Source: Bauhinia
At the beginning of the lanterns, along Salisbury Road and Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, both sides of the road are covered with neon "new clothes...... On the evening of September 30, the Chinese knot lighting illuminated two major roads in Hong Kong for the first time, attracting many citizens to stop and admire and take photos.
This year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Bauhinia Culture Group specially planned the "· Together" Chinese Knot Lighting Exhibition, in the joyful atmosphere of the National Day, about 50 groups of Chinese knot lampposts added a unique "brilliance" to the festival, becoming a beautiful scenery in Tsim Sha Tsui.
As night falls, the streets are like a colorful picture scroll, and more citizens and tourists stroll through the streets with Chinese knots and red flags, enjoying this unique festive atmosphere. Mr. Zhang, who went out for a walk with his family, said, "I was so surprised to see the streets decorated with Chinese knots! The street lights not only beautify the city, but also add to the joyful and festive atmosphere, making people feel a sense of belonging and pride." Ms Lau, who visited Hong Kong during the festival, said, "The exquisite design of the lighting perfectly combines the traditional culture of the Chinese nation with modern optoelectronic technology, showing people's vision of a better life in the new era." Seeing Chinese knots on the streets of Hong Kong feels familiar and warm."
"The Chinese knot has the meaning of unity, happiness and peace, and the Chinese knot lighting on the first exhibition in Hong Kong is the same as that of Chang'an Avenue in Beijing." Yu Hong, head of Zhongshan Minggong Lighting Factory, a Chinese knot lighting manufacturer, said that due to the different standards and requirements between Hong Kong and the mainland, he had twice been to Hong Kong to jointly study and discuss the transformation and adaptation of products, and refined the materials, structures, and production processes of products.
As for why the two roads of Salisbury Road and Nathan Road were lit up for the first time, Cheung Chin-hung, Chief Engineer of the Street Lighting Division of the Highways Department of the HKSAR Government, said that the site is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, a traditional tourism and core business district, and has attracted a large number of people from home and abroad to participate in activities such as the Standard Chartered International Marathon, the Hong Kong Chinese New Year Float Parade and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. It is believed that more citizens and tourists can enjoy the special Chinese knot illuminations, feel the strong atmosphere of the National Day brought by the "light" and "color" of the neon lanterns, and also allow tourists from all over the world to get in touch with more traditional Chinese crafts and culture.
In order to catch up with the National Day as scheduled, the construction party China State Construction International Group worked overtime, and its construction representative said that the project had a clear goal from the beginning, to ensure quality and quantity, complete the gift project on schedule, and ensure absolute safety. Nathan Road and Salisbury Road are major roads with a number of bus routes running through them. In order to minimize the impact on the surrounding citizens and catch up with the delay caused by continuous rainfall and cooling, China State Construction International urgently deployed manpower and resources, and a group of professional construction personnel worked all night to carry out construction during non-peak hours. During the construction period, citizens stopped from time to time to take photos with the Chinese knot lanterns that had been lit up. "The expectations in the eyes of the citizens and the praise in their mouths make everyone feel a great responsibility, and I hope to live up to everyone's expectations."
The head of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government said in an interview that this year's National Day is the first National Day after the HKSAR Government has reshaped District Councils and completed the enactment of Article 23 of the Basic Law. The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to organising a series of rich, diversified and creative National Day activities to share the joy of the National Day with the whole Hong Kong people and spread patriotism in the community.
He revealed that in order to create a warm atmosphere for the National Day, this year's National Day decorations in all government buildings, crowded places, and even the streets and alleys of various districts are the highest in all years, and the whole society is filled with a lively National Day atmosphere. He pointed out that this year's National Day was supported by Bauhinia Culture Group to install and display Chinese lanterns on two major roads, reflecting the results of the cooperation between the government and cultural enterprises. Through the design theme of "concentric knot", it shows the spirit of unity of the Chinese nation and contributes to the country. It is believed that the "Together, Celebrate" Chinese lanterns will attract many residents and tourists to check in, thereby enhancing the public's sense of belonging and pride in the country, and deepening visitors' understanding and interest in traditional Chinese culture.
This is the first time that luminous luminaires have been hung on road lampposts in Hong Kong, which involves technical issues such as power supply, load-bearing and installation of lampposts. During the installation process, various challenges were also faced, including lighting testing, road closure, traffic safety and noise, etc., which required professional advice and assistance from relevant government departments in various areas. In an interview, the person in charge of the Home Affairs Department said that in the whole process of preparation, lighting production and installation, the Home Affairs Department took the lead in coordinating the relevant government departments to actively communicate and discuss the response plan. All departments have worked together to provide practical advice and multi-faceted support to Bauhinia Culture Group, with a view to enabling the installation of the unique and dazzling Chinese lanterns before the National Day, so as to "celebrate with one heart" with the public. The person in charge said that the Home Affairs Department was pleased to see that the Bauhinia Culture Group had added colour to the city's decoration during the National Day period to enhance the patriotic feelings of the public, which would also help attract visitors and deepen their understanding of Chinese culture.
On the day of the lighting of the two main roads in Yau Tsim Mong District, many Yau Tsim Mong District Council members were also invited to visit the China Knot Lighting Exhibition to celebrate the National Day with the public. The District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) and the Chairman of the District Council, Mr Yu Kin-keung, said that this year, the HKSAR Government and District Offices of various districts have been working hard to organise different activities and decorations to enhance the atmosphere of the National Day, and the public is very happy. Bauhinia Culture Group is very creative in using Chinese knot lampposts to enhance the atmosphere of the National Day, and at the same time, it also allows the public to pay attention to and experience the traditional Chinese culture.
Wong Shu-ming, chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Branch of the Hong Kong Economic and People's Livelihood Alliance and member of the District Council, said that many Chinese knots can be seen in the mainland, and Chinese knots, also known as concentric knots, represent traditional Chinese culture and symbolize national unity. Yau Tsim Mong District is a multi-tourist, diversified community, with many tourists from the mainland and abroad, and tourists can see the display of Chinese knots as soon as they come to Yau Tsim Mong District to shop, which is very beneficial to the promotion of traditional culture.
Chan Siu-tong, a district councillor also from Yau Tsim Mong District, said that Nathan Road in Kowloon is one of the most famous roads in Hong Kong, this road is very Hong Kong characteristics, and now many young people do not know much about traditional culture.
According to the representative of the organizer, Bauhinia Culture Group, since last year, the group has held a series of cultural and public welfare activities such as drone shows, large-scale exhibitions, community carnivals and other cultural and public welfare activities on major festivals, so that Hong Kong people can enjoy a cultural feast. The Chinese Knot Lighting Exhibition is one of the series of activities specially planned by Bauhinia Culture Group to celebrate the 75th anniversary ·of the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the purpose of promoting traditional Chinese culture, creating a festive atmosphere in Hong Kong, and expressing good wishes to the motherland and Hong Kong.
The China Knot Lighting Exhibition will last until November 30 from now on, and the lighting time will coincide with the lighting time of the existing lamppost street lights.