An aerial view of workers clearing a landslide on a closed road leading to the coastal villages of Shek O and Big Wave Bay in Hong Kong on September 9. The flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain last month exposed problems with the city’s drainage system and emergency response that we must solve in preparation for the next big storm. Photo: AFP
Opinion
Alice Wu
Alice Wu
Good vibes or bad, Hong Kong must first get the basics right
The fanfare over the launch of ‘Night Vibes Hong Kong’ did not prevent the Wan Chai night bazaar tripping up over something as basic as steady power supply
Unless the city gets to grips with the fundamental obstacles impeding its growth and happiness, feel-good campaigns will provide only a temporary boost
The return of the Tai Hang fire dragon dance and the National Day fireworks after their enforced cancellation during the Covid-19 pandemic was glorious. The fire dragon dance, in particular, bore special significance, since the ritual is believed to have been first performed in Tai Hang village in 1880 by Hakka residents to ward off a plague. It’s truly a sight to be seen – a full sensory feast to be experienced in person.
The 67-metre dragon is woven from rattan, rope and straw and fitted with some 12,000 incense sticks. Held up by around 300 people, it weaves its way through the streets and alleys of Tai Hang for three nights every year in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The dance has been included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2011. Hopefully, its return this year marked the end of the city’s Covid-induced woes, at least symbolically.
The government is smart to have made this festive double bill over our long weekend a star attraction of its “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign, designed to encourage residents to head out at night and revive the city’s once vibrant nightlife. Unfortunately, the Wan Chai waterfront night market that is part of the campaign didn’t run very smoothly.
Vendors had responded enthusiastically to the government’s call to liven up our waterfront promenades, and the Wan Chai bazaar featured some 90 stalls offering a variety of popular snacks. It would have been a great lead-up to the holiday weekend, if not for the interruptions in the power supply on its first day.
The power failures were unbelievable. Not only did they leave some vendors unable to serve hot dishes, some stalls could not even receive electronic payments. Whatever officials had planned in their air-conditioned offices, it would not be able to materialise if their execution failed. A fumble like this is unacceptable.
People enjoy a night out on the opening day of the Wan Chai bazaar on September 27. Interruptions in the power supply marred the operations on the first day. Photo: Elson Li
Bad vibes are plaguing our recovery. Why aren’t people going out as much as before?
While it is true that consumer behaviour has changed, part of the reason is the insecurity people feel about their future. We are not digging deep into our pockets to spend because who knows how many rainy days we need to prepare ourselves for?
Surveys in recent years measuring Hongkongers’ happiness have been delivering bad news. One of the latest, conducted by advocacy group HK.WeCARE, found that our happiness level has fallen to a decade low, from 6.59 last year to 5.88 now.
The group said that Hong Kong is experiencing a “post-traumatic situation”. Of the 1,283 people surveyed, more than half showed moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms, with 10 per cent feeling down, depressed or hopeless almost daily.
Hopelessness and persistent depression cannot be resolved with feel-good campaigns alone. Unless the fundamental problems are solved, economic lethargy will persist no matter how many government campaigns are rolled out.
People watch the fire dragon parade through a street in Tai Hang on September 28. The return of the beloved festival after several years of Covid disruptions is to be welcomed, but Hong Kong’s recovery will depend on more than these celebrations. Photo: DPA
Unfortunately, this administration seems to be fond of launching these campaigns. Remember the “Hong Kong New Cityscape” campaign launched last year to deal with hygiene black spots, sewage problems, rat infestations and dangerous signboards, among other things?
Has the city become cleaner since? I’m sure improvements were made, even if incremental.
But if the torrential rain and massive flooding last month and the recent cases of falling concrete and illegal structures told us anything, it is that campaigns are good for raising temporary awareness and delivering short-term results. Without doing the hard work of addressing the root problems, they are simply little more than window dressing. The underlying problems will continue to fester.
As Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu gears up to deliver his policy address later this month, his government must face the city’s challenges head-on and not be content with window dressing.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA
