FAR from their homes in Guangdong province 100 years ago, three clan leaders thought they would scrape together money to buy medical care for their clansmen. They raised so much - $150,000 - that they built a hospital instead to give free care to anyone. They also struck a sweetheart deal in their 99-year lease with the British colonial leaders to pay $1 every year in rent for Kwong Wai Shiu...
General
FROM Vietnam to Chiang Mai, from Yogyakarta to Guangzhou, architect Hijjas Kasturi was extraordinarily busy criss-crossing the region last year. His mission: to buy furniture, household fittings, wood carvings, doors, tiles, antiques. You name it, it is on his list. 'It was fascinating. We discovered many types of old material still being made by hand,' he said, showing off a tile from Vietnam that was...
A 99-year leasehold condominium The Vision, in the quiet suburbs of West Coast Crescent, was launched recently at an eye-popping price of around $1,000 to $1,200 per sq ft (psf). Nevertheless, at least 160 buyers put down money for the mass market homes that come with branded goods and quality finishes, said the developer Cheung Kong (Holdings). That set the benchmark price for the area. And this will...
It looks like Singapore the Garden City is on target to become a City of Waterways too. With World Water Day falling tomorrow, PUB, the national water agency, is confident that its masterplan targets will be met. The banks of the country's 32 rivers and 7,000km of canals and drains are being transformed, as are its 15 reservoirs which will teem with water activities. A key element of PUB's Active,...
Some return to home and hearth. Mr Robert Crivelli returns to his home and berth. His family of four lives on the Melivia, a 21m-long houseboat berthed at ONE?15 Marina Club. Mr Crivelli, 44, senior director at a private bank, was inspired by friends who lived on boats in Hong Kong's Discovery Bay. The Swiss was hooked after going to a boat show at ONE?15 Marina Club in 2007. The family was then...
On Jan 6, a day after the government announced a grand plan to transform Hainan province into a world-class tourism paradise, retiree Zhou Yafen woke up to see crowds 'rushing madly to buy apartments' on the island. 'Property prices shot up like an arrow,' said the 59-year-old, who owns a 125 sq m flat in provincial capital Haikou that she bought in 2005. Its value today has gone up by more than eight...
Hainan: An announcement that the tropical island would be transformed into a top international tourist hotspot prompted investors from across the country - and beyond - to rush in and snap up properties. Shanghai: Land and property prices in the Pudong New Zone area, especially plots near where the new Disney theme park would be sited, shot up to record highs. Beijing: The 2008 Olympic Games benefited...
I dread this time of the year. It's nearing April, the month when the lease on my current rental apartment will expire. Since the option of a year-long extension in my existing contract has been exhausted, the nerve-racking and tedious ritual of hunting for a decent new roof over my head has begun. And I have slipped into anxiety mode. The fear of not finding a suitable replacement in time has forced...
Cache Logistics Trust prospectus says 474.2m units will be offered at 84-88 cents each CACHE Logistics Trust has lodged its listing prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, revealing that the new Reit hopes to raise about $400 million through its IPO. According to the prospectus, Cache is offering 474.2 million units at 84 to 88 cents each. A distribution yield in the range of 8.82-9.08 per...
SINGAPORE'S largest financial company Hong Leong Finance (HLF) will be offering deposit and loan packages exclusively at its City Square Mall branch. This is in tandem with the mall's official opening this weekend. The branch will be open from 9am to 4pm today and tomorrow. HLF will be extending competitive home loan rates for nearby condominium City Square Residences, as well as private home owners....