When The Beatles came to Hong Kong nearly five decades ago, the local market was dominated by traditional Cantonese opera.
But the Fab Four inspired many in the territory and a multi-billion dollar business was born.
Actually it was the Fab Three that appeared at the Princess Theatre in Kowloon in June, 1964, as Ringo Starr was recovering from tonsillitis back in London and the drummer Jimmy Nicol filled in for him.
The Beatles' appearance inspired a host of local bands singing in English, who were closely watched by Cantonese-speaking musicians and helped to bring about the beginning of Cantonese-language pop, or Canto-pop as it is known.
Hong Kong is today the Canto-pop powerhouse hub for recording stars in the region and many of these artists also record in Mandarin Chinese, as "Mando-pop" sells well across the border in mainland China.
Hong Kong's creative industries account for nearly 5 per cent of GDP and music is a significant part of that.
The locally renowned veteran DJ Ray "Uncle Ray" Cordeiro said The Beatles were popular with the British servicemen in what was then a UK crown colony but many tickets did not sell when they first appeared.
The British soldiers stationed in Hong Kong were given free tickets and the hall was full of troops in uniform.
"It was quite a flop because the teenagers couldn't afford to buy the tickets … and the parents didn't know who The Beatles were. So the theatre was empty," Cordeiro told the South China Morning Post newspaper.
Cordeiro is a legend in Hong Kong, and he can rightly take credit for being instrumental in launching the pop music scene there in the 1960s with his radio show, which introduced Hong Kong listeners to British rock and roll in the years before The Beatles came to Hong Kong.
One of the groups they inspired was the Kontinentals, who came out of King George the Fifth school in Kowloon, while The Playboys were known as "The Beatles of Hong Kong" and included dozens of Beatles songs in their repertoire.
In 1966, The Beatles were back in Hong Kong for an Asian tour that was full of controversy.
At a news conference in the airport, they were asked if they would visit some of the poverty-stricken areas in Hong Kong. Lennon quipped: "Not if we can help it" and Paul McCartney said: "We'd go and see the good bits, you know. They're capitalists."
Even though they never ventured to China, The Beatles are still huge on the mainland and there are thousands of fans signed up to various fan sites, including 9,924 on the social website Douban.
The tribute band The Beijing Beatles is a big draw at parties in the capital.
On Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of the banned Twitter, Yaogun siling wrote: "Is there anybody who don't know The Beatles? I guess the answer is no. The Beatles need no introduction, you knew them when you were born. It's as natural as 1+1=2. They have created an era and they are the symbol of rock."
business@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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EXPATS
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ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
'Will%20of%20the%20People'
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