Gay China, Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau

Excerpted from the South China Morning Post Cathay Pacific announces profits of HK$1.35 billion for first six months of 2019 but warns Hong Kong protests have affected inbound bookings Cathay Pacific Airways has beaten profit expectations with earnings of HK$1.35 billion (US$172 million) for the first six months of the year, the airline announced on Wednesday, but warned unrest in Hong Kong had hit inbound bookings. Aided by a HK$1.2 billion fall in fuel costs and overall expenses, CP matched its highest profit expectations, the airline told the city’s stock exchange. The company …

I loved reading this story as it says a lot about the acceptance of gays in the country. https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/taiwan-high-school-becomes-first-to-allow-boys-to-wear-skirts/#gs.rk9igi

From the BBC (26 Mar.) Bohemian Rhapsody opens in China, minus all the gay bits Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was released in China on Friday, but references to the Queen singer's sexuality and AIDS diagnosis were censored. Several minutes of footage were edited out of the film, including scenes of two men kissing and the word "gay". There has been significant reaction to the film's release online. More than 50,000 users have posted reviews on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like micro-blogging platform. Though some users complained of "half watching and half guessing" as a result of the deleted scenes, others were pleased the …

Great news! Two years ago Taiwans Supreme Court gave the government two years to implement a gay marriage law. After two years talking and conservatives seeming to get the upper hand, this morning the legislators passed the most liberal of three possible bills. And it passed by a large majority - 66 votes to 27. Gay marriage will become legal from Friday next week. So which Asian country will be next?

NOTE -- The link contains a brief video of the giant new airport under construction in Beijing that features seven runways. Excerpts from South China Morning Post Issue has long dogged Cathay Pacific amid intense price war in Asia, as low-cost carriers chip away at market share and Middle Eastern and Chinese airlines lure travellers with cheaper long-haul tickets Will Cathay Pacific Airways launch a budget airline or won’t they? Hong Kong’s flagship airline once again faced this question at the aviation industry’s annual summit in Sydney last week. Its CEO Rupert Hogg was cautious: “We are not blinkered in looking at all of these [low-cost] models and how …

From South China Morning Post After years of debate, Chinese scientists are close to a consensus on the design for what would be the world’s longest undersea railway tunnel, connecting the mainland to Taiwan. If realised, shuttle trains could be whizzing through a 135km (84 mile) undersea section of the tunnel at up to 250km/h (155mph) by 2030. The ambitious undertaking would include a multi-billion-yuan engineering and technical “warm-up” project, according to plans the scientists have sent the Chinese government, the South China Morning Post has learned. Despite this technological progress, rising political tensions between the self-ruled island and…

I know Beijing does not offer 1/10th of the Bangkok experience, but is there a forum that provides similar trip reports/experiences?

A quick report on a couple of massage spots in Kowloon. I recommend both spots, but highly recommend booking ahead of time as neither is particularly large and I think I was lucky that they were able to accommodate me as a walk-in. Sonata Spa http://www.sonatahk.com/?page_id=16276 I showed up about 7:00 on a Friday night with no appointment. They were able to accommodate (just barely), but having a masseur come over from their other branch, nearby Eden Spa. $HK 398 for a 90 minute "Chinese massage". Masseur was assigned. A 24-year old very handsome guy with a tight worked out body and a very nice personality (but almost no english to speak of). Shower alone bef…

From CNN (CNN)As we drive down the eerily deserted Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the murky waters of the Pearl River Delta stretch as far as the eye can see. There is no land in sight. Spanning 34 miles (55 kilometers), this is the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built. Guo Xinglin, assistant director and senior engineer at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, meets us half way along. As we are buffeted by a strong wind, the tough conditions his construction crew experienced, as they perched on precarious platforms, working miles from land and high over the water, are evident. Xinglin is visibly proud of his country's monumental achievement. …

From South China Morning Post Cantonese colleagues call him dai lo, meaning “big brother”. A golden statue of the ancient Chinese god Guan Yu stands tall on his office desk. No expat lives as a local like Timothy Worrall – the youngest serving foreign police officer in Hong Kong. Worrall is proud to call the city home, and it is the place he plans to retire. “Where else can you go for siu yeh [late night meals] and wonton min [wonton noodles] at 11pm?” says the 44-year-old British superintendent from the force’s small boat division. He is expected to be the last foreign officer to retire from Hong Kong’s police force, 10 years from now – a milestone t…

I'm using miles for my next trip (20 Nov) to Thailand from SFO.. The routing puts me into Hong Kong around 9 pm on the 21st. I have a 7am fight to BKK the next morning which means checking in around 5am. As far as I can tell, there's not much to do in the airport after 11pm (I could be wrong). So I'm looking for suggestions...is it worth it to go into HK proper...should I just check into the airport hotel and rest up from the flight to HK and prepare for Pattaya...open to ideas. Any entertainment venues on Lantau? I used Planet Romeo indicating that I was in HK on Lantau Island and got some money boys' hits...one who said he was 20 was very upfront with photos…

Apology to Gaybutton and Fountainhall for stealing this post, but the photos are so delicious I hope they won't mind. http://gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&p=82984&sid=27507674da7f0454b05606652554019e#p82984

From South China Morning Post Top hotels in Beijing accused of reusing dirty bedlinen, failing to wash bathtubs, basins Consumer group uses hidden cameras, UV stamps to test hygiene standards at US$300-a-night rooms The Beijing Tourism Association has said it will investigate claims made by a consumer rights group of poor hygiene standards at several five-star hotels in the city. The association issued a statement on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, after being made aware of research carried out by the group, whose English name is “Better Choice, Better Life”. The latter claimed in a video published via its Weibo account that W Hotel in Beijin…

From South China Morning Post University of Hong Kong scientists have discovered an antibody that could treat gut inflammation in HIV patients – a common condition for sufferers that can prove fatal. By blocking the pathway that leads to acute gut inflammation, the antibody can also delay the virus from weakening the immune system and prevent sufferers from contracting Aids. But HKU researchers said the treatment, which has so far only been tested on mice, would require further study before being used on HIV-infected patients. “This study solves the mystery of an inflammatory mechanism during the acute HIV infection,” said professor Chen Zhiwei, director o…

Excerpts from South China Morning Post article With its uncompromising image, the People’s Liberation Army of China may seem an unlikely employer of choice for the country’s gay community. But it could be argued that the Chinese army is a less uncomfortable environment for gay people than Chinese society at large. That might sound surprising, since the country as a whole is not noted for its tolerance towards the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. Chinese police detain gay people who gather in public places and the government shuts down unsanctioned gay-focused publications or television shows. In the past, Chinese society has found homosexu…

There were some problems but I still enjoyed my second trip to China and in hindsight I should have planned things differently. My observations are hopefully looked upon as useful information for other travellers. Recently I visited China using the 144 hour transit with no visa allowed if landing at Shanghai Pudong, Nanjing Lukou or Zhjiang Hangzhou airports. You can arrive or leave at any of these airports and travel in those three regions only. The rules are that you must fly in from country one, in my case South Korea and fly to a different country afterwards and I went to Thailand. The 144 hours starts at midnight after you arrive and you must leave before the 144…

Taipei airport would have to be the most frustrating airport I have ever been at. First, I lined up at the non-citizen area of Immigration, where 15 lines snaked back and forth. After waiting on line for about 20 minutes, I was shunted outside the barrier to another line which hardly moved at all. All in all it took about 40 minutes to get outside. I headed straight for a bank of Taiwan atm, but again, there was a line a mile long. The reason why it hardly moved was because the atm machine was so fucking slow! When I finally got there it rejected my 2 credit cards! So off to find another one. It worked! Opposite the atm was a counter which sold tickets to…

When fountainhall decided to leave this Forum it left a big hole for other destinations in Asia with quality photos. Many have picked up since then and we do get many great reports. However FH recently posted a report on Taipei on Gaybutton that certainly increased my intention to visit in the future. I have flown through there a number of times but never visited. Hopefully FH and Gaybutton will not be mad that i posted this link: http://www.gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8262

Beijing aims to spread safe sex awareness among men at risk of contracting HIV as part of its wider push to tackle the spread of the disease. Critics say, however, any campaign should address the discrimination that patients face in seeking medical care. In a plan released by the State Council on stopping the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the government vowed to have 90 per cent of the high risk population educated about the disease, and lower the mother-to-child transmission to 4 per cent. The plan, released last month, also aims to lower the rate of infection arising from unsafe sex among men, or MSM, by 10 per cent by the end of 2020. ht…

On my way to Colombo next week I will have a long-ish (6.5 hours) connection at HKG. Originally it was going to be 3 hours but the schedule changed. So, I'm thinking with that much time it might be worth popping into town for a massage. Currently I think Touch by 17 looks like a good candidate as it will be fairly easy to get to by the Airport Express train plus free shuttle. And it's got good reviews on travelgayasia.com Any other favorites? It's a shame they don't have photos of the masseurs but I expect they will be fine looking.

Happy new year to all! I'm actually heading to Osaka and Kobe in Feb and wondering if there's anyone who knows about the massage scene there (if any) and if the services provided are same as those in Bangkok? Looking to hear some tips! Thanks

Hi all, i know these part of the forum rarely gets visited but i just want to asked if any of you have experience taipei during new year. Appreciate any tips/sharing.

I want to have gay friends from china, Taiwan, HK Macua I have qq we can talk together and video call i'm from Thailand, welcome to Thailand im bottom, need to talk witih top or bi lets chat and reply this port or leave your qq. i will add back

I've heard I can replace the SIM chip in my Thai cell phone to use it in some other countries, but I'm wondering if anyone here has been able to swap out their SIM chip in Taiwan? It seems as though I read somewhere that a traveler had bought a SIM at or near the airport in Taipei, but that was a while ago. Any ideas / experience / suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Just for information - the annual Taipei Pride Parade will take place on Saturday 26 October this year. Last year, 60,000+ attended - although several websites now claim the number was actually 80,000. However many turned up, it was an amazing day. There is a whole week-end of events organised around the Parade, including several of the hottest disco parties in Asia. Preliminary details are here - http://www.gaytravel4u.com/2013/01/28/gay-pride-taipei-25th-29th-october-2013-taiwan/