers just for that period. Thus, the firm need not incur more cost on paying wages for additional workers. This also saves on administrative hassle to hire temporary staffs just for that period which also translate to monetary savings. This raises the productivity and efficiency of the factory and hence, unit costs of production are lowered. 

After a quick tour around the factory, we were each given a wife’s cake to eat. We then proceed to purchase the wife’s cake and also other pastries such as love letters.

By allowing visits to be made to their factory, this helps them to promote and advertise their product. In the traditional pastries market in Hong Kong, we only know of Kee Wah as the other firm. It seems that the secret recipes and ability to ensure superb quality over the years has been one of Hang Heung’s most significant barriers to entry that prevent any competitors from entering the market.  Strong branding through words of mouth has also creates loyalty in and out of Hong Kong. An interesting fact we found is that they did not see Kee Wah as their rival at all! They also mentioned that they do not really advertise their product as many know about them through words of mouth. They are confident of the quality of their products and their market position. We also found out that it is cheaper to buy here at their factory than at their retail outlets. This cost savings is most likely due to the savings on transportation costs (when pastries are delivered from factory to the outlets) which are then passed to consumers who buy at the factory. Another possible reason could be due to higher rental costs incurred at the retail outlets. Hence, Hang Heung is unable to offer the same price they offer at factory over at the retail outlets. We are amazed at how Economics come alive from this visit.  

After the visit to Hang Heung factory, we adjourned to Tung Chung Citygate Factory Outlet where we were able to shop leisurely as well as enjoy our remaining time spent in Hong Kong. 

Then, we made our way to the airport to return to Singapore, where we said our last goodbyes and expressed our gratitude towards our Tour Manager, Jack as well as to our teachers, Mrs Chan and Miss Huang, for putting in so much effort into the planning of this trip.

We sincerely thank everyone who made this trip possible, from the teachers-in-charge to the vice-principals and Ms Choo. It is truly because of them that this trip was made possible, and the memories and learning experiences gained from the trip are sure to carry us through the days of our lives.

Fifth day - Coca Cola Plant, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Housing Authority

It is our fifth day, and the itinerary of the day includes a visit to Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong, Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Hong Kong Housing Authority.

After enjoying a delicious dim sum breakfast, we proceeded to Swire Coca Cola factory to start on our guided learning journey.

Swire Coca-Cola HK Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Swire Beverages Limited and is the leading soft drink bottler in Hong Kong. It operates 17 production lines and produces more than 64 million unit cases annually. Swire is a highly diversified global group. Many of their core businesses can be found within the Asia Pacific region, where traditionally Swire's operations have centred on Hong Kong and Mainland China. Within Asia, Swire's activities come under the group's publicly quoted arm, Swire Pacific Ltd. Their objective is to advance a framework in which their packaging is no longer seen as waste, but instead as a valuable resource for future use. Swire’s packaging delivers value to consumers by meeting their needs for convenience, portability and functionality.

The company’s tour guide, Mr Eric, brought us around the building and explained how the company operates. Upon viewing the bottling and packing process of the cans and bottles of drinks, what struck us immediately was how capital intensive the plant is. It harnessed technology (such as capping machines) and requires very few workers in the production lines. In fact, most of the workers are concentrated in the marketing and administration departments.

We learnt that Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong is a bottling plant which bottled the Coca-Cola formula from America. This means that Swire has control over the way it bottled the drink. In order to reduce cost of production to maximise profits, Swire imported special plastic bottles from Taiwan that are a few times smaller than what we see at the supermarket. These bottles are then blown up to full size (as shown in the picture below) at Swire bottling plant before they undergo stringent sterilization and finally filled with the beverage. 

This bottling technology save space on importing the raw material (plastic bottles), reducing shipping cost which takes into account the volume of the cargo. This reduces cost of production!

Swire also taps on the environmental consciousness of people in Hong Kong to reduce its cost of production by having an extensive recycling programme all over the city. Swire invented recycling machines to collect used bottles, cans as well as glass bottles. 

These are then processed and returned to its bottling plants to be sterilized and filled with beverages again. According to Mr Eric, Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong currently holds 80-90% market share of the beverages market in Hong Kong. This implies that it enjoys significant economies of scale. For example, bulk purchase of plastic bottles alone enables large savings of cost. To tap on this, Swire also invented its own brand of beverage-Bonaqua, a type of mineral water. 

Hence, with many common raw materials needed across the different beverages Swire bottled, the firm is able to enjoy relatively lower material costs.

Although the firm holds significant market share in Hong Kong, it is evidenced that Swire continues to engage in product differentiation. For example, it uses American’s Coke Super Chill technology that chills the drink on the inside instantly when the bottle cap is untwisted, allowing consumers to enjoy the original taste of icy Coca-Cola chilled at minus 6 degrees Celsius. With the SuperChill refrigerators, consumers get to enjoy icy beverages by Coca-Cola, anytime, anywhere in Hong Kong. This technology is so far unique only to Coca-Cola. This is where cross-elasticity of demand can be applied where the demand for Coca-Cola beverages will only fall by less than proportionate when the price of beverages by competitors such as Pepsi falls. 

Next, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) was our second pit stop of the day. Upon entering the building, we were greeted with security guards watching our every move. This definitely gave us a sense of vigilance and self-awareness, reminding us to behave appropriately. Soon we were wholly engaged to the vast information presented in front of us.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority was established on 1 April 1993 as Hong Kong’s central banking institution. The HKMA’s main functions and responsibilities are governed by the Exchange Fund Ordinance and the Banking Ordinance and are set out in the Exchange of Letters between the Financial Secretary and the Monetary Authority of 25 June 2003.

The HKMA has 4 main functions:

1. To maintain currency stability within the framework of the Linked Exchange Rate system
2. To promote the stability and integrity of the financial system, including the banking system
3. To help maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center, including the maintenance and development of Hong Kong’s financial infrastructure
4. To manage the Exchange Fund

The HKMA maintains Hong Kong’s Linked Exchange Rate system, under which the Hong Kong dollar is linked to the US dollar at the rate of HK7.80=US$1. It supervises one of the world’s largest and most diverse banking centers and manages US$317.3 billion in official reserves, in the Exchange Fund (up to the end of December 2012). Lastly, it supervises and develops one of the most advanced efficient financial infrastructures in the world.

In the past, Hong Kong used precious metals as a form of payment, with silver and gold being the standard mode of transactions. As years progressed, the government of Hong Kong faced a pressing problem. The value of precious metals became higher than the actual coin value which made people to melt them and us it at a higher price. As a measure, the government used coins with cheaper metals to protect their currency and its economy. With years of colonization by the British and relations with China and Taiwan, the Sterling Pound, Ren Min Bi and Tai Bi officially became a legal tender in Hong Kong.

As Hong Kong started to rise as one of the 4 Asian tigers, it was paramount for them to protect their currency from counterfeits. A wide array of measures was undertaken to achieve this. Some of them was the advanced watermark, colour changing metallic strip, value imprint, value code and specialized paper with 100% pure cotton.

We also learnt about how the banknotes are made. Firstly, the banknote paper is specially manufactured with watermark and colour changing windowed metallic thread which is delivered to the Hong Kong Noted Printing Private Limited. To provide design, both sides of the banknote are printed simultaneously using litho printed. Silk-screen printing is also applied. It is used for the printing of dynamic colour changing pattern and iridescent image. Advanced intaglio printing provides an enhanced embossed feel.  Sheets will then go through a sheet examination. Each note of the sheets is individually numbered and printed with fluorescent images with additional security features. Printed sheets are then cut into single notes. An automatic Banknote Processing System is used for the final quality check of the banknotes. 

After the final quality check, single notes are strapped in packets which will be stored in a vault while awaiting collection by the note-issuing banks. Printed notes will then be transported to the vaults of note-issuing banks for storage. 

Up to this stage, the banknotes are not considered as issued. Banknotes are issued by the three note-issuing banks, against the Government’s Exchange Rate system. 

Certificates of indebtedness are issued by the note-issuing banks to this effect. On their return to the note-issuing banks, used banknotes are redeemed against payment from the Governor’s Exchange Fund in US dollars. These redeemed banknotes are considered unissued banknotes held in stock. Used notes are screened by machines at the note-issuing banks to sort out worn, damaged or soiled notes. Unfit notes are then shredded and sent for landfill.

Mrs Chan also shared with us on the monetary policies adopted by Singapore and other countries. We were given a preview of what we will be learning next year on macroeconomics problems and policies. As this is a self-visited tour, we did not have the chance to find out what monetary policies Hong Kong adopted. However, it certainly triggers our interest in the macro aspects of economics.

Last but not least, we visited the Hong Kong Housing Authority. Established in 1973, the HA develops and implements a public housing programme with the main objective of meeting the housing needs of low income families. 

Approximately 30% of the Hong Kong population lives in public rental housing units, with 52% living in private housing. The HA plans, builds, manages and maintains different types of public housing, including rental housing estates, interim housing estates and transit centres. Currently, 720,000 public rental housing are for lease, majority of them situated at the Kowloon Peninsular. 60% of these tenants living in these public houses have a monthly income of HK$1,500 (approximately S$9,000).

Housing in Hong Kong is in the form a merit good. It is viewed by the government as having substantial private benefits for the individuals themselves. However, it gives rise to the problem of income inequity where low-income households are not able to afford housing, leading to overcrowding (underconsumption of proper unit) and homelessness. Thus, in response to the aspirations of the low and middle income families to buy their own homes, the Housing Authority has come up with 2 policies – Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) and the Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS). The HOS aims at helping first time home buyers, with a monthly household income below HK$40,000, to purchase flats at an affordable price. The eligibility to purchase the houses is that one must have an income of less than HK$8,800 (S$52,800). The prices of the HOS flats will also be set with reference to their mortgage repayment ability. On the other hand, the TPS was introduced to enable families living in rental housing to buy their flats at a cheaper rate over the next 10 years. Under this scheme, flat prices are given a further discount of 60% on purchase within the first year, which is as low as 12% of the market value.

On top of that, the Government has also implemented the Home Purchase Loan Scheme (HPLS), Mortgage Subsidy Scheme (MSS) as well as the Buy or Rent Option (BRO) to meet the ever increasing demand for housing. Interest free loans and subsidies are provided to lower the costs of consumption, causing the consumer to internalise the external benefits and hence increasing consumption to the socially efficient level. Moreover, subsidies make housing cheaper and affordable for the low-income households, reducing the inequity problem.  

Efforts were made to enhance the sustainability of the housing works by incorporating green concepts into the planning, design and management of the public rental housing. 57 states has been redeveloped and revitalised so far. Initiatives such as micro climate studies and wind and solar panels installation, seek to increase the use of renewable energy to achieve sustainable development. With the use of computerized simulation models, the local climate can be optimized to enhance wind environment of the site, natural ventilation and daylight for the domestic flats, thermal comfort of external areas and energy efficiency. A pilot grid-connected mono-crystalline silicon PV system at Lam Tin Estate has been in operation since August 2009. Its power output can cater for part of the electricity demand of the estate’s communal facilities. What’s more, there would be free Wifi located in almost every part of these new housing schemes! All these would increase the quality of life of these tenants and the general standard of living in Hong Kong will be tremendously enhanced.

Should we, as Singaporeans feel fortunate for our affordable and spacious housing as compared to the tiny exorbitantly-priced shoebox apartments in chopstick-like skyscrapers in Hong Kong? We can make a comparison between both countries before we draw further conclusions.

Firstly, in terms of density, less than 7% of Hong Kong’s land is designated for residential use, and woodlands, grasslands and wetlands constitutes 67% of the city’s 1,108 square kilometres. As compared to Singapore, 14% of its land is allocated for housing purposes. Secondly, in terms of pricing, under the HOS scheme as mentioned above, the prices of new HOS flats will be set in accordance with the mortgage repayment ability of eligible households. For example, the price of a new HOS flat with a saleable area of 400 to 500 sq ft will fall in the range of HK$1.5 million to HK$2 million (approximately S$250000 to around S$330000).  In terms of affordability, it will take a household with an annual income of HK$300,000 (S$50000) which is approximately five years to pay off its loan using all of its annual income. 

Whereas in Singapore, citizens are eligible to utilise the Central Provident Fund (CPF) which is a compulsory comprehensive savings plan where the employer contributes 16% of the employee's monthly gross salary and the employee contributes 20% of his monthly gross salary. For example, Singaporeans are able to use the amount available (eg. $100,000) in the Ordinary Account to pay off the loan amount of the HDB flat (eg. $500,000). Therefore, this lowers the loan amount and monthly installment citizens are required to pay, making it more affordable to purchase housing in Singapore in comparison to Hong Kong.  Thirdly, in terms of rental, about 2.1 million people live in Public Rental Housing (PRH) flats in Hong Kong. PRH rent, inclusive of management and maintenance costs, is reviewed every two years and adjusted according to PRH household income. As of March 2012, PRH monthly rent ranged from HK$260 to HK$3,520 (S$43 to S$590). On the other hand, in 2011, about 2% of Singapore’s population resided in rented flats. HDB only provides subsidized rental for 1 or 2 room flats. Rent varies from S$26 to S$275 depending on household income and flat type. Households that wish to rent 3-room flats have to go to the open market, where rental for 3-room flat ranges from S$1,630 to S$2,300.

All in all, the trip to the Housing Authority was an enriching experience with a deeper understanding on how the Hong Kong government allocates housing targeted at the lower income households. The various schemes implemented had benefitted and help to curb the prevalent housing problem. However, there is still an unabated demand for housing in Hong Kong, due to the lack of government resources for identifying and developing residential sites.

This marks the end of day 5 as we proceed on to the last day of our learning journey in Hong Kong!

Fourth day - Ma Shi Chau, Sai Kung High Island Geo Park

Our itinerary for today would begin with a trek along the Ma Shi Chau Nature Trail, a trail lining the coastline of Ma Shi Chau, an island linked to the Sai Kung peninsula of Hong Kong by a coastal feature called a tombolo, followed by a visit to the picturesque High Island Reservoir - a Geopark renowned for its magnificent hexagonal columns of rhyolitic rock formed from past volcanic eruptions in Hong Kong.

As our morning began with a rocky terrain trail at the interestingly named 'Ma Shi Chau' (direct translation: horse excrement island- I will elaborate more on this later), we were greeted with a blast from the past when we saw the quaint little fishing village that welcomed us at the start of our trek. Guided by our knowledgeable and witty Geopark guide, affectionately known as Uncle Sam, our lungs were injected with fresh air (not something you'll breathe in everyday Singapore) as we embarked on our hike up a hill that we had to cross before arriving at Ma Shi Chau.

Lining the hillside were graves of a traditional cemetery, and Uncle Sam generously took the opportunity to enlighten us on the traditions and customs of the people there as well as how the islands were named. Basically, in the case of Ma Shi Chau, it all began with a mountain that the first settlers thought looked like a horse saddle and thus, based on its naming as "Horse Saddle mountain", a trend of naming the landmarks based on horses was created; Ma Shi Chau interestingly was thought to look like horse excrement in the channel. We also learnt that a custom known as "twice burial" was often practiced where the body of a deceased will be dug up after an initial burial after some time before being cremated.

After passing by tens of graves and scaling hundreds of steps- we finally reached our first location of a tombolo. It was really refreshing and enlightening to finally see our textbooks come to live! As the Hong Kong government wanted to preserve the tombolo in the event of a typhoon, the reinforcements and coastal management we have tediously memorized came alive to us - we saw how they used salt water resistant vegetation and rocks to reinforce the tombolo, where the roots of the vegetation would stabilize the tombolo and the rocks will allow deposition to continue occurring. The idea of using salt resistant plants also made sense in the saltwater/coastal environment, and through this, we leant about the importance of contextualisation and understanding the knowledge rather than just memorizing off the textbook.

Using the tombolo as our bridge, we arrived on Ma Shi Chau. It felt incredibly surreal to be standing on rocks millions and millions of years old, making it almost impossible to imagine the scale of things and these majestic processes of earth movement. 

According to Uncle Sam, Ma Shi Chau is largely of sedimentary origin, comprising mainly of siltstone, mudstone and sandstone with some intrusions of solidified magma as well as sedimentary rocks that had undergone heat and pressure, resulting in the presence of metamorphic rock such as quartzite. 

What struck us the most was the extremely clear joints and bedding planes inscribed on the rocks due to lithification as well as tensional forces from plate movement. At one point, we were even able to see an intrusion of solidified magma between two bands of sedimentary rock and it was incredibly interesting to see these two different types rocks juxtaposed next to each other, one about a 100 million years older than the other, according to Uncle Sam.

As we trekked along the nature trail, we were able to feel and even scratch at the different rocks before our eyes. For example, mudstone, being comprised of mainly mud, allowed us to leave marks on these rocks using our fingernails. It really changed our perspectives of rocks- we'll no longer be able to view them as just meaningless objects we come across with everyday but as the diverse by products of the earth, each having its own story to tell. 

During this trek,we were also able to differentiate the different types of rocks confidently after seeing them in the flesh. We were able to tell apart the minerals that make up Granite; we could easily identify quartz veins found within granite and quartzite; we also learnt that weathering processes all take place together, but depending on the environment and mineral composition, one process might be more dominant than others. What made our little adventure all the more exciting was knowing that these rocks were in their original form- never tainted by man but only the forces of nature such as coastal erosion and weathering processes acting upon them . It was almost like a buffet of lithosphere spread before our very eyes! The various forms of weathering finally had so much meaning, it was like living in our lecture notes seeing all the processes in the flesh; and at that point, we finally could understand how amazing physical geography was as we got to experience it and see it first hand for ourselves. 

Following that, we visited the High Island Reservoir/Dam area, one of Hong Kong's most popular geological sites, located in New Territories. Built in the late 1970s, the High Island Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Hong Kong, was created by damming the two ends of a narrow sea channel, of which the Eastern side overlooked the Pacific ocean. For the construction of the dam, not only did we learn that villagers were being shifted to the Downtowns of Hong Kong, submerging half of the villages there, it also revealed the magnificent volcanic rock site of rhyolitic hexagonal columns of rock. 

When we arrived at the destination, we were intrigued by this huge structure known as a “Dolosse”. These dolosses were placed near the edge of the protective dam (yes, a dam was constructed in front of the main Eastern Dam for protection purposes) as a mean to protect the protective dam and main Eastern Dam (this dam overlooks the Pacific Ocean) from the impacts from disastrous typhoons during the typhoon season. Just this alone allowed us to appreciate how hydrology, coastal processes and atmospheric processes were interlinked with one another. 

At the beginning of the trail, we saw two different types of rocks – granite, which is a type of intrusive igneous rock as well as rhyolite, an extrusive igneous rock. The granitic rocks displayed were transported and placed there manually. Granite is a hard, coarse grained rock, primarily consisting of feldspar (which is pinkish/brownish in colour), mica (which is black) and quartz (which is white and glassy). It obtains its coarse-grained texture due to the slow process of solidification and crystallisation of magma beneath the earth's surface (hence its classification intrusive igneous rock). 

On the other hand, rhyolite, its counterpart (they comprise of similar minerals) is fine-grained due to rapid cooling of rhyolitic magma on the surface of the earth (hence its classification as extrusive igneous rock). Being able to touch and see granite and rhyolite allowed us to better comprehend the properties of these rocks.

Proceeding on, we spotted a domical, isolated island detached from the High Island, due to coastal erosional processes. Part of the hill (known as Flower Mountain) underwent erosion and a sea cave developed over time. When the cave wore through the headland, an arch developed. Overtime, a stack formed when the connecting part of the arch was eroded by hydraulic action and weathering which then gave rise to the stack we saw before our eyes. A stack is basically an isolated island/pillar/rock formation. This stack is also known as Po Pin Chau. The highlight of High Island Geopark was the hexagonal columnar joints, standing as high as 30 metres. 

The High Island Formation is said to have formed inside a huge caldera following a catastrophic volcanic eruption some 140 million years ago. When the lava flowed rapidly into this depression, it created a semi-enclosed environment which was beneficial to slow cooling. When the lava cooled down slowly, it gradually developed contraction joints. The joints extended perpendicularly downwards during cooling of the rock. The contraction of the cooling rock goes towards the centre to form high hexagonal columns. 

All in all, it was an enlightening and breathtaking trip, which could never have been possible if we were in Singapore. Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Housing Authorities, the Coca Cola bottling plant, as well as the HK Monetary authorities. So stay tuned for more updates!