“I grew up in Hong Kong in the 80s and 90s; whenever I took a stroll, I was greeted by the sea of neon. It radiated a sense of belonging or home,” said Cardin Chan, a conservationist who works for Tetra Neon Exchange, a non-profit. “Businesses had to fight to be seen.” She described signs so close “they could shake hands with each other”.
PROSPERITY AND NOSTALGIA
In a city that has witnessed huge upheaval in recent years, including a tough clampdown on protesters and greater control by Beijing, the signs hark back to an earlier, more freewheeling era.
For Chan, neon is a reminder of her youth. “Brightness equals prosperity,” she said, recalling a childhood in which she says even during the oil crisis, the lights had to be kept on. “You could see how important brightness was to Hong Kong to give a (positive) impression to outsiders,” she said.
For others, she acknowledges, the nostalgia for neon can be something more. “It is sentimental, you can’t avoid it especially with the changes of the past few years,” said Chan. The calligraphy, metal work and installation all speak to an era when Hong Kong was dominated by cottage industries.
Source: CNA
