Newspapers and Media Guide for Expat:
Hong Kong is equipped with scores of local newspapers in Chinese, but only two local English-language dailies: The South China Morning Post (SCMP), and The Standard. The SCMP costs HK$8 a copy from Mondays to Saturdays and HK$10 on Sundays, with yearly and online subscriptions available. The Standard, published Mondays to Fridays, is a free newspaper in tabloid-format distributed at most MTR stations in the business district and commercial buildings. Its website also offers free access to its printed stories as well as breaking news. Both are general-interest newspapers with local and international coverage, and carry classified and job ads. The SCMP carries comprehensive classified sections on Saturday, and publishes The Post magazine on Sunday as well as a Dining out section on Thursdays.
A number of foreign newspapers are also printed in Hong Kong, such as The Asian Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune and USA TODAY. Overseas editions of other foreign papers and magazines, including The Economist, Time and Newsweek are flown in daily or weekly, and widely available at many newsstands and bookstores around the city. International newspapers and magazines are available at larger ParknShop, Taste and international stores and can sometimes be found in 7-Eleven retail outlets in popular expat areas. These magazines are sold at a premium, however, as a result of the import costs. Hong Kong also publishes local versions of popular woman’s magazines like Elle and Marie Claire but these local versions are in Chinese.
These various international newspapers and magazines are also available at the branches of local Hong Kong bookshop chains like Bookazine, Dymocks and Kelly and Walsh Ltd. Librarie Parentheses, located on the second floor of the Duke of Wellington House on 14, Wellington Street, is a bookshop that offers a wide selection of French books, magazines and newspapers.
The Brunch Club, a small coffee shop on Peel Street in Central, stocks a wide range of international publications that are free to browse as you enjoy their products. Some of these are also available to purchase.
Hong Kong is one of Asia’s major publishing centers, so you will find dozens of magazines here. Popular with expats are the “what’s on” magazines, such as TimeOut Hong Kong, the free weekly HK Magazine, the bi-weekly the List Magazine and the monthly Foodie Magazine. TimeOut is published biweekly and available for HK$18 at most newsstands and bookstores, while HK Magazine, the List and the Foodie magazines are freely distributed in various shops, bars, restaurants and condominium complexes.
Additionally Hong Kong also has several glossy English-language monthly magazines that cover social life and events, which are popular with expats and affluent locals. These include The Peak, Prestige and Hong Kong Tatler.
