Abbas wrote, ‘preservation is selective and tends to exclude the dirt and pain’.
When a tourist recognises Hong Kong as a new city, they will visit Central instead of the hyperdensity in Sham Shui Po. The architectures that represent Hong Kong in the tourist’s eye are the Bank of China Tower, the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, etc.
However, these commercial buildings and so-called landmarks of Hong Kong can be put anywhere in the world. And what is hidden behind these flourishing pieces of stuff is the pain. For example, Kowloon Walled City was decided to be razed by the government as a gathering point of illegal activities; however, it is also home for many ordinary people. With the disappearance of the Walled City, the local culture disappears. In this case, the various original cultures may be destroyed, and thus make Hong Kong a ‘floating world’.
— Ju Ran 3035844637
Good understanding on the floating nature of Hong Kong. Regarding your point on tourist’s gaze, what do you think of the recent Sham Shui Po hype?
To be honest, as a mainland student, I haven’t been to Sham Shui Po. However, I always hear local people talk about the density and poverty problems there. As a “tourist”, I believe the life of normal people living there should be recorded as a history of Hong Kong.