John Lee spreads Lunar New Year blessings at Kwun Tong market

With the Year of the Horse just hours away, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu visited the bustling Kwun Tong Lunar New Year market on Monday, buying auspicious flowers and extending festive greetings to vendors and residents.

The visit followed his year-end household calls in Yau Ma Tei last Friday, where he paid an early New Year visit to elderly residents.

Lee arrived at the market at around 3pm, accompanied by Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen and Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan.

He began his tour at a flower stall, purchasing yin-liu, also known as cat-tail willow, for HK$120. The plant is traditionally seen as a symbol of prosperity.

Chatting with the vendor, Lee asked about customer traffic and peak hours, and was told that crowds had been strong this year.

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As he moved through the market, Lee stopped to speak with shoppers, including two young children, and playfully tested their knowledge of Lunar New Year greetings.

Meeting a young girl named Rachel, he invited her to share New Year wishes with Hong Kong people, and in return offered her blessings for good health and academic success.

He later bought a potted cow’s udder plant, also known as nipple fruit, for about HK$80. He handed the vendor HK$100 and asked them to keep the change as a token of good fortune.

Lee also spent HK$800 on two orchids—priced at HK$199 and HK$598 respectively—wishing the stall owner prosperity in the year ahead.

At a student-run booth, he praised a banner reading “Galloping Forward, Striving Onward,” encouraging the young vendors to take part in youth initiatives led by Secretary Mak and to prepare themselves as future leaders.

He also posed for photos with the students beside the police anti-scam mascot, “The Little Grape.”

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Lee described the market as “bustling, joyful, and lively,” adding that the atmosphere reminded him of visiting Lunar New Year markets during his childhood.

Displaying the flowers he had purchased, he explained their meanings: yin-liu symbolizes prosperity and steady growth; the cow’s udder plant represents harmony across five generations; and orchids embody elegance and continuing good fortune.

As families across the city prepared for reunion dinners, Lee extended his festive wishes to the public.
"I wish everyone success in every sector—may you stay ahead of the pack and may all your wishes come true," he said.