Frankly, it was not as sophisticated as the image of the city itself; TV was broadcasting tasteless shows, copied from Japan, or dramas with violent scenes, newspapers with dead bodies on the front pages and dozens of gossip magazines boasting high circulation.
The basic situation still remains the same, however I saw some positive changes especially among magazines. Some like Amoeba and Cool have disappeared, but others like Jet and Tea have been launched, boasting unique features and a bit of taste. For instance, CCTMM group published Milk aimed at youngsters in 2001, followed by Cream, another trendy read, but with a sharper focus on a creative target.
The group's latest offer is Tea, launched this summer. The publisher claims Tea is a "leisure with lifestyle magazine with a positive image". Every issue, at a cover price of HK$12, comes with an original shopping guide of popular destinations such as Tokyo.
It may not look very special but, while many trendy magazines in the past had focused too much on novelty and failed, Tea seems to be well balanced. As such, it can become a new "mass magazine" for the next generation.