N IS FOR: NEON SIGNS

Artist Mandy Ng has vivid childhood memories of one particular neon sign in Sheung Wan. “It was a sign of a cha chaan teng,” says Ng. “My dad used to bring me to that cha chaan teng after I finished my piano lessons. It was his favourite restaurant; we used to order satay beef noodles. There was a huge neon sign at the entrance, and it always had a tiny problem and kept flickering. That cha chaan teng closed down a few years ago, so it’s all in my memory now. Most neon signs have been removed in the last few years. Perhaps we will find a balance between urban renewal and preservation one day, and neon signs could be brought back again.”