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Neon still has a hold on the hearts of Hong Kongers
There may be fewer brightly lit signs in the city, but for many they offer a reminder of a more freewheeling era
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Hong Kong's iconic neon signs have dominated streets and visually defined the territory for both residents and a generation of movie-goers.
PHOTO: PEXELS
Orla Ryan
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In his warehouse workshop, Wu Chi-kai, one of Hong Kong’s few remaining neon craftsmen, has for decades bent glass tubes into one of the most instantly recognisable symbols of the Chinese territory – brightly coloured signs.
In neon’s late 20th-century heyday, he and some 30 other master craftsmen made signs for pawnshops, mahjong parlours, bridal stores and restaurants. Metres-high, they dominated streets and visually defined Hong Kong for both residents and a generation of movie-goers.
