The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Work, mahjong and tea: Hong Kong’s secrets to longevity Posted: 02 Sep 2012 02:36 AM PDT  Researchers say mahjong can help delay the onset of dementia. But new figures show that Hong Kongers are the longest-living people in the world. Hong Kong men have held the title for more than a decade and recent data show women in the southern Chinese city overtaking their Japanese counterparts for the first time, according to the governments in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Hong Kong women's life expectancy rose from an average 86 years in 2010 to 86.7 years in 2011, while Japanese women's longevity was hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami, falling to 85.9 years, census figures reveal. So what is Hong Kong's secret to a long life? Experts say there is no single elixir, but contributing factors include easy access to modern health care, keeping busy, traditional Cantonese cuisine and even the centuries-old Chinese tile game of mahjong. Rolling stones gather no moss "I love travelling, I like to see new things and I meet my friends for 'yum cha' every day," Mak Yin, an 80-year-old grandmother of six says as she practises the slow-motion martial art of tai chi in a park on a Sunday morning. "Yum cha" is the Cantonese term to describe the tradition of drinking tea with bite-sized delicacies known as dim sum. The tea is free and served non-stop, delivering a healthy dose of antioxidants with the meal. "My friends are in their 60s — they think I'm around their age too, although I'm much older than them," Mak laughs. Mak's favourite food is steamed vegetables, rice and fruit. Cantonese food is famous for steamed fish and vegetables — dishes that use little or none of the cooking oils blamed for heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol. But before Mak enjoys her afternoon tea, she joins a group of elderly people for her morning exercise of tai chi, an ancient Chinese practice said to have benefits including improving balance and boosting cardiovascular strength. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February found that tai chi reduces falls and "appears to reduce balance impairments" in people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease. Another factor behind Hong Kongers' longevity, experts say, is work. While others long for the day they can retire and kick up their heels, many people in Hong Kong work well into their 70s and even 80s. Hong Kong does not have a statutory retirement age and it is common to see elderly people working in shops, markets and restaurants alongside younger staff. "Many old people in our city remain working, that contributes to better psychological and mental health," Hong Kong Association of Gerontology president Edward Leung says. "For older people, a lot of them are stressed because they have nothing to do and they develop 'emptiness syndrome'. This causes mental stress." Fishmonger Lee Woo-hing, 67, says he could not bear to sit at home and do nothing. His inspiration is local tycoon Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest man, who still runs his vast business empire in his 80s. "If Li Ka-shing continues working at the age of 84, why should I retire?" asks the father-of-four during a break from his 14-hour shift at a bustling market in central Hong Kong. "If I just sit at home and stare at the walls, I'm worried that my brain will degenerate faster. I'm happy to chat with different people here in the market." 'Mahjong delays dementia' Hong Kong's cramped living conditions are famously unhealthy, fuelling outbreaks of disease and viruses including bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which have killed dozens of people. The city's reputation won it the dubious distinction of a starring role in director Steven Soderbergh's 2011 disaster thriller "Contagion", about a deadly virus that spreads from Hong Kong to the United States. But in the day-to-day habits of ordinary people, experts say Hong Kong is a great place to grow old. A popular local way of keeping busy and meeting friends is mahjong — a mentally stimulating tile game which can help delay dementia, according to aging expert Alfred Chan, of Hong Kong's Lingnan University. "It stimulates the parts that control memory and cognitive abilities. It helps old people with their retention of memory," he says. The complex rules and calculation of scores make mahjong, also known as the Chinese version of dominoes, mentally demanding. But the social aspects of the four-player game are just as important. "In mahjong you need to play with three other people. It is a very good social activity, you have to interact with each other constantly," says Chan, who has studied the game's effects on the well being of elderly people. "It is also a self-fulfilling game because if you win — whether you play with money or not — it gives you a sense of empowerment." Mahjong parlours are popular in Hong Kong, and mahjong tables are a must at Chinese wedding banquets. "I'm in semi-retirement. I work in the morning and hang out with my friends by playing mahjong in the afternoon," says 67-year-old tailor Yeung Fook, on the sidelines of a game in his modest garment shop. "I'm happier when I work. It's boring to just sit at home." — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Questioning Rio’s boom: A contrarian in Brazil Posted: 02 Sep 2012 12:09 AM PDT  Rio de Janeiro might be booming but some officials are worried about a myriad of issues — Rio needs a reminder of all that is wrong — from uneven development to deep inequality to corruption and organized crime. — Reuters pic After decades of decay, crippling crime rates, and a loss of big business to rival São Paulo, Rio is on the rise. A recent boom in Brazil's economy, the discovery of massive offshore oilfields nearby, and Rio's planned hosting of the World Cup and Olympics in the next four years have restored some of the splendour to the tropical city of 6.5 million people. But one local official is tired of the exuberance. Marcelo Freixo, a 45-year-old state assemblyman, thinks Rio needs a reminder of all that is wrong — from uneven development to deep inequality to corruption and organized crime. Now, the schoolteacher turned human-rights activist turned politician hopes his call for a reality check can help him, in October elections, topple the popular mayor who presides over all the preening. "What good is all this progress if it's not addressing our core problems?" asks Freixo in his cluttered office behind the state assembly house. "We need better schools, better hospitals, safer neighbourhoods, not just spectacle." It's tempting to dismiss Freixo as a spoilsport. His slight build, heavy brow, and modest wardrobe give him a scholarly, almost clerical, air that runs counter to Rio's colourful cockiness. Were it not for the presence of bodyguards needed after a crackdown he waged on crooked cops, he would still pass for an academic. But Freixo's arguments matter to many in a city that symbolizes the frustrations of Brazil itself, a country that has long struggled to fulfill its enormous potential. After past glory as a colonial stronghold, the seat of the Portuguese crown and the capital of an independent Brazil, Rio went into decline when Brasilia became the capital in 1960. As industry grew in São Paulo, Rio lost its standing as Brazil's financial centre. Like the rest of the country, it succumbed to economic volatility for most of the past half-century and suffered poverty, ramshackle development, and crime. But as Brazil entered a period of sustained growth over the last decade, though, Rio's fortunes reversed. Recovering past glory Billions of dollars worth of investments poured in after new oil was discovered south of its famous beaches. Rio is one of 12 venues for the 2014 World Cup and it alone will host the 2016 Olympics, requiring investments of at least US$14 billion (RM44 billion). The changing tide has spawned a property boom. Drug lords have been chased out of some of Rio's notorious favelas, or slums. Its decrepit old port is being made over so cruise and luxury vessels can berth at docks until recently lined by crack dens. Still, the progress lacks balance, Freixo argues. It's all happening along a narrow strip of coastline that is home to the elite, beaches and tourist attractions, and the corridor where World Cup and Olympic activities will take place. The rest of the city, Freixo says, remains neglected — giving Rio some of the worst health, educational, and social statistics in Brazil. Murder rates in poor neighbourhoods are as much as 20 times higher than those of rich areas, approaching levels of countries at civil war. "There are millions of cariocas who don't benefit at all from the recent development," he argues, using the term for Rio natives. "The city focuses exclusively on tourism and big events — not the people who actually live here." Slim odds Eduardo Paes, the incumbent mayor, disagrees. New roads and bus lines, Paes argues, are already helping legions who flock daily from working-class neighbourhoods. The refurbished port and new Olympic facilities will further development in marginal areas nearby. Paes scoffs at Freixo's underdog candidacy and his recent advances in polls. He refuses to accept Freixo's charge that the city, obsessed with "spectacle," ignores everything else. "There is still a lot to do," Paes admits. "No one is saying this is paradise on earth." Paes heads a coalition of 20 centrist and centre-left parties, backed by big business, with a 30-fold advantage in financing. After early advertising — Paes grins from posters on hillsides, lamp posts, and bridges — he enjoys a towering poll lead over Freixo, the second-place candidate, and three others. Despite the odds, Freixo believes he could force a runoff. What he lacks in financing he makes up for in buzz — enjoying support from intellectuals and artists, including influential songwriter Caetano Veloso, author of his campaign jingle. He is also drawing growing numbers of young voters, so many of whom turned up for a recent speech that Freixo moved the event at the last minute from an auditorium to a nearby plaza. Freixo has surprised people before. He grew up across Guanabara bay in Rio's sister city of Niteroi. Neither of his parents, who worked as support staff at local schools, went past middle school themselves. A lifelong interest in human rights began when he played soccer, as a teen, in a local jail with convicts on recess. After studying economics and history at a Rio university, Freixo taught in area schools and gave remedial courses in prisons. As Brazil's military dictatorship gave way to democracy in the mid-1980s, he took part in local organizing for the leftist Workers' Party, now Brazil's dominant political group, and began researching police abuses and prison conditions. "He has an analytical mind that sees beyond individual incidents and abuses," says Tim Cahill, a London-based researcher for Amnesty International. "He understands the structural and policy problems behind them." Freixo also caught the eye of Chico Alencar, a state assemblyman, now in Congress, who hired him as an adviser. After the Workers' Party won Brazil's presidency in 2002, Freixo, Alencar and others grew disaffected by its move to the center. They formed the PSOL, a leftist party known for its focus on education, poverty, and human rights. In 2005, Renato, a younger brother, was fatally gunned down. Investigators believe the murder was vengeance from crooked police officers after Renato fired them from a moonlighting gig as guards at the building where he lived and acted as superintendent. The next year, colleagues persuaded Freixo to run for the state assembly. With just over 13,000 votes, the lowest of any Rio legislator that election, he scraped into office. Fighting the power On his first day in the legislature, Freixo called for the creation of a committee to go after corrupt cops and their infamous militias, which control crime and entire neighbourhoods in Rio's sprawling suburbs. Though most legislators resisted - some were on militia payrolls - they relented when a police torture scandal sparked cries for a clean-up. Ultimately, Freixo's efforts led to the expulsion of four fellow legislators and the indictment of 226 police officers. The clean-up brought a surge in support. Freixo was re-elected to the assembly in 2010 with nearly 180,000 votes, more than all but one other Rio legislator. The writers of "Tropa de Elite," a blockbuster film about Rio police, wrote a Freixo character into a sequel. He also earned new enemies. Death threats forced the state to equip him with a security detail and an armored car. Last August, a friend, a Niteroi judge hearing militia cases, was shot dead while she drove home. Weeks later, the state security service intercepted a series of credible threats against Freixo. He decamped to Spain until things calmed down. Political opponents called his brief exile a publicity stunt. The critique was common among some who find Freixo too earnest, even sanctimonious. He offers few apologies. "If someone doesn't like what I stand for, that's their problem," Freixo says. On a recent Thursday afternoon, bodyguards in tow, Freixo took to a pedestrian retail district in central Rio. At one busy corner, he stopped a middle-aged woman, handed her a leaflet, and made his pitch. "I know who you are," the woman said. "I might be willing to vote for you." — Reuters |
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