Study Buddy (Explorer): Hong Kong’s meat cleavers have blood-soaked criminal connections
- Removal of giant neon sign above Leung Tim Choppers Factory in Sham Shui Po district brings back memories of the utensil’s role in violent attacks
- Each week, this page presents an interesting story that we have adjusted to be more accessible for all English learners
Hong Kong has a dark, criminal relationship with the kitchen tool known in the city as a “chopper”. Photo: SCMP CompositeContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] For almost 40 years, a giant sign in the shape of a meat cleaver hung above a bustling pavement on Hong Kong’s Kowloon peninsula. The now-rusted neon structure advertised the sharp knives sold at the Leung Tim Choppers Factory.
[2] On January 11, crowds gathered in the Sham Shui Po district to take photos of the giant knife before it was removed. This is one of the many overhanging signs that have been taken down as the government tightens regulations on what it decides is an unsafe, illegal structure. Some were saddened by the loss of another neon sign that used to be all over Hong Kong’s streets. But it was also a reminder of the city’s dark relationship with meat cleavers.
[3] Across the city, chefs can be seen and heard using the kitchen utensil which is widely referred to locally as a “chopper”. The meat cleaver’s tough blade is ideal for slicing through flesh and bone to prepare popular dishes such as roasted pork. But this has also made it a common weapon for organised crime gangs. Unlike guns, choppers are cheap and easy to buy.
[4] One of the most gruesome chopper attacks took place in 2013 when a triad leader was hacked to death in broad daylight by two masked men because of a long-standing triad feud. Mouse Shing was considered a senior member of the Wo Shing Wo, one of Hong Kong’s most notorious triad gangs. Shing suffered wounds to his back, chest, arms and thighs. Some reports even speculated that his belly had been sliced open.
[5] In 2009, triad boss Lee Tai-lung was run over by a car and then hacked to death outside a five-star hotel in the city. It was later revealed the attack was carried out by members of a rival gang, which wanted revenge because Lee had caused an injury and loss of face in a bar three years earlier.
[6] Public figures have also been the target of chopper attacks. In 1998, Hong Kong talk show host Albert Cheng was wounded by two chopper-wielding men outside a radio station before he was scheduled to go on air. He was struck six times on his back, arms and leg, leaving deep wounds up to 22cm long. Cheng underwent more than four hours of surgery to reattach broken bones, flesh and nerves. The police did not make any arrests or find any motive, even though they offered a HK$500,000 reward.
[7] In 2014, veteran Hong Kong journalist Kevin Lau Chun-to was brutally attacked in broad daylight by a man with a meat cleaver who then escaped on a motorbike. Days earlier, Lau had been removed from his post as editor-in-chief of the Ming Pao newspaper. He was hacked at his back and legs six times, and police called it a “classic triad hit” that was meant to intimidate, not kill.
[8] Also, in 2005, British financial consultant Ben Ford was attacked by chopper-wielding triads at the city’s Rugby Sevens tournament. The attack was a case of mistaken identity, and it was a rare incident involving triads and foreigners.
Source: South China Morning Post, February 2
Questions
1. In paragraph 1, the giant sign of a meat cleaver is used as ...
A. a warning.
B. an advertisement.
C. a tool.
D. none of the above
2. Why was the sign removed according to paragraph 2?
3. What does the “kitchen utensil” in paragraph 3 refer to?
4. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given in paragraphs 2 and 3. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) Many of the residents in Sham Shui Po supported the government’s decision to remove the sign.
(ii) Chefs in Hong Kong prefer to use a cleaver because of how it gently slices meat without cutting through bone.
(iii) The advertisement was the city’s last neon sign.
(iv) The city’s criminal gangs have used choppers as a tool to hurt other people.
5. Find a word in paragraph 4 that means “to form an opinion or conclusion about something without knowing all the facts”.
6. In paragraph 5, Lee Tai-lung was attacked by ...
A. hotel staff.
B. people from his own gang.
C. members of another gang.
D. a family member.
7. Who attacked Cheng according to paragraph 6?
8. In paragraph 8, what does the phrase “a case of mistaken identity” suggest about the attack on Ben Ford?
9. Complete the missing information in the table using information from the article. (7 marks)
Answers
1. B
2. The government had deemed it to be an unsafe illegal structure.
3. meat cleaver
4. (i) NG; (ii) F; (iii) NG; (iv) T
5. speculated
6. C
7. No one knows. (accept other similar answers)
8. The attacker had intended to hurt someone else. (accept other similar answers)
9. (i) Albert Cheng; (ii) back, arms and leg; (iii) 2009; (iv) run over; (v) 2013; (vi) back, chest, arms and thighs; (vii) Kevin Lau Chun-to