Walk through Mong Kok at 2:00 AM and you’ll feel it. That specific, buzzing hum. It’s the sound of noble gases fighting through glass tubes, a literal electric pulse that defined the visual language of a city for decades. But honestly, if you haven’t been to the city in a few years, you might notice something’s wrong. The glow is dimming. Neon signs Hong Kong used to be the city’s second skin, a chaotic, overlapping forest of light that made "Blade Runner" look like a rough draft. Now? It’s getting replaced by flat, soul-less LED panels that don't flicker and certainly don't have that warm, nostalgic bleed.
It’s heartbreaking, really.
Most people think these signs are just being taken down because they’re "old." That’s only half the story. It’s actually a complex mess of building codes, safety regulations, and the slow death of a craft that takes decades to master. If you want to see the real deal before it’s gone, you’ve gotta know where to look, because the iconic "Cow" of Sammy’s Kitchen or the massive Tsui Wah signs aren't where they used to be.
The Brutal Reality of the Buildings Department Crackdown
Since about 2010, the Hong Kong Buildings Department has been on a crusade. They introduced the Signboard Control System, which basically turned thousands of historical artifacts into "unauthorized structures" overnight. Safety is the official reason. Some of these signs are massive—cantilevered structures hanging thirty feet over a crowded sidewalk, held up by rusted steel wires from the 1970s. When a typhoon hits, you can see why the government gets nervous.
But the result is a sterile skyline.
Between 2017 and 2020 alone, thousands of signs were removed. For a small business owner in Jordan or Sham Shui Po, the cost of retrofitting an old neon sign to meet modern safety codes is astronomical. It’s cheaper to just rip it down and slap up some LEDs. LEDs are "better" on paper. They use less power. They’re easier to fix. But they lack the "mo lo"—that specific blur of light—that only genuine neon provides. Neon is an art of vacuum seals and hand-bent glass; LED is just a circuit board in a plastic box.
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The Masters of the Flame
There are only a handful of "Sifus" (masters) left who actually know how to bend the glass. Master Wu Chi-kai is one of the names you'll hear most often. He’s been doing this for over 30 years. He’ll tell you that neon isn't just about light; it’s about the heat of the torch and the breath of the maker. You have to blow into the tube while bending it to keep it from collapsing. It’s physically demanding, dangerous, and frankly, the younger generation isn't exactly lining up to spend ten hours a day in a hot workshop getting burned by glass.
Where Neon Signs Hong Kong Still Live (For Now)
If you're looking for that classic "Cyberpunk" aesthetic, you can't just wander anywhere anymore. You have to be intentional.
Jordan and Yau Ma Tei are your best bets. Temple Street still has some grit left. The iconic Mido Cafe—though it has its own struggles—remains a pilgrimage site for those who want to see 1950s-style signage in its natural habitat. There’s something about the way the green and red light hits the damp pavement after a rainstorm. It’s cinematic.
Then there’s the M+ Museum.
When the "Sammy’s Kitchen" cow sign (a local landmark since 1977) was ordered to be taken down, the M+ Museum stepped in to save it. They’ve been collecting these "orphaned" signs. It’s a bit bittersweet. Seeing a sign that was meant to be 20 feet in the air, buzzing over a noisy street, now sitting silent in a climate-controlled gallery is... weird. It’s preserved, sure, but it’s like seeing a tiger in a cage. It’s lost its purpose.
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The Survival of the "New" Neon
Ironically, while the massive outdoor street signs are dying, "indoor neon" is having a weirdly successful moment. Hipster bars in Central and boutiques in Causeway Bay are commissioning small-scale neon works. It’s a different vibe. It’s "lifestyle" neon. It’s for Instagram.
Cardin Chan, who works with the group Tetra Neon Exchange, has been a vocal advocate for the medium. Her group doesn't just want to put signs in museums; they want to find ways to keep them on the streets. They argue that neon is a crucial part of Hong Kong's "intangible cultural heritage." If you lose the signs, you lose the visual identity of the city. You become just another glass-and-steel metropolis that looks like Singapore or London.
The Physics of the Glow
Ever wonder why neon looks so much better than LED? It’s physics.
A neon tube is a 360-degree light source. The light radiates in every direction, reflecting off the building walls and the humid Hong Kong air. LED is directional. It’s "pointy" light. Also, neon creates a continuous line of color. LEDs are just a series of tiny dots diffused by plastic. Your brain can tell the difference, even if you don't think it can.
- Neon (Neon gas): Produces that classic warm red.
- Argon (with Mercury): Produces the blues and greens.
- Powder-coated tubes: This is how they get the pinks, purples, and whites.
The complexity of the gas mixtures is what gives old-school Hong Kong streets that multi-layered, painterly quality. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s human.
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How to Document the Signs Before They're Gone
If you’re a photographer or just a fan of the aesthetic, time is actually running out. Every month, another heritage sign gets the "demolition order" sticker.
- Get a fast lens. You’re shooting in low light. An f/1.8 or f/1.4 is your best friend here.
- Don't just look up. Look at the reflections in the wet asphalt or the windows of the buses passing by.
- Check out the side streets. Nathan Road has lost most of its big signs, but the smaller alleys in Mong Kok still hide some treasures.
- Follow @neonsignshk and similar accounts. There are dedicated locals who track the "death watch" of signs. They’ll post when a sign is scheduled for removal so people can go see it one last time.
The reality is that neon signs Hong Kong are a dying species. The city is changing. It’s becoming more regulated, more "safe," and more standardized. There’s a certain tragedy in that. The chaos of the neon skyline was a reflection of Hong Kong’s period of explosive, unregulated growth—a time when anything was possible and the sky was a canvas for whoever had the loudest, brightest ad.
Actionable Steps for the Neon Enthusiast
If you actually care about this stuff, don't just take a photo and leave. Support the businesses that still maintain their neon. It’s expensive for them. When you eat at a cha chaan teng that still has its original neon sign out front, you’re indirectly helping pay that maintenance bill.
- Visit the M+ Museum's "Hong Kong: Here and Beyond" exhibition. It’s the best place to see the technical side of how these signs were constructed.
- Explore the "Street Sign Map" projects. Several local NGOs have mapped out the remaining historical signs in Kowloon. Download a map and do your own walking tour.
- Look for workshops. Occasionally, the remaining Sifus hold demonstrations. They are rare, but seeing the glass melt under a flame is something you won't forget.
- Advocate for sensible heritage laws. Hong Kong currently lacks a strong framework to protect "functioning" heritage. A sign is often only "protected" once it's removed and put in a museum. We need laws that help owners keep their signs in place safely.
Hong Kong without neon is like Paris without the wrought iron or New York without the yellow cabs. It’s a fundamental part of the city’s DNA. While the LED takeover seems inevitable, the fight to keep the last tubes glowing is still very much alive. Go see them now. Don't wait until 2030, because by then, the "Pearl of the Orient" might just be another LED-lit office park.