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Matthew Cheng

Hong Kong’s headlines in 2025 were shaped by a wide cast of newsmakers, from political heavyweights to everyday residents.
Among them were former lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, gold medallist fencer turned legislator Vivian Kong Man-wai and a local mother who won widespread praise for speaking out after a hot-air balloon festival fiasco.
The Post looks back at the figures who dominated the headlines over the past year.
Regina Ip
“Don’t block my way to the meeting … Move away,” the 75-year-old veteran politician snapped at reporters in October amid heated speculation about her political future ahead of the Legislative Council election. The scene drew much public attention.
The ex-official turned legislator eventually bowed out, ending her half-century-long political career.
Ip was among 12 lawmakers aged 70 and above who decided not to seek re-election in the December 7 poll. The decision of 35 sitting lawmakers to step down also marked the highest proportion since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
She later told the Post that she appeared “rather angry” because she was suffering “an almost panic attack,” fearing the New People’s Party she founded would lose many seats. The NPP subsequently won three seats, half of its previous six.

Vivian Kong
The December 7 Legco poll saw dozens of new faces elected, among them the 31-year-old Olympic gold medallist and retired fencer representing the tourism sector, the youngest lawmaker this term.
Election authorities questioned her suitability to run in the constituency, but she cited her past work promoting horse racing tourism at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. She also applied to renounce her Canadian passport after declaring her candidacy.
During the campaign, Kong admitted she was new to the industry and pledged to serve constituents with an “athlete’s fighting spirit”.
Kong, who won Hong Kong’s third-ever Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will take office as a legislator on January 1.

Jimmy Lai
Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty on all charges in a landmark national security trial after High Court judges delivered their verdict on December 15.
The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily has spent most of the past five years in solitary confinement.
He could face life in prison after being convicted of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print seditious articles.
During the 156-day trial, Lai spent 52 days in the witness box attempting to rebut accusations. While he admitted advocating for sanctions before Beijing imposed the national security law in June 2020, he stressed that he had ceased all acts that could be considered criminal under the new legal regime.
The judgment drew heavy international scrutiny, with United States President Donald Trump urging his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to release Lai and the British government summoning China’s ambassador in protest.
Xi voiced “strong support” for Hong Kong’s judiciary after the conviction, while Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called it an upholding of justice and safeguarding the city’s core values.

Carlson Chan
Carlson Chan Ka-shun, the former head of the Government Logistics Department, was embroiled in a bottled water procurement scandal that erupted in August, a month before his retirement, and now faces a disciplinary probe.
The department had awarded a three-year HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to Xin Ding Xin Trade for supplying bottled water to some government offices, which was later found to have used fraudulent documents to secure the tender.
Chan made a public apology on behalf of the department and faced an internal disciplinary investigation targeting officials involved. A Silver Bauhinia Star, which was set to honour Chan after his retirement, was put on hold.
An Audit Commission review found the department had repeatedly failed to follow up on warning signs and had not adequately tested the water’s safety.

Ryan Choi
Athlete Ryan Choi Chun-yin took Hong Kong fencing to new heights in July after winning the men’s individual foil title at the FIE Fencing World Championships in Tbilisi by defeating Kirill Borodachev, a Russian competing as a neutral fencer.
Despite a rough start to last season and frequent early exits, 28-year-old Choi staged a remarkable comeback to win gold at the world championships, a feat surpassing that of Hong Kong’s Olympic champions Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong.
Together with the men’s foil team, Choi also won a historic gold at the National Games in November, followed by victory at the FIE Foil World Cup in Japan in December.
Choi now aims to conquer the Los Angeles Olympics and defend his world title when Hong Kong hosts the championships next summer.

Men’s handball team
The city’s handball team received loud and unwavering support from fans at the National Games in November, even as it narrowly missed out on a historic medal.
With several players holding full-time jobs and some resigning to prepare for the games, the men’s handball team reached the bronze medal match, their best result ever, despite losing to Beijing.
Team captain Freddie Tse Wing-fai called for additional resources to support the development of handball after the Games and hoped to boost the sport’s popularity in the city.

IShowSpeed
The US YouTube star’s April visit to Hong Kong drew crowds of fans but also sparked occasional chaos across the city.
The hours-long live streams by the influencer, Darren Jason Watkins Jnr, better known as “IShowSpeed” for his dramatic and exaggerated personality, were part of his weeks-long trip to China and attracted more than 150,000 viewers.
Speed toured hotspots including Ocean Park, Kam Shan Country Park and Temple Street Night Market, where fans chased his vehicle on open roads.
Days after his trip, the city leader, responding to lawmakers’ criticism that Hong Kong had missed an opportunity to showcase its unique features, pledged to provide help for visiting influencers.

Dreamy Ho
The 40-year-old mother rose to internet fame in September after posting a rapid-fire complaint about the organisers of the hot-air balloon festival that failed to secure permits for its advertised rides and initially refused refunds.
The AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong continued selling tickets even after learning that approval for tethered rides had “extremely slim” chances, and the government ultimately denied the permit, citing safety concerns.

Having spent more than HK$2,600 on five tickets hoping for a hot-air balloon experience, Ho impressed internet users with a two‑minute impromptu, expletive-free monologue calling the event a scam.
She later told the Post she wanted to set an example for her 10-year-old son by standing up against injustice.
The company announced refunds after the event, and the government later tightened rental and operating rules for a new waterfront venue in Hung Hom following the fiasco.


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Hong Kong society

The politicians, athletes, everyday people who made headlines in Hong Kong in 2025

Vivian Kong will take office as a legislator on January 1. Photo:  Karma Lo

Regina Ip decided not to seek re-election in the December 7 poll. Photo: Eugene Lee

Vivian Kong attends a photo session at the Legco complex. Photo: Sam Tsang

Jimmy Lai has spent most of the past five years in solitary confinement. Photo: AP

Carlson Chan (front) has found himself embroiled in a bottled water procurement scandal. Photo: Karma Lo

Ryan Choi became Hong Kong’s first fencing world champion in July. Photo: Elson Li

The members of the Hong Kong men’s handball team. Photo: Eugene Lee

YouTube star IShowSpeed (red jersey) visits Ocean Park. Photo: Jelly Tse

Dreamy Ho. Photo: SCMP

Who died in 2025? The prominent figures Hong Kong said goodbye to

Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong. Photo: Handout

Visitors attend “A Light Among Us”, a memorial exhibition for Lee Shau Kee. Handout: Sun Yeung

Charles Ho was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2014. Photo: Felix Wong

Food critic Chua Lam was one of the “Four Talents of Hong Kong”. Photo: Edmond So

“Benz Hung” was known as the “King of Supporting Actors”. Photo: Instagram/benz_hui

Toy industrialist Lam Leung-time designed the cheerful, buoyant yellow rubber duck in 1948. Photo: Nora Tam

Gregory So served as the city’s secretary for commerce and economic development from 2011 to 2017. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Olympian Vivian Kong parries jabs with ‘fighting spirit’ in Hong Kong poll race

Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong brought her fighting spirit to the forum. Photo: Sam Tsang

Vivian Kong will take on Ma Yat-chiu in the tourism functional constituency. Photo: Sam Tsang

Tourists at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. Photo: Sam Tsang

Incoming Hong Kong lawmaker Vivian Kong to transition to Jockey Club consultant role

Vivian Kong joined the Jockey Club in August 2024 as an assistant external affairs manager. Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong’s comeback queen Regina Ip reflects on 50-year career in public service

Regina Ip has been a lawmaker since 2008. Photo: Nora Tam

Regina Ip is one of 35 lawmakers leaving Legco. Photo: Nora Tam

Regina Ip during a Radio Television Hong Kong phone-in programme in 2003. Photo: SCMP

Regina Ip, flanked by party colleagues Judy Chan Kapui (left) and Marcella Cheung Man-ka, at a press briefing. Photo: Eugene Lee

Half a million people took to the streets in 2003 to protest against proposed Article 23 legislation. Photo: Dickson Lee

Regina Ip marks Valentine’s Day in 2024 with a portrait posted on Facebook. Photo: Handout

Schoolboy fans mark Regina Ip’s birthday in Causeway Bay. Photo: Dickson Lee

How a Hong Kong mum’s eloquent balloon fest rant won fans and refunds

Dreamy Ho captured widespread attention in Hong Kong following a viral interview clip. Photo: SCMP

An event staff member deflates a balloon at the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Photo: Karma Lo

News

Hong Kong

Society

From Regina Ip and Vivian Kong to Jimmy Lai and Ryan Choi, the Post looks at the headline makers of 2025


From Regina Ip and Vivian Kong to Jimmy Lai and Ryan Choi, the Post looks at the headline makers of 2025.


The politicians, athletes, everyday people who made headlines in Hong Kong in 2025

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Regina Ip and Vivian Kong to Jimmy Lai and Ryan Choi, the Post looks at the headline makers of 2025

Regina Ip

From Regina Ip and Vivian Kong to Jimmy Lai and Ryan Choi, the Post looks at the headline makers of 2025