Noise and drunkenness are a real blight on life in Soho
Updated: 2015-08-31 07:51
By Tsering Namgyal(HK Edition)
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Walking down Soho a few weeks ago, I was struck by a signboard that said: "Please Keep Your Noise Down. We Are Trying to Survive."
"Finally," I told myself. "This answers my question." I have been wondering how local residents manage to cope with all the mass hysteria the widespread drinking culture tends to create in Soho - especially at night.
If you hear the word "Soho", you would normally think of cafes, art galleries and, of course, some bars and restaurants. But this is not true in Hong Kong. This is because the area is more or less dominated by bars peddling nothing but beer and loud music.
One of the reasons behind this is probably the city's role as a magnet for young expats who do not seem to want to be confined to their small apartments. Most of them would rather visit neighborhood bars and restaurants and spend their hard-earned wages on the expensive drinks on offer.
This explains the seemingly endless stream of clients in the bars, despite the prices. It is also the reason why new shops continue to open even as the rents keep rising.
Already, many of the older tenants - most of them in fact antique shops and art galleries - have been shutting down one after another, only to be replaced by even more watering holes. In a way, the rising rents means only high-margin businesses such as bars can survive and make a profit.
I think one result of Hong Kong's peculiar housing situation is small flats force people to spend more time outdoors. And the business sector has seized on this opportunity by supplying them with alcohol, music and a social life - precisely what most young people look for.
Not surprisingly, there are also reports of a growing drug problem. This is putting the safety and image of the area at risk. Recently, police enforcement has led to the arrests of immigrants, mostly from African nations, reportedly peddling drugs on the streets around Soho. And that is the last thing the residents want to see - drugs in their backyard.
One could also argue that this reflects Hong Kong's lack of arts and cultural activities and other diversions into which they could perhaps channel their energies. To use just one example, the city does not even pretend to aspire to be anything remotely bookish, or cultural for that matter. This is unlike other cities in the region such as Singapore, which has been promoting itself as an artistic haven, or Taipei with its famous 24-hour bookstores. We have no comparable facilities where young people can drink coffee, chat quietly and read until the early hours of the morning. One could say that is not in Hong Kong's, DNA for we are primarily a business hub.
It is little wonder that the Soho bar scene is bulging at the seams. I am not just talking about the famously rowdy Lan Kwai Fong district. In the general environs of Soho, even during the daytime on weekends, you see scores of well-attired young people lounging by the roadside, having drinks and socializing, and turning the place into a veritable festival of booze. And do not be surprised if in a few years time Soho ends up just looking like one big Lan Kwai Fong - with the noise to match it!
Things are fine until night falls, the drinks are downed, and the decibels begin to rise. That may certainly be fun for those partaking in it but not necessarily for neighborhood residents - as the signboard I mentioned proves.
Given the rate at which housing prices have gone up in the area, the residents most likely have been living there since the early days. That is even before the city became a global financial center and a chosen destination for newcomers seeking a career in Asia.
To paraphrase the 19th-century British statesman Benjamin Disraeli, the East is indeed a career, and the young professionals are new to Asia and need to meet new people. These places offer a great platform to meet people that a young debutante or an intern might not otherwise meet in their daily lives. And you never knows who you might meet at these places - a future employer, a business partner, or even a future spouse.
Let us be honest, though. Most professionals work hard. They deserve to have some fun, but not at the expense of other people's peace and quiet. It is fun to watch the party while it is going on but less so seeing the vomit on the sidewalks the following morning.
(HK Edition 08/31/2015 page8)