Hong Kong officials are trying to boost the city's flagging economy with a slew of after-dark street activities to boost the night-time economy, sparking skepticism and ridicule from some critics.
At a heavily orchestrated launch event complete with TV-show host and glow-in-the-dark roller skaters, Financial Secretary Paul Chan waved a light stick to kick off a lion dance, prompting online comment and ridicule due to the the white fluffy ceremonial lion's resemblance to the white lions typically used to honor the dead at funerals.
The lit-up lion, meant to symbolize Hong Kong's renewed prosperity, according to the government, fell somewhat flat in some quarters.
"Paul Chan launched the Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign with a funeral ritual," X user @ktse852 wrote. "In Chinese culture, white lion dance/白獅 [baak6 si1] is used for mourning, because it sounds like funeral/白事[baak6 si6]."
"From night vibes Hong Kong to night RIP Hong Kong," quipped @itskityaulee.
The comments prompted two funeral experts on Facebook to point out that the lion wasn't exactly the same as a funeral lion.
Staying home
Meanwhile, Chan told the launch party that flights into Hong Kong and domestic spending have yet to recover fully in the wake of the lifting COVID-19 restrictions, adding that people aren't going out as much in the evenings as they did before the pandemic.
The "Night Vibes" program of events will include lanterns and Cantonese opera performances at Mid-Autumn Festival, fireworks on National Day, Halloween events at Disneyland and Ocean Park, a giant outdoor Christmas tree and a public New Year's countdown event, with arts and cultural events as well as street food festivals and discount programs at restaurants and bars, Chan said.
Movie theaters, museums and galleries will extend their opening hours and offer free events, including free entry to the races at Happy Valley on Wednesday nights, he said.
Yet some residents wondered how the program could breathe life back into the city's shopping streets, where some storefronts remain closed, and malls aren't seeing enough of a rebound in footfall now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased.
Instead, Hong Kongers are increasingly heading to Shenzhen for cheap eats and entertainment, rather than shopping for big-name brands at home.
Hong Kong's 7 million residents made 4.68 million trips across the border in July alone, an increase of 210,000 on the previous month, the South China Morning Post reported on Aug. 24, citing Immigration Department statistics.
Shutting down
Meanwhile, well-known and long-established stores have started closing down in the formerly tight-packed shopping districts of Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Jordan, amid complaints of rising operating costs and lackluster consumer spending.
"The most important issue is that the streets aren't prospering -- a lot of shops have gone out of business, and [those that remain] would rather close their doors early," a Hong Kong resident who gave only the surname Fong told Radio Free Asia. "I don't think there's much interest in this plan."
A brief survey of the once-thronging Ladies' Market in Mong Kok one Sunday evening in August showed 14 shuttered shops open along the market's length, three of them next door to each other.
Chinese University of Hong Kong economics professor Zhuang Tailiang said extending the opening hours of shopping malls might not do much to give the impression of a vibrant night economy.
"It depends on the response from the businesses," Zhuang said. "Some restaurants may be open, and others closed, which isn't really enough to attract people."
Zhuang said there is a notable absence of government spending included in the "Night Vibes" plan.
"The Hong Kong government is mostly supporting [the night economy] with policy here, and isn't going to spend taxpayers' money on it," he said.
Cantonese
Some online comments noted that the event, which was conducted entirely in Hong Kong's lingua franca, Cantonese, didn't appear to be aimed at international tourists or even visitors from mainland China.
Others recalled that a large and bustling New Year’s street food fair at the tail end of the 2019 protest movement was tear gassed by police, and that the 2016 "Fishball Revolution" was sparked by the police refusal to allow hawkers to set up impromptu stalls at Lunar New Year.
"Let us recall that Edward Leung got jailed for his actions during the 2016 Mong Kok riots, which came about through what came to be called the Fishball Revolution, which came about through the authorities not continuing to tolerate hawker stalls on Chinese (Lunar) New Year 2016," X user @CRau08 commented.
"If we want to talk about what we could've got for a successful push for a vibrant nightlife…maybe we can talk about the LNY street fair from the pro-democracy camp that the cops tear gassed that time," @RazvenHK posted.
However, Wilson Mao of the National Day fireworks display producers Pyromagic said that event will likely draw up to 300,000 spectators.
"It's in the midst of the dinnertime," he told government broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong. "Many people will probably stay up quite late that night because after the display, they may seek for drinks in bars because the next day is a holiday."
The last National Day fireworks display -- which lights up the night sky over the city's iconic Victoria Harbour -- was in 2018, and this year's event has a budget of around HK$18 million, Mao said.
Translated with additional reporting by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster