By West Kowloon Cultural District
Presented by M+, West Kowloon Cultural District
For much of its history, Hong Kong has been inseparable from its neon signs, both in fact and in the imagination. First introduced to the city in the 1920s, neon’s electrified, gas-filled tubes had their local heyday from the 1950s through the 1980s, so much so that, as early as 1964, a government report could boast that “A million neon signs light the streets proclaiming their messages in every colour.” In recent years, neon signs have been retreating from Hong Kong’s cityscape due to government regulations and, especially, the rise of LEDs. Nevertheless, as emblems of the city and as artifacts of visual culture—of typography and visual communication, and of art, cinema and photography—they remain vibrant as ever.
NEONSIGNS.HK - an online exhibition celebrating Hong Kong's neon signs
Over the course of three months in 2014, more than 4000 photographs of neon signs in Hong Kong were submitted by the public and posted on the NEONSIGNS.HK website. Creating a visual archive of the city’s remaining neon signs at that moment (many have since been dismantled), the resulting “Neon Map” documented the breadth and diversity of not just the signs, but also ways of seeing them.
Cheung Shing Pawnshop (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
Submitted by Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze
灣仔莊士頓道West Kowloon Cultural District
Johnston Road, Wan Chai
Submitted by Bona Liu
Yuet Hing YuenWest Kowloon Cultural District
Soy Street, Mong Kok
Submitted by Jason Kwong
Shanghai StreetWest Kowloon Cultural District
Shanghai Street, Mong Kok
Submitted by Chan Chi Kin
Sammy's Kitchen Sammy's Kitchen (1977)West Kowloon Cultural District
Queen's Road West, Western District
Submitted by Veronica Tang
Peak CafeWest Kowloon Cultural District
Peak Cafe
Shelley Street, SOHO Central
Submitted by Anubis Ho
Luk Yu Tea House Luk Yu Tea House (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Luk Yu Tea House & Restaurant
Stanley Street, Central
Submitted by CPak
369 Shanghai RestaurantWest Kowloon Cultural District
369 Shanghai Restaurant
O'Brien Road, Wan Chai
Submitted by Li Chun Wing
Neon in Aberdeen (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Aberdeen Praya Road, Aberdeen
Submitted by Ken Lee
Victory Mahjong Victory Mahjong (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Victory Mahjong
Kansu Street, Yau Ma Tei
Submitted by tttony122
Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant
Man Lin Street, Sai Kung
Submitted by Steve Schechter
Yan Tai PawnshopWest Kowloon Cultural District
Yan Tai Pawnshop
Shanghai Street, Prince Edward
Submitted by Joey Kwok
Club Country 88West Kowloon Cultural District
Country Club 88
Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
Submitted by Cheung Pak Ming
Club Rhine (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Club Rhine
Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
Submitted by Eugene Lo
Chun Kwan Temple (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Chun Kwan Temple
Fung She Wo Road, Tsing Yi
Submitted by tannhahuser
Wo Kee Seafood Restaurant (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
Wo Kee Seafood Restaurant
Man Ying Street, Jordan
Submitted by Angie C
Neon Street Views
Neon signs have long dominated views of the city, both from afar and close-up. In a diversity of shapes, sizes and orientations, they become integral parts of the streetscape and even buildings themselves.
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Street View
Kansu Street, Yau Ma Tei
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Street View
Portland Street, Mong Kok
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Street View
Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok
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Street View
Shan Tung Street, Mong Kok
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Street View
Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
My Neon City – 'Left Behind' by Wing Shya
In this series of portraits, photographer Wing Shya captures the inner worlds of people whose lives take place under the glow of Hong Kong’s neon signs. Revealing the subjects’ relationships with their neon-lit environments, these cinematic images examine neons from another perspective—from behind and within.
Victory Mahjong Victory Mahjong (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
“I own this place. It would be a good home for newlyweds. But me? I prefer new buildings with elevators. Who likes old things?”
– Resident of Alhambra Building, backgrounded by the Victory Mahjong sign.
15 Kansu Street, Yau Ma Tei
Yan Tai Pawn Shop (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
“This is definitely a good place to hang out. It’s enhanced by the lights. Do they bother us? Not really. They usually switch off when it gets late at night.”
– Youngsters in Tong 3, backgrounded by the Yan Tai Pawnshop sign.
716 Shanghai Street, Prince Edward
Asia Red Arowana (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
“I think this is the best neon sign on the street. My boss owns this place, and I love seeing the lights outside.”
– Staff of Asia Red Arowana, backgrounded by the Asia Red Arowana sign.
154 Tung Choi Street, Prince Edward
Rowan Wool (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
“We’ve been here since 1971, and our neon sign has been with us the whole time. Now the sign is getting old; no one is willing to fix it. But we’re still very proud of it. Most of us have spent more than half our lives working here.”
– Staff from Paris Cotton Singlets, backgrounded by the Paris Cotton Singlets sign.
15 Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay
Mido Café Mido Café (2014)West Kowloon Cultural District
“We spend our time relaxing behind this sign, playing mahjong in the restaurant after it closes. Our neon sign is our brand. Customers see it and they know how to find us upstairs.”
– Staff from Mido Café, backgrounded by the Mido Café sign.
63 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei
Christopher Doyle - Filming in the Neon World
Hong Kong filmmakers have often appropriated the city’s neon as a cinematic device. Among the most prominent has been renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle whose work, in collaboration with director Wong Kar Wai, includes 'Chungking Express' (1994), 'Fallen Angels' (1995), 'In the Mood for Love' (2000) and '2046' (2004). In this video, Doyle describes how his films would be radically different “if it wasn't for the space in which they were made...a neon space.”
Christopher Doyle: Filming in a Neon World (2014) by M+West Kowloon Cultural District
Hong Kong Neon MapWest Kowloon Cultural District
NEONSIGNS.HK online exhibition
The NEONSIGNS.HK website includes essays, videos, a neon timeline and an interactive Neon Map. Visit our website at www.neonsigns.hk
Hong Kong's Neon Signs - Then and Now
Visit our other Google Cultural Institute exhibit where old photos of neon-lit streets are juxtaposed with their present-day views, together with a video documentary where master craftsmen explain the dying art of making neon, creating a powerful record of how quickly the neon is disappearing from Hong Kong’s streets.
With thanks to all the photographers, artists and contributors to the NEONSIGNS.HK online exhibition.
NEONSIGNS.HK is presented by M+, museum for visual culture, West Kowloon Cultural District
This exhibit is prepared by Aric Chen, Chloe Chow, Kingsley Jayasekera and Gloria Wong. (in alphabetical order)
