Sai Yeung Choi Street South gets its last hurrah
As they say, sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry. As of 10 pm on July 29, the Sai Yeung Choi Street South pedestrian zone in Mong Kok is no more. And the people living in the neighborhood aren’t complaining. Started in 2000 with a view to giving independent musicians a chance to perform, Sai Yeung Choi Street South on weekend nights would be overrun by a plethora of amateur performers, trying to outdo each other, particularly in terms of turning up the decibel levels.
It’s easy to see why owners of the stores lining the street and those living on the floors above them wanted the performances to stop. Nineteen different music booths were set up on the 500-meter-long street when I visited it last Saturday. A few more had sprung up on the side streets as well. Each booth was equipped with large speakers and control panels, blaring loud music. Being anywhere near the speakers for five minutes was enough to give one a splitting headache. Imagine being subjected to such torture every weekend evening for the last 18 years!
The booths were manned by an array of singers, mostly singing Chinese pop hits from the 70s to the early 90s. They weren’t necessarily buskers, but rather outdoor karaoke singers, singing to recorded music. While some weren’t too bad, there were others who should not be allowed anywhere near a microphone. I had to endure an excruciatingly off-key, poorly enunciated butchering of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name.
Despite the 30-plus-degree weather, each booth drew a healthy crowd with some going six rows deep. The audience took up the entire pedestrian zone in certain locations, spilling onto the pavement. Having to get through this mesh of people is nothing short of brutal. Foot traffic was reduced to a snail’s pace and chances of getting sandwiched between the crowds pushing from either side were particularly high.
However, Sai Yeung Choi Street South had its share of fans all along and some of them decided to give it a grand send-off last weekend. I saw some 80s-style nightclub dancing at a few booths. The audience was mostly middle-aged and seemed to be reliving their discohopping days. There were plenty of smiles and laughter. Dancers wearing flamboyant wigs and outfits added to the festive environment. Before I realized it, I too was singing along with the classic Cantopop tunes being played.
Some Sai Yeung Choi Street South regulars told me they will now consider options such as the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui. A continuum of performers is calling for a licensing system to be implemented, similar to those in London and New York — cities with a distinct and flourishing busking culture. A licensing system will certainly result in a degree of quality control as opposed to a free-for-all space where singers compete to be the loudest. The genuinely creative and talented buskers, street performers, jugglers, acrobats and caricature artistes deserve the opportunity to continue to ply their trades, and a licensing system al- lowing them access to public spaces suitable for open-air performances seems to be the need of the hour.
An accessible outdoor entertainment zone has its obvious attractions for both the city’s entertainment-loving public as well as visiting tourists. Outdoor performances can add more color and zest to the city’s image when done right. All it takes is a well-thought-out and efficiently executed plan to create such venues.