Fading glory The fight to save neon from the scrapheap

The signs that once jostled for space and attention along the city's crowded commercial streets are disappearing as safety regulations get stricter

- Hillary Leung

the narrow pavements of Wan Chai are accustomed T to the lunchtime rush, with queues spilling from restaurants and promoters pushing flyers on passersby. But on an otherwise unexceptional Monday last month, one main thoroughfare was the site of more commotion than usual.

Metres behind a bus stop on Hennessy Road, a truck pulled into a "no stopping" zone, where two neon signs - about 3 metres tall - rested on a trolley. Workers deftly hooked up a rope and hauled the signs on to the truck before driving off.

For Cardin Chan, this was just another day as the general manager of Tetra Neon Exchange, a non-profit that collected Hong Kong's famed neon signs.

Tightened government regulations on unauthorised neon signs mean scores of signs, which for decades have hung outside bakeries, clothing shops and restaurants, are disappearing-stripping the streets of their oncefamiliar glow.

There is no authoritative figure of how many neon signboards remain.

The buildings department, which oversees building codes and safety, said that, in 2011, there were about 120,000 signboards, but added that it did not keep statistics. Chan's team put the number at 400 last year, but the survey was not completed. "We're under the impression that more signs are coming down quicker," she said.