The flagpoles are the giveaway for me because they are the recognisable property of what was the Hyatt Regency Hotel until it was demolished in 2006 to make way for iSore (sorry, I mean iSquare). Pretty much all of the signboards have gone, as has the turn on the left hand side into Peking Road - it's now fenced off. I do vaguely remember the "Emperor Watch and Jewelry" sign on the left but pretty much everything else has been lost to time. Given the position of the camera the buildings on the right would include Mirador Mansions (see behind the signs on the right) and perhaps the Holiday Inn Golden Mile? I'm not sure but suspect that the red sign reading 中國官殿 (from top to bottom - it means "China Palace") may have been a restaurant in the hotel - however, I haven't checked my facts properly and can't find any mention of it online yet.
Anyway, for those interested, here's an approximation of the same view courtesy of Streetview - okay, maybe a teensy weensy bit further south, but not by much.
Here are some similar shots from later in the film, although I suspect they were all filmed at the same time.
3 comments:
Emperor's sign sticks in my memory, too. And also Yue Hwa, across the road.
It's a shame how much of its character the area has lost. I imagine that neon sign making must be a dying business in HK now.
apparently much of the cross-road signage is illegal, it's just that like many other laws in HK, the Govt never does anything about it. Neon is still around but is slowly being replaced my more energy efficient LED lighting.
The main thing that is eroding character in my opinion is the way smaller family run local shops and businesses are being ousted in favour of international fashion brands. It's really affected the whole territory and many malls and roads now are just like carbon copies of each other in terms of what is there. Very sad...:-(
Yes, very sad indeed. It's a trend I'd really like to see reversed. Maybe it will happen, eventually. I can't imagine the situation is sustainable long-term, especially once these international brands start to get a bit of a foothold on the mainland.
I'm somewhat fortunate though in that I tended to frequent more out-of-the-way places anyway. The worst spots seem to be on the island (which I seldom visited), and around TST (which was always a bit of a tourist trap; it just focused on a different kind of tourist in the 80s.) Places like Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, etc. are closer to what they once were, so far at least.
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