Amidst the endless chatter and bustle on the streets of Mong Kok, an intangible presence penetrates almost every surface visible. Fluorescent reds, blues and yellows colour the roads in their light, reflecting off of passing cars and unknown faces, its existence almost omnipresent. These are the scintillating neon signs that have defined Hong Kong’s visual nightscape for decade after decade since their first arrival to the city in the late 1920s.
It wasn’t until the post-World War II period, however, that neon sign boards started to really gain prominence among Hong Kong businesses to use for promotion. During the neon industry’s primetime, from the 50s through the 80s, factories began pumping out neon sign after sign for the rapidly growing economy full of businesses competing to have their board be the most attractive and flashiest on the streets. In 1970, the iconic National Panasonic neon sign on Nathan Road took the title as the world’s largest neon sign in the Guinness Book of World Records with its size spanning the side of an entire building.
Wu Chi Kai with his neon sign pieces at his Kwai Chung studio (Photo credit: Khan Heeba Lazmi)
The Rise of Neon Sign Artistry
It was around this time when 57-year-old Wu Chi Kai, veteran neon sign master who’s still working to this day, had started his apprenticeship under another neon ‘si-fu’ at his father’s workplace. It began as a mere summer job to him at the beginning, not a business Wu had his eyes set on in particular. As the “opportunity to work on this craft full-time kept persisting, however, [he] decided to just go with it,” says Wu. Demand was higher than ever with every store owner wanting a neon sign board of their own above their business, indubitably making it the best time to get into the flourishing industry.
The story of Chankalun goes a little differently. The 36-year-old neon artist had found her fascination with neon when she had organized and created a group art exhibition focusing on neon called ‘My Light, My Hood’. Her interest in the craft grew deeper and with that, so did all the information she kept unearthing regarding neon-bending and the logistics of it. “I realized that every time I speak to different people who are passionate about neon or in the industry, I always learn something new from it as well,” says Chan. This is also what drove her to France last year, the birthplace of neon, and where she’s currently working on curating her own neon art. Believing that this is a medium that represents Hong Kong, Chan is “trying to avoid competition or be a competition of that existing [neon sign community]”, also the reason why she currently does neon art and not neon signs.
Neon signs at Nathan Road, Mong Kok (Photo credit: Khan Heeba Lazmi)
Hong Kong’s Fall as a Cyberpunk City
Unfortunately, the neon sign industry didn’t persevere for very long after its golden era. “The decline started in the 2000s, when LEDs came around,” recalls Wu. On top of that, the government had tightened regulations on outdoor neon signs. “Quite a lot of outdoor neon signs were now considered illegal and unauthorized structures, and thousands were removed by the Buildings Department just like that.” For the signs that did exist outdoors, they underwent heavy regulatory measures and many neon sign masters even had to reapply for their licenses. “The maintenance and regulation costs simply became too much for a lot of us,” says Wu. Towards the 2010s, the environmental element came into play and the Environment Bureau began to tackle the issue of light pollution through ‘Guidelines on Industry Best Practices for External Lighting Installations’, while safety concerns caused the removal of another few thousand unauthorized signboards.
Hong Kong, which was once regarded a cyberpunk city in all kinds of films ranging from Wong Kar-wai and Ridley Scott, has now become a largely neon-free zone. Long gone is the constant presence of eclectic hues casting blasts of colour on whatever surface the neon signs touch, the streetscape and nightlife lit up by these neons now slowly fading into collective memory. Despite all this, hope is far from being extinguished.
What Now?
With collective memory comes the collective urge and desire to preserve what bring people together, and the same goes for neon signs. Conservation efforts by non-profit organizations like Tetra Neon Exchange have been working tirelessly to revive and recreate the streetscape that was once Hong Kong’s pride. Through the exhibitions held in Tai Kwun Neon Connection, curated by YARD Architecture Studio, they have succeeded in not only raising awareness about the fading neon industry, but also have garnered great appreciation for the art of neon signs from the public.
Wu Chi Kai’s neon art piece (Photo credit: Khan Heeba Lazmi)
Wu himself is involved in leading the restoration team of Tetra and has created vintage neon signs for the Tai Kwun ‘Vital Signs’ exhibition, actively involving himself in preserving this timeless craft. “The key to conserving this industry isn’t about having more apprentices, it’s about having quality and exquisite neon artistry that will make people want more and more. That’s where conservation begins.”