Magic in the Melody

There’s certainly nothing wrong with a great party for the sake of celebration, but give Hong Kong’s glitterati a cause to throw its support behind to truly see the city’s most fabulous faces come out in force.

On May 27, a sea of glamorous and giving guests gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel and Maxim’s Palace City Hall for the First Initiative Foundation (FIF) and the French May Arts Festival charity evening Hope & Harmony.

Founded by Michelle Ong in 2010, the foundation is dedicated to social and charitable initiatives that benefit education and creativity in art design and music, and the evening was a shining example of that. Guests were split into rooms, Harmony, Hope, Symphony, Melody and Rhythm, for a socially distanced dinner that honoured French and Chinese traditions. The decor transported guests on a Parisian holiday with tall Eiffel Tower centrepieces (several of which went home with guests as keepsakes) and blue, white and red table settings mirroring the French flag. Paying homage to both cultures, chefs Vicky Lau from Tate Dining Room, Maxime Gilbert from Écriture, and Wu Yuk-ming and Tang Leung-hung from Maxim’s created a special menu, which included stewed veal dumplings and XO sauce beef bourguignon.