[Neon signs in streets of Hong Kong]
[Abandoned neon signs in storage space]
[Cardin Chan, General Manager of Tetra Neon Exchange]
Cardin Chan (interview): “Neon is not only signboards. It could be art and craft. And then at the same time, it gives Hong Kong identity and visual identity as well.”
[Neon signs layered on top of an old shipping container]
[Cardin Chan with staff unveiling a large old neon sign advertising neon tube service]
Cardin Chan (interview): “Eventually we hope that we will be able to have, like an area or street space we will be able to, one way or the other, to put back some of these signs so people would know, not to just to have this kind of like nostalgia but also, really having a second chance for them to, to see the neon streetscapes that we used to have.”
[Neon sign hanging outside a pawn shop]
[Neon sign of a restaurant]
[Busy street with a neon sign hanging outside a hotel]
[Neon sign of a restaurant]
[Ken Fung (left) and Kevin Mak (right) walking along a street in Wan Chai, Hong Kong]
Ken Fung (interview): “In order to attract customers, they have to build a sign that is going perpendicular to the building facade to really attract the people’s eyeballs when they walk along the street. So which result in a streetscape where we have like signboards coming from the building facade. And when one shop builds one here, the other want to build a bigger one, and then the other one want to build a larger one that attracts more like attention. So with this like layering and competition, we have something very like very diverse.”
[Tramway in Wan Chai]
[Neon sign hanging outside a tea leaf shop “Ki Chan Tea Company”]
[Kevin Mak talking about the neon sign of Ki Chan Tea Company ]
Kevin Mak (interview): “The special thing is, of course, about the shape. It’s very unique, different from many of the more regular geometries. The tea leaf itself stands up, and that’s one of the characters. The main design identity they have been using to create a very unique image for themselves.”
[Neon sign in Chinese reading “Hing Wong Mahjong Entertainment” at entrance to a business, which specializes in popular traditional Chinese table-top game in Mong Kok]
[Neon sign in Chinese reading “Tak Hing Dried Seafood”]
[Street showing people at an outdoor dining eatery with a neon sign in the background]
[Neon sign in Chinese reading “Baat Bo Tong turtle jelly and herbal tea”]
[Neon signs in Chinese reading “Gam Lai Gung Karaoke Night Club”]
[Neon sign hanging “Pat Chun Sauce Company” in front of a footbridge]
[Neon sign in Chinese reading “Sing Tei Yue Lok Karaoke Night Club” hanging over a busy street]
[Neon sign of a pawn shop hanging over a busy street]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.