Culture
22:40, 26-Sep-2017
Future of Hong Kong's neon industry under threat
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Few symbols represent Hong Kong quite as much as its flashing and blinking neon billboards. Tens of thousands of signs adorn buildings; advertising everything, competing for visitors' attention. But over the past two decades, Hong Kong's neon industry has been slowly dying out.
Wu Chi-kai is one of about half a dozen neon sign masters left in Hong Kong. The 50-year-old says he now earns about a third of what he made during the "golden era for the neon sign industry" in the 1980s and early 90s. At the time, Hong Kong was at its economic peak. Wu had done a six-month apprenticeship in his teens before being hired by a sign maker.
Now neon's appeal has faded because of its association with red-light districts, a turn-off for businesses wanting a wholesome image. Government regulations have also added to neon's demise. Decades ago, there were few regulations governing sign placement and size.
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Source(s): AP