Don't think for a moment the 688 lanterns now adorning Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai are a gaudy flashback to the district's years as one of Hong Kong's premier red-light districts.
Rather, the lanterns have been hoisted to put that reputation further into the shadows of times gone as business operators and residents project an atmosphere of festive enjoyment in a district on the way up.
The lanterns in red, pink, green and purple went aloft at the weekend and will glow from 5pm every evening through to October 25.
A charity bazaar organized by the organization Make-A-Wish Hong Kong will be held along the avenue next weekend. And followers of the avenue's social media can click for free instant photos over three consecutive weekends from Saturday.
At nearby Hysan Place in Causeway Bay, meanwhile, a lantern-focused carnival is under way on the fourth-floor Sky Garden and continues until September 22. Visitors who solve lantern riddles will be rewarded with - you've guessed it - paper lanterns.
