Hong Kong's neon era experiences last glow (2024)

Last neon master Wu Chi-kai talks about fading visual culture

By Kwak Yeon-soo

HONG KONG — In Hong Kong, the dazzling neon signs that once illuminated the city's streets are now a fading emblem of its eclectic and vibrant past.

These visually stunning signs are treasured by locals and foreigners alike as can be shown in films such as “Fallen Angels” (1995) by Wong Kar-wai and "Blade Runner” (1993) by Ridley Scott. Most recently, director Anastasia Tsang’s debut film "A Light Never Goes Out" (2022) called attention to the diminishing visual culture.

Wu Chi-kai, one of about eight remaining neon masters in the city, lent his expertise to train actors of “A Light Never Goes Out” on how to make neon signs.

"At first, I couldn't believe there's going to be a film about the neon sign industry. But it turned out to be true. The actors came to my workshop to learn about the craft. They embodied the actions very well, but I also did the hand movements for several scenes," he told The Korea Times during a recent interview.

The 56-year-old craftsman has spent nearly 40 years making neon signs.

"I entered this industry by chance. My father worked in the neon factory. During the summer vacation before I turned 18, my father offered me a part-time job. That's where my journey began. Working outdoors was risky, so I stayed inside to help other workers," he recalled.

At that time, the factory boss wanted young workers to join the industry so he offered learning opportunities to master the craftsmanship. Moving from knowing nothing about the industry to knowing a little about it gave Wu a sense of achievement.

"Within a year, I learned how make neon signs. My boss wanted to set up a new factory in Taiwan and he asked me to join him. As an outsider in Taiwan, it was hard to do business there. After two years, he canceled all his plans and returned to Hong Kong. I stayed for another three to four years as a freelancer, but I eventually came back and started my own business with two alumni in the factory," he said.

During the neon heyday, coinciding with Hong Kong's economic boom, there were about 30 to 40 masters who could manufacture neon signs. Now, there are only about eight left, according to Wu.

"In the 1980s, the Hong Kong economy was growing. The vast majority of companies, including banks, restaurants, night clubs and jewelry shops, needed neon signs," he reminisced.

"During the 1980s and 1990s, I mostly focused on making outdoor neon signs. Along the street of Tsim Sha Tsui, most of signs were made by neon. I made a lot of cigarette advertisem*nts because tobacco companies could afford them. A lot of them are taken down right now, but the Bank of China Tower still has the neon sign that I made."

Over time, the traditional craft has been replaced with cheaper LED signs. After incidents in which ageing signboards fell on pedestrians, the government announced tighter safety regulations in 2010. Under those rules, all existing signboards were made illegal unless they complied with new standards on size and placement.

"In the early 2000s, most of the products were not made by Hong Kong people. In late 1990s, one company started to bring client requests to mainland China because the labor cost was significantly lower there," he explained.

"The neon industry started to decline in the early 2000s because of two main reasons — the introduction of LED lights and stricter government controls. The biggest influence would be the maturity of LED lights followed by government regulation because it was not specifically targeted at the neon industry, but sign boards in broader terms."

Despite these challenges, Wu continues to adapt. Compared with the past when he worked on outdoor neon signs, he now focuses on interior and home decoration and collaborates with young artists and designers.

"Neon has a history of about 100 years. In the past, we manufactured neon signs to make people see what services and products shops can sell for commercial purposes. Now more people see it as artwork," he said.

Alongside neon masters, the art of making neon signs faces an uncertain future with few young practitioners to keep the tradition alive.

Wu said he doesn't have an apprentice who is fully committed to learning the craft from him.

"There is one who occasionally comes to my workshop to learn neon-making processes. However, she has a day job and isn't serious about inheriting the skills," he said.

The traditional process of making neon signs is intricate and requires a high level of craftsmanship. It involves torching and bending glass tubes into shapes, then filling them with gases such as neon or argon to create signs of different colors.

Wu stressed that craftsmanship always comes first.

"I feel like first and foremost, neon light is about craftsmanship. Then you can move on to the creative part of making multi-dimensional and complex artworks. People need to have special consideration for neon lights because they have existed for decades. That's why I felt like Tsang's film speaks to us. It gave us the voice."