these days, about to be removed?
Last night, the Hong Kong government launched a campaign to "spice up Hong Kong's nightlife". For those who've been in Hong Kong before: can you imagine this: i.e., this city that I used to think exemplified the "city never sleeps" ethic as much as, if not more than New York, needing to have a “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign? We're talking, after all, of a city with 24-hour McDonald's and supermarkets, and which used to have -- but no longer, and here's the rub -- bookstores and cha chaan teng.
Here's the thing though: It used to be that I had places to go eat and drink at after viewing (classical music) concerts which began at 8pm (and would end around 10.30pm) at Hong Kong City Hall or the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. And more often than not, I'd head over to my favourite sake bar in Hong Kong, which opened at 5.30pm and closed at around 2am -- or later, if there were clients who wanted to stay past that time -- and which also served food (as the Japanese tend to eat while they drink, as opposed to just drink the way that the Brits are wont to do).
In our Covid times though (yes, Covid is NOT gone!), I still don't go to concerts. And I don't go to bars even 1/20th as much as I used to do. And Sake Bar Ginn closed down more than a year ago now (and its Japanese owner has left Hong Kong). And while "Club 7-Eleven" may have played a part in its demise since it was located in Lan Kwai Fong -- whose most popular drinking spot has, for years, been outside a branch of that convenience store located in a prominent corner of that section of Hong Kong which ceased being "Party Central" ages ago -- it's worth noting that in recent years, I've also seen branches of 7-Eleven which no longer are open 24 hours as I had previously assumed that all of them were!
But while I've not been to a concert in years and no longer spend that much time in bars (including to watch Arsenal play -- since I now watch their matches on cable TV at home!), I still go to cinemas and film screenings. Pre-Covid, after an evening screening at Broadway Cinematheque, I'd sometimes go for a late night claypot rice dinner at Four Seasons Pot Rice, an eaery I first started going as a tourist back in the early 2000s when it was located in Temple Street (rather than on Arthur Street, as is the case now).
Broadway Cinematheque is still around of course -- and, frankly, remains my favourite cinema in Hong Kong. The Four Seasons Pot Rice place. But while I think the former's doing okay, I was shocked to see when I passed by the latter last night that whereas it used to be a super popular, bustling spot (with long queues waiting to get into the place), it no longer attracts customers -- locals and tourists alike -- the way that it used to. Is it because the quality of the food went down, its prices got jacked up too high or the combination of the two? In any case, there's no denying that it looks like its days are numbered.
On a more general note: for many people, Hong Kong used to be a city of lights -- specifically neon lights. But the authorities are actually getting people to TAKE DOWN the neon signs, saying they are dangerous (as they are big and heavy and could fall down in such as typhoons); rather than, say, appreciating and preserving, never mind encouraging, the existence of what for many are/were integral parts of Hong Kong life!
A further indication of how out of touch/culturally ignorant the authorities are: their campaign last night featured what appeared to be white dancing lions. As more than one person pointed out over on Twitter: white dancing lions are associated with/supposed to only perform at funerals!
Another school of opinion had it that the dancing lions in question were actually nocturnal silver lions -- which would make more sense given the theme of yesterday's event. As Kevin Yam has pointed out though: "usually the silver lion pairs with a gold lion to avoid confusion with white lion, but... [the Hong Kong government] can’t really do that because a gold lion Ka yellow and in Cantonese a yellow lion is pronounced the same as yellow ribbon, which makes it politically sensitive." Pathetic, right? Well, that, in a nutshell, sums up the authorities efforts to get -- as well as pretend that -- Hong Kong back to "normal"!
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