Country Report of Hong Kong

Hong Kong
Speaker: Chang Yun Cherng, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs

I am Chang Yun Cherng, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs. It is my pleasure to present the 9th WBU Asia Pacific Massage Seminar on behalf of the institute. The Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs was established under the support of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind 16 years ago. During these years, the members of this institute have many opportunities to take part in the World Blind Union Asia Pacific Massage Seminar under the help of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind to interchange and intercommunicate with the members and visually impaired masseurs from other countries. They benefit a lot and make great improvement in massage technique constantly.

In order to help more and more visually impaired masseurs make further progress in academic and technical field, the institute has held many activities and the main activities are listed in the following:

1.  Lecture on Massage Thesis Writing Art was held in 30th April and Teacher Huang Haiping is the principal speaker. The participant benefited a lot and got much suggestion from this lecture.

2. From July on, this institution, cooperated with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, held the First Visually Impaired Massage Thesis Evaluation. This match aroused many masseurs′ academic discussion and research and made everybody pay more attention to masseurs′ academic base.

3. In September 16, the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, cooperated with the Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs, held the first visual impairments technical match. Individual race and team competition was held that day. There were 10 masseurs who took part in individual race and 4 teams competed in team competition. The atmosphere the competition was very fierce. We were very pleased to invite some experts in the field of massage. They are Mr. Cheng Weipin, vice-chairman from the Chinese Massage Association of Blind Practitioner, Principal Zhang Haiyan, secretary-general from National Vocational Technique Expert Committee, Ceng Zebo professor from School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Huang Haiping, visually impaired training course′s supervisor and tutor from the Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs. In that evening, we also held the fifteen anniversaries evening dinner party and awarded the two matches. The party also invited Doctor Wu Dalun, vice- chairman of Hong Kong Employees Retaining Board, Peng Binghong, the former vice-administration director of Hong Kong Employees Retaining Board, and the syndicate of massage technique competition. The member generally thought that these two matches could promote the academic level and technique of visually impaired masseurs.

4. Recently, the demand of massage in Hong Kong is increasing. And the massage market is developing quickly. A plaza for example, there are about 10 massage centers in one floor. Citizens in Hong Kong accept massage gradually. Massage is not only a health care method but also a therapeutic method. According to informal statistic, Hong Kong massage market concentrates itself to the development of the department of fractures and wounds with a majority customer of wrinkly. The former customers come to the massage center for the purpose of eliminating tiredness without other expectation to the masseur. But now they hope that the masseur can help them to eliminate ailment and injury. Obviously, the massage enterprise in Hong Kong has already reached an epoch.

Hong Kong Institute of Blind Masseurs is the first organization in Hong Kong with the responsibility to train visually impaired masseurs and hire these graduates. During these ten years, 150 visually impaired masseurs have got the training from this union. There are two massage health care centers. What's more, the union also set mobile massage teams to serve the citizen. These two centers offer a variety of services, such as cosmetology massage, foot reflexology, aroma treatment massage.

Hong Kong is a society with keen competition. The era is in continuous progress, the Hong Kong government has already concluded a qualification list in order to help the citizen inquire and know longevity and qualification of different profession. Therefore, from 2004 on, the instruction institution has held national masseur vocational standard examination. Over the years, there are 28 masseurs who have got the middle-level or high-level. However, the participants were little. They worked for supporting the family and neglected the importance of professional qualification. Hereon, the institution will strengthen the extension and make the member face the increasingly keen competition. Visually impaired masseurs must strengthen their competitive capacity, or else, they can't face the challenge from other massage graduates in different training organizations.

In the future, the Hong Kong Society for the Blind hopes to create registered brand of massage center in order to strengthen the social recognition and acceptance for visually impaired masseurs. Thank you!