Hong Kong’s iconic neon signs have been lighting up the city’s streets for over half a century, but in recent years, they have been disappearing at an alarming rate. The city’s rapid modernisation and changing tastes have led to the removal of many of these colourful and kitschy signs, leaving behind a stark urban landscape. However, a group of passionate locals is fighting to save Hong Kong’s fading neon signs through their innovative “Living gallery” initiative, which aims to preserve these cultural gems and keep them shining bright for years to come. In this article, we explore the importance of these neon signs and how the Living gallery is leading the charge to protect them.
Hong Kong’s neon signs, which once lit up the city’s oldest neighborhoods with a colorful glow, are now being removed by the authorities due to safety concerns. The signs are iconic and hold a great deal of historical and cultural value. Cardin Chan, a conservationist, is leading a preservation campaign with the Tetra Neon Exchange (TNX). TNX has created an open-air storage yard that preserves the neon sign heritage that has been taken down by the city. She is on a mission to “save” these glowing billboards that once numbered in the thousands.
The city authorities started removing the neon signs due to persistent building safety problems. Uninstalling the signs is a delicate and dangerous task. It is heartbreaking for many people to hear the sound of the glass being smashed, as the signs are seen as an integral part of the city’s visual history.
The latest acquisition by TNX is a pair of double-circle-shaped behemoths depicting a bat clawing a coin, once hoisted outside a pawn shop in the working-class Sham Shui Po district. News of their pending removal drew dozens of enthusiasts eager to take pictures of their last light. Dan Ko, the store owner, said he would be very sad to see the signs come down. He believed that the signs were beautiful things with warm, welcoming colors and an integral part of the city’s visual history.
Neon once illuminated the diverse businesses that peppered Hong Kong’s streets, announcing the availability of bridal wear, jewelry, hotel rooms, fishball noodles, and much more. “Our streets used to be a living gallery,” according to Chan. Unfortunately, the signs pose a “persistent building safety problem,” according to Hong Kong’s buildings department.
The signs are a part of Hong Kong’s heritage, and uninstalling them can be very tricky. For instance, the neon tubes have to be removed individually while keeping the electronics intact, some of which have remained untouched since they were first put up decades ago. The ones from Ko’s pawn shop were three meters in length and two in width, with dozens of handcrafted neon tubes running through them.
“They depict a complex ‘double happiness’ Chinese character atop the pawn shop’s name – unique to Ko’s chain – which is what initially caught Chan’s eye,” she says. “It’s an art piece. It is not like a piece of junk metal.”
The signs pose challenges in moving and storage. The TNX would like to display the signs in a museum-grade facility that is safe from the elements, but they are unable to afford it at present. Today, the signs are nestled against other faded plaques adorned with intricate designs ranging from Chinese characters to palm trees in a rural part of the Yuen Long district.
Although it is sad to see the signs removed and no longer illuminated, Chan believes they now have a home instead of being trashed.
In conclusion, the neon signs of Hong Kong are an integral part of the city’s heritage, and it is essential to preserve them. The Tetra Neon Exchange’s preservation campaign is doing its best to save the neon signs that once illuminated the streets of Hong Kong. Although the signs pose some persistent safety building problems and are delicate to uninstall, a museum-grade facility to display them safely might be a solution. Chan and TNX’s efforts provide a safe haven for these iconic signs that keep Hong Kong’s culture and history alive.
