Hong Kong's hopes of reviving a once popular open-air night market have so far failed to spark enthusiasm, with visitors complaining the modern day bazaar fails to rekindle memories of yesteryears.
The HK$20-million (US$2.6 million) Sheung Wan Gala Point, where the waterfront bazaar known as "Poor Man's Market" was resurrected two weeks ago, has largely been met with disappointment.
Some visitors to the 21,000m2 open-air bazaar complained the new version lacked atmosphere and failed to capture the ambience of Poor Man's Market in the 1960s and 1970s.
"We didn't have much money then, but we enjoyed the times we visited the market," recalled middle-aged businessman Cheung Mak-kong as he took a stroll down memory lane.
He remembered the chaotic market scenes of unruly crowds packed into narrow aisles pushing and shoving each other, amid a cacophony of hawkers' cries, blaring rock'n'roll music and cheap overhanging lights.
"You could have a tailored suit ordered there, as well as neck ties, and eat all the delicious snails you want," he said.
William Tsui, an insurance agent, said: "It was so different then, when life was so simple. As a teenager, there was such a sense of freedom while visiting the night market."
A stall owner who paid around HK$3,000 (US$385) a month to peddle toys at one of nearly 300 stalls said she hoped the slow start was not an indication of future business.
"I think many came to remember the old days and were not here to shop," said the former restaurant worker.
The old bazaar was closed in 1992 to make way for reclamation projects.
Roxana Chan, a spokeswoman for Supermedia Exhibition Ltd, which won the two-year contract to operate the bazaar, claimed the company was not aiming to bring back the exact 1970s version of Poor Man's Market.
"We understand the previous one was famous for its unique values and characterstics as it was developed to suit the living styles of society then," Chan said.
She said the objective had been to build a well-designed Gala Point equipped to enable society to emboss a new image and theme on the new bazaar that was more suited to modern times.
"We noticed there was a flow of about 200,000 people from October 13 to 20 and we are satisfied with this," said Chan.
The bazaar also offers Cantonese opera, acrobatics, music concerts over the weekends and a Halloween party.
Lai Tai-lok, sociology professor at the Chinese University, observed that Poor Man's Market had appealed to locals and tourists alike because it was the popular culture at the time when Hong Kong's economy was just beginning to take off.
"If businessmen at that time had failed to feel the pulse of those days, they would not have succeeded in creating such a night time market," he said.
Simon Clennell, spokesman for Hong Kong Tourism Authority, said: "It will take some time for visitors to hear about it. We certainly will be trying to publicize it."
"It is difficult to say if it will be popular to tourists. Success does not depend on visitors alone, but how local markets accept it," he said.
The calls to reopen the bazaar were raised early this year as authorities embarked on plans to help pull Hong Kong out of a prolonged economic downturn and tackle rising unemployment.
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