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Hong Kong’s tolerance for shortcuts has turned deadly
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In this episode, we talk about how Hong Kong's system failed during a deadly fire.
ST GRAPHIC: FA'IZAH SANI
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they’re based in.
On Nov 26, 2025, a fire swept through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killing 168 people.
What also perished in that inferno was a certain trust in the system to keep everyone safe.
The Straits Times’ Hong Kong Correspondent Magdalene Fung, a long-time resident of the city, talks to host and foreign editor Li Xueying about her experience covering the disaster.
She also wrestles with the question of how Hong Kong’s tolerance for cutting corners cuts both ways. There is ingenuity. But the acceptance of quick, convenient fixes has also resulted in a society that collectively allowed the fire to happen.
Highlights (click/tap above):
01:04 On the ground, covering the fire
03:52 A system that failed
09:54 But a society that also helped
11:03 Low standards and quick, convenient fixes
16:12 The fire doors are still not closed
Read Magdalene Fung’s article here:
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn:
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter:
Host: Li Xueying ( xueying@sph.com.sg
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
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