Harbor night view dims as festive lighting wanes

Stacy Shi

The panoramic night view of Victoria Harbour turned pale this Christmas, as a lighting industry veteran said building owners have put more money into indoor decorations than Christmas lighting.

From Causeway Bay to Sheung Wan, only about 10 buildings lit up their exterior walls during the first Christmas after the SAR returned to normal.

In 2018, Christmas lights on the external walls of Citic Tower, Admiralty Centre and Far East Finance Center could be seen from Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront; however, this year only Citic Tower was glittering while the other two buildings were drowned in darkness.

Block A of New Mandarin Plaza in the Urban Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui continued to leave its external wall blank this year since it suspended Christmas light decoration in 2021, only reflecting the lights of a Santa Clause presenting presents to children on the adjoining East Ocean Centre.

Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, which was decorated with red lights in a heart shaped pattern on the external wall in 2021, which were visible from the north of Hong Kong Island, had two Santa Clauses on the wall instead this year, but attracted visitors, photographers and posts on social media.

A mainland tourist surnamed Wang, who went to Victoria Harbour specifically to see Christmas lights over the weekend, said the harbor was much paler than she last saw during Christmas in 2017.

"The darkening of the entire Victoria Harbor makes me wonder if Hong Kong is economically depressed," she said.

"Father of Christmas Lights" Terrence Wong Kim-shan, who is the founder and president of lighting product manufacturer Shun Sze International Development, said the reason for less lighting may be because shopping malls hope to boost business during the first Christmas after the pandemic so they paid more attention to the indoor decorations.

Additionally, multiple owners of a building might not have come to a general agreement to spend money on light decorations, he explained.

Wong said the lights on the external walls of high-rise buildings, which present intricate designs on both sides of Victoria Harbour during Christmas, are unique to Hong Kong.

He hopes that buildings along the harbor will collaborate to re-promote the lighting culture by utilizing technology and innovative design effects, such as creating "light paintings" on the external walls, which would attract more tourists.